Nuneaton - Tables at the Royal Oak - Discussion

[Hand of Doom]

To all Regular and Guest Players

A few months ago we swapped one of two our Garlando Tables for a Fireball Table.
We are reviewing the success of this, and you are invited to share your views on
the pro's and con's of this move, so we can decide whether to keep the Fireball or bring
back the Garlando.

Thanks,
Bill

[Greyhound]

Bring back the garlando and the old balls.

[Kingy]

i think its great to have two different tables, as i need to improve on both!

[PADDY.]

I think the Fireball Table is a great addition to the venue.

It is great that we now have a choice of two tables to play [Fireball & Garlando]

It would be a real shame/loss to the club if that choice was taken away [again]

[Matt Price]

As a sometime attender [an irregular if you will] I like having the two tables.

Although I would second the notion that the old balls are used on the Garlando.

[Bundy Volume 1]

I think it's a great selling point of the venue to have the 2 different types of table. It is the only venue in the Midlands which can offer 2 top quality ITSF tables, and with my BFA Chairman hat on I'd hate to see that disappear.

If you ever found room for a 3rd table, and if the BFA can raise funds to buy some of the ITSF tables that are rare in this country, I would have loved Nuneaton to be home for one of these and for it to become an ITSF training centre, but that's just future pondering.

From the POV of a player who occasionally pops down, I like the 2 tables. Caters for everyone really. It's also rare to find a well maintained Fireball in a pub, few places I know I could go for that. I know some may only like one table or the other, but I'm sure there would be no major objections on one of the BYP nights to having 1 team play the majority of their games on their preferred table if they'll enjoy the evening more that way.

Barenherz balls do fit in more with the traditional 'Garlando' style of play, and if I came down to find them in the table I would have no complaints. Maybe go back to them, and keep the new ones to one side for any pre-BFA tournament practice nights.

P.S - hoping to make it down again soon if I can convince John to stop being rubbish and working in London all the time.

Joe.

[Jody]

I know I don't visit too often due to work, distance, etc but I think it would be a real shame to lose the Fireball. I don't understand why you would replace it with Garlando when there is one there already?

[Sampson]

I'm with Jody, although I haven't been anyway near as often as I should have of late, I think it would be a big shame to replace the Fireball. Variety is the spice of life after all.

For me, having multiple table types provides those who are serious about competing at a (inter)national level with a better chance of improving their overall game.

[SpAn]

Even though most of us have been busy with exams recently, the discussion at Warwick when any of us are thinking about turning up has a huge emphasis about getting the chance to play on the Fireball. In my mind the very fact that it is mentioned is a success.

[Hand of Doom]

Many thanks to all of you for taking the time to contribute your thoughts.
I'll take them back to the guys at the Oak.

Kind Regards,
Bill

[Greyhound]

The people who don't come want to keep the Firball.
The people who do come wait around until the Garlando is free so they can play their next game on it.

[PADDY.]

Please god don't let those miserable bastards take the fireball table away.

Amen.

[Mase]

You guys have got to do whats best to keep and please your regulars. But people will only learn to like an appreciate the table if it stays.

Garlando is a far inferior table to the Fireball quality wise.

[Messiah]

How about fun-wise?

[Mase]

Less fun as you can't hit banks or drill the sling shot in the same way.

[cbalife]

Garlando is a far inferior table to the Fireball quality wise.

Some Fireballs are, yeah. I think most coin-op Fireballs I've experienced tend to not play to the same standard as the home edition. I'm not sure if its the balls (the original horrible orange ones) in some places but the quality feels poor. Also.. the bumpers break every two seconds. I think if you put a Fireball in a bar where no one cares about it and it isn't kept nicely maintained then it will be equally as terrible as a Garlando in the same situation. From experience the draw-based coin-op Fireballs really aren't that well built at all and broke constantly.

Maybe if I go and operate garlandos I would have the same opinion. However, the UK isn't the best example of Garlandos in bars, but in Lithuania all the Garlandos we experienced played really nicely and were a dream to play on.

I think if the Royal Oak put Warrior Balls or the newer Fireball balls in the table then people would have a much happier time playing on it. Try that out and if people still dislike it then reinstate the Garlando? That seemed to be my main concern when playing on it.

[Boris]

OK I've not operated fireballs, so cannot comment on the durability of the men and bumpers etc, but I have operated Tornados and if I hadn't had someone on site who knows how to replace broken men I would have spent more in fuel than I would have got from the table. Tornado men would break on a regular basis, particularly where the table got a lot of use.

I've operated glass and open top Garlandos (through-rods only) and I think I've replaced at most 3x rods and a handful of rubbers over a period of around 8 years in total, and probably didn't need to do that if my standards were not so high. Even the tables in Rileys, after a couple of years without regular maintenance, when cleaned and lubed seem to play fine.