Table – Tales from the Crypt VPW https://vpuniverse.com/files/file/6933-tales-from-the-crypt-vpw-premium-for-vpx-106-data-east-1993/

Starts - 4/3 @ 11.30CDT Ends 4/10 @ 11a CDT

Rules and How to Submit Scores - https://www.leaguesonline.live/forum/vpx-challenges/mcap-s-vpx-tournament-rules-scoring-info

iScored Leaderboard - https://www.iscored.info/?mode=public&user=mcap

Tales from the Crypt

Released in 1993 by Data East and based on the popular American TV series, Tales From The Crypt pinball is an exciting and addictive game that features the actual voice of the Crypt Keeper and a star-studded backglass! Start the game by grabbing the specially designed “Tales from the Crypt” door handle.

Keep variety in the game with three playfield flippers. Shoot your ball through one of the three spinners for fast-paced action and watch as it traverses the gravity defying 360 degrees horizontal and 180-degree vertical ramps. You won’t believe your eyes as the tombstone sinks deeper and deeper into the playfield while you feel the spirits of past players as the cabinet shakes.

PLAYFIELD LAYOUT

The game has a standard inlane/outlane format, with a kickback on the left side. The kickback is lit at the beginning of each ball.

Left inlane

Lights drop targets for a random door prize of 1M to 3M.

Left outlane

has a kickback, called the 'crypt kicker'. When lit, the ball is kicked back into play; the kickback flashes for about 2 seconds, so if the ball returns there during that time it is also kicked back. The ball should kick to the upper right spinner for a shot from the upper flipper, but on the machine I played it rarely did that. The first time each ball the kicker is relit by hitting an unlit KEEPER target; subsequent times that ball you must completely spell KEEPER. Note that if you do whatever you have to do to relight the kickback while it's still flashing its grace period, it doesn't relight. The "Super Crypt Kicker" creature feature (abbreviated CF, which are the modes of the game, like the doors in TZ or mansion in TAF, and are described in more detail later) causes the kickback to remain lit for the rest of the ball.

K-E-E targets

to form the first half of the word KEEPER. The P-E-R targets are on the opposite side of the playfield. These are eyeball targets as on LAH. They usually require a direct hit to register. Hitting a target lights it. Getting all of them advances the bonus multiplier (from 2x to 4x to 6x to a max of 8x), or 1M each time after the bonus multiplier has reached 8x and relights the kickback. Note that the first time each ball that the kickback needs to be relit, you only need to hit one unlit target to relight it. These targets are also used in the "Super Keeper Targets" CF.

Captive ball

the captive ball only needs to travel a short distance to hit its target (like the lower left on LAH), but on the machine I played it only seemed to register with a very hard hit. This ball is used to add a ball during multiball and in the "Skull Cracking" CF. When neither of those are in effect, multiple hits of the ball results in points or EB: 5 hits for 5M, 10 hits for EB or 10M, 20 hits for 20M, 30 hits for 30M, etc. [I personally think that you need way too many hits to score; why would you want to shoot the captive ball 30 times?]

Left spinner

this is a left semi-orbit shot with a spinner at the entrance. A successful shot through the orbit directs the ball to the pop bumpers at the top of the playfield. The spinner can be lit to relight the center scoop to start a new CF, and changes the current selected CF if it is not locked in (more later). The spinner advances the value of the single-jackpot during multiball. The spinner is also used in the "Frightmare" and "Werewolf" CFs, and can be a significant point-getter when you shoot them during one of the frenzy modes.

Left ramp

A steep ramp feeds the ball via habitrails to the right inlane. It has four lights: Rats, Goblins, Ghosts, and Bats, but I'm not sure why. From the display, they should be "bat 1", "bat 2", "bat 3", and "bat 4". To start, Rats are flashing; shooting the ramp awards a bat, and makes it lit. Shooting the ramp again lights the next one (Goblins), and the subsequent ramp awards the second bat. Repeat this until you've collected 4 bats (i.e. every alternate ramp shot awards a bat), which advances or lights the right ramp (more later). I don't know the exact scoring, but a ramp shot that awards a bat is worth about 2M or 3M on older ROMs, and 5M on newer ROMs, while the other ramp shots score only a few thousand points. The ramp scores the jackpot during multiball. It is also used in the "Thunder Storm" CF.

Electric Chair

(or Center scoop; well, actually it's the only scoop). The orientation of the scoop is towards the area above the right slingshot, and not the lower right flipper, making it a difficult shot from the lower right flipper. It is an easier shot from the upper right flipper, as the scoop is opened at both the front and right sides. When lit, this scoop starts the "Creature Feature", which are the games modes. More about the CFs are given later. The scoop is also used in the "Electric Chair" CF.

Tombstone and Crypt

A tombstone (which is a huge target the size of the greed target in TAF) blocks the Crypt. Each hit of the target spots the next letter in C-R-Y-P-T. When all letters have been spotted, the tombstone lowers into the playfield making it possible to shoot the Crypt, which starts multiball. I don't know if this was unique to the machine I played or not, but although the tombstone is large, hits to it often did not register, even with what seemed to be a good hit. The tombstone is partially blocked by the Electric Chair when shooting it from the lower right flipper, making it a tough shot. It is an easier shot from the upper right flipper. The Crypt must be shot from the upper right flipper or requires a deflection off a post in order to shoot it directly from one of the lower flippers. The Crypt is an eject hold with a VUK. It sends the ball into another eject hole with VUK behind the center spinner, which in turn feeds the upper right flipper. The Tombstone and Crypt are also used during multiball and during the "Robbing the Crypt" CF.

Pop Bumpers

this is a standard triangle configuration of 3 pop bumpers. They are behind the drop targets, but you can shoot into them with a shot between the tombstone and drop targets. Balls in the pop bumpers often come out this way. The pop bumpers can also be shot via the left spinner or a soft shot from the right spinner. Each pop is typically worth 100K a shot. Super pops can be lit from the right inlane; it's a fairly long-timer, and hitting a pop bumper resets half of it. I haven't figured out the exact timings yet, but they're quite liberal. The pop bumpers are also used in the "Psycho Pops" CF.

Guillotine Targets

these 3 drop targets form a bank in front of the pop bumpers. Completing the three targets advances the end-of-ball bonus multiplier (by 2x each time, up to 8x), or 1M a shot after the multiplier has reached 8x. A ball that passes through the left inlane lights the targets for a short time period (about 5 seconds) to give a random award between 1M and 3M if they are hit within that time period. When they are lit, the lights '1', '2', and '3' on the playfield are flashing. The targets are also used in the "Super Guillotine Targets" CF.

Center spinner

a shot through this spinner sends the ball into a VUK which feeds the upper right flipper by dropping the ball about an inch above the flipper. You collect the extra ball at this VUK, and you can start the first multiball here too. The spinner is also used in the "Frightmare" CF.

Right ramp

This ramp does a vertical U-turn to send the ball back to the left inlane. A shot that only makes it up partially lands onto the habitrail coming from the right ramp, and awards you a 5M 'trick shot' as well as a successful right ramp shot. The ramp is used to start frenzy modes. The modes are 'Living Dead', 'Chainsaw Mode', 'Grave Digger', and 'Play the Organ' (which are lit in that order). If a frenzy mode is flashing, then the frenzy begins. The frenzy lasts 15 seconds, and every target hit gives you points. For the Living Dead, it is 250K per hit; for Chainsaw Mode it is 500K per hit; Grave Digger is 750K per hit; and "Play the Organ" is 1M per hit. The bonus from your frenzy is awarded with your end-of-ball bonus and is called the "Fast Goring" (pun on Fast Scoring) bonus. If a frenzy mode is not flashing, then a right ramp shot lights the next one. Also, if you get 4 bats on the right ramp, then it lights the next frenzy. If a frenzy is already lit, then it makes that light solid (as though it was awarded, but doesn't actually award it) and makes the next one flashing (which is a good thing, since the next one is a higher valued frenzy). Note that frenzys (or is that frenzies :-)) can be started anytime, even during multiball. The Double Jackpot is scored on the right ramp during multiball. The ramp is also used during the "Thunder Storm" CF.

Right spinner

this is a right orbit shot with a spinner at the entrance, which generally feeds all the way around back through the left orbit, so that repeated orbit shots can be made. The first orbit is worth 500K, the next consecutive orbit is 1M, followed by 1.5M, 2M, and a max of 2.5M. (On older ROMs it's 500K, 1M, 2M, 4M ...) If you hit any other targets other than the spinners on the orbit, then you go back to the 500K value. There is a diverter in this lane that sends the ball into the VUK of the center spinner, which in turn returns the ball to the upper right flipper (note, however, that if the extra ball is lit here, it is *not* awarded, you must send the ball to this hold via the center spinner to collect an EB). The diverter is active during Multiball Ready, Multiball Restart, Electric Chair CF, Robbing The Crypt CF, and Crypt Jam. As with the left spinner, it can be used to relight the electric chair when lit or to alternate the selected CF. The spinner advances the value of the Double Jackpot during multiball when that jackpot is lit. It is also used in the "Frightmare" CF.

P-E-R targets

of KEEPER. Like the K-E-E targets; see above for description.

Right Outlane

scores 3M points.

Right Inlane

lights Chop Pops (i.e. super pops).

Plunger

this game has an auto-plunger. The button is in the form of a fancy door handle with the Cryptkeeper's head. Press the door handle as if you wanted to open the door, and that launches the ball. There is a skill shot; see below.