The Old Price Is Right

[DjohnsonCB]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 04:43 PM\'][quote name=\'DjohnsonCB\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 08:16 AM\']As for Plinko as a stand-alone game, four words:  big plastic home version.

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Why do you people CONTINUE to suffer the delusion that a home version of Plinko would have any replayability whatsoever? Yeah, it would be amusing for about twelve minutes, and then you would come to the realization that all you are doing is droping chips down a spiked ramp, and that the rest of it is subject to the whims of fate.

(And yes, I'm being generous at twelve minutes.)

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Awwww...come on!  First of all, the reason I felt there was a place on GS fans' home game shelves for an actual plastic Plinko game by itself is that no TPIR home game would probably ever spring for that extra expense thereby jacking up the total cost of the entire game.  Maybe it would have been feasable had TnPIR with Plinko as one of the minigames debuted on TV in 1966 when the Concentration home game, with that big plastic game board and sturdy plastic slides, could still be had for $5 or less, but remember that back in the mid-'70s, when inflation was taking it's toll on the toy industry and everyone thought plastic would be pricey and in short supply, MB tried to get away with as little plastic as possible in its TPIR games to keep the price under five bucks, which was likely the assumed limit they figured folks would pay for a TV home game.  The Shell Game?  Flat cardboard for the shells and ball.  The Clock Game?  Sorry, no Quick Tick Timer included; you'll just have to use the one from your MB Beat The Clock game or use the ol' clock on your wall.

Big plastic, on the other hand, did have its place in *some* games that didn't require new editions to be made yearly or bought to replace the old ones because everyone memorized the answers or whatever.  My idea for a stand-alone Plinko game wouldn't involve just dropping chips down a board.  The trick would be to build an adaptable game around this action not totally related to TPIR, such as including a flat game board with the Plinko tray standing up in the middle, then have players move pawns along the flat board in an effort to win more chips, or lose a couple, or land on a space that asks them to guess a price correctly to win one or more chips.  

Then there would be other spaces in which one player, or maybe everyone on the same turn, gets to drop a number of chips down the board.  The first player to reach a target amount of money ($50,000?  $100,000?) wins the game.

[Neumms]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Mar 7 2005, 07:09 AM\']If TPIR gave away a Rolls Royce in every game, how long do you think it would take for the novelty to wear off? Sooner or later the monotony would put the audience to sleep.

I'll say it again: you can't buy ratings. If all it took were big-money prizes, state lottery games would be the biggest thing on television. How many years have TPIR and LMAD been around giving away Broyhill dinette sets?

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I'm not saying Rolls Royces every game, just prizes that are unique. The elephant Bill Cullen offered, for example. It's not More Money Syndrome. It's that with no mountain climber or Plinko chips, the prize is the game, so the prizes would need to be fresher than the daily Broyhill dinette set.

[The Ol' Guy]

What about making each thing up for bids a package of items, not unlike the showcases, but in less grand forms? Blend a little "Say When" with the blank check/multiple item concept -

What's up for bids, Don?

It's off to school time, Bill. To make sure these three kids get up on time, here's a Sony CD Clock Radio, with (blah blah blah details)...one for the boys room, one for the girls' room. To help with the get clean routine, here's a Colgate motorized toothbrush for each of them, with 50 tubes of Colgate toothpaste to keep their smiles bright for a long time. Make sure they get something in them by having everyone sit down to breakfast at this new kitchen table set from (blah blah blah). And to listen to tunes on the way to school, here's their own personal Apple iPod! A good way to start a good day..all from The Price Is Right!

Okay, bidders, we're looking for the total retail price of 2 CD clock radios, three toothbrushes, the 50 tubes of toothpaste, the kitchen table set and a trio of iPods. Bids have to be in at least 40 dollar increments, and we'll start the bidding with Mrs. Cosnofski. What say you?

Tons of mid-range merch with nice promo fees attached, a few themes, and maybe high total at the end of the game can play one high-end current Price is Right stage game for the chance to win a new car. After all, if millions of us sit down night after night and watch people spin a wheel and call out the same letters, this can't be any more monotonous if done right.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'DjohnsonCB\' date=\'Mar 8 2005, 04:37 PM\']Then there would be other spaces in which one player, or maybe everyone on the same turn, gets to drop a number of chips down the board.  The first player to reach a target amount of money ($50,000?  $100,000?) wins the game.

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So, in other words, the main function of the game is totally left up to the vagaries of chance.

Sorry. Still sounds like crap to me.

[Neumms]

[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Mar 8 2005, 08:49 PM\']After all, if millions of us sit down night after night and watch people spin a wheel and call out the same letters, this can't be any more monotonous if done right.

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That's the idea!

Do you remember "Say When!" well? What amount would they typically play to? Was it a reasonably interesting game?

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Mar 8 2005, 11:53 PM\']

That's the idea!

Do you remember "Say When!" well? What amount would they typically play to? Was it a reasonably interesting game?

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On the episode(or was it the pilot?) on the trading circuit, they played to $750 in the first two rounds, and $2000 in the championship round. it was essentially a two player version of a modern era TPIR pricing game. It was sort of a cross of Credit Card and Grocery Game and Credit Card in that players would take a prize or a certain quantity of a prize so as to some closer to the target amount without going over.

[The Ol' Guy]

I'm pretty sure that's the pilot, as the show (by the time I discovered it right around age 11) had a stylish theme on electric guitar in the Al Caiola-Tony Mottola style. The game moved a little smoother than the pilot, but the game was the same. Two players chose from 4 prizes to get as close as possible to a pre-determined limit without going over - usually a $750-$1200 range opening game and higher totals from there. I don't remember limits higher that $2500, but someone else might. Pick one prize, a new one took it's place on the game board until all selected prizes per round were exhausted. If you thought one more prize might put you over, you'd "say when" and freeze, forcing your opponent to pick more prizes and get closer to the limit to win, or go over and bust. A fun TRIP clone that involved smart choices and a little shopping savvy. The blank check concept that allowed you to purchase as many of a food or personal item was a clever idea. If anyone has other memories, jump in. Mine's a bit foggy, but I do remember loving the show.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Mar 9 2005, 08:53 AM\']I'm pretty sure that's the pilot, as the show (by the time I discovered it right around age 11) had a stylish theme on electric guitar in the Al Caiola-Tony Mottola style.

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The live guitarist was an instance where in trying to avoid cliche with daytime TV live music (like an organ), Goodson scored (unlike, say, "Number Please").  The live music also, I assume, helped distinguish the show from "TPIR."

[SplitSecond]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Mar 8 2005, 07:02 PM\'][quote name=\'DjohnsonCB\' date=\'Mar 8 2005, 04:37 PM\']Then there would be other spaces in which one player, or maybe everyone on the same turn, gets to drop a number of chips down the board.  The first player to reach a target amount of money ($50,000?  $100,000?) wins the game.
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So, in other words, the main function of the game is totally left up to the vagaries of chance.

Sorry. Still sounds like crap to me.
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I agree that Plinko would make a boring stand-alone home game, but if marketed as more of a toy than a game, I think it'd still sell pretty well.

After all, once the kiddies shell out the $20 and tear off the shrink wrap, retailers don't particularly care whether they play with it for twelve minutes, twelve years, or twelve seconds.

Aside from that, it would make a neat conversation piece for one's desk at work.

[BrandonFG]

Not a bad little idea. I like the desk game type thing. Maybe use ball-bearings, or maybe even small plastic discs (like the ones you'd see in a Bingo game). Hmmm.....

[Dbacksfan12]

Though I haven't seen them in some time now; there used to be a little "mini-pinball" game..in which you'd pull a trigger; and a little ball would bounce down a pegboard into slots with points in them.

I think I saw [and bought] them in the now defunct "All For One" chain stores.

[clemon79]

Yeah, what yer thinking of is known as a "bagatelle", and was the forerunner to modern pinball.

I agree, I see it as an interesting executive toy, but as an actual competitive game it falls rather flat.

[Neumms]

[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Mar 9 2005, 08:53 AM\']A fun TRIP clone that involved smart choices and a little shopping savvy. .

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Thanks for the memory. I'd buy the home game on eBay, but you know how those pricing games sort of go out of date after 40, 50 years.

[tvwxman]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Mar 9 2005, 05:34 PM\']Not a bad little idea. I like the desk game type thing. Maybe use ball-bearings, or maybe even small plastic discs (like the ones you'd see in a Bingo game). Hmmm.....

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At the Toy Fair last month, the guys from "Cranium" were touting a new game, which is Plinko-ish.... You start with a slanted board with pegs, and add obstacles for the ball to hit while dropping through, different obstacles based on cards from a deck, which also determines when the ball is released and from what chamber up top (7 or 9) it is released from....Name escapes me...

Neat for kids, but dunno about adults....Maybe add a trivia aspect and you've got something?

[The Ol' Guy]

True dat, Neumms..and on top of that, the home version is somewhat bastardized - the rules were changed to accomodate 2 to 5 players and has several features the tv show never had - for example, 144 prize cards are shuffled and divided into a four-part lazy susan tray. The tops of the cards list the category of prize (fashion, cars, appliances, etc.), and there are at least 4 cards in each category, each with a different type of prize (LIVING ROOM FURNITURE: card 1, cocktail table, $90, card 2, sofa $280, card 4, complete living room set, $1,950). All you see before you pick is the category, not the specific prize. All rounds are played to reach a $10,000 limit. Players start the game with $50,000 in play money, and always start each round with $10,000 in "buying chips". Pick a card, pay with chips. Same "Say When" and bust rules apply.When a player wins the round, there are payoffs in paper money for having 3 and 4 of a kind category cards, and a Twenty-One type payoff where the losers have to pay the winner a percentage based on how much of their initial $10,000 buying chip stake is left. Kinda complicated, but the cover really says what you get if you read it the way they meant it: A Parker Brothers Game..based on the NBC television program, Say When! I usually just said screw it and played the game like the tv version.