One Night in Bremerton: Multiballs, Mandos, and a Wizardly Finale

On March 11, 2025, seven players gathered at Tik Tok’s Workshop in Bremerton, WA for Tik Tok’s Matchplay 3/11—an eight-round, one-game-per-round tournament that wrapped up in just about two and a half hours. It was a tight, competitive event with a small but seasoned group, organized by Richard Godwin. Despite the overcast skies and brisk 44°F chill outside, the inside of the venue was lit up—literally and figuratively—by a lineup of classics, sleepers, and modern beasts.

What’s the Deal with Tik Tok’s Workshop?

If you’ve ever wanted to hang out somewhere that feels like a love letter to pinball, Tik Tok’s Workshop is the place. Located at 1216 Sylvan Way in Bremerton, this local spot brings together vintage games, a warm and welcoming staff, and food and drinks that people keep going out of their way to mention. The reviews are full of “I wish I could stay longer” energy, and honestly? That checks out. From the moment you walk in, it’s clear the vibe is equal parts arcade, museum, and pub—all wrapped up in a space that genuinely loves the game.

Their current machine lineup reflects that same passion. You can scope them out for yourself at tiktoksworkshop.com.

This Is the Way: Round 8’s Mandalorian Showdown

Round 8 featured a heavy-hitting modern title: The Mandalorian (Premium), released by Stern in 2021. Built around the Disney+ series, this machine delivers a high-stakes hunt through missions, multiballs, and a unique upper mini playfield with a tilting gravity effect—a standout feature that separates it from its Pro version.

Bruce Cherry came out swinging, claiming first in this round with calculated bounty progression and some timely Razor Crest multiball stacking. If you’ve played this one, you know how much can go wrong if you don’t lock in your shots—but Bruce played like a true Mandalorian, cool under pressure and dialed into the code.

This Stern release came out at the height of the show’s popularity and quickly became a tournament favorite thanks to its fast loops, solid ruleset by Brian Eddy, and high production value. Bonus: it features full clips and sound from the show, so even a bad game feels cinematic.

Behind the Glass: The Games That Shaped the Night

With twelve games in the lineup, there was a little something for every type of player. Here’s a deeper dive into a few machines that stood out in the tournament:

Laser War (Data East, 1987)
This was Data East’s first pinball release, and wow, did they want to make an entrance. It features the first use of digital stereo sound in pinball—a big deal in 1987 when most machines still sounded like a dot matrix printer in a blender. The art is pure retro sci-fi cheese, the playfield is fast and aggressive, and the whole thing feels like a neon-drenched fever dream. In tournament play, it’s a bit of a chaos agent: quick drains, high risk, and massive score swings.

Devil’s Dare (Gottlieb, 1982)
This one’s part of Gottlieb’s System 80 era, released just before the company began its long struggle to keep up with Williams and Bally. It’s an early adopter of multiball with speech, which in ’82 was still a novelty. The widebody layout is a challenge, and the art—featuring skeleton knights and hellfire—is classic early ’80s metal album cover energy. It’s not the flashiest machine today, but it has historical value and punishes sloppy play. A real technician’s game.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (Williams, 1993)
Now we’re in legend territory. ST:TNG is a widebody packed with toys—two cannons, seven missions, voice acting from the entire cast, and a deep rule set. Designed by Steve Ritchie and coded by Dwight Sullivan, this game became a tournament mainstay due to its balance of flow and strategy. It’s also a flipper killer: drain management is key here, especially when those cannons start firing. At the time, it was one of the most expensive machines to produce, and it shows.

The Wizard of Oz (LE) (Jersey Jack, 2013)
This was JJP’s debut game, and they didn’t hold back. They introduced RGB lighting, full-screen LCD animations, 6-ball multiball, and interactive toys galore—all based on a 1939 film that somehow still feels fresh when rendered in 21st-century pinball tech. The LE version ups the ante with collector-focused upgrades and polished detailing. It’s one of the most feature-dense pins ever made, and a bold statement from a manufacturer trying to redefine what modern pinball could be.

Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons (Stern, 2015)
This one’s a throwback, and intentionally so. Originally a boutique build by Dennis Nordman and Greg Freres under Whizbang Pinball, Stern picked it up for wide release in 2015. It uses an old Bally-style playfield design (think Fireball or Capt. Fantastic) but with satirical, over-the-top artwork and a simplified scoring system. While it may look like a novelty, it’s got surprisingly tight shots and rewards careful nudging and trap-and-shoot strategy. It’s not just eye candy—it’s a sharpshooter’s game in disguise.

A Battle Worthy of Emerald City

The final match of the night played out on The Wizard of Oz (LE)—a machine that, much like the movie it’s based on, knows how to put on a show. Jersey Jack’s debut release in 2013 was a total game-changer. It brought in a full LCD screen, RGB lighting, custom callouts, and a ruleset that feels more like a deep fantasy quest than a traditional pinball game. This thing doesn’t just hand out points—you have to earn them by battling flying monkeys, spinning houses, and navigating a multiball system that demands real control under pressure.

So it’s no surprise that when the dust settled, it was Richard Godwin who emerged victorious. They’ve played in over 500 IFPA events, and their experience showed. On a game like WOZ, with its layered objectives and unforgiving outlanes, staying calm is half the battle—and Richard played like they were born in Munchkinland and trained by the Lollipop Guild.

Kathleen Rush locked in second place with smart play and precision shooting, proving that she’s not just working her way up the state ranks—she’s already there. Jared Doss took third, showing impressive consistency across a diverse lineup of machines, from the brutal simplicity of Whoa Nellie to the deep code of Star Trek: TNG. And Bruce Cherry, who earlier dominated on The Mandalorian, rounded out the top four with a well-earned finish.

Closing out on The Wizard of Oz wasn’t just poetic—it was the perfect test. Flashy but unforgiving, beautiful but demanding, it’s a machine that rewards the kind of tournament skill you can’t fake.

Who’s Running the Table in WA

With Seattle players holding seven of the top ten spots, it’s safe to say the Emerald City still sets the pace—but events like Tik Tok’s are a reminder that the rest of Washington is never too far behind.

Thanks for the Games and the Good Times

From ’80s synth-blasting Laser War to the all-out spectacle of Wizard of Oz, this tournament was a love letter to pinball’s past and present. Huge props to Richard Godwin for putting it all together and taking the win, and to Tik Tok’s Workshop for providing a lineup and atmosphere that made every round worth watching.

Congrats again to the top players, and keep your eyes on the blog—there’s always another tournament (and another juicy machine) just around the corner. Stay tuned for more tournament action and deep dives into the machines that make pinball great.