RE: Bagatelle: the Common Ancestor of Pinball and Pachinko
Love the history lesson; I'd never heard of Bagatelle, but the board reminded me a bit of a Crokinole board that I used to play as a kid.
Years ago I was in Japan, and we ended up in an arcade filled with Pachinko games. I won and brought my tickets to the front counter where they handed me two packages of tissues and a cloth handkerchief. I was of course terribly confused, but my friend who lived there knew what to do. We went to the alley beside the building which was pitch black, except for a little barred window with a light over it. I handed my booty in and was given money in return. Apparently it was an illegal gambling operation and there was certain value attached to my items. The most bizarre moment of my trip :) Thank you for jogging that memory; I hadn't thought about it in ages!
That's a great story!
Thank you! I thought you might enjoy that one :)