Episode 351: Brian Shepherd, the IFPA Man Behind The Curtain
Pinball Profile
39 min
Summary
IFPA's Brian Shepherd on 16 years building competitive pinball infrastructure amid explosive growth and ongoing ranking system refinement.
Brian Shepherd, a 16-year veteran of IFPA infrastructure and rankings development, discusses the organization's explosive growth from ~23,000 players eight years ago to 90,000+ now, the evolution of ranking systems from NASCAR-style to the current 5.0/5.8 models, and recent 2023 rule changes addressing tournament formats, league valorization, and competitive fairness. The conversation covers how IFPA decision-making is collaborative (not dictatorial), the tension between growth and maintaining competitive integrity, and specific concerns about format exploitation and efficiency-based point farming.
Not only a top player in the world, but the person who gives us the goods on Brian shares a great history lesson of the IFPA, the changes, the growth and how competitive pinball has evolved. And there MAY be some talk of Josh Sharpe.
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