jehsetpanic

Sorta written in the SCP-writing style, but intended more as a brainstorm rather then a draft at this point.

SCP-#### is a dot-matrix pinball machine. Modifications have been made to the wiring underneath the playfield, with seven transmitters hooked up to wiring. The machine is unmodified otherwise and gameplay remains the same.

SCP-####'s anomalous effects activate once a game is started. During gameplay, hitting certain targets and completing table goals (six primary goals & wizard mode) will induce certain emotions in the last person to play SCP-####. Each of the six goals & their targets correspond to one of the six basic emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, guilt, fear, surprise), while wizard mode induces sexual arousal over time.

SCP-#### is primarily intended for amusement for both the player and the "victim". That said, SCP-#### can be used for mind control / manipulation, albeit an unconventional way of doing so.

I'm considering using an existing pinball table (e.g. Scared Stiff, Tales of the Arabian Nights, Attack From Mars, etc.) instead of creating one myself. The idea is independent of an existing table and can easily be adapted to any number of tables. It would allow me to use photos - as designing and building a custom pinball table is hard. However, I'm unsure if this would violate the site's plagiarism rules.

In terms of a larger story, I'm flipflopping between two different ideas.

  • An early / younger Foundation finds SCP-####, and considering it more of a toy that a threat, allows a researcher to keep it in their office under supervision. However, a rogue agent uses SCP-#### to cause a containment breach through skilled play.
  • SCP-#### was discovered at a bar & pinball arcade in a town of some sort. SCP-####'s effects were ignored or not picked up on due to the erratic nature of drunks. SCP-####'s anomalous properties are 'revealed' to the patrons during a pinball tournament, and the arcade decides to keep the machine around and even banks off it's weird effects to an extent to get more customers. However, a skilled & malicious pinball player uses it to wreck havoc, essentially 'ruining it for everyone' and bringing SCP-#### to the Foundation's attention.

Both of these are based off the fact that while pinball is a chaotic, random game to inexperienced players, it can be a game of skill and manipulation (manipulating people's emotions) for a skilled player.