I think Family Guy/Shrek is very accessible.

I have played LOTR many a times and was always under the impression the ball times were quite long and shots were fairly easy. I'm not knocking your wife, just sayin it always seemed to be an easier stern. Not sure what to suggest that is a ton easier than LOTR. hmmm...

IMO PotC one of the best casual games, fun and easy to sink the ship. Easy to understand the goals, good theme etc..

I don't like PotC all that much, but I have a hard time selling it since it is so good for non pinheads to play.

Playboy is the game you are looking for. Hitting almost anything awards bunnies. 25 bunnies awards a Playmate. Every 4 Playmates lights a possible 2 ball multiball.

The 3 ball multiball is simple, it is just hit the center drop target and then the ramp behind it 4 times to lock the balls and start the multiball.

Extra ball is lit after 9 Playmates and if you collect all 12 Playmates...you get a 4 ball Mansion Mania multiball.

It has a few modes, but everything is stacked and possible to run at the same time. As I said earlier...pretty much anything hit adds to the bunny count so just hitting shots and keeping the ball in play will keep you progressing in the game. It has more of an old school "score fest" vibe than a modern mode based vibe, even though it's a little of both.

Pay no attention to the scantily clad women all over the playfield...I'm sure she will enjoy the game for it's appealing and casual gameplay.

I know you said Stern but the most approachable game for casual player I have ever owned was Revenge From Mars. Second is ACDC Pro. They love the cannon shot. Tron was ok but fast. They would not come back to it.

My wife is terrible and a very casual player and she loves LOTR. I don't think mode completion is of interest to a true casual player. Casual players like long ball times with easy to get multiballs but could care less about finishing a mode. She also loves POTC.

How about SM? That is a really fun game with some modes easy to start and finish.

Seems like you should get away from the sterns. ACDC, Tron and Xmen are all going to have that same "feel" to them. Cant really recommend any sterns that will break that mold. (IDK sterns very well however)

What about JPOP's titles? You havnt had any of them. Huge hits at my house for casual players. Just a thought. CV and TOTAN can be expensive and hard to find but ToM/WCS94 not nearly as much.

Ever thought of Monopoly? My kids and fiancee love it....

Later,
EV

My wife and teenage kids love ACDC

Not sure suggesting Playboy to your wife is going to score you any points... LOL

My brother-in-law and father-in-law both love SM.

My little brother was here back in July for a week and seemed to really get into LOTR. We even had a few good games playing together. Before that he really liked FGY, but once I started showing him how to play LOTR properly, like how to start all the MBs, collect keep, and what to shoot during the modes, he really got into it. He never really understood that there is a lot more going on while playing pinball than just keeping the ball in play. I could see him buying a pinball machine once he gets his own place and isn't a renter anymore.

Why am I thinking WPT? Hard game to get through the software but very easy to understand rules...easy multiball starts. Tons of drop targets and stuff to shoot at that would give a causal player a sense of accomplishment.

Of course the card theme\art package is a total turn off to some people

How about WoF?

Prepare to be bored with any machine you get. If you play one pin everyday for any extended time, that it was happens.

That said, tSPP on easy settings is a fun time for non-pinheads.

IJ4. Had it, sold it, want it again. Many do not have a bunch of love for this title but for the "casual player" the Ark multiball was a crowd pleaser at my home. My son still complains that I sold his favorite pin.

That's not entirely true. Sure, you'll get bored eventually but games like spiderman get boring quicker

My vote goes to family guy; everyone, and I mean everyone of my non pinhead friends and family loved that game. Held up in my collection for 4 years too. A lot of family/friends wanted my head when I sold it.

Let's see if we can recommend every Stern game

I'm gonna go with the Sopranos. It's a very popular theme, the ball is fairly easy to keep in play, and the gameplay isn't very complicated. The safe and boat shots are front and center and very interactive. On the other hand, those shots might be drain-tastic to an inexperienced player.

Add my vote for POTC. It's easy to sink the ship and it's such a cool toy.

I know its not Stern, but I would go with a TOM. Girls just seem to gravitate to it.

You need more than one machine at a time...they all get boring if you play them too much...

Theatre of Magic is a good choice for girls, my wife LOVES it...my mother in law is addicted to Fish Tales as well...so there's a couple for u..also Addam's Family was a big hit with the ladies when I had it..

+1 on this. My wife loves TOTAN, plays it when I'm not around and could care less about finishing the modes. Everyone that comes over (casual non-pinheads) loves it.

My gf made me buy NBAFB for her. She's a big BBall fan. I can't stand BBall, but the pinball machine is pretty fun. FT is her second favorite.

Oh I gotcha, thanks for that.

My flintstones spits out multiballs fairly often and pretty fun/easy to complete a lot of the modes. I know not a Stern, but a good suggestion nonetheless!

I vote Elvis, just got one recently and my wife loves it. Very easy to just jam and hits shots, has great light shows, and music (if you like Elvis).

My wife and family like SM, son Avatar, and POTC also seems good for a casual player.

Honestly IJ4 is the best game for people who want WOW factor. New people jam the ark a few times then say WOW i did that and they have 8 ball MB.

What about NASCAR? Let's go for recommending every Stern game!

I would agree that POTC is not a good choice. I don't understand the theme of it.

What about DM? Women really seem to like this one, and it's not difficult to play, as long as the flippers have enough strength to get the ball through its loops.

I haven't seen BDK mentioned yet! First time and only time I played it I found my ball times to be annoyingly long, with nearly constant multiball going on. I was at the airport and had to leave mid-game with a couple of credits left in order to catch my flight.

orbitor 1. Easy to understand. Unique and captivates non pinball people. Best stern for newbies.

Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't Stern's philosophy during the mid 2k's to make the game a little less drain heavy for newer players (LOTR/SM...friendlier outlanes)? I don't know where I heard/read that.

I think the better solution to your "need an easier game" problem isn't going to be a specific game, but setting the game up so it is easier. LOTR can be brain dead easy to keep alive with the right set up. Tweak the outlanes. 5-Ball. Extra balls. Set the software to easiest possible settings.

There is no "female friendly" game. Every female I've played with plays the same games as the guys and have diverse taste. My wife enjoys BDK, TNG, etc. Doesn't mean other females are gonna dig BDK and TNG.

Agreed...Plenty to whack at and still the funny and recognizable callouts.

fwiw my wife loves xmen

I'd have to say Playboy is the easiest, but that theme may not fly. (God bless her if it does, though).

High Roller Casino is also pretty easy. Nascar is not too tough to get stuff going.

Personally I think the ultimate newbie tractor beam is Terminator 2, but you said Stern...

Have you tried switching your LOTR to its easiest difficulty setting?

There are so many pins that will meet your criteria. You've got a lot of recommendations to try out. Expo will have many of them. However, I would suggest a real effort to find room for two or more pins. Variety makes the fun last longer. As you know, one pin can get old quick. Up until a year ago, I had space for four at a time and still churned though games at a rapid pace.

Good luck.

Dave

This being the case, I don't think any single pin will do it for you. You may want to consider a virtual pin. That or setting the rules to extra easy.

Have much fun would only having one xbox game be?

Think of it that way...

Not a Stern game, but... since she liked the theme of LOTR in the first place, then the easiest transition would be to go for TOM. Still has a magic/mystical kinda theme and females really seem to enjoy it (a lot). I've heard it's easy though, but easy sounds like what she needs and maybe that's why other women like it--it's easy and fun to shoot the magic trunk.

Conversely, the huge Homer head on TSPP has been known to scare/creep out some women, and the constant 'doah doah doah' mode drives them up a wall. Even if we guys think it's cool, doah.

I like how you call her "terrible" and then a casual player...haha!

I totally agree with this. iJ4 is the perfect game for the casual player. Easy, intuitive rules, everything spelled out for you in the playfield, an EZ EB and an EZ - and totally bitchin' - MB. Too bad the games such a dog.

That's interesting. I've got an AC/DC pro and it gets relatively little use when there are people over...just not a lot happening on the PF in terms of toys and moving parts.

Whenever we have guests over the machine that seems to get the most use is South Park (my "worst" game). It's easy to kill Kenny, the callouts are funny, and everything is really understandable...people feel like they're able to make a lot happen.

They seem to like SM a lot, too. Doc Ock multi is easy to get and there's a lot to look at and hit.

I've got it. Austin Powers! If she can't figure that out and finish some stuff than buy Junk Yard. You can get very nice versions of each for around $3k ill bet.

Hard to believe it hasn't been mentioned, but all things being equal (default settings), T3 is probably the funnest of the easy Stern's. Even casual players can get to final battle by flailing properly. RCT and Monotony are both pretty easy too, but T3 is way more fun for roughly the same price. Plus, it has about 20 pounds of stainless steel ramps. Stainless rocks.

Not if the casual player (his wife) wants to complete it now and then. It takes at least a 45 minute game with lots of extra balls to even get a sniff of the wiz mode on IJ4. With T3, you can do it with one good ball.

You might check out Sopranos. I once had the opportunity to watch fellow pinsider Jayhawkai play Sopranos at a tournament. The longest 7 hours of my life

I think SM and IM are very straight forward games that give satisfaction to all levels of players.

Simple fan style layout in comparison to some other sterns.

LOTR is also this way but way deeper.

Best of luck finding your next pin

My RBION gets lots of play time when I have family get togethers. TOTAN gets similar play time too.