Same here. I like to give the ball a little tippidy tap, let it roll up the inlane just a bit and then back down my raised flipper. I can backhand the right orbit or hit the lock targets with about 90% effectiveness. I love that you can backhand the top LOL target too... Ritchie gave the player a lot of options with this game to reduce risk if you can figure out how to get the ball trapped.

Played a lot of SW pro on location and I always have a lot of fun. It's just fast and fun and the shot multiplier constantly keeps you on your toes. I'm just starting to learn the nuance of when to bring in more than one mode and when not to. It'll be a fun journey like I found with my GOTLE.

The shot multiplier rules will keep it fresh for a long time (I'm still learning and practicing on when to go for and build the playfield multiplier and shot multipliers on GOT and still love every minute of it). SW is a first cousin of GOT, if you like one, you'll likely like the other.

Didn't Williams/Bally eliminate the EOS all together from their games shortly before the pinball division was shut down? Even STERNs in the early 2000's didn't have them, right? I wonder why they are back? what's the real benefit? seems like there's more chance of issues from what i've been reading, especially if you have to fine tune and bend a piece of metal just to get the right gap.

Was two shots away from the Iron Throne last night going with House Greyjoy. What a rush, was so much fun collecting the other houses powers and being able to the use them, great being able to add-a-ball during MB on demand while collecting more gold and shot multipliers lighting more often... Just had one shot left to kill the last dragon and then the center ramp to Iron Throne. Definitely a much harder path than choosing house Martell, but fun to mix it up a little bit.

My strategy varies by how well I'm playing (or how well I think I'm going to play).

If I'm on my "A" game:

Start as Grey Joy. Light and defeat Martell. Light and defeat Tyrell. Start BW MB and bring Lannister into it (should be lit by this time). I typically save my Martel action button at this point (unless I know for sure I won't beat Lannister), MB usually completes Lannister. Make sure I don't multi-drain, and then go for HOTK. Saving the Martel action button allows for longer HOTK MB and bigger shot at much bigger points. I should probably bring Targaryen into HOTK instead, but that shot is so dang risky that I avoid it until after HOTK if possible, unless I just happen to have it dialed in. After that I grind out Targaryen coupled with lighting my MBs. It's important to get the easy dragons out of the way and bring the big boy in with a MB. Playing on an LE/Premium is especially helpful as the upper playfield really helps mode progression. Then you are onto the Iron Throne, and that, well, that is just plain good old fashioned super fun.

If I'm on my "B" game:
Start as Tyrell. Light but don't start Greyjoy (right orbit backhands are easy and low risk). Light Stark (backhanding that right ramp is so easy and such low risk) and bring Stark in with Tyrell. I focus on building Stark as much as possible and then cashing out with a little time left on Tyrell. Bang away at Tyrell and try to complete and get your locks ready for BW MB. I find it important to make sure you time out your mode before starting BW MB. At that point, I hit center ramp, bring in Grey Joy and Lannister into BW MB. The shots for BW MB line up so nicely with Grey Joy I beat the mode almost every time I play the MB. Plus, with the MB having balls flying around I typically light all my Lannister shots off of the risky stand ups and complete that mode as well. After that it's onto HOTK and basically my strategy above.

If I'm on my "C" game:
Start as Martell (if I'm playing shitty I like to be able to extend my MBs early and often) but I NEVER play Martel until after HOTK if I start as Martell. From here I follow the same strategy as "B." except it's a little more tricky/tedious because lighting Tyrell and not starting BW MB can be tough.

My grand champ score is right around 30 Billion the last time I looked going with these strategies (my top scores are all pretty well spread across those three houses). I find the most important thing is just to not blow the MBs. Focus on those and getting to the super jackpots and whatever you do, keep those shot multipliers and playfield multipliers running!

In any case, I hope that helps a few people that are stuck in the "there's only one house worth playing, and that's Martell" attitude. Branch out, figure out your play style and find the right house that builds on those strengths...

Last word of wisdom? is to practice, practice, practice the battering ram shot from a right flipper cradle. Once I gained confidence in that shot and the recovery my scores starting doubling.

I do have my replay set to award an extra ball. Otherwise, everything else is factory default code and set-up. Funny thing is, I still have games less than a few hundred million - missing the Targaryen shot or a bad bounce off of the battering ram can make for a quick ball...

Lol, I know, I know, blasphemy. Makes playing more fun for me when I know I'm working my way towards an extra ball... Glad games have their own settings for things like that (and again it shows that scores don't really mean shit, 'cause everyone has some degree of variation in how their games are set-up. angle, wax/clean level, outlanes, adjustments, ball quality, etc.) As for the penance, I wish I could, but alas, I can't.

I made it through Iron Throne once. Couldnt tell you how many bonus cities there were though, too busy trying not to mess up.

Spoiler - i can tell you after that, the game essentially resets and you start over. IIRC you stay with the house you started with, but that might not be completely true...

I see a lot of potential with GOT code. So much more integration could have happened and enhancement. So many more audio and video cues. But I 100% agree, I love the game as is, and it still feels complete to me. STERN could go back to almost every game they've ever built and make the code better, it's just a fact of pinball life.

I thought this was a Game of Thrones thread... I guess the bashing just can't keep to relevant threads.

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Just giving you a hard time. Enjoy your Dialed In. It's a fun game too.

I like the banner in the background - that's cool, I may have to add that as a wall decoration next to my LE - I wonder if they make a Targaryen version...

It'd be interesting to know which of Dwight's games he has in his own collection. I heard Lyman has his own TWD and there's a good chance the recent update was a labor of love wanting to complete a gem he personally owned. Knowing what Dwight has in his home collection could provide some insight into future potential updates...

I think my LE was cheaper NIB when it was released than a new premium is now...

This colordmd looks amazing. Its turned blurry images into beautiful content. STERN is lucky colorDMD exists - it's upgrades like this that have helped sell games. Just imagine the remaining STERN games with the new advancements in the colordmd technology...

Old ColorDMDs will not work. You need a new one with better processing capability.

Boooooo. Enjoy the MET while you can. Let me know how long it takes before you get bored stiff from hitting the same 3 shots over and over and over again (gravemarkers, sparky, and captive ball).

Me too. I know a lot of people think the upper playfield kills the flow of the right ramp and use that as most of their basis for preferring the pro, but my hunch is that they don't fully understand how well the upper playfield is implemented and how to leverage it in game play. The upper playfield brings into play the ability to add time to modes, complete mode shots, earn castles, build jackpot values, play a multiball that doesn't even exist on the pro, trap balls during multiballs, etc. all adds more strategic options to a game already deep with strategy. At the end of the day, there's always the option NOT to flip while the ball is on the upper playfield.

Plus, on my game, sometime I choose to flip the ball through those upper lanes on the upper playfield so as to allow for a safer left flipper catch when the ball returns from the orbit versus having to make a shot on the fly from the left flipper as it comes down the ramp. It just opens up your options on how you want to play depending on what your current objectives are.

At least the pro kicks ass as well so you can't go wrong with either.

^^^^^ Very cool, thanks for another approach to the game. Just imagine if you had a good ball 2 and 3 (and then maybe 4)...

The advantage is that you can knock down these high risk targets early before the ball save even starts - - if you soft plunge properly and cradle on the right flipper the ball save will not activate until you hit your first shot, maximizing the time you have to knock those targets down and get your outlane ball save lit and ready for later in gameplay.

For me, I try to soft plunge and then go for the Targaryen shot as much as I can since this is the toughest shot for me on the game.

Also, if you have a premium or LE, if you soft plunge, light a mode, light a lock, and then go up the middle to lock the ball and start the mode, when the subsequent ball is kicked to the shooter lane the game will autofire it and then bring it up to the upper playfield making collecting a castle much easier and quicker than having to try and make a right ramp shot to get it up there - it's sort of a gimme way of getting the ball risk free up to the upper playfield and getting all the extra benefits of what the upper playfield has to offer during modes. It won't do this if you plunge the ball too deep right off the start and send it up to the upper playfield to begin with.

Welcome to the club. Nice translite.

Great goal - good way to try and experience everything the game has to offer.

That must have been one sweet Iron Throne battle.