Played GoT (Pro) for the first time today on location near Boston. I only got about 10-12 games in. I realize that is nowhere near enough to appreciate the games, rules and strategy, but the game felt a bit thin. I did get Blackwater multiball a few times, which was a treat. I hit a few nice orbits and loops in a row, which was fun. The dragon kickback was fast, but not too nasty.

Are there any good user-made rule sheets or strategy guides? Which houses to start, and why? Then, which houses to battle against or with? This was a complete random mystery for me today.

I am planning to pick up a Premium next week. I am thinking now I may want to get more games under my belt before I lay out my cash. The Star Trek and Spidey machines today were much more familiar to me.

Huh, I thought the crow sounds were a nice touch. Maybe wears thin after a while?

Hoping to pick up my Premier this week or next.

Get it home! Need lots of pics, as usual!

I had hoped to pick-up mine today, but delayed into my distributor.

Dude, step away from the machine

Happy to hear you are enjoying your machine. Can't wait to get my Premium, and will likely rack a similar number of plays the first weekend,

Yep, that's gonna be a stretch for my wife with her short arms.

Anyone consider a quick mod to locate a switch to the typical location? Seems like it'd be straightforward, but I'm not crazy about the idea of poking a hole thru the cabinet.

I played a Pro in location. It was a complete wall-to-wall dimple-fest. I actually thought at first it was just a really bad orange-peal type effect from the CC process. Seems like these dimples, compounded with many more layers of dimples could actually cause the CC to fail over time.

Maybe the CC was not fully cured before this copy was released to the location? My ~20yr old JP has a bazillion plays, but beyond the normal swirls and scratches, not a single dimple.

chuck, You're probably right. Upon a closer look at my JP, I do see what could be dimples. Maybe the effect has been minimized/smoothed by years of play and the occasional Novus 2 rubdown. These did not register as dimples to my eyes like the GoT I saw on location. Those dimples, next to virgin CC, were quite prominent.

Is there a pinball machine in that photo

Curious, what are the conditions that get the ball onto the throne? I have not seen that since my very first game.

Wow, I really do suck too. Not enough plays yet (<<50) & travelling all this week, so no chance other than to read Pinside.

Good strategy notes above. I'd love to see a compiled guide to help give my game a boost!

Hmm. I don't recall needing to set this on on Premium, either initially or after the v1.22 update. Only thing I needed to set and then reset was FreePlay.

Can someone describe the intended play/objective of Castle Black on a Premium? I can see the the lit insert, but I am not clear what that indicates, or what is the objective. I am presuming the orbit rollover switches are involved, but those inserts are barely visible on the Prem, so not helping to provide many clues.

Thanks!

Lightbulbs are going off relative to house selection and objectives - things are clicking. Up next are how the multipliers work. Great machine. My wife has been out of town this week; we're clearly going to be wrestling over play time on this one when she returns!

Way to go James! Nice.

So, did Sarah get both the Pro and Premium?

I played a bit on my Premium with the glass off last night just to slow things down to learn more about the various house objectives and shots. Was very helpful.

One thing - I could never actually finish Targaryen. The Blue target inserts went out, as did "Choose Your Battle" insert, though the last House Insert continued to blink. Maybe that final house was interrupted by Hand of the King and Iron Throne modes - which also kicked in near the end of my session?

How do you beat Targaryen?

Yep, running v1.23.

I started with Baratheon and stepped thru them one at a time (not in combination). Greyjoy was 2nd to last. Targaryen was very last, but Iron Throne mode kicked-in before I completed. Would Iron Throne mode imply Targaryen was completed?

I may give it another go, attempting Targaryen earlier.

OK. Though the Targaryen house light never did not stop blinking. Maybe a bug?

It's easy! (with the glass off )

(1) Supposedly adjustable. I have not tried; not an issue for me, though I don't play in the dark.

(2) Unplug a couple connectors below the playfield, 6 screws (1 at each of the four corners, then a pair at the gate/ramp transition), back-off or remove the dragon attachment for clearance and its off. Pretty straight forward.

(3) There is a motor mechanism behind the backplate of the playfield, attached by 4 screws. Drives a cam that flaps the wings - very easy to get to and remove.

Yes, this sounds exactly like where I was stuck! Though, in reality, I can never hope to actually approach this condition in real play, with the glass on! So, a non-issue for me.

This pin continually reminds me how much I suck at pinball! But, still I play!

Installed the spike shaker just now. I was a little concerned about some serious playfield rattle on and under the playfield whenever the shaker engaged. Shake seemed too strong, compared to my JP shaker, which I think is just awesome.

Poking around I noticed the left wire ramp was coming into contact with a screw head near the left sling - I bent it out of the way ever so slightly. I also tightened a good number of nuts underneath - several were not tight at all, though nothing was too loose (did not over tighten anything). Things seemed to improve a just bit, but there are still several rattly assemblies on GoT - The sword, flipper mechs, drop mechs, etc. all of them have some degree of intentional slop in them that clearly rattle when prompted. - so I'll never eliminate it.

I had set the shaker setting for "moderate use", but that only affects the frequency with which the shaker turns on, not the volume of the shake. That was not it.

I put on the glass to see what NEW rattles might be introduced. There were NONE. 99% of the prior rattles with the glass off were now gone - likely muffled by putting the glass on. This will work, so I set the shaker back to default settings.

Question: Is there a way to adjust the shaker to decrease the volume of the shake. I see the 2 counterweights on the shaker assy. They are currently parallel with one another (probably for max shake). Can I offset the position of these counterweights to tone-down the volume a bit? I'm looking for a more subtle effect.

The answer is YES. Using the hex socket setscrew, I adjusted the position of the weight on one side to be 180deg opposite the other. ZERO shake as expected; they cancelled each other out.

I then proceeded to set the weight 90 deg opposite the other; still too heavy for my taste. Lastly I set the weight ~135 deg from the opposite weight = Nearly PERFECT.

I just love the feedback this provides!

I've decided, I officially suck at pinball! Ugh, I think I'm getting worse. I was complaining about my 250-350M scores. Tonite I could not get past 20-30M.

The outlanes are simply killing me - and posts are already at the mid-point! I recently increased from 6.0 to like 6.8 deg tilt. Could this alone be enough to see such drastic increase in suckage?

I actually had the thought tonite of dragging the machine up from the basement to permit me to throw it out the first floor window.

Careful - I've got a patent pending on the double drain. Ugh!

Thanks Delta, any thoughts about Castle Black? I see the insert light up, but no clue the objective (orbit rollovers, I presume), or the value.

Cross posting in honor of this thread

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I noticed several short plunges in Keith's game. Was that intended to avoid tripping the right orbit switch (& timer?) to permit a quick legit right orbit shot?

This one?:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/game-of-thrones-rules-and-custom-instruction-cards

Hah, I was wondering if this was a thing - cashing out just before draining (a bit like JP Smart Missile).

Does this actually have any effect? How tight is the window to cash out?

I am quite happy with my Premium

I really do like my Premium. I got Scott's alternate translite, but did not hate the stock translite. LE & Premium are essentially the exact same game from a play perspective.

- I prefer the blue/winter theme of the Premium playfield over the yellow/desert theme of the LE. (winter is coming, you know

- I prefer the side art of the LE - those dragons are just awesome! But, the Premium's side art is not terrible. When properly tucked-in I never see the side art anyway

- I added lollipop armor for $60 (vs $279 from Stern), also not so visible when tucked in.

- I added a shaker motor, which is pretty awesome

I could not really justify the cost differential between the LE and Premium. I guess a matter of taste how important for you.

Good luck!

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Right to left, no problem. Left to right, have not done it yet - but I suspect its ME and not the machine. For me, the ball is most frequently on the right flipper anyway with normal play.

I saw someone used shiny GOLD bats. Looks pretty nice.

Found it: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/got-kicks-ass?tq=gold&tu#post-2951223

Nice. Where did you grab power for the LED strip on the apron?

I've been having some stronger games lately. Got to 687M last night (very good for me ) - Finished 3 houses and hit like 5 super jackpots in a row on ball 1, then promptly drained balls 2, 3 - but hit a decent score anyway.

Nice! You're gonna have a BLAST this weekend!

I still have an unresolved major issue on my Premium:

I cannot seem to de-power the electromagnets in the outlanes. These things pull in balls from all the way across the playfield!

capgun, on your castle black light mod, how do you handle wiring when upper playfield is removed - attached to main field or to upper? Do you provide a connector in that location?

Thx, nice idea! I generally have NO CLUE what's happening up in those lanes, nor what is the strategy there.

Capgun,

Do Castle Black LEDs actually cycle color? I can't say I've ever seen anything but white/purple or off...

Yes, makes perfect sense. Thx

As noted by chuck, I added small mylar pieces to the right edge of the shooter lane and to the side rail wall. I was seeing a little abrasion in that area after just ~200-300 plays.

Lastly, I added a mylar pad where the ball drops off the backside of the upper playfield. There is raw sheet metal back there. There is no damage here I can detect so far; I am hoping this will reduce likelihood of metal shavings over time.

Has anyone upgrade GoT's speakers to Flipper Fidelity? I notice they have a couple options for Spike:

8": http://flipperfidelity.com/sound/stern-speaker-systems/stern-spike-complete-replacement-speaker-system.html
10": http://flipperfidelity.com/sound/stern-speaker-systems/stern-spike-complete-replacement-speaker-system-454.html

Any carpentry needed to accommodate the the big 10" in GoT's cabinet?

Any need for anti-rattle tape with either of these?

Note: I already have an external sub attached via the headphone jack. I'm happy enough with the bass response; midtones and high range sounds are very harsh/muddy to my ears. I am hoping to improve sound quality over all.

On my Premium:

Fixes:

1. Left orbit, added capguns's bracket
2. Replaced top lane with post sleeve/shrink tubing
3. Washers added under screw heads in left orbit & elevator
4. Repaired broken solder joint on 5V line on left LOL RGB lamp

Mods:

1. Added shaker motor
2. Added external subwoofer, connected via headphone jack routed via cabinet bottom vent hole
3. White Titan sling/post rubbers, blue flipper rubbers
4. Mylar added to upper playfield backside exit ramp
5. Mylar added to right edge of shooter lane & side rail
6. Added Premium side blades
7. Added Lollipop side rails
8. Relocated power switch to cabinet front (via tournament button knockout)
9. Scott's GoT alternate translite artwork
10. Beta's sword plate sticker

I tried Light Blue and Dark Blue flipper rubbers. Went with Dark Blue like you. Looks great.

Also tried Translucent and White on the slings and posts. Went with White.

Nope, that ain't right. Did you try re-seating the connectors?

You guys describe game play that I can not even hope to achieve. I am just sooo frustrated by this machine - it really does kick my ass, regularly. Those friggin' outlanes are my nemesis!

I've been focusing on improving my shots. But, a recent change over to Titan flipper rubbers seems to have thrown all my muscle memory out the window. Argh!

Tonite it missed registering 2 extra ball orbits in a row - I was soo angry over that. I'll take the glass off later to see if a switch is malfunctioning.

Is it wrong to have thoughts of kicking your pinball machine in the nuts?! :O

Yes, I have the legs on carpet sliders, so very easy to nudge. I can save the slow moving, bouncing balls near the outlanes well enough. It's the bricked shots off the stand-ups that go STRAIGHT into the outlane in less than a blink.

I've had a couple glasses of wine just now. Down to the basement to see if this helps

Nah, wine didn't help

With glass off, orbit switches seem to be registering just fine. Hmm.

OK, I'm back in. I just had a most excellent game (by my standards). Knocked off several houses (one-by-one vs stacking and delaying/passing like I had been trying lately), lots of multi balls, a few super jackpots and a couple free balls. Only 685M, but what a blast! - That's more like it!

This play reminded me that lights and sound are just so amazing in GoT Premium. Freeball lights really do look like flames, and the White lights of wall multiball are just awesome! Blackwater multiball jackpot lights and horn are too cool! Shaker motor and subwoofer just add to it all.

Just Wow!

Question: What is the significance of the AMBER shield that lights up in front of the various shots? ~Same color as Martell, but I see this when not in Martell mode. Guessing its a playfield multiplier (?), but I cannot seen any change when I hit those lit shots.

Thanks!

Nice explanation. Thanks!

I enjoy the premium. The upper playfield is very good, but I think could benefit from a little more strategy/complexity.

After a couple months with the Premium, it would be the lighting I'd say would be the big differentiator. It is quite amazing to have ALL the RGB lights playing in harmony. It is quite stunning and (for me) really does add to the game play, especially when the various special modes kick-in.

I only played about a dozen games on a Pro, before I received my Premium. At that time I knew ZERO about gameplay and strategies, so I found the game a bit thin. I am looking for a more local Pro to play, knowing what I know now to make a fair comparison. I do enjoy nice flowing games and would really like to see that in action in GoT.

Me too! Then I put the glass back on and score a whopping 20M on 3 balls!

Move the switch here:

324179c49eab84a2c1b6f4bf2795134418b928b1.png_(resized).jpg

Yeesh, you guys must be playing a different game than me, or maybe I just suck at GoT?

Not sure the correct terminology here, but I am seeing a slightly different action on my left and right flippers when attempting to trap a slowly moving ball:

> The ball seems to consistently just ~barely~ roll off the tip of the left flipper, while a similar ball will always be trapped by the right flipper. This happens often enough to be a bit of pain.

I checked the flipper alignment. Both flippers appear to be symmetrically aligned with the registration marks on the playfield (red dots inserted by me) - maybe the left flipper is ever so slightly out of alignment (?) - Is it worth dinking with? My playfield measures as horizontally flat using my digital leveler.

3-31-2016_12-16-45_PM_(resized).png

I had a most excellent air-ball last night. Lower left flipper directly up onto the upper playfield. Yikes!

I added mylar to the bare sheet metal behind the upper playfield, where the ball hits, lands and then runs down the ramp. Hopefully this will help minimize metal shavings I was seeing early on.

I vote NO. First LOL and now Martell add a ball? Keep your paws off my crutches! You can always choose NOT to hit the blinking button.

I found the Spike shaker to be a bit over the top with the default position of the counterweights. I reoriented the weights to tone down the effect.

I absolutely LOVE the effect the shaker motor brings to the machine.

Here's a few:

Home Leisure Direct posted some decent YouTube vids this week:
Playlist - 7 videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj1kypAWfgD263BEAoNklAF-j2IHp-RCJ

Keith Elwin:

Buffalo Pinball:

Have a blast!

I've not had any ramp issues - no update in that area for me.

Capgun's diverter mod, along with replacing top in-lane rubbers with coil sleeves and adding washers under the screw heads in the orbit lanes has effectively fixed the left orbit issues for me. I get fast & smooth left and right orbits.

My gate was actually too low for a bit. Ball got ~stuck in the divot, just barely.

85vett,

Where did you grab 6.3V to light that up? Where did you attach it to?

Can you guys explain what is a "super stack"? I see that term kicked about, bot clear what's actually happening or what brings you there.

Thx

OK, this sounds like a glass-off type mode for me.

Thanks

Yep, your favorite characters STDM!

Still hugely enjoying my GoT Premium. Getting much better controlling the ball and consistently hitting the shots WHEN I need to hit them. I am quite happy when I manage a >1B score. I more enjoy the various multiballs, lightshow and shaker than the huge scores. It's a real blast when the machine is rocking, no matter what the points total!

This is what keeps me pressing START one more time, even after the all too common 30M drainfest. That next 1B game is just around the corner, I know it!

2 questions for the pros here:

1. Generally, I PASS on engaging battles until I have Blackwater Multiball ready. Is there any disadvantage to just engaging battles right away? Example: I can knock off Martell most easily - should I just take asap, or better to wait? I was thinking Lannister might also be a good one to attempt asap early as it does not seem to lose your progress if you fail to complete.

2. Is there any disadvantage to taking houses to battle one at a time, vs pairing them? Seems to make sense to pair houses with similar shots, essentially getting a 2-fer on some shots, correct?

Thanks!

Good stuff SKB & ERW. Thanks!

Funny. After my difficulties registering the right orbit shots, now hitting Mystery & Extra Ball shots - via ball sitting in the throne - is quite a nice feature for me. A very satisfying extra.

Crows are not constant at all for me. Periodically in-game they will sound, and then always after losing the last ball.

I had an overactive switch up on the upper playfield (right sling) that clanged all the time. Even if you just hit the playfield with your palm. I adjusted that switch and all is good.

Not sure if crows are tied to any switches, but might be worth poking around to see if you can find something.

Premium also has one on the backbox

4-28-2016_2-23-09_PM_(resized).png

Ok, not quite 17B, this is my best so far, on Stark no less - I usually start on Martell!

Doing the happy dance, especially because:

Left Orbit = Smooth & FAST all the way around, over and over!
Right Orbit = Nailed Mystery & EB shot every single time!

Oh yeah!

4-29-2016_5-40-31_PM_(resized).png

I explained to my wife, "That is Theon Greyjoy - PURPLE shield!" She replied, "Ahh, got it."

Stern finally fixed the left orbit issue!

Added Adjustment to disable orbiting from left to right. This will be ON by
default on the LE/PREMIUM. All left orbit balls will go to the pop
bumpers by design.

Will be OFF on my machine.

Disappointing. By design! /snicker

Yep, exactly the plan - turning that "design feature" OFF. My left orbits are fantastic!

How/when do you initiate the easter egg sequence?

GoT is almost always turned off when not being played, but was on the other night. Midnight Madness Attract rang out. Yes, very cool!

I relocated my On/Off switch to the Tournament button hole. So much easier to use in that location.

Enjoy your new Pinball - see you in about 300 games!

Callouts are a challenge - Example: You need to replace the Arya's original 1.081sec "House Stark" callout (0x4B9) with an equivalent length clip. The Hound's "House Stark" callout (0x2AF) is 1.795sec - would fit, but a longer phrase might not.

Yes, lots of excellent callouts! I've bookmarked a bunch with the intent of incorporating them somewhere!

0x278 - Smash the button!
0x29B - Pick one already!
0x2B3 - Make up your bloody mind!
0x2EE - I like chicken
0x382 - Now let's find some wine and some bitches
0x392 - The F you looking at?
0x3C2 - For Fs sake!
0x3C3 - F off!
0x3CC - What the F are you doing?
0x640 - Hodor!

Now, just need to find time to play around with this.

Note: I once ended a 3rd ball with a TILT - the Hound laughed at me quite cruelly! Just awesome!!

High score divided by the number of plays to get you there?

Updated: ...then multiplied by the square root of the number of beers chugged!

After some serious scientific analysis, I can confidently conclude that margaritas do NOT help you score higher! Who'da thunk that?

I'm thinking of invoking the special "1-too-many-margaritas" exception to my play over the next 2-3 hours. I cannot seem to score more than 500M. Argh - And I was sooo close to killing it.

Back to the basement...

My wrists are totally complaining today. Though, I did not manage to cross 1B even once!

On another note - my wife (a double flipper) did manage to hit 250M in her first handful games of GoT ever. She may be hooked. Nice

I'm holding out for a snow making machine mod.

On my Prem just now, I hit smooth 4 left orbits in a row during Martel mode from the right flipper. Left-Left-Left-Left! Yes, that last orbit should have been up the center ramp, but I was enjoying the rhythm and flow - on my Premium ! My 5th shot via the pops and right flipper did hit the center ramp to close Martell mode - nailed it.

I ultimately drained to the right outlane shooting for Greyjoy and hitting a f%$@ standup target and ended with a measly 600M score.

Still, it is fun when you can nail those orbits - on purpose! If only I could be so accurate/consistent hitting the right orbit and other shots!

Yes, I love the dragon fire effect on the inserts, right down thru the flippers. Very effective!

Yes, the Premium lights a path of RED LEDS from the the upper playfield, down thru the flippers. Really does look like dragon fire across the playfield. It is quite awesome.

Here's a GIF of the Targaryen dragon fire effect on a Premium. Coupled with the shaker motor = Yowzers!

https://giphy.com/gifs/X5RoNNAoQweRO

I wish I knew how to embed a GIF directly!

7_(resized).png

Castle Black In-Lane Insert Rules (?)

I was poking around last night with the glass off to see if I could figure out the Castle Black upper in-lane rules.

I made a prototype mod to replicate the in-lane inserts to a more visible location (they are mostly obscured as-is on my Prem) - I can now clearly see what's happening.

This is what I observe (Premium):

1. CB inserts light-up when the ball passes thru an inlane
2. Flipper action will toggle the lit insert, left and right
3. When both CB inserts are lit, inserts flash blue, then a 1X multiplier is immediately added
4. The inserts & the mod are fully integrated in playfield RGB lighting choreography
5. There does not appear to be any relationship with the Castle Black insert in front on the Dragon Kickback lane (Prem) and these CB inlane inserts. I thought for sure they were linked; guess not.

I thought I had seen an Advance Wall Multiball happen when a ball passed thru the inlane during real gameplay, but I could not reproduce with glass off. Might have been related to the pop slot machine...

Is that it? I guess this is typical for in-lane inserts, right?

Here's my DIY RGB mod, in progress:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/got-castle-back-mod-prototype

6_(resized).png
Still just a paper label, vs a printed Vinyl & Mylar label. Debating whether to keep the text or remove it.

9_(resized).png

On my Premium it happens with each successful shot when fighting house Targaryen. Dragon also flap his wings and shaker motor responds.

Nice, and congrats!

I would add a Mylar patch onto the shooter lane near where where the ball exits. I was seeing a small bit of abrasion there after only ~50-100 plays. 100% helped. I also added a Mylar patch to the shooter lane side rail - the ball was leaving an indent in the wood in this spot. Short of adding a genuine Cliffy there, I think this also helps.

As some have suggested, applying Mylar *after* a coat of wax has been applied will aid in later removal.

Edit: D'oh - or what Chuck said

We also need a Dany mod to add to the back of the dragon!

najfief2berswpmx0heh_(resized).png

najfief2berswpmx0heh_(resized).png

Lollipop rails - $60 - much more reasonable solution. I have them and they fit perfectly.

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=1747

Lot's of plot movement last night and some new dialog opportunity - I wonder if we'll see any of this added in v1.30 and beyond?

The faceless girl - I want to play that mode!

I usually play as Martell or Greyjoy, but my highest scores come from Stark (max of 2.5B is good for me, but pretty meager compared to the GoT sharks here! ). Not sure why Stark plays ~2X my Martell high scores. Maybe I am in a Martell rutt, but I do enjoy extending mutliballs just as I drain them

Yes, I get a multiball re-start by hitting the Action button (v1.29, Prem). Not complaining either I've hit the Action button BEFORE draining the last ball, which has netted a 5-ball multiball.

Ummm, you should probably watch SE06.

Viewing is not mandatory, but it is fun to see/hear the show references in both directions. My wife and I were watching a SE06 episode. Theon Greyjoy came on on screen. I noted, "He's from House Greyjoy - PURPLE inserts." She replied, "Ahh, got it."

Umm, I think those would be SDTM...

Left orbit issue ONLY affect the Prem/LE. The Pro does not have an upper playfield diverter arm, which seems to be the root of the issue.

I have corrected the left orbit issue on my Premium with a couple simple adjustments. I get nice fast orbits in both directions.

Umm, nope. Not too easy at all, unless your initials are ERW or SKB!

Mike Daddona?