Beautiful art. Basic strategy is send it up top and let it collect as many points as possible on the way down - repeat. Mix that up with hitting the resetting drop targets and try your best to not drain. Difficult game that can be frustrating but also makes you want to play again.

Big brave was my first pinball purchase ever. Way back in the day I picked up a two player big brave in pretty bad condition. I touched up the playfield and after painstaking work, gave it a spray on clear coat. The clear ended up bubbling and destroying all of my hard work. I have never painted a pin since.

That being said, I’ve recently had the opportunity to play BI out in the wild and boy does it shine in a lineup. This game is fun as hell. I used to think the vari-target was totally overpowered with its crazy score potential but when your game is set up correctly that thing is so tough to get a good crack at. When you finally smash it all the way up, boy does it feel good. Turns out you can backhand that bad boy from the left flipper too!

The drops and BIG lanes add some extra fun as well. Very hard to get all targets down and really hard to do it with BIG lit as well.

All in all this is a very pretty machine that plays great and keeps me coming back for another play. Beautiful bonus ladder with that Indian arrow!

I'm just not seeing what everyone else seems to on this one. It's a good EM no doubt: asymmetrical, vari-target, drops and targets, and 2 pop bumpers. But compared to many of the other designs happening at the time (particularly with wedgeheads), I'm just not that impressed.

After playing long hrs it became boring

This game is identical to Big Brave with the lone exception being this a 4 player game vs, 2, so I copied my review of Big Brave: A classic Krynski/Morison Gottlieb Game. Great artwork everywhere, a classic. But wait... There really is no right flipper shot at the left roto target because the left roto is aligned with the left flipper. There really isn't a shot with the left flipper unless you are getting a rebound slapshot left. I am a fan of Ed Krynski and though he was definitely an influence in my childhood, this game makes me wonder. Would Ed do this? I don't think so.

I like it, Owned a very low play big brave and used to play the shit out of it. not as easy as it looks, love the vari target and the drops. A fun and challenging game..

This is one of my favorite EMs. It is a great looker and an even better player.

Probably my most played back in the days and it wasn't always my choice. Many different shots (special vari-target, lanes, drops and rollovers) which are well balanced and the machine was always reliable. Never played drain monsters for monetary reasons which means that this one had longer game times for the buck.

Simple but fun. LOVE the varitarget and the drop targets!! One of the few EM games i have played!

Big Indian is a game that makes the most out of very minimal design.

The Pros:
A deceptively lively game with a minimal amount of playfield population. Nudging skills are needed despite a pf that looks sparse. Accurate shooting for all targets must be executed. Risk/reward personified at the vari-target shot. 5k is a good deal of points on this table. A missed shot (or even an accurate one) can come screaming at you from halfway up the playfield right between your flippers.

The Cons:
Drain monster could be another theme for this table.

The Takeaway:
A Krynski course in efficiency in pinball design can be derived from this deck. If this game is waxed and the coils are strong, the diagonal angles on this table get the ball bouncing and spinning all the way down the table. Frustrating would be the best single word to sum up the play experience. I guess I have to start playing better...

Update:
This game has really grown on me. The whole table needs to be actively played and nudged. If you do not take control of the ball from the top lanes of the PF, there is a good chance that the ball will be sent to the super hungry outlanes. Either directly or with a treacherous bounce off of the top of the slings. The gap between the flippers is no joke either, But the outlanes in particular... yikes. Some people will bemoan the lack of what most designs would utilize with guided shots. This game has those shots, you just have to really look for them and realize that those 3 star rollovers in a row are pointing you in the direction you need to go. Once your bonus is maxed, you can keep shooting drops, but your only other real scoring opportunity is the vari-target. Yes, Master K put a limiter on the scoring of the pf so when you got to the ceiling of bonus count, you really can only go for the most dangerous shot on the table to make any more real progress. Brilliant. Combined with that "one more game" magic... is why this design in 2/4 player reels sold over 10k. This game is a true player. Scores adjusted accordingly.

One of the best Gottliebs of the 70's, played it for the first time in the 90's after repairing one.

Better-than avg for an e-m pinball machine, but only avg overall. The placement of the drop targets is outstanding, but the playfield is somewhat sparse and needs more interesting playfield features. Back glass artwork is great. Cabinet artwork ok, playfield artwork ok.