Medieval Madness

> "You dare siege my castle?"
>
> - The King of Payne

15 (counting unique Castle Crusher instances and typical number of Troll Battles to win for Master of Trolls)

### Wizard mode type

Final multiball mission and victory multiball

### Number of multiball modes

3

***Medieval Madness*** is one of the four Williams pinball tables released in the first wave of Zen Studios' Williams pinball collection, available in *Pinball FX3*, the *Williams Pinball* mobile app, and *Zen Pinball Party*. It is a comedy-fantasy pinball table in which the goal is to overthrow a wicked tyrant named the King of Payne and his lesser overlords while becoming a knightly hero in the process, rescuing damsels in distress and inspiring hope to oppressed peasants.

## Objective and titles

The goal of this table is to challenge and overthrow the Reign of Payne in a **Battle for the Kingdom**, by first earning six titles through the completion of six smaller objectives. All objectives carry between balls and are only reset once the wizard mode is either failed or completed, and only **Master of Trolls** has objectives that can be properly failed and requires a dedicated start procedure. The shot-related titles can only be progressed towards during single-ball play; however, **Master of Trolls** and **Castle Crusher** can both be progressed towards during any Multiball mode. Each objective consists of successfully completing a task multiple times to earn a particular title. Making significant progress on all titles except for **Castle Crusher**, either by completing the inserts or completing the **Trolls!** mode, will add a special boost to an impending activation of **Multiball Madness**.

**Royal Madness**, the side mode for playing or qualifying all five of the **Multiball Madness** boosts whether at the same time or separately, can help make certain titles easier to obtain. The first shot to each required lane in the side mode will instantly award four shots' worth of credit for the objective corresponding to that shot. The listed amount of times each shot must be made implies that **Royal Madness** hasn't been played.

The following six titles must be earned to unlock the wizard mode:

* **Master of Trolls**: Among the vile ranks of the King of Payne's grand army are vicious, brutal trolls. This title will be gained once ten trolls have been defeated through the following methods: a) winning **Trolls!** by killing the two trolls, b) hitting trolls during the **Smack-A-Troll** mode activated from **Merlin's Magic**, or c) hitting the trolls during **Multiball Madness** or **Royal Madness**. (*Each hit or jackpot scored in the latter two methods counts as one troll kill.*) To start **Trolls!**, the player has to hit the standup targets flanking the castle entrance a total of eight times, then hit the Merlin saucer to start the mode (it can also be started by collecting **Merlin's Magic** when all four **Multiball Madness** boosts are lit). During **Trolls!**, the player has 30 seconds to kill two trolls by hitting their large standup targets three times each; the first to each troll scores 200,000 points, followed by 250,000 for the second and 300,000 for the killing blow. In the **Whack-A-Troll** mode, earned exclusively from **Merlin's Magic**, the player has 15 seconds to hit the troll drop targets as they pop up, with each hit killing one troll, awarding 300,000 points and resetting the timer. Winning **Trolls!** qualifies the Troll Madness boost for the next **Multiball Madness**. **Troll Bombs** can also instantly defeat the least healthy troll during any mode where the troll targets are active, and are activated by pressing the launch button.
* **Defender of Damsels**: The evil King of Payne has held several damsels in distress, and has entrusted giant dragons to keep them prisoner. This title involves rescuing 3 damsels with a total of 12 right ramp shots (4 shots per damsel) to earn this title. The first three right ramp shots will draw a dragon out to be fought with and killed; the final shot rescues the damsel, with a diverter gate sending the ball into the tower. The first shot scores 25,000 points, and each shot to the right ramp for the current damsel scores 25,000 points more up to a maximum of 100,000 points.
* **Patron of Peasants**: The King of Payne has oppressed the many peasants of the land, who must be rallied to rebel against him. This title involves igniting 3 peasant revolts with a total of 12 left ramp shots (4 shots per revolt) to earn this title. Each shot will increase the anger and outcry of peasants, before a revolt starts on every fourth shot. The first shot scores 25,000 points, and each shot to the left ramp for the current revolt scores 25,000 points more up to a maximum of 100,000 points.
* **Catapult Ace**: The catapult has potential to wreck the King of Payne's castles effectively. This title involves launching 3 catapult missiles with at most 9 total shots into the catapult VUK. If the standup target at the top of its lane is hit while either the first or second insert are lit, it will count as 2 VUK hits instead of 1. After 3 VUK hits, the ball will briefly lock in the VUK and the player must choose a random missile to shoot on the scoring display by pressing both flipper buttons to stop a roulette that will spin among five items: a bowling ball, a cow, a duck, a cat or a skull. The values of each item are randomly determined at the start of a game, but in this recreation, by default: the cat scores 500,000 points, the bowling ball scores 250,000 points, the duck scores 100,000 points, the skull scores 50,000 points and the cow scores 10,000 points. Shots to the catapult score 25,000 for the first insert, 50,000 for the second, and 100,000 in addition to the item points for the third.
* **Joust Champion**: To be a brave knight that can stand against the evil kingdom, one must be a jousting champion. This title requires 3 joust tournaments to be won, with 9 total orbit shots (3 shots per tournament). Every third orbit shot will divert the ball into the bumper area regardless of whether or not **Super Jets** is active. The first two orbit shots score 25,000 and 50,000 points, respectively, while the third scores 100,000 points.
* **Castle Crusher**: The King of Payne's wicked domain consists of six castles, with five of them each ruled by one of his lesser overlords: the Earl of Ego, Sir Psycho, the Duke of Bourbon, Francois de Grimm and Lord Howard Hurtz. This mission involves destroying six castles to earn this title; for each wave of castles, every second castle defeated will light an **extra ball**. Prior to the drawbridge of the castle being opened, the next castle to target is determined at random and cycled among the list of castles yet to destroy with bumper hits, although the sixth and final one will always be that of the King of Payne. After the drawbridge is lowered with hits to the drawbridge target amounting to the ordinal number of the castle being targeted (1 for the first, 2 for the second, etc.), the player must hit the portcullis with the same number of drawbridge hits plus one to destroy it, exposing the sinkhole that must be shot to destroy the castle. Each shot to the castle gate scores a bonus value worth 200,000, multiplied by the ordinal number of the castle; the fifth and sixth castles will both score 1 million points per gate hit. The value for each destroyed castle is 1 million points times the castle's ordinal number, and doesn't reset if **Battle for the Kingdom** has been played; for instance, if a castle is defeated after having played the wizard mode, it will score 7 million. Progress towards Castle Crusher can be made during any side mode or Multiball.

Once all six titles are earned, the wizard mode, **Battle for the Kingdom**, will be qualified and can be started by shooting the ball into the castle entrance. This final 4-ball multiball mission is a climatic showdown against the King of Payne himself, to finally defeat him and put an end to his reign of terror. To win, the player must shoot all 6 major lanes once (with each lane hit awarding a 2.5 million point Battle Jackpot), then hit the portcullis 7 times while the trolls are blocking it to knock the gate down for a value starting at 1 million increasing by 1 million per hit, and finally shoot the ball into the open castle sinkhole, all before the player drains down to one ball and the timer runs out. (*If the player drains down to one ball during the second phase, the player will have a 15 second timer to hit the castle to collect the next hit and reset the timer for another shot; if the timer expires, the wizard mode will automatically end, with all progress towards the titles being reset.*) Using a **Troll Bomb** during the second phase will lower one of the trolls - first the troll on the left, then the one on the right, making it much easier to complete. As soon as the player successfully shoots the ball through the castle gate, they will defeat the King of Payne for 50 million points and become the new King of the Realm, before returning to single-ball play and resetting progress on all objectives. Subsequent victories in the **Battle for the Kingdom** are worth an additional 50 million each time (so 100 million, then 150 million, and so on).

For the entirety of the current ball after **Battle for the Kingdom** has been won, **Victory Laps** will be available, lighting both ramps and orbits as well as the catapult VUK for values starting at 500,000 points each and increasing by 50,000 points per shot up to 2 million; shooting another lane within 10 seconds of collecting a victory lap will score an **Ultra Combo** worth twice that amount, and if **Battle for the Kingdom** is won again on the same ball, the victory lap value will reset to 500,000. Each major lane can only be shot to collect a victory lap once until all five victory laps have been collected. **Victory Laps** continues until the current ball drains.

## Side modes

The following side modes can be activated:

* **Castle Hurry-Up**: If the player executes a super skill shot, repeats the conditions needed to add a certain boost to **Multiball Madness** while one is lit or the multiball has been played, or earns a particular random award from Merlin's Magic, a hurry-up side mode will start. The player must shoot the castle within 20 seconds as a score pool on the scoring display dwindles from 1 million to 100,000 points, with whatever amount that remained being granted on the shot to the castle. It is possible to increase the hurry-up value for this side mode by starting a castle hurry-up while one is already running, with each hurry-up adding 2 million points to the highest possible score value and resetting the timer, and giving credit for each hurry-up collected when the shot is collected. Getting credit for 10 hurry-ups and every 50 thereafter, either individually or by stacking hurry-ups, will light an **extra ball**.
* **Save the Children!**: The King of Payne has trained falcons to kidnap and eat young children. If the player spells FIRE 8 times and every 50 thereafter, the player can start the video mode at the right saucer where the player must protect 3 children from a flock of evil falcons. The player uses the flipper buttons to move the farmer on the scoring display. The player must move and kill approaching falcons using the farmer's rake before they take any children shown on the display. If any of the 3 children are taken, the video mode ends in failure. Each falcon killed awards 100,000 points. Killing 30 falcons completes the mode and scores an additional 1 million points. There is also one falcon that can be killed for an **extra ball**, after 20 falcons are killed. (*If 3 cows were launched with the catapult before starting the video mode, the children will be replaced by calves.*)
* **Royal Madness**: If the player started **Multiball Madness** and fulfilled all conditions to activate all possible Multiball Madness boosts, the next shot to the right saucer during single-ball play will activate a side mode where the player has a chance to score huge points and make easy advances towards five of the six required titles. The goal of this mode is to shoot the catapult VUK twice, both trolls, and both orbits and ramps twice each. The player has a 20 second timer to make a shot, which resets once one is made. The first lit shot made is worth 200,000 points and scores 4 shots worth of credit towards its title if it was the catapult or ramps / orbit; the second lit shot scores a jackpot of 1,500,000 and disables the shot. Shots can be spotted from left to right by shooting the lock lane. Completing this side mode successfully grants an **extra ball** the first time it is completed, or a 5 million point bonus on subsequent completions.

### Multiball

There are three multiball modes that can be activated.

* **Castle Multiball**: The castles of the King of Payne are full of evil knights. If the player shoots the lock sinkhole 3 times (6 times for further activations of this multiball), a 3-ball multiball mode will begin where the player will battle five knights. To kill each knight, the player must shoot either ramp, scoring a 500,000 point jackpot; the right ramp will score a jackpot and increase the value of the next jackpot by 250,000 points. Once all five knights are defeated by collecting five jackpots, the player can score one super jackpot worth 1,500,000 points at the lock sinkhole (which also lights an **extra ball** the first time one is collected), then score more super jackpots worth the same amount by shooting all major lanes except the right saucer for one super jackpot per lane. Once all six lanes are shot, the multiball will restart and the jackpots will be multiplied; on the second go-round, for instance, jackpots will be worth a base of 1 million and super jackpots will be worth 3 million. **Castle Multiball** continues until all but one ball is lost.
* **Multiball Madness**: If the player earns at least one boost for **Multiball Madness** and hasn't yet played it, this multiball mode will be available to start at the right saucer. The amount of balls in play, the jackpot value, and which lanes will be lit to score super jackpots are decided by which boosts were obtained. There are five unique boosts: **Joust Madness**, **Catapult Madness**, **Peasant Madness**, **Damsel Madness**, and **Troll Madness**. If the player starts **Trolls!** on the same shot that starts **Multiball Madness**, the mode will be carried into the multiball and activate the **Troll Madness** boost automatically once completed. Collecting the final insert for each shot, or completing the **Trolls!** mode for the latter, will qualify these boosts. Starting this multiball with only one boost active provides 2 balls; 2-4 boosts launches 3 balls; and having all 5 boosts sends 4 balls into play. In this multiball, jackpots worth a base value of 100,000 points times the number of currently active boosts can be earned by shooting any of the jackpot lanes, and the lanes that were shot to qualify each active boost will will score a super jackpot worth double the jackpot value. (*If the troll targets are active, they will score super jackpots, but the value will be that of a normal jackpot*). Shooting the lock lane at any time will score a double super jackpot, worth double the super jackpot value for a maximum of 2 million points. **Multiball Madness** ends when the player drains back down to single-ball play, and can only be restarted once the **Royal Madness** side mode has been played.
* **Barnyard Multiball**: If the player shoots all unique catapult projectiles once by shooting its VUK 3 times each during normal play, the next shot into the VUK will start a secret 3-ball multiball where all switches award constantly increasing point values starting at 10,000 points and increasing by 500, and all shots are constantly lit to score jackpots. The first jackpot is worth 100,000 points and subsequent ones are worth 50,000 points more than the previous jackpot. **Barnyard Multiball** continues until the player returns to single-ball play.

## Perks

* **Skill Shot**: A skill shot can be performed by using the flippers to make the ball enter the lit top rollover lane. A successful skill shot is worth 50,000 points and advances the bonus multiplier by +5x, with the score reward for the skill shot increasing by 10,000 points every time it is earned. Alternatively, a super skill shot can also be attempted by holding the left flipper button and pressing the launch button to shoot the ball; the ball will head down the left orbit at full strength, and 5 seconds will be granted to make a shot to either orbit or ramp, or the catapult lane, for 100,000 points. Doing so successfully also grants one shot's worth of credit towards the shot's corresponding objective and starts the **Castle Hurry-Up** side mode immediately.
* **Ball Saver**: At the start of each ball, a 15-second ball saver will activate; if a **super skill shot** is attempted, the ball saver will only be 5 seconds long. Once it expires, it cannot be reactivated normally, but all multiball modes and **Royal Madness** start with 15 seconds of ball save.
* **Super Jets**: After 50 bumper hits, a 1 million point bonus will be scored, activating super jets and making each bumper score 25,000 points per hit for 50 hits. Completing a super jets level will score another 1 million point bonus, and increase the number of hits needed to start **Super Jets** again by 10 bumper hits. Each successive activation of **Super Jets** also increases the bumper score per hit by another 25,000 points, and increases the bonuses for starting and finishing levels by 1 million points.
* **Bonus Multiplier**: The bonus multiplier can be advanced by +1x every time the two top rollover lanes are lit, or by +2x every time FIRE is spelled on the return lanes. The bonus multiplier can also be advanced by +5x through a successful skill shot, or by collecting "Bonus X +5x" from **Merlin's Magic**. The bonus multiplier value maxes out at 255x bonus, and is only good for the current ball unless "Hold Bonus X" was earned from **Merlin's Magic**.
* **Merlin's Magic**: The magician Merlin can use his wizardry to aid the hero destined to fight the King of Payne. The right saucer is automatically lit for this award at the start of a session; to light it again, the three bottom right standup targets must be completed. **Merlin's Magic** chooses a seemingly random award from a scroll, "seemingly" because it will normally be random, but will award "Start **Trolls!**" if you shoot it while **Multiball Madness** is lit, and will always start the **video mode** if it has been qualified. Awards include any of the 5 **Multiball Madness** boosts, +5x bonus multiplier, bonus multiplier hold, 3 **troll bombs**, 1 million points, starting **Trolls**!, instantly destroying part of the current **castle**, or lighting an **extra ball**. This is also the only way to start the **Smack-A-Troll** mode.
* **Troll Bombs**: Troll Bombs automatically kill the troll with the least health during **Trolls!**; if both trolls are at maximum health, the one on the left will be prioritized. They can also be used to kill the trolls that block the castle lane during **Battle for the Kingdom**. Hitting the troll standup targets 8 times while **Trolls!** is qualified, or bouncing the ball off a troll into either the lock lane or the right saucer, will collect a troll bomb. Merlin can also grant 3 troll bombs as a random award.
* **Extra Balls**: Extra balls can be lit for collection at the right saucer by destroying the second **castle** of a wave, completing every 10th and 50th **Castle Hurry-Up**, scoring the first super jackpot in **Castle Multiball**, as a very rare award from **Merlin's Magic**, by completing the **Royal Madness** mode for the first time, or by killing 20 falcons and then killing the "EB" falcon during the **video mode**.

## Tips

* Getting to the wizard mode can be difficult because each title requires a lot of shots to collect. Castle Crusher and Master of Trolls are particularly difficult because they involve hitting targets instead of lanes, which can lead to unwanted drains if you are not careful. It is possible to progress towards defeating castles during any multiball mode, so bring one in to reduce your chances of draining, and try lighting **Merlin's Magic** before starting **Multiball Madness** to get the latter title. **Royal Madness** can also lead to a fairly easy extra ball and credit for the shot related titles.
* Remember - if you can consistently get to **Battle for the Kingdom**, save your troll bombs! The trolls that block the castle lane during the wizard mode are normally unable to be defeated, but troll bombs will instantly kill them and make winning the wizard mode quite a bit more manageable.
* Go for **Merlin's Magic** frequently for an opportunity to earn perks that can aid you on your quest to defeat the King of Payne; the right standup targets aren't as dangerous to shoot for as they look.

## External links

* Table walkthrough by ShoryukenToTheChin (PDF)