Quick Links:
- Game Information
- Rules Overview
- Layout
- Skill Shot
- Main Objectives
- Other Scoring
- Divine Intervention (Wizard Mode)
- Competition Settings
Game Information:
- Lead Designer: Mark Ritchie
- Code/Rules: George Petro/Josh Sharpe
- Lead Mechanical Engineer: Pete Pietroski
- Artwork: Scott Pikulski
- Lead Sound Designer: David Thiel
- Release Date: August 2023 (first production games)
Chicago Gaming Company & Raw Thrills’ first original pinball machine, Pulp Fiction, was announced in early 2023 for a 2024 release. Mark Ritchie’s first new pinball machine in over two decades is based on Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 cult classic and takes inspiration from vintage pinball machines of the 80s and 90s.
Rules Overview:
- Lock 3 balls at the briefcase and start Briefcase Boogie multiball by hitting the drop targets on the left side, then shooting the scoop behind them.
- Start Pawn Shop Panic multiball by locking 3 balls at the pawn shop, hidden behind the center drop targets.
- Shoot the right drop target to light outlane ball save and the saucer behind it for roll scene. Aim for the flashing shots, then cash out your score at the saucer. The more scenes have been cashed out, the bigger the points.
- Fall into the top saucer above the bumpers to qualify characters. Collect characters at the right saucer. Cast Chaos starts after collecting all 5 characters.
- Complete sets of arrows at the target banks to add letters to PULP FICTION. Once the title is spelled, shoot the pawn shop for Pulp Fiction Frenzy.
- Complete the 1-2-3-4 lanes, then hit the royale with cheese target on the left side, to light collect bonus (at the gun target) and super spinners. Completing the lanes also increases the bonus multiplier.
- Complete the two targets to the left and right of the bumpers to light the gun target for Big Kahuna bonus. This increases the playfield multiplier for the remainder of the ball.
Layout:
Skill Shot:
Plunge the ball into the top saucer, ideally when as many arrows are lit as possible. Every arrow lit when the ball enters the saucer scores 3k, with a 100k bonus for plunging into the top saucer when all 5 are lit. Scoring a skill shot also qualifies a character to be collected at the lane behind the right drop target.
Holding the left flipper on the plunge will light all the Payoff inserts for a Super Skill Shot. Hit one of those shots before the timer expires for 100k points.
Main Objectives:
There are five main features listed above the flippers that need to be completed to access the final wizard mode, Divine Intervention. Multiball modes are mutually exclusive and can’t be started while another is running, but progress can be made towards starting them during single-ball play at any time.
Briefcase Boogie:
At the beginning of the game, all three drop targets in front of the left kicker are raised. Shooting these drop targets represents “unlocking” the briefcase, and balls can be locked there by shooting the kicker behind the drop targets. The progress made on the drop target shots and briefcase locks is remembered between balls on default settings. Lock 3 balls at the kicker to start Briefcase Boogie - the balls will be released through the metal rail to the right of the bumpers.
Briefcase Boogie is a standard 3-ball multiball where the goal is to shoot the flashing shots for payoffs (worth 25k), then shoot the left kicker to score another payoff and advance to the next phase (with +1x added to the payoff value for each phase). Each phase requires one more payoff to light the kicker, up to a maximum of three payoffs. Payoff progress resets once the multiball ends.
Once the final (green) payoff at the briefcase has been collected, the super payoff stage will start. Shoot the briefcase drop targets and the scoop, one time each, for 250k per shot. Collecting all four super payoffs will restart the multiball with 2x the base payoff value.
To light this objective solid, score at least one super payoff.
Pawn Shop Panic:
Shoot the center drop targets to open up the pawn shop sinkhole hidden behind the left two drop targets, then shoot the sinkhole to lock a ball. Each locked ball at the pawn shop causes the center drop targets to reset. Lock 3 balls at the pawn shop to begin Pawn Shop Panic, and look out for the locked balls as they will release directly above the left slingshot.
Like Briefcase Boogie, Pawn Shop Panic is a 3-ball multiball, though unlike that multiball, the payoff level is held across Pawn Shop Panic attempts. The player must shoot the center drop target bank 3 times, each time scoring 5k points + 5k per shot (up to 15k for the final shot), to open up the pawn shop for the payoff. However, the drop targets only reset once their associated speech callout ends. The drop target values are multiplied by +1x with every phase of the multiball.
Once three drop target shots have been made, the pawn shop can be shot for the payoff. The payoff scores 15k for the first ball locked, 30k for the second, and 90k for the third, and is similarly multiplied by +1x for every payoff collected.
After the final (green) payoff at the pawn shop, it’s time to “get medieval” as super payoffs light at all five major shots (including the pawn shop), worth 100k each. Clear them all to relight the super payoffs.
To light this objective solid, score at least one super payoff.
Roll Scene:
Shoot the right drop target to light outlane ball save and qualify the saucer behind the drop target to start the next Scene. This saucer also collects any qualified characters.
Scenes are 40-second long timed modes. They cannot be stacked with any multiball mode, but instead will be paused and pick up where it left off after multiball ends. In the final 10 seconds of any Scene, the saucer behind the right drop target can be shot to collect the value that the player built up while playing the Scene, plus the base value from any other previous Scene successful collects throughout the game. Playfield Multipliers gained from Big Kahuna Bonus will be applied to this collect as well as the build phase for each Scene.
The four Scenes are, from top to bottom:
- Twist Contest: Shoot the bumpers (2000+ point scoring).
- BMF Wallet: Shoot the red arrow targets (either left or right standups, or the center drop targets) (10,000+ point scoring).
- Gold Watch: Shoot the target above the bullseye magnet (100,000+ point scoring).
- Clean the Car: Shoot the spinners (100+ point scoring).
After playing all four Scenes, the fifth Scene, The Shot, will be available at the saucer behind the right drop target. This is an untimed 4-ball multiball where shots to the right drop target score payoffs that are worth 10% of the base value points accumulated from any of the Roll Scene collects the player successfully achieved, for as long as the multiball lasts. Starting The Shot also completes this objective. The accumulated carried-over value of Scene collects resets after you play The Shot.
Cast Chaos:
Balls that enter the top saucer, either through the skill shot or after making an unlit orbit, qualify one of five characters (flashing) from the film that can be collected (solidly lit) by shooting the saucer behind the right drop target (the same one that starts scenes). The value for collecting a character is multiplied if multiple characters are collected in one shot, and collecting a character also lights the left standup target near the bumpers for “hold cast”, retaining collected characters at the start of the next ball.
Once all five characters have been collected, Cast Chaos 4-ball multiball begins and the objective will be marked as complete. Shoot all five lit shots to score payoffs worth 100k, then shoot the hole at the top of the playfield (Start Character saucer) to score the Super Payoff for 500k and relight the payoffs. Cast Chaos ends when single-ball play resumes.
Pulp Fiction Frenzy:
Every completion of a flashing red arrow target bank around the playfield during single-ball play only (either the left or right standup targets, or the center drop targets) will collect a letter in PULP FICTION displayed below the center drop targets. Completing all flashing arrows relights all the arrows flashing (instead of solid). Once PULP FICTION has been completed with 11 target bank completions, the next shot to the pawn shop will start Pulp Fiction Frenzy and complete the objective.
The goal of this 4-ball multiball is to spell PULP FICTION again, this time by scoring switch hits (hitting anything on the playfield). Every 9 switch hits adds 1 letter to PULP FICTION, and after it has been completed with 99 switch hits (5000 points per switch hit), the pawn shop will light to score a 500k payoff. The sequence will then restart until the multiball ends.
Other Scoring:
Royale with Cheese Hurry-Up:
The 1-2-3-4 lanes - two at the top and two at the inlanes - can be lane-changed with the flippers. Lighting all 4 lanes advances the bonus multiplier and lights the yellow standup target on the far left of the playfield to collect a hurry-up. Scoring the hurry-up lights the target above the bullseye magnet for collect gun bonus and both orbits for super spinners.
Rolling through an already lit 3 or 4 return lane qualifies the opposite orbit shot for Drive Fast.
Big Kahuna Bonus / Playfield X:
Shoot the two flashing standup targets near the bumpers to qualify the Big Kahuna Bonus, which can be advanced at the flashing target above the bullseye magnet, during single-ball play only for both. Every time Big Kahuna Bonus is advanced on the same ball, all playfield scoring is multiplied by an additional +1x: 2x the first time, then 3x, 4x, 5x, up to a maximum of 6x for five Big Kahuna Bonus advances on the same ball. The playfield multiplier lasts until the current ball drains (on default settings).
Drive Fast / MPH Bonus:
Roll through the lit 3 or 4 return lane to briefly light the opposite-side orbit for Drive Fast. Shooting the lit orbit scores 20k and sends the ball past the top lanes/saucer to the other orbit to return immediately to the flippers for another orbit shot worth 40k, then 60k, etc. up to a maximum of 100k.
Every spin while Drive Fast is active adds +1 MPH to the MPH Bonus for the first orbit. A second successive orbit adds +2 MPH to the MPH Bonus, then +3 MPH, up to +5 MPH per spin (for making 5 lit orbit shots in a row). The MPH Bonus is worth 1K * the built MPH value, which can be collected at the hidden standup target near the pawn shop at any time during the same ball. Subsequent Drive Fast sessions during the same ball will start over at +1 MPH, and be added onto any uncollected MPH Bonus. Getting the MPH Bonus up to 146 MPH or more and collecting it lights extra ball.
Super Spinners:
Collecting the lit Royale with Cheese hurry-up also qualifies the two spinners for super spinners, worth 1k per spin for the next time that spinner is hit. Super spinner points can be scored at any time during play and are awarded alongside other rules that use the spinners.
Outlane Ball Save:
Shoot the right drop target to qualify a ball save at the left outlane, then shoot it again on the same ball to light one at the right outlane. If only one ball save is available, it will alternate between outlanes with every slingshot hit. Lit ball saves are not remembered once the ball drains. Up to two ball saves can be lit per ball in play.
Extra Balls:
Extra balls can be lit at the right standup target near the bumpers by:
- Completing the 1-2-3-4 lanes 5 times on the same ball and reaching 6x bonus
- Collecting an MPH bonus of at least 146 MPH
Gun Bonus:
Bonus is awarded at the end of each ball and is indicated by the string of inserts seen on the gun, located directly above the objective inserts. Gun bonus maxes out at 160k, and the bonus multiplier (which increases with every completion of the 1-2-3-4 lanes) maxes out at 10x bonus.
Gun bonus can also be collected at the target above the bullseye magnet during a ball after scoring the lit Royale with Cheese hurry-up. If the gun bonus is collected this way, the bonus inserts and bonus multiplier will reset. Gun Bonus collects are multiplied by the bonus X, and then multiplied further by the Playfield X.
Divine Intervention (Wizard Mode):
After completing all five objectives listed above the flippers, shoot either the left kicker or the saucer behind the right drop target to start the wizard mode, Divine Intervention.
This is a multiball wizard mode split into six phases, the first five of which represent the five objectives you completed to reach the wizard mode. If all the balls drain at any time during Divine Intervention, the mode will end in failure and all progress towards the game’s features will be reset.
The six phases are as follows:
- Shoot the three drop targets in front of the left kicker, then shoot the left kicker itself three times.
- Shoot the pawn shop scoop three times.
- Shoot the right drop target five times.
- Shoot the top saucer five times.
- Shoot all seven red arrow targets.
- Shoot the target above the bullseye magnet.
If the player makes it through all six phases, their current score will be doubled, and all progress towards reaching the wizard mode will reset.
Competition Settings:
Per the manual the comp mode acts as temp install overriding the below settings. (may change in later software updates) Known comp settings: (feel free to add more and edit)- Ball Save (Adj#1) → Make this “OFF”
- Timed Plunger (Adj#4) → Make this “OFF”
- Idle Time (Adj#5) → Make this “OFF”
- Ex Ball Level (Adj#14) → Make this “OFF”
- Ex Ball MPH (Adj#17) → Make this “DISABLE”
- Safety Magnet (Adj#19) → Make this “OFF”
- Safety Subway (Adj#20) → Make this “OFF”
- Safety Case (Adj#21) → Make this “OFF”
- Safety R Eject (Adj#22) → Make this “OFF”
- Virtual Locks (Adj#23) → Make this “ON”
- Disable Shaker (Adj#24) → Make this “YES”
- CD Ball Save (Adj#25) → Make this “YES”
- CD Tilt Disable (Adj#26) → Make this “YES”
- Flipper Plunger (Adj#30) → Make this “NO”
- Char Star (Adj#39) → Make this “FIXED”
