Little Chief is an electro-mechanical pinball machine released by Williams Electronics in September 1975. Designed by Steve Kordek with artwork by Christian Marche, this game features a Western theme and is equipped with two flippers, two pop bumpers, two slingshots, a standup target, and a kick-out hole. A unique aspect of Little Chief is its mid-field ball return gate, adding an extra layer of strategy to the gameplay.
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Quickie Version:
UTAD, except shoot the right gate to collect bonus when it’s doubled and at least 7,000 base.
Go-to Flipper:
Right, except for shooting the collect bonus gate
Risk Index:
High
Skillshot(s):
The A lane at the top. B is okay, A is better. Why? A lights the upper right advance bonus slingshot, while B lights the lower left advance bonus standup target. The upper right sling is by far the safer of the two to shoot at, and the more likely to be hit accidentally as well.
Full Rules:
Generally UTAD, but with a few specifics. Keys here are building up bonus, doubling it, collecting it, repeating. Lots of stuff advances bonus - - top lanes, left center rollover button, standup targets. Double bonus is earned one of two ways: shooting the center saucer [or having the ball drop into it from above]; or collecting the top center lane when lit. That lane is lit by collecting both the A and B lanes next to it. Three saucer shots, or three lit center lanes, advances the saucer to level 3, where a drain out the lit side scores an extra ball [if enabled]. Strategy: shoot up top until you get both A and B to light the bottom gate and the top center lane. Shoot top again to get the center lane for double bonus. Then shoot the open gate to collect bonus. Repeat. Basically, every shot with the right flipper should be up top. From the left flipper, there are 4 choices, depending on where your bonus stands. If the base bonus is not maxed out, you can either transfer [may be risky] or shoot at the upper right “advance bonus when lit” mini-sling. If the bonus is maxed, or close, but not doubled and “light double bonus” is on, you can shoot the center saucer, but this is also risky since misses can drain. And if the bonus is doubled and at or close to maximum, your top priority is to shoot the collect bonus gate at the middle right of the machine. If you’re still building up bonus, try to get the ball to the right flipper; if your bonus is built up, try to get it to the left. Learning the feeds and using dead bounces and return lane transfers are the easiest ways to do so. Key feeds: balls rolling down the left side over the 3 discs; balls through the upper right advance bonus lane; the kickout from the center saucer. Key Feed Caution Zone: when the ball is approaching the center saucer from above, it may encounter the post directly above the saucer. It may or may not also hit one of the two posts below the sides of the saucer. In either case, if the ball falls to the outside of the side posts, you risk a drain out that side of the machine, either directly or off the top of one of the slingshots. Nudge to avoid the ball rolling outside; if you can’t prevent that, be ready to try a nudge lower down to avoid side draining. You want the ball to go to the inside of these two lower posts and drop towards and ideally into the saucer. But don’t be complacent when the ball does go inside the posts towards the saucer; if it doesn’t settle smoothly into the saucer, it may become a center drain.
via Bob's Guide
