The Sheriff and Lawman pinball machines, both released by Gottlieb in 1971, are essentially the same game with slight differences in player capacity and artwork. Sheriff is a four-player version, while Lawman is a two-player variant. Both machines feature a Wild West law enforcement theme, designed by Ed Krynski with artwork by Gordon Morison.
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Lawman
Quickie Version:
Shoot the standup target on the right side but outside the plinko lanes to open the gate, then shoot the ball to the top right and into the plinko lanes. If the gate is still open when the ball exits the plinkos, repeat; if not, reopen the gate. Shoot drop targets when the ball is on the right flipper.
Go-to Flipper:
Balanced
Risk Index:
Very High; watch the exit from the bottom right of the waterfall lanes and note if there is rubber on the lowermost post or not. Stay alert if the ball exits the waterfall lanes before getting to the bottom, too.
Full Rules:
This is a 2-player version of Sheriff; it shares the playfield layout with Atlantis as well, but the rules for Atlantis differ from Lawman and Sheriff. There’s a ball save gate on the right, but not all the way down at outlane level, it’s one waterfall channel tier above that. The standup targets that are sequence advance on Atlantis are open and close gate targets here. Unlike Atlantis, there’s no extra value in knocking down a pair of left side drop targets with a single shot. But since it’s still worth an extra 5000 when you finish the bank, they’re still a primary goal. The plinko lanes are more important than on Atlantis, since a lit lane here is now the most valuable shot on the game, but you still need to be cautious when shooting for them due to drain risk out the bottom right if your gate isn’t open. If the gate is open, definitely shoot to the top right to enter the plinko lanes. The advance bonus lanes at the top and in the waterfall are synchronized. One set is top left and right lanes plus R-L-R-L as you go down the waterfall and R on the lower left outlanes. Change the 1000 reel and they all flip to the others. Each 1000 points scored advances the bonus 1000. Double bonus is on the last ball only.
via Bob's Guide
Sheriff
Quickie Version:
Shoot the standup target on the right side but outside the plinko lanes to open the gate, then shoot the ball to the top right and into the plinko lanes. If the gate is still open when the ball exits the plinkos, repeat; if not, reopen the gate. Shoot drop targets when the ball is on the right flipper.
Go-to Flipper:
Balanced.
Risk Index:
Very High; watch the exit from the bottom right of the waterfall lanes and note if there is rubber on the lowermost post or not. Stay alert if the ball exits the waterfall lanes before getting to the bottom, too.
Full Rules:
This is a 4-player version of Lawman; it shares the playfield layout with Atlantis as well, but the rules for Atlantis differ from Lawman and Sheriff. There’s a ball save gate on the right, but not all the way down at outlane level, it’s one waterfall channel tier above that. The standup targets that are sequence advance on Atlantis are open and close gate targets here. Unlike Atlantis, there’s no extra value in knocking down a pair of left side drop targets with a single shot. But since it’s still worth an extra 5000 when you finish the bank, they’re still a primary goal. The plinko lanes are more important than on Atlantis, since a lit lane here is now the most valuable shot on the game, but you still need to be cautious when shooting for them due to drain risk out the bottom right if your gate isn’t open. If the gate is open, definitely shoot to the top right to enter the plinko lanes. The advance bonus lanes at the top and in the waterfall are synchronized. One set is top left and right lanes plus R-L-R-L as you go down the waterfall and R on the lower left outlanes. Change the 1000 reel and they all flip to the others. Each 1000 points scored advances the bonus 1000. Double bonus is on the last ball only.
via Bob's Guide
