The Black Knight 2000 pinball machine, designed by Steve Ritchie and released by Williams in 1989, remains a hallmark of arcade-era pinball design for its split-level playfield, high-speed gameplay, and innovative use of multiball modes. Among its most iconic features is the King’s Ransom wizard mode, a climactic timed multiball sequence that serves as the game’s ultimate challenge. This article examines the mechanics of King’s Ransom through three critical lenses: the requirements to activate it, the process of starting the mode, and the aftermath of completing or failing this high-stakes showdown.

Requirements

To access the King’s Ransom wizard mode, players must spell the word R-A-N-S-O-M by collecting letters through specific in-game achievements. These letters are prominently displayed in the backbox, with each letter lit incrementally as players progress through the game’s secondary objectives12. Unlike modern wizard modes that often require completing a linear series of modes, Black Knight 2000 employs a communal letter-banking system that persists across multiple games. This means that players in a tournament or casual setting may inadvertently contribute to another player’s progress toward activating the mode, creating a strategic dilemma in competitive environments.

The primary method of earning RANSOM letters involves completing Lightning Wheel Awards, which are granted for successful shots to the rotating lightning bolt target on the upper playfield. Additionally, advancing through the game’s Double Knight’s Challenge and standard multiball modes accelerates letter collection2. Operators can adjust the difficulty of earning letters via dipswitch settings, including reducing the time limit to collect each letter (as low as 3 seconds) and extending the number of games required for automatic letter progression (up to 99 games). This flexibility ensures King’s Ransom remains a rare but achievable pinnacle for skilled players.

Starting the Mode

Once RANSOM is spelled, the King’s Ransom wizard mode begins immediately upon starting a new ball, overriding all other gameplay. The mode initiates a 3-ball multiball with an unlimited ball saver, granting players temporary immunity to drains while they focus on scoring opportunities. The backglass display shifts to a dramatic countdown timer, starting at 60 seconds, while Dan Forden’s driving rock soundtrack intensifies the urgency.

During the mode, four key shots are lit for escalating jackpots:

1. The Flail, a rotating vertical target on the upper playfield.
2. The Left and Right Orbits, which loop the ball around the playfield’s perimeter.
3. The WAR Lanes, a trio of drop targets that must be sequentially hit to advance bonus multipliers.

Each successful jackpot shot increases the subsequent jackpot value, creating a risk-reward dynamic as players balance rapid shooting against the timer’s relentless countdown. The upper playfield’s Magna-Save mechanism—a magnet that can rescue balls from the right outlane—remains active, but players must manually activate it using the action button, adding a layer of split-second decision-making.

The Aftermath

Completing King’s Ransom rewards players with a Super Bonus calculated by multiplying the base bonus value (accumulated through switch hits and mode progress) by the game’s current bonus multiplier. This multiplier can exceed 10x for seasoned players, leading to scores in the tens of millions. However, the mode’s conclusion resets all RANSOM letter progress, requiring players to begin the collection process anew for subsequent attempts.

Failing to score sufficient jackpots before the timer expires results in a punitive penalty: the Black Knight’s taunting voice line (“You will never defeat me!”) plays as the screen flashes FAILED, and all lit shots return to their default states. Crucially, draining all balls during King’s Ransom does not end the mode prematurely due to the unlimited ball saver, but it does waste precious seconds recovering from.

For operators, the mode’s adjustable parameters allow fine-tuning of its frequency and difficulty. Tournament settings often minimize letter-collection opportunities to ensure King’s Ransom remains a rare spectacle, while casual configurations emphasize accessibility to reward dedicated players.