Quickie Version
UTAD from both flippers to start. Shoot a drop target if you only need one more to advance your bonus multiplier. Once the bonus is maxed with a multiplier of at least 3X, shoot the saucer to collect it.
Go-To Flipper
Balanced. NOTE: flippers are offset, with the right one higher than the left\!
Full Rules
Totem is a mixed bonus / lane game with a unique tie-in between the top lanes and the drop targets. Top lanes combine with drop targets to advance bonus, and top lanes make the targets more valuable: targets score 500 if you don’t yet have the matching top lane, 5000 if you do.
Base bonus goes up to 20K and is advanced by all lanes and targets; the bottom return lanes and outlanes give additional advances. Bonus multiplier goes up to 5X and is advanced four ways. First is by completing the two B or two C drop targets along with the corresponding top lane. Second is completing all six drop targets, which also scores 5000. Third is hitting the top left vari-target all the way back, which also scores 5K. Fourth is by draining out either side, again also worth 5K. The drop targets don’t reset until you complete all six.
Total bonus therefore goes up to 100K. Bonus can be collected during the ball in play at the saucer on the right once the base bonus is maxed at 20K. You should wait to collect until you have made good progress with your multiplier, but once that’s at 5X, you should make collecting bonus your top priority. After collecting, bonus resets to be filled again but the multiplier is preserved for the remainder of that ball. Both base bonus and multiplier reset each ball.
While the drops score points and increase your multiplier, the safest play is just up top from the left flipper and top left vari-target from the right flipper. This avoids risky rebounds off the drops; don’t bother shooting them unless you need only one more to advance your multiplier, and even then take the vari-target instead if you have the ball on the right flipper.
On three-ball play, the A and D lanes at the top are connected; making either scores both. Set for five balls, they’re independent, as the B and C always are.
If the ball is banging around on the right bumper, try to get it to go through the gate to the right. Besides scoring 5K, this allows the ball to come to the bottom via the usually-safer right arc than the more dangerous gaps between the drops.
While extra balls should be off, if on, getting all four A-B-C-D lanes lights the extra ball target just below and right of the D lane.
Playfield Risk
Balls exiting the bumper area must be closely observed, specifically their final bounce off the side walls or center triangle mount. You want an exit angle that doesn’t center drain and, if possible, avoids the slingshots as well. Balls coming down the right orbit and the left target chute are usually safe, just be sure they don’t deflect too much off the rubber at the bottom of each. Rebounds from the drop targets actually don’t drain as often as you might think.
External Links
Machine Information
- Name
- Totem
- Manufacturer
- Gottlieb
- Year
- 1979
- Type
- ss
- Display
- alphanumeric
- Players
- 4