Design: Brian Eddy · Art: John Youssi, Greg Freres
Medieval Madness is the game a lot of players call the best pinball ever made. Brian Eddy designed it, Lyman Sheats programmed it, and Williams built 4,016 in 1997. You destroy six castles by battering the drawbridge and portcullis until the ball gets inside and the towers shake. Two trolls pop up out of the playfield, and a catapult in the lower left throws the ball up a habitrail. The cast is huge, with Tina Fey voicing two of the princesses and Second City's Scott Adsit and Kevin Dorff writing much of the dialogue. Chicago Gaming has remade it since 2015, first as a Standard and a 1,000-unit Limited Edition, then as Classic, Special and Royal editions in 2019 and a Merlin Edition in 2025.
Original 1997 Williams game (4,016 made)2015 Chicago Gaming remake, Standard and 1,000-unit Limited Edition2019 Chicago Gaming remake, Classic, Special and Royal editions2025 Chicago Gaming remake, Merlin Edition
355 lb uncrated; 75 in tall, 55 in with the backbox folded (flyer)
Also listed as
MM, Ye Olde Medieval Madness, Williams Medieval Madness
Bench check
Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home
Boards and batteries
Medieval Madness is WPC-95, so check two places. The CPU batteries sit in a plastic shell above the ASIC socket, a bad spot for a leak. On the driver board, eight 6A2 GI diodes can run hot enough to burn the board, which is why later boards used jumpers instead.
Display
The original is a high-voltage plasma DMD whose dots fade with age, and sparkles, clouds or ghosting mean the voltages run high. Chicago Gaming remakes use their own display, with color options, so a color screen on a game sold as an original is a question to ask.
Playfield
Ask for raking-light photos of the flipper areas, inlanes and the area in front of the castle. Worn paint shows as dull patches.
Toys and mechs
The castle is the toy and the usual job. Worn parts make the towers lean, and spares are hard to find. The drawbridge pivots get peened by the ball and bind, and its plastic gear can lose teeth. Troll carriages can loosen at the collar and bind, and the troll head target wire often breaks.
Cabinet and art
The backbox says Medieval Madness and the cabinet sides say Ye Olde Medieval Madness. A remake carries no Williams logos and has extra copyright text on the translite, which is how you tell them apart.
Moving it
It's 355 lb uncrated, and the backbox folds down to 55 in tall. Take the legs off and use a pinball dolly with two people.
Parts and code
Chicago Gaming built its remakes from original-spec Williams parts plus new electronics, and the playfield is the same apart from some mounting holes. That keeps many playfield parts in production, though castle spares are still scarce.
Hard to find if missing
Castle tower parts
Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing toy, glass or key should come off the price.
What to check
Leaning castle towers, a binding drawbridge and sticky troll carriages are the playfield jobs. Leaking CPU batteries and burned GI diodes are the board faults on an original.
01Original or remake: Ask for photos of the backbox and cabinet logos. Williams branding means an original, and none means a remake.
02Castle: Ask for a video of a castle being destroyed. The drawbridge and portcullis should move freely and the towers should stand straight.
03Trolls: Ask for a video of both trolls popping up and dropping. Each should move straight without binding.
04Catapult: Ask for a video of a catapult shot. The ball should fly up the habitrail cleanly.
05Batteries: Ask for a photo of the CPU board around the battery holder. You want clean traces with no crust.
06GI diodes: Ask for a photo of the GI section of the driver board. Brown, burned board around the diodes needs repair.
07Display: Ask for a photo of the DMD during display test. Every dot should light evenly with no sparkles.
08Playfield: Ask for raking-light photos of the flipper areas and the area in front of the castle. Worn paint shows as dull patches.
We haven’t been through this game’s listings yet. Search eBay and run every listing through the checklist above. Ask for a video of a full game, a photo of the CPU board and photos of the playfield in good light, and ask what’s been replaced. Pass on any seller who won’t answer.