Paragon is a classic solid-state pinball game from 1978-79 manufactured by Bally in wide-body format, designed by Greg Kamek with art by Paul Ferris. Known for its tap pass mechanics and bonus-heavy gameplay with risk-reward tilt design, it is highly regarded in the pinball community as an excellent practice game for skill development and has become a popular acquisition among enthusiasts. The game exemplifies Bally's approach to quality manufacturing during this era and continues to influence modern pinball design philosophy.
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Paragon's 'Beast Lair' feature is notoriously difficult and caused multiple players to 'dunk' (fail) during BEAST Classics championship round
Paragon was the first wide-body Bally released during the SBA era
Paragon requires spelling letters in order (not random) to spell PARAGON
Paragon's Beast Lair left orbit is a dangerous mechanic that punished players early in the finals but 'fell asleep' as the game progressed
Pinball game used in finals; Lawrence played it successfully twice
Machine featured in round four of tournament where Mike Dus won with score of 111,870
Ranked #7 on Tim Sexton's top 10 list; hosts agree it should be on list but debate placement
Classic EM pinball used in Yegpin tournaments; featured sequential letter Paragon scoop at 50K special; stock setup at Yegpin
Classic pinball machine brought back to working condition by Bruce for Buffalo tournament
1978 Bally pinball machine received as Christmas gift by Ryan's father; still owned and played
Classic pinball machine owned by Ryan; currently stored at Ryan's parents' house
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Paragon had at least 3-4 non-functional circuit components preventing gameplay
The upper-right flipper on Paragon has a narrower sweet spot than the lower flipper for hitting inline drop targets
Paragon was Bally's first wide-body pinball machine
Paragon was released in June 1979 with 9,120 units produced
Italian market variants of Paragon removed the center flipper and replaced it with a post and wire form
Paragon backglass would rank higher if it featured mirrored glass, which would 'put it over the top'
Pinball machine owned by Scott; featured in memorable story with Sassy the cat
Vintage pinball machine referenced as top-tier backglass artwork; Pinball Wizards asking $2,800 for their example
Pinball machine at Nationals praised for shooting quality; Raymond chose it strategically in semifinals
Modern pinball machine Nicole is currently babysitting, will set up next to Iron Maiden and Super Straight
1981 Gottlieb game designed by Roger Sharp; source of BABA/YAGA mechanic used in John Wick; used as historical counterexample.
Bally machine referenced for comparison on drop target and saucer mechanics
Solid state game; second Craigslist purchase; missing multiple gates (beast slayer, waterfall); yellowed playfield; required rubber and component replacement.
Pinball machine used in SPL July 2019; featured Powerball and removed left flipper gate, affecting strategy; played in both group and finals rounds.
Classic pinball machine mentioned as part of INDISC 2019 Classics lineup; one of multiple games in the tournament bank
Pinball machine referenced for flipper configuration comparison; has distinctive layout with large upper-left flipper and inline targets that inspired discussion of The Amazing Spider-Man's similar but different flipper setup
1979 Bally wide-body pinball machine, first wide-body from Bally, designed by Greg Mayak
Valley machine owned by George; discussed as potential candidate for Raspberry Pi sound trigger retrofits
Pinball machine referenced for comparison of letter-spelling mechanics; George wishes it had Quicksilver's drop-target letter feature
Pinball machine discussed as having an overly tight tilt
Early solid state pinball game featured in tournament play; uses players 1 and 3 to avoid tilt throughs
Pinball machine mentioned during player commentary
1979 Bally pinball machine owned by Scott and Griffin
Bally pinball in Dave's collection; features ladder/chase light mechanics referenced in spinner discussion
Pinball machine; used by host as reference point for cost comparison (spent less on full Paragon than Godfather accessory bundle)
Classic pinball game being re-themed as Dukes of Hazzard; also featured in Windows 11 commercial
Vintage solid-state pinball game; Bruce is repairing one with smoked rectifier board; not for bar, commissioned repair
Classic pinball machine upstairs; known for tap-pass technique requirements; final tournament game; Chris specializes in this game
Bally wide-body; compared to Hot Doggin' for similar mechanical features (bumper, lane structure)
Pinball machine that John Day attempted original restoration on, resisting WPC flipper upgrade temptation and keeping original Paragon flippers.
Modern pinball game featured in semi-final matches, has fixed value saucer, rollable games, and configurable settings; described as 'Papa Duke friendly' by commentators
George's personal vintage game upgraded with Constantino Mitchell LED lighting; George reports dramatic visual improvement
Game that appeared at ZapCon classics tournament last year; host struggled with it
Finals game at Texas where Robert Byers performed well
Modern pinball machine referenced as example where tap-passing skills are valuable
Large EM pinball machine at MPT3K; difficult to master; frequently used in tournament play; owned by Manu
Pinball machine used as second finals game; features tap pass mechanic, spell-Paragon objective, drop targets, multipliers, and Beast Lair left orbit
EM machine referenced in comparison to Jack's Open mechanics and post-pass strategies
Pinball machine acquired by Kevin and Dutch Pinball, features custom Dinosaurs/Buildings lighting mods
Wide-body Bally game; Mike Dimas references its mechanics comparatively to Future Spa
Classic pinball machine referenced for comparison to Future Spa's kick-back out lane mechanic
Modern pinball machine in D'Angelo's collection; being used for experimental heads-up tournament format with goal of draining into beast layer
Vintage pinball game referenced as example of wide-body machine
Bally pinball machine, ranked #9; features mythical creature and warrior artwork with striking colors
Bally wide-body pinball machine featured prominently in gameplay during stream; subject of Pinball Arcade voting poll
Pinball machine played by host at 2019 Nationals first round; host performed poorly
Early solid-state machine; #16 seed in Widebody Tournament; eliminated by Twilight Zone in Round 2 (78.9%)
Solid-state era wide-body pinball machine; cited as the best (and only truly great) wide-body by Dennis
Pinball machine at Pinball Olympics modified with adult-themed obstacle for flipper button operation; Hardy reports achieving grand champion on this machine
Pinball game containing detailed Italian bottom definition in IPDB notes; designed with Italian bottom layout
Classic pinball layout used as base for Dukes of Hazzard custom game; described as having a jail/B-Slayer mechanic
Pinball game; lowest earner in top 5 worst performers; Rachel struggles with tournament play on this machine; European version had two flippers
Less common solid state pinball machine at museum; visitor stated they love it
Bally pinball machine; selected by fans as next Pinball Arcade table; confirmed for May 2017 release as season 7 launch
Classic pinball machine being voted for season 7 Farsight release; super-wide body with double flipper configuration
Digital pinball table released on FX; competitively complex game with mixed reception
Farsight digital pinball release now available on Steam with bug fixes
Gottlieb pinball machine that malfunctioned during Indisc finals causing Travis's zero-score moment; Neil investigated and discovered multiplayer code bug
Pinball machine; featured at District 82 Winter Open; Bruce finished last with 46k score; described as 'kind and nice'
Pinball machine with scissor flippers referenced in discussion of top flipper usage by advanced players
Pinball machine; Jackson did live sketch commission for tournament organizer at Yagpin
Referenced as design inspiration comparison for X-Men's elevated captive ball/wing mechanics
Classic pinball machine present at the venue
Historical pinball reference; used to explain 'Italian bottom' design term and playfield standard
Bally pinball with Paul Ferris artwork; frequently cited by hosts as exemplary of Bally's artistic era; high resale value noted.
Bally ultra-wide machine ranked #7; features innovative 'left outlane beast layer' pop bumper and three flippers; theme is described as 'weird and wacky.'
Referenced as recently played; noted as 'a good game' with multi-ball mode; discussed in comparison to other titles
Classic pinball machine used in Classics 2 finals; Keith Elwin scored 620 points with dominant play
Classic tournament game; multiple non-functional systems; half of circuit dead per schematic analysis; game-over state constant on backglass; reset issues requiring power cycle; Bob Matthews confirmed 3-4 broken systems
Classic Stern Electronics game; used in trade to Mike Dimas (Bruce gave it as part of Catacomb deal); on Mike's Pinside wish list
Community comparison point for Future Spa debates. Cliff's statement 'Future Spa is better than Paragon' caused strong community reaction (Dalton Pinball drew critical pictures). Referenced for Beast playfield danger mechanics comparison.
Pinball game; played regularly at Matt Vince's home; Daniel's favorite
Classic pinball machine featured in Yagpin 2018 tournament; played in multiple critical matches including women's and men's finals with high-stakes moments
Pinball machine in Robert's home collection; mentioned in context of Robert knowing how to play it well from familiarity
1979 Bally wide-body; designed by Greg Kamek; 9,000+ units; art by Paul Ferris; exemplifies Bally quality vs. quantity tradeoff
Classic pinball game referenced as mechanical and strategy comparison point; known for drop target design influencing Future Spa's inline drops
Solid-state game recommended as second-stage gateway machine after initial multiball experience
Classic wide-body pinball machine from 1978-79; excellent for tap passing practice; mentioned as Jeff Teolis's favorite tap pass game.
Bally pinball machine (1978-79) owned by Jared; experienced lamp contact issues solved through pin burnishing and cold solder joint resolution
Classic solid-state pinball machine currently on loan to Jared's collection; wide-body format
Classic wide-body (belly) Bally machine from era comparable to Pokerino; used as reference for scissor flipper design
1978-79 widebody machine; Jared currently owns and playing heavily; wide body with same width as Gottlieb games but shorter
1978-79 Gottlieb widebody; mentioned as example of bonus-heavy solid-state game with risk-reward tilt mechanics
Valley pinball game with Paul Ferris artwork; widebody format
Classic pinball game on display at MAGFest
Classic pinball game, referenced as example of enthusiast passion (backglass tattoo story)
Wide body format vintage machine; purchased by Shane Jackson from local community; delivered by Dan Shadic to Maple Pinball
Classic pinball machine used in tournament, described as recent pickup
Referenced in comparison to difficult pass mechanic ('Paragon pass')
1978-79 widebody pinball game; brought by Bruce Nightingale to Mike Dus; gifted as part of trade for Catacomb backglass
Pinball machine visible in Tom Graf's background setup.
Classic EM game requiring tap pass technique, used as example of skill not practiced by modern players
Classic game Rhodes enjoys playing recreationally for art
Classic pinball machine from 1978-79, given to Ryan's family as wedding gift, still owned by family, wide body format.