Episode 101 - RAZAL DAZAL

TL;DR

KC Pinball Championship recap and Deep Root's Raza Dazal prototype analysis at Houston Arcade Expo.

Summary

Key Claims

• KC Pinball Championship had over 70 players in a 72-player tournament structure

  high confidence · There were over 70 players. I believe the tournament was structured ultimately to be a 72-player tournament.

• Travis Murray (Oklahoma) won the A Division; Sean Stewart (Kansas City) took second; Brent Locke third; Steve Hill fourth

  high confidence · The A Division winner was Travis Murray out of Oklahoma. So obviously he took first. An area player, Sean Stewart, who just moved back to Kansas City from, I think, Nevada recently, he took second. Then Brent Locke took third. And Steve Hill, who we've played with for years, took fourth.

• Deep Root Pinball is using a Merkle playfield for prototypes, not the final playfield material

  high confidence · the cabinet is prototype the play field is not the final type of play field nor, as in, they used a Merkle play field. It's not made of the material that they're talking about the hammer test with.

• Raza Dazal features a wide, narrow LCD screen similar to expanded DMD displays, estimated at $80-$150 BOM per screen

  medium confidence · It is weird. It is very wide and very narrow, reminiscent to me of the remake expanded DMD displays. I did see someone on Pennside post a link to what he believed were the dimensions of that and showed where you could buy them. The rate on those seem to run like $80 to $150.

• Mid-America Pinball Tour is planning 10 competitive high-value tournaments across the Midwest region

  high confidence · which is the 2020 Push to F10. They're going to have 10 competitive high-value, is the idea, tournaments all in this Midwest area.

• Tony sold all remaining pinball machines for sale: Jurassic Park, Silver Slugger, and Sharky's

  high confidence · And I did sell right after the day after that Sunday. No, Monday. The Monday. I sold Sharkies that day. So I've sold everything now. It's all gone.

• Raza Dazal prototype features a swinging target in the back center, a Ferris wheel-style ball lock, and a spinning roto-target with three targets

  medium confidence · they've gone and run with a swinging target. Which is old school. And then there is a you mentioned a little ferris wheel... there is another, it's not a real, not in an old school sense, roto target. It's like they took three of those swinging target round stand-ups, and they're on a spoke and they're spinning much like a Ferris wheel would.

Notable Quotes

• “When I look at a stirred, I do look and I see, this looks like you stuck a laptop screen in the back of the back box. And when I look at a JJP, it looks to me like you stuck a TV in the back of the back box.”

  Host (Dennis/Eclectic Gamers) @ ~mid-Raza section — Compares display aesthetic philosophies across manufacturers

• “I think it's going to be the greatest game of all time.”

  Tony @ ~Raza design discussion — Sarcastic response when asked to be honest about Raza Dazal design; corrects to 'passable game'

• “My first reaction was, this is really weird. I'm good with it, though, because it's unique.”

  Host (Dennis/Eclectic Gamers) @ ~Raza screen discussion — Initial skepticism of non-standard display followed by acceptance of differentiation

• “It's clearly using a lot of 3D printed parts right now, so there's going to be questions about the quality on the prototype versus what the finalized version will be.”

  Host (Dennis/Eclectic Gamers) @ ~Raza analysis — Quality concern about prototype mechanical components

• “From what you've been able to tell from the photography, what is your sense of this design. The John Pock Paduke layout that we are presented with.”

  Host (Dennis/Eclectic Gamers) @ ~Raza design section — Acknowledges John Pock's design influence (Pock likely intended as reference)

Entities

Signals

• ?

  event_signal: KC Pinball Championship successful second iteration with 70+ players, significant prize pool, and professional streaming

  high · Tournament drew 70+ players; Compulsive Pinball donated $1,000; 9.5-hour stream with minimal technical issues; exciting finals decided on single game

• ?

  competitive_signal: Mid-America Pinball Tour launching to address geographic disparity in tournament access; 10 competitive high-value events planned for Midwest

  high · Sam Swain discussed on stream; initiative aims to support regional player development outside coastal tournament concentration

• ?

  design_philosophy: Deep Root incorporating vintage mechanical features (swinging targets, roto targets) with modern implementation; John Pock-influenced layout

  medium · Back center swinging target, Ferris wheel ball lock, spinning three-target roto mechanism identified in prototype

• ?

  leak_detection: Raza Dazal prototype specifications and design details circulating via community photos, videos, and detailed written impressions from tournament players

  high · Multiple cell phone videos, Facebook documentation, Pinside forum posts with design analysis; Travis Murray published detailed first impression write-up

• $

  market_signal: Secondary market activity: host sold all remaining inventory (Jurassic Park, Silver Slugger, Sharky's) with successful buyer transitions and positive feedback

  high · All three machines sold within one week; new buyers reporting functionality; one buyer troubleshot and repaired flipper connection