Pasha

> "The Book of Tales is open. Choose your story."
>
> - Announcer

***Pasha*** is a pinball table that was first released as one of the four tables exclusive to *Pinball FX 2*, made available for *Zen Pinball 2* in 2015 and *Pinball FX 3* on its release date as one of the four Zen original tables that are part of the Core Collection. This table is inspired by the magical fantasy world of the Middle Eastern folk tale compilation *One Thousand and One Nights*.

The name of the table, *Pasha*, refers to one of the table’s antagonists - named after a title bestowed upon high-ranking government officials of the Ottoman Empire.

## Table overview

### The upper half of the table and carpet mini-playfield

A large figure of a cobra coiled behind a magic lamp occupies the back left corner of the table. To the right of this figure is a hook-shaped ramp that loops behind the snake and feeds the second left inlane. The table refers to this as the bazaar ramp, because its habitrail contains a branching path that sends the ball to a lock on the roof of the bazaar area at the lower half of the table. To the right of this ramp is a figure of a man with a sabre. Two drop targets guarding a sinkhole are placed in front of him. Just above the targets is the end of the cobra's tail, which runs in front of the lamp. The table’s main orbit wraps around all the aforementioned features. The right orbit is gated by a spinner with a picture of a magic lamp.

Next to the right orbit is a crossramp leading up to a scale model of a palace, partially blocked by the upper right flipper; raising the upper right flipper will allow it to be shot from the upper left flipper. The doorway inside the palace functions as a sinkhole and it can eject the ball to multiple places: a) a round doughnut-shaped chamber with two manually controlled magnets to keep the ball in motion, b) a habitrail path at the rear of the palace building that passes it through two towers and down to a tilting magic carpet mini-playfield or c) the bazaar eject. A standup target bank containing 3 targets is placed to the right of it. In front of the palace entry lane is another crosslane that can be shot from the upper left flipper, an orbit that loops around into the bumper area described later. that can lead up to a reverse scoop in one of the palace towers that takes it up a higher, shorter habitrail above the one that passes through both towers that drops the ball beside the right mini-flipper for a cross shot.

Directly to the left of the bazaar ramp’s entrance is a small sinkhole with a smaller palace doorway located above, which can be shot from the upper right flipper. This shot is referred to by the game as the “caravan sinkhole” as it is required to complete trades after completing all six of the compass shots, and refills water if necessary. If the sinkhole isn’t currently lit, the sinkhole will send the ball into the combat mini-playfield described later. Directly to the left of the caravan sinkhole is the entrance to the table’s left orbit.

In front of the caravan sinkhole and right beside the left orbit is a ramp that takes a sharp right turn before splitting into two habitrail paths: an upper path that takes it to a cave entrance at the back of the table, functioning as a sinkhole, and a winding path ending at the right inlane (which it feeds by default). To the right of that ramp's entry are two standup targets. The magic carpet mini-playfield mentioned above can be tilted sideways and contains a total of five pins and five rollover lamps in two rows, with the first row having three pins and two rollover lamps and vice versa for the second row. A ball that passes through this very small mini-playfield drops into the bumper area at the lower half of the table.

### The lower half of the table and combat mini-playfield

The upper left flipper is placed right next to a model of a bazaar, where the ball can be locked into and ejected from through a diverted branching habitrail path in the bazaar ramp or through various other sinkholes. This upper flipper is used to make cross shots into the palace or the orbit crosslane. On the other side of the table are a series of three bumpers forming domed towers, with the crosslane forming around the leftmost bumper, which also has two multiplier standup targets in front of it. To the back of the bumper area is a reverse scoop that ejects the ball to the upper right flipper. The frontmost bumper has a single standup target in front of it. A lantern-like structure hanging from the right wall of the table displays indicators for the current bonus multiplier.

In the center dead space of the table is a large mini-playfield, shaped like a bottle where a genie would usually be kept prisoner in. There are two flippers on this mini-playfield, plus a center post in between the flippers that lowers when it has been hit once and raises if one of the two center drop targets has been hit. The flippers are used to hit three rows of constantly scrolling drop targets representing bandits determined to steal treasure or guards holding a treasure map. At the back end of the mini-playfield is a sinkhole that acts as the exit of the mini-playfield, blocked by two stationary drop targets representing bandit or guard leaders. To the left and right of this sinkhole are mini-orbits that wrap around to send the ball back to either flipper.

There are five return lanes that spell GENIE, with three on the left and two on the right. There are two slingshots and two flippers, and each of the two outlanes contain one spring-loaded kickback installed. The left slingshot contains the book of tales, which opens to display the currently available modes when the reverse scoop has been made. The right slingshot contains a vase with a quill stuck inside it. The table walls and apron are designed to resemble ancient Middle Eastern architecture.

### The plunger

The plunger is a short shaft that ends at a varitarget. The shaft passes through a one-way gate that prevents the ball from going back down into the plunger, slanted downward so that it will cause the ball to roll down the right inlane. To achieve a skill shot, the player must wait for three lamps to be lit in the shaft, then while the three lamps are on, immediately shoot the ball that it hits the varitarget at the end with moderate, but not excessive force. If the player hits the varitarget with the wrong amount of power, the scoring display will tell whether the shot was too weak or too strong. The skill shot scores a set 100,000 points.

## Objective and missions

The goal of the table is to find the Pasha's treasure and defeat anyone who stands in its way through three missions. To start a mission, the player must hit the tower reverse scoop by shooting between the three bumpers, which will open the *Book of Tales* and start a 30-second chance (which can be reset with another shot to the scoop) to start any of the three missions, which begin when a particular lane is shot. All missions score increasing point values when completed, and can be played as many times as necessary. *Each of the three missions take place on one of three mini-playfields. Magic Carpet and Treasure Map are both assigned to the palace lane, and the lane's currently qualified mission can be switched by shooting either the bazaar ramp or the right orbit.*

The following three missions must be completed successfully to qualify the wizard mode:

* **Defeat the Guards**: One can only find the Pasha's treasure by obtaining his map, which is guarded by his adept allies. Once the *Book of Tales* is open, the player can start this mission to get to the map by shooting the caravan sinkhole to take the ball into the combat mini-playfield. To complete the mission successfully, the player must get the ball through the exit sinkhole, but will need to make some room by defeating the guards blocking the way. At least one of the leaders blocking the exit must be defeated for a chance to finish the mission, and a shot to either leader will reactivate the center post if it was already used. It is not necessary to defeat all guards to beat this mission; it is only necessary to shoot the exit sinkhole to win. Finishing the mission three times on a single ball scores 2, 5, and 10 million respectively.
* **Treasure Map**: Pasha’s palace is full of many traps besides the guards, making it difficult to steal his map and come out alive. When the *Book of Tales* is open and the palace ramp has the treasure map lamp lit at its entrance, the player can shoot the palace lane to lock the ball in the palace, where it will drop onto the upper area of the doughnut-shaped chamber inside the building. The player must operate magnets on each half of the circular track with the flippers to keep the ball constantly moving to get away from the guards after taking the map. After the ball makes 30 laps total, the mission will be complete. Finishing the mission three times on a single ball scores 2, 5, and 10 million respectively.
* **Magic Carpet**: The Pasha's treasure can only be accessed with a magic carpet. When the *Book of Tales* is open and the palace ramp has the magic carpet lamp lit at its entrance, the player can shoot the palace lane to bring the ball inside the palace, where it will travel on a habitrail and drop onto the top of the magic carpet mini-playfield. To fly the carpet, the player must carefully tilt the carpet mini-playfield such that the ball rolls through two particularly lit lamps, one in each row. If both targets are hit, the mission is completed successfully. Finishing the mission three times on a single ball

Completing all three missions will begin **The End**, where the player finally finds the Pasha's treasure, but it is guarded by a giant cobra. This is started in the same way as the other three missions, but a shot to the cave ramp is required to start it. This wizard mode is a three-ball multiball mission where the player must defeat the cobra guarding the treasure by locking all remaining balls in the snake sinkhole. To unlock the sinkhole, the player must shoot either the cave ramp, the bazaar ramp and the right orbit, and once a ball has been locked, the sinkhole must be unlocked again for the next attack by hitting any of the three shots. The battle is won once all remaining balls are locked in the sinkhole, resulting in the snake being vanquished, but it will be lost if all but one ball drains. Finishing the wizard mode scores 50 million; each time it is won on the same ball, 100 million will be rewarded instead.

## Side modes

The following side modes can be activated while the *Book of Tales* is closed:

* **Caravan Travels**: Desert travel in the world of the Pasha is perilous thanks to the risks of dehydration in a brutally hot climate. While no modes are running, the player can make a caravan run by shooting all five of the lanes marked with a lit compass icon once, followed by the right standup target, to push through the desert and find an oasis filled with refreshing water. If the player doesn’t make any caravan shots for 60 seconds during the caravan run, the player must rehydrate by shooting the caravan sinkhole within 30 seconds to get water and continue the journey to the oasis. Once the oasis is reached, the caravan sinkhole will be lit to end the caravan run and trade in the water for a bonus score starting at 5 million. Subsequent caravan runs on the same ball will score 10, 15, and 20 million for the fourth and later runs; every three caravan runs collected in a game will award an extra ball.
* **The Bazaar**: The bazaar offers a valuable compass that can be claimed by winning a simple minigame. Once the player has spelled BAZAAR by hitting any of the standup targets, the bazaar ramp will light to start the minigame - a video mode where the player watches and tries to follow a compass that is placed inside one of three cups, then uses the flippers and launch button to tell which cup holds the compass. A correct guess awards a set bonus of 1 million points.
* **Jackpot & Super Jackpot:** A value starting at 100,000 is shown on the display when the bumpers or slingshots are hit, and shots to either will slowly decrease the value to zero; if the two targets next to the cave ramp are hit, this value will decrease faster. Once the value reaches its minimum, the right orbit will light to score a jackpot of 1 million; once it has been made, the right orbit will remain lit for about 10 seconds to score a super jackpot of 4 million. Once either jackpot has been collected, the bumpers will begin counting down to the next jackpot.
* **Cave of Wonders**: The Cave of Wonders is rumored to have many treasures. If the player hits the slingshots 20 times, the player can earn 50,000 points on the next shot to the cave ramp.
* **Caravan Defense**: Among the various perils of caravan travel include the menace of bandits looking to steal. If the player shoots the caravan sinkhole while the caravan run is not yet complete, the caravan will fall under attack to bandits, and the player must defeat the bandits in the same manner the player completes the Defeat the Guards mission. If the defense fails, the bandits will steal all your water and you will have to make all six shots again. If the defense is successful, the player will be able to scour the bandits’ treasure for the Elixir of Life, described later.
* **Save the Princess**: The Pasha has captured a princess who seeks to be rescued. If the player shoots the palace ramp during normal play with the treasure map lamp lit at its entrance the player can shoot the palace lane to access the doughnut-shaped chamber inside the palace building. This mission plays the exact same as Treasure Map but only scores 500,000 points for completion.
* **Carpet Ride**: Magic carpets require training to successfully traverse the desert. If the player shoots the palace entry ramp while the magic carpet lamp is lit, the ball will enter the carpet mini-playfield. All five rollover lamps will be available, carrying over between attempts, and the mode can be completed successfully by hitting all five rollovers for 500,000.

### Multiball

The following two multiball modes can be activated when no modes are running:

* **Multiball**: The cobra is a dangerous snake with a poisonous bite, and prowls across Pasha searching for treasure to steal. There is a sinkhole in front of the figure of a man with a sword, which is accessible once the spinner in front of the right orbit has been spun 50 times to charge the lamp with magic, and the two targets blocking the sinkhole have been knocked down. Only the first lock requires the spinner to be hit before a ball can be locked. After three balls have been locked this way, a 3-ball multiball will begin where all five of the major caravan lanes must be shot to score values starting at 100,000 per shot. Once all five lanes have been made, the remaining balls must be locked at either the caravan sinkhole, the cave ramp, or the bazaar sinkhole to score a final jackpot worth 5 million for locking one ball, 10 million for two balls, or 15 million for three balls. Each shot can only lock one ball, and the value of the final jackpot increases to 50 million, then 100 million if the multiball is played three times on a single ball. Collecting the final jackpot or draining all but one ball ends the Multiball.
* **Elixir of Life**: The elixir of life is a legendary potion that can rejuvenate anyone who consumes it. If the player successfully defends the caravan from a bandit attack in the Caravan Defense mode described above, a 2-ball Multiball will start where the player can shoot all the lit caravan lanes for values starting at 100,000. The final lane will always hide the Elixir of Life. Once that lane is shot, the center sinkhole will be qualified, and both balls must be locked into the sinkhole to collect an extra ball and a bonus worth 2, 10, or 20 million if the multiball is played three times on a single ball; a bonus phase will then follow, where all shots constantly score 100,000 points each until the player drains down to a single ball.

## Perks

The following perks can be activated during play:

* **Ball Saver**: A 30-second ball saver is activated at the start of each ball and multiball mode, and once it expires, it can be re-activated by hitting all three ball save targets near the lamp. The ball saver also activates when the Book of Tales modes are lit.
* **Genie Kickbacks**: Genies are mysterious spirit beings that can aid anyone by granting their wishes. If the player spells GENIE, a low-power spring-loaded kickback will activate. The first time it's spelled will activate the one at the right outlane, and the next time it is spelled will turn on the one for the left outlane. The kickbacks will stay on until they are used.
* **Bonus Multiplier**: The bonus multiplier increases by +2x up to 8x every time the two targets in front of the leftmost bumper are struck. They are only good for the current ball.
* **Extra Balls**: Extra balls can be collected by finding the Elixir of Life during its namesake multiball, or by making three trades through three successful caravan runs.

## Tips

* It is easy to turn on the kickbacks and ball saver to extend the life of the ball. While you will not need them for the main missions, they do tend to get used during multiball. Plus it’s always safe to have them around.
* The combat mini-playfield can be very chaotic and difficult to master for the Defeat the Guards mission. To succeed in this mission takes a bit of skill and luck. Try keeping the ball on the left side with repeated flips or send the ball from left to right and back as it bounces off of targets crossing the center. Once the post is down, try to hit one of the top two targets to raise it again. The ball can sneak through the top exit with just one top target down.
* Become a master of magnetism and succeed in the bowl mini-game by slinging the ball forward with each magnet instead of hitting the magnet as the ball rolls over it. At the beginning, a quick left & right flip will provide a good start.
* The biggest scores on this game by far come from repeatedly completing the final wizard mode or Multiball. If you’re having difficulty with any of the three missions leading up to it, try finishing the one you have the most trouble with first; or just focus on Multiball.

## External links

* Official table trailer (1:11 - 1:26 of the Zen Pinball Core Collection trailer)
* Table walkthrough by ShoryukenToTheChin (PDF)
* Official table soundtrack on Bandcamp (tracks 19 - 25 of the *Pinball FX 2 Core Pack Soundtrack*)