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Dungeons & Dragons by Stern

I really like the theme. We play a lot of D&D-adjacent board games, and this looks like the pinball version of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. It also looks like it plays similarly to Venom, which I enjoy shooting - just not the mess of a ruleset.

I can definitely see it working and being super-cool if you like that sort of thing, but I can also see it being hellish for casual players due to the combination of an A:IQ-esque ruleset and the Venom-esque (and John Wick) speed.

Looking forward to playing!
I feel like we’ve not watched the same video - there doesn’t seem to be any speed to it at all and I’m not really seeing AIQ in it either. It all looked very controllable with lots of stops for decisions (as you might expect in an RPG game).

I can see this ending up being a slow player with loads of mini modes more akin to the Hobbit, over something properly fast like John Wick
 
I feel like we’ve not watched the same video - there doesn’t seem to be any speed to it at all and I’m not really seeing AIQ in it either. It all looked very controllable with lots of stops for decisions (as you might expect in an RPG game).

I can see this ending up being a slow player with loads of mini modes more akin to the Hobbit, over something properly fast like John Wick
They were trapping up every few seconds to explain the rules - this was mentioned.

I assume, if you know the game well (e.g. at home), you wouldn't need to trap up because you'd know how to play.

Less accomplished players, I assume, will just flail around not knowing what to do (as I do all the time!)
 
I like that it is really different to the usual type of game Stern releases.

Definitely need to play first and see how code develops before even thinking of getting one.
 
Well, that's an FPGA Mister recreating the OG hardware exactly. The choice to put it in 16 by NEIN is mine as 4:3 actually doesn't look especially better in this instance. I've owned BVMs, Blast City'l cabs, consumer Trinitrons, B&O consumers sets, Framemeisters, OSSCs the lot and trust me, this is a good experience. Don't choke on that popcorn 🤓

Had some candy's myself back in the day

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I'm excited to play it and see how the RPG stuff plays out.

I would have liked to have had some co-op in it for adventuring. As well as supporting procedural dungeons. It would have been interesting if they made the game world map flexible, allowing that to be changed ( DLC quest? ). But that would need the game world map on the screen so that it could be changed. Also ingame showing your friends characters and achievements, and not just having to use the APP

Its great they are trying out stuff, even if some of it doesn't hit right
 
Looks like you can unlock more than the 4 initial character classes, ala Venom.

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Yes, the feature matrix says ‘ Choose an adventurer from the Paladin, Wizard, Cleric, and Rogue, with the ability to unlock the Ranger, Barbarian, and Bard through a campaign with 28 different modes & Multiballs and 3 different endings depending on the choices you make.’


I would have liked to have had some co-op in it for adventuring

I do think it's begging for a coop mode where other players are other members in the party

Feature matrix also mentions that ‘Local Cooperative play will allow the whole party to progress together during a game session.’



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I think we should be careful what we wish for. Out of all themes a RPG lends itself most easily to paid DLCs. Different maps/quests/levelling up. Most pins have set storylines this one not so much.
 
I would be more than happy to pay for any future DLC which I’m sure will be introduced in the near future. Obviously if I become a DnD pro owner 😁
Just look at it as buying another mod.
 
Personally I think if you’re paying £7k+ for a game then you should get all the software included.
I understand what you mean but I just think of it as getting more pleasure from it and keeping the gameplay fresh in the future.

Like modern triple A games for instance, if I spend £60 on a game and I invest 100+ hours into it and I’m having a great gaming experience I don’t think twice on dropping some more dosh on the DLC.
 
Looks okay! Watched the playthrough today. Is it me or does the playfield look a bit bare? Adding a pseudo fps video game dungeon fleshes it out, but maybe having something else on the playfield would give it more variety.

It is different and it might be nicer for collectors, than being on location.
 

Looks...OK. I have no problem skipping this one though. I may feel differently after playing.

I have to say from what I saw there, I really like it. The code looks really different.

I wonder what the Pro will play like without the trap door?
 
I have to say from what I saw there, I really like it. The code looks really different.

I wonder what the Pro will play like without the trap door?
I reckon they’ll just put a timed shot on the spinner instead - probably negligible difference
 
I really don't know anything about the theme but that looks a damn good machine.

So the pro still has the dragon which doesn't move as much, still has the shield and still has the trapdoor? Unless I'm mossing something that would appear to be the way to go on this one?
I thought that dragon moved too much and would get annoying.
 
I like that they're trying something different. Their IC system makes it possible to have continuity from one game to another and (in a home environment) turns it more into a continuous video game, rather than a 3-ball affair. Whether that's actually something which works within the pinball framework is still TBD, but I like the innovation.

On the pro vs prem debate, it's the same as any other Stern game: if you're a player just get the pro, if you want the WOW effect from the extra mechs get the prem. In my experience I've found that I prefer prems because toys are cool and we often have guests over who enjoy the toys -- but to each their own.
 
Just my take…. This feels like a HeroQuest pinball more than a D&D game.

The dungeons whilst “procedurally generated” (No Man’s Sky flashbacks) feel like they operate on line of sight mechanics (you know if there’s a decision next) - plus the corridor mechanic feels very much like reusing the board… 😂

I may have missed this, but the roll feature I saw was rolling to hit, there doesn’t seem to be any ability check rolls, which I wonder if that affects the game? Was there any Natural 20 shenanigans too?

 
Can we all breathe a sigh of relief that it wasn’t themed on the godawful films , or even the cartoon - which may have had a modicum of 80s retro nostalgia but ultimately would have been annoying - that stupid little unicorn for starters. . Even as a kid heavily into D&D I thought the cartoon was bobbins.

I was well into AD&D in the early / mid 80s . Introduced to it by an American kid at school that had all the stuff and started lunchtime sessions . Then my cousins got into it , and friends too. Good times until we all discovered music/ booze/ girls and that was that.

This *should* be a must buy theme for me . It looks decent , the rather generic fantasy look of the screen stuff bothers me as ideally I want it looking like my memories of D&D art in the 80s .And it’s not quite the D&D world I remember , but that’s my problem .
And while the whole code thing with choosing characters etc etc fits in and I can see the thinking , I increasingly don’t have the patience or interest in convoluted complex rule sets in pinball - for starters non pinhead friends just look baffled at anything beyond ‘aim at that ‘ so it’s just not fun for visitors.

Also I’m not sure what theme could make me think dropping between 8k and 12k would be value for money 😅 I just don’t see any of these things being ‘worth’ that these days - anyone outside the pinball world thinks those figures are insane 😅 - but I guess that can apply to many things.

Here’s what remains of my RPG past , sold loads off over the years , D&D stuff, Warhammer, MERP, Car Wars , loads board games . Still got my original dice 😁
I haven’t played any D&D since about 87/88.

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Pay! Call yourself a Nerd Mr Grizz. Those manuals are mixed between classic and “new art”.

Music and girls kills AD&D everytime
 
Pay! Call yourself a Nerd Mr Grizz. Those manuals are mixed between classic and “new art”.

Music and girls kills AD&D everytime
I bow to your greater nerdism John 😁 I just bought them as and when in the 80s and don’t really know all the ‘eras’ of D&D beyond what I played in those years.

Also need to explain ‘Pay!’ to me 🤷‍♂️😅
 
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I'm not sure why anyone would go in this early. By all accounts Uncanny X-Men is way off being anywhere near done. Not sure how John Wick code is doing as it feels like it came and went without any real buzz around it. It isn't a game people seem to talk about, like say, Jaws.

Rumours of Elwin's King Kong may be another reason to wait and see.
 
I'm not sure why anyone would go in this early. By all accounts Uncanny X-Men is way off being anywhere near done. Not sure how John Wick code is doing as it feels like it came and went without any real buzz around it. It isn't a game people seem to talk about, like say, Jaws.

Rumours of Elwin's King Kong may be another reason to wait and see.

One reason would be theme.

I have bought games blind on theme, although they didn’t say, so maybe that tells you something.
 
Not sure how John Wick code is doing as it feels like it came and went without any real buzz around it. It isn't a game people seem to talk about,
007, code took too long, Wick, we've basically had 1 update that counts but it does feel like a full game. . Stern are releasing games too close to each other and need to bake longer before release.
 
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