# Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant's Eye Stern Pinball Reaction

**Source:** Pinball Pursuit  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2025-01-04  
**Duration:** 16m 32s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty4zXOyMQkE

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## Analysis

Mrs. J and Dr. C from Pinball Pursuit provide an enthusiastic first-look reaction to Stern's Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant's Eye pinball machine. They praise the theme's modern cultural relevance and broad appeal to younger audiences, highlight standout mechanical features like the dragon mechanism and gelatinous cube, and express excitement about the pin save campaign system and dynamic dungeon crawl feature. They note pre-release hesitation from some community members about the theme but report that post-announcement reception has been overwhelmingly positive.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] D&D has become mainstream and appeals heavily to Gen Z and younger players, with widespread high school groups forming — _Dr. C describes personal experience with 16-year-old daughter's excitement for D&D campaigns and observes widespread youth participation_
- [HIGH] Critical Role cast members (Matt Mercer, Marisha Ray, Laura Bailey) are providing voice acting for the D&D pinball machine — _Mrs. J directly states multiple Critical Role cast members are voice acting in the machine and identifies their roles_
- [HIGH] The game code is currently at version 0.8/0.81, not yet at 1.0 release — _Mrs. J cites Loser Kids podcast interview with designer and programmer confirming code status_
- [HIGH] The machine features a 'pin save' campaign system allowing players to save progress and continue after draining balls — _Dr. C explains the save system based on observable game footage and design details_
- [MEDIUM] Community reception to the D&D announcement has shifted from initial hesitation to overwhelmingly positive coverage — _Mrs. J states 'Ever since yesterday the coverage I'm seeing is glowing. People are very positive about this' following announcement_
- [HIGH] The gelatinous cube is a D&D monster that appears in the recent D&D film and serves as a multiplayer/rescue mechanic on the pinboard — _Dr. C explains lore and Mrs. J describes the mechanical implementation with electromagnet_
- [HIGH] Brian Eddy designed Venom, The Mandalorian, and Stranger Things with generally positive home player reception — _Mrs. J states personal experience playing these games favorably despite some community hesitation about Eddy's recent work_
- [HIGH] The dragon mechanic can block ramps, spit pinballs, move seamlessly, and is compared favorably to the T-Rex in Jurassic Park — _Both hosts describe dragon features and mechanics based on game footage_

### Notable Quotes

> "I think we need to be embracing of themes that are appealing to the youths of today... this has the potential to grow the hobby of pinball so much"
> — **Dr. C**, ~6:30
> _Core argument for D&D theme's strategic value in broadening pinball's audience appeal_

> "This might shoot up the ranks. I know we've rated Jurassic Park, it's the only game we've had in our home so far, Papa Duke high. This looks like a potential Jurassic Park killer."
> — **Mrs. J**, ~35:00
> _Strong endorsement positioning D&D as potentially their new home favorite game over Jurassic Park_

> "I don't know how they could do it better. I really don't."
> — **Mrs. J**, ~11:00
> _Repeated refrain expressing satisfaction with theme implementation and overall game design_

> "The code is only at 0.8, 0.81. It's not up to 1.0. We know that Stern does this a lot. It's something that kind of annoys me."
> — **Mrs. J**, ~33:00
> _Identifies ongoing Stern practice of releasing games in beta code state, expressing frustration with pattern_

> "Insider Connected, it's a game changer, man. It's probably the number one thing that got us into pinball."
> — **Dr. C**, ~38:00
> _Underscores importance of Stern's digital connectivity features to modern home player engagement_

> "This is a real winner. It feels totally fresh to me, and I love that."
> — **Dr. C**, ~37:00
> _Final positive assessment highlighting novelty and differentiation from traditional pinball themes_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant's Eye | game | Stern Pinball's newly announced D&D-themed pinball machine featuring dragon animatronic, gelatinous cube mechanic, pin save campaign system, and Critical Role voice talent |
| Mrs. J | person | Co-host of Pinball Pursuit, enthusiast D&D player with long personal history, primary speaker for game analysis and emotional reactions |
| Dr. C | person | Co-host of Pinball Pursuit (married to Mrs. J), casual D&D player, focuses on mechanical and system-level game design analysis |
| Brian Eddy | person | Lead designer of D&D pinball; previous designer of Venom, The Mandalorian, and Stranger Things; subject of some pre-release community hesitation |
| Dwight Sullivan | person | Programmer/code designer for D&D pinball; interviewed by Loser Kids podcast about game design and current code state |
| Matt Mercer | person | Critical Role Dungeon Master and voice actor; providing voice acting for D&D pinball, voices DM announcements |
| Marisha Ray | person | Critical Role cast member and voice actor; providing voice acting for D&D pinball as one of playable characters |
| Laura Bailey | person | Prolific voice actor (Jaina in World of Warcraft); Critical Role cast member providing voice acting for D&D pinball |
| Kevin Robert T. 'Bob' Smith | person | Famous voice director and voice actor; providing voice acting for dragonborn character in D&D pinball |
| Worf | person | Star Trek: The Next Generation Klingon character; voice talent providing dragon voice acting for D&D pinball |
| Critical Role | organization | Dungeons & Dragons streaming show with cast members featuring in D&D pinball voice acting; multiple campaigns and Amazon Prime series |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of D&D: The Tyrant's Eye pinball machine; implements Insider Connected platform for save/progress tracking |
| Jurassic Park | game | Stern pinball game cited as current home favorite; dragon mechanic in D&D compared favorably to T-Rex in this game; potential competitor |
| Pinball Pursuit | organization | YouTube channel featuring Mrs. J and Dr. C reviewing pinball machines and analyzing game design for home collector perspective |
| Loser Kids | organization | Pinball podcast that interviewed D&D game designer and programmer; discussed code state and design philosophy |
| Insider Connected | product | Stern's digital connectivity platform enabling game save tracking, stats monitoring, and remote updates; key feature driving D&D enthusiasm |
| Mighty Nein | organization | Critical Role's second campaign featuring 143 episodes of 3-4 hour D&D gameplay; watched by Mrs. J during pandemic |
| Venom | game | Recent Stern pinball game designed by Brian Eddy; positively received by home players despite some community hesitation about designer's output |
| The Mandalorian | game | Stern pinball game designed by Brian Eddy; played and enjoyed by Mrs. J and Dr. C in testing |
| Stranger Things | game | Stern pinball game designed by Brian Eddy; praised by Mrs. J as strong recent work |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Theme appeal and cultural relevance, Game mechanics and playfield design, Voice talent and sound design, D&D lore integration into pinball mechanics
- **Secondary:** Code state and beta release practices, Community sentiment shift, Insider Connected platform integration, Brian Eddy's design track record

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.92) — Both hosts express enthusiasm throughout, with Mrs. J notably more excited due to personal D&D passion. Criticism is minimal and contextual (code state frustration, pre-release hesitation). Overall tone is celebratory and optimistic about game quality and market impact.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Stern continues practice of releasing games in beta code state (0.8/0.81), which frustrates some home players who prefer stable 1.0 releases (confidence: high) — Mrs. J: 'The code is only at 0.8, 0.81. It's not up to 1.0. We know that Stern does this a lot. It's something that kind of annoys me.'
- **[community_signal]** Post-announcement community reception has shifted from hesitation to overwhelmingly positive coverage, indicating strong audience validation of game announcement (confidence: medium) — Mrs. J: 'Ever since yesterday the coverage I'm seeing is glowing. People are very positive about this.'
- **[design_philosophy]** Some community members initially confused by gelatinous cube mechanic, indicating potential accessibility/clarity issues for non-D&D players (confidence: medium) — Mrs. J: 'I know a lot of people who don't know Dungeons & Dragons as far as I've seen so far are really confused by this gelatinous cube... I saw that and I was like what?'
- **[design_philosophy]** D&D pinball leverages Insider Connected platform and pin save mechanics to create innovative, differentiated pinball experience distinct from classic IP adaptations (confidence: high) — Both hosts praise save system and dynamic dungeon crawl as totally new approach; Dr. C: 'they're leaning on that and making a pinball experience that is totally unique'
- **[licensing_signal]** Securing multiple Critical Role cast members and prominent voice talent (Michael Dorn's Worf character) indicates strong IP partnership and entertainment industry collaboration (confidence: high) — Mrs. J identifies Matt Mercer, Marisha Ray, Laura Bailey, Kevin Robert T. Smith, and Worf as voice talent; emphasizes 'major talent' securing
- **[market_signal]** D&D theme positioned as strategic move to appeal to Gen Z and younger demographics currently underserved by classic 70s/80s IP focus in pinball market (confidence: high) — Dr. C: 'I think we need to be embracing of themes that are appealing to the youths of today... this has the potential to grow the hobby of pinball so much'
- **[product_strategy]** D&D pinball explicitly differentiated from traditional rock band/movie/classic themes through modern cultural relevance and innovative save/progression mechanics (confidence: high) — Dr. C: 'I love that this has a modern feel. I love that this is a totally different take... It's not a rock band. It's not a movie. It's not a classic... it feels totally fresh to me'
- **[product_concern]** Some pre-release hesitation about Brian Eddy's recent game design output, though these specific hosts express positive experiences with his recent work (confidence: medium) — Mrs. J: 'I know there's a lot of hesitation, at least when I was reading up on the rumors... about Brian Eddy, because a lot of people haven't liked his last games. I've really liked his last games.'
- **[product_strategy]** Game features dynamic weekly dungeon crawl generation and ongoing code development, indicating planned content updates post-launch (confidence: medium) — Mrs. J: 'every week they're going to have these dungeons that you get into in the game... depending on where you go, you'll find an extra ball, or you'll find the dragon... how that's laid out is going to change every week'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Hosts report notable shift from pre-announcement community skepticism about D&D theme to post-announcement enthusiasm and positive coverage (confidence: medium) — Mrs. J: 'I know there was some hesitation from the pinball community into this theme in general... But since this has released, since this trailer has come out... The coverage I'm seeing is glowing'
- **[technology_signal]** Stern's Insider Connected platform is identified as critical differentiator driving home player engagement; D&D leverages this as core mechanic innovation (confidence: high) — Dr. C: 'Insider Connected, it's a game changer, man. It's probably the number one thing that got us into pinball. [They're] taking advantage of that to the next level'

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## Transcript

 Hey Flippers, welcome to Pinball Pursuit, one couple's journey to figure out which pinball machine is actually going to work best in our basement. I'm Mrs. J. And I'm Dr. C. We are going to take you on a deep dive on our thoughts on the brand new Dungeons & Dragons machine. We're really excited. I'm so excited. Are you so excited? Oh, I'm so excited, and I'm so excited to hear your thoughts, because I know that this is a theme that is very personal to you. I must say, this is probably like a top five dream theme for me. And that's just because I'm really into Dungeons & Dragons. I mean, you know. I know. I know. You have a long history. It's not as long as some people. I didn't play since high school, but I've been playing for a while. Yeah. I've got a few groups. I've even gotten you to play. I played once. Let the record show that I've been in one campaign. And you played as a rogue. Yes, that is what I was. It was a very fun campaign. You did great. Thank you. I appreciate that. I was a paladin in that one. Okay. Yeah. So anyway, the theme here is just, it's so cool. Dungeons and Dragons is iconic. And I feel like Stern is doing a really smart thing here. They are going after a theme which used to be niche. It used to be kind of the thing you did in the basement. I remember when I was a kid, doing Dungeons & Dragons was like the ultimate nerd. And I was a nerd. You can attest to that. Still are. But I was like, no. Nerd to the level of... You were a closet nerd. I was a closet nerd. I wasn't willing to take that next step. That's fair. and then I took the leap and oh my gosh I fell in love with the Dungeons and Dragons and it's become so much more acceptable yeah it has there's a lot of people that play and it's in pop culture a lot more there's uh community episodes uh about it two of them it was in uh the Voltron show that was on Netflix uh Critical Role has its own Amazon Prime and we'll get into Critical Role here in a little bit but yeah it's this is a theme that's big I love it I love it how do you think this is going to be received by the pinball community so i you know i've seen a lot of chatter before this announcement came out yeah that people were not excited for dnd um i don't understand that i think we need to be embracing of themes that are appealing to the youths of today i think that the average older person that can afford pinball right now to could afford to buy a machine they're not as much into D&D but kids, like I know so many people that are playing D&D in high school, there are groups now that people are part of I mean our friend came over and his 16 year old daughter was super excited for us to do a one shot with her and we did it, it was super fun, kids are connecting in such a way with D&D right now, they're using it to be social and I think this has the potential to grow the hobby of pinball so much I think that's really smart. So do I. I think too much we get into this, let's make themes based on movies from the 70s and 80s or rock bands from the 70s and 80s, and that appeals to a certain generation, to a certain group, but this has such wide appeal. I think this theme appeals to youth. It appeals to kids, Gen Z, Gen Alpha. I think they really think the D&D is cool now. Do you know who you sound like right now? Who do I sound like right now? You sound like the guy on 30 Rock. The youths? The kids? How do you do, fellow kids? What? I do. You're right. That's totally right. So, knowing what you know, you've seen the machine now, do you feel like this machine is doing the whole D&D world justice? I mean, I don't know how they could do it better. I really don Like you got the classes that you can choose between You got the different towns you go to Each one has a different quest You got all the different monsters And that's just the code. Then we're looking at, like, the art package. Oh my gosh. I mean, I love all the art. It looks just like the manuals you get from D&D. I love that you have some iconic characters, like Xanathar, who has his own little guidebook that I own, that I love. He's a villainous beholder guy. He's apparently one of the bosses you can fight, and he's on the cabinet art with the premium. It's so cool. So based off the cabinet art alone, which one do you think looks the best? It's hard to beat the Ellie. The Ellie looks so good. That mirrored glass and everything looks so cool. With the red metal and everything. Yeah, so good. But right now, because I think Xantar is such a cool character, I love that he's on the back display. Gotcha. So that's probably the one I would choose, purely based on I love what Beholders look like. I think they're such iconic, weird D&D monsters. I love fighting them. I love being a DM, and I've had them in my games before. To me, that's the one that I gravitate towards. What about you? I mean, I'm not a big D&D-er, so honestly, I don't connect as much to the art, but the speakers on the LE looks really cool. That's something that if we were to get a premium or a pro, we could just add ourselves. Yeah, well, there we go. That's the beauty of modding. perfect i love it so in terms of that then we gotta look at just what they have on the blade field right in terms of the theme that dragon i cannot say enough about that dragon the reason i think i love jurassic park so much is because i love the dinosaur and this dragon the way that it moves yeah so cool so cool i love on the premium and le that it has that it can block ramps or shots. It protects its little dragon horde of gold. I love that it spits pinballs. I love that it spits pinballs everywhere. I love that it moves so seamlessly. The T-Rex in Jurassic Park, you know, kind of goes side to side. It's a little animatronic feeling, but this is just seamless and smooth. I think it's so cool. It's next level. I mean, it is so cool. I love how it looks. I love everything they're doing with that dragon, but not just the dragon. Like, I know a lot of people who don't know D&D as far as I've seen so far are really confused by this gelatinous cube. Yeah I saw that and I was like what? Excuse me. It's like I've seen people be like is there an ice cube in the back of that machine? Is that like a real thing in D&D? It is. Because it seems so weird to me. Right so a gelatinous cube is a monster in D&D where basically like you get trapped in a gelatinous cube and it starts to dissolve you. Oh interesting. So you take damage over time. Well that's good to No, I thought it was just like a, I don't know, a rubber blob. No, so it's an actual monster and you have to like get out and they featured it in the D&D film that we both saw. Oh, did they? Yes. I like that movie. I don't remember that. It's in the maze and they have to like go into it and there's a whole scene. Super fun. Yeah, I'll have to watch that movie again. But I love that you get the ball stuck in there and you have to get another ball to get it out. Because if you encounter one of these in a D&D campaign, generally somebody is stuck in one. and the rest of the party has to work to try and get that person out before they die. And it's a magna grab, right? Yeah, it holds on to the magnet. It's so cool. Then you have to hit another ball. I'm guessing you get stuck in there, and it'll shoot another ball out, so you have a certain amount of time before that person dies, and maybe that loses a ball. We don't know yet what it's going to do. Yeah, so, I mean, does that mean you get multiball, essentially? I think so. It sounds like you would, right? Yeah, I mean, it looks like it. I love me a good multiball. Love me a good multiball. I love how they have a critical hit for like rolling a 20 as the captive ball on the playfield. Oh, interesting, yeah. I love that idea. I love that there's a shop that you can go buy items from. Oh, yeah? I didn't know that. Yeah, it's so cool. I am... Sounds like Mario Party. I'm so excited for this thing. I can't even tell you. I love it. So excited. So now I know that the sound means a lot to you in most machines It does You a call guy I love the call The music makes a big difference It does From what you seen what are you thinking about the sound Does it fit with the D&D theme? I, again, once again, I don't know how you could do it better. I mean, they've got Worf, who, I don't think you know who Worf is. I have no idea who Worf is. He was the Klingon in Star Trek Next Generation. I still need to watch Star Trek, but I will go with it. We need to add those to the list. He has such an iconic voice. He's got a nice, deep, growly, and they have him as the voice of the dragon. So people who have seen Star Trek, they're going to know. They're going to know. They're going to, okay, deal. But he does such a good job with the voice of the dragon that they showed off in the trailer. Oh, he's the dragon. He's the dragon. He's so cool. They've got such major, they have Kevin Smith. Oh. Kevin Smith's a famous director. They've got. But he's a voice actor in this. He's a voice actor in this, yeah. Deal. and they've got i mean i think the biggest thing for me is they have members of the critical role show what's critical role so critical role is a dungeons and dragons campaign show they've done several campaigns that you can watch these famous voice actors play deep with each other interesting and i have not watched all of it but during the pandemic i had a lot of free time i didn't know you yet and i know i watched all 143 three to four hour episodes oh my gosh that's a commitment of the second campaign of critical role yeah uh the mighty nine was the name of that campaign okay uh they've got matt mercer who's the dm who's one of the best dms you can watch if you want to learn how to play and how to dm a game he's so cool they've got marisha ray who's his wife uh also And then they have Laura Bailey, who's a prolific voice actor. She's incredible. For those that have played World of Warcraft, she's the voice of Janna. And all these are voice actors in this machine? All of them are voice acting. Because there's different characters, right? Yeah. Gotcha, okay. So I think from what I could tell, it sounds like Matt Mercer is the DM. He's going to announce when things happen. And then you've got characters. It looks like the dragon paladin is, or the dragon-born paladin is Kevin Smith. Okay. It looks like maybe Marcia Ray or Laura Bailey or one of the other characters you can play as. It looks super cool. Interesting. I don't know how they could have done better. Yeah. Literally, this looks incredible. So what about the music? The music sounds good. I don't know the person that's doing it. Okay. But from what they showed in the thing, it sounds like good D&D adventure music. Yeah, it fits. Yeah? Yeah. So tell me a little bit more about what you think about the layout. Like, I think it looks really cool, you know, from a pinball standpoint. Tell me about the cool D&D things that you're super psyched to see in there. I really, we already talked about the dragon and stuff. I, the shield looks super cool. Oh, yeah. Right there at the bottom by the flippers. Yeah, I think it's cool. You have to activate it. I love that. I think that it sounds like you have to activate that, like, during these dragon battles. Oh. Which looks really super cool. So he doesn't train a bunch of balls during a multiball. So you can keep more balls alive. Oh, that's cool. See, I didn't know that. Yeah, I think that looks really cool, assuming that's what's going on. I know there's a lot of hesitation, at least when I was reading up on the rumors of this upcoming game, about Brian Eddy, because a lot of people haven't liked his last games. I've really liked his last games. We've played Venom. Oh, yeah. I love Venom. Venom's fun, yeah. We've only played Mandalorian, I think, twice, but he did that game. Mandalorian's good, too. And he did Stranger Things. Oh, we love Stranger Things. I love Stranger Things. Come on, guys. So I think there was some hesitation because people haven't loved his last games. This looks insane. I love that there's a third flipper. Yeah. That third flipper looks super fun. It looks like there's a Magna Grab that works for the gelatinous cube above, but it can also stop balls below the third flipper. And then it can set you up for a shot. Okay, that's cool. Yeah, I think that looks really cool. Love that. So tell me how you think this game is going to work. I don't know much about D&D. Tell me how this is all going to integrate into the gameplay So yeah I think from what I can tell it looks like you play through a campaign and They got what they calling pin save which will allow you to save your game Mm-hmm, and it looks like with this save progress You can get through the entirety of a campaign despite draining and losing you can continue where you left off to a degree Okay I love that because I feel like too often I feel like I get to a point that I've never been before and then I lose it and it takes so long for me to get back to where I was I would love this save campaign and moving on from there I completely agree I mean you and I both love Jurassic Park yes love Jurassic Park and I can capture that first dinosaur every time almost every time but getting further and further further I man couldn't I could never get to that final wizard mode yeah but it sounds like with this you'll be able to progress through and get to the end of of a campaign. I love that. I also love that it has this dungeon crawl thing that they're going to generate new every week. What does that even mean? I can't tell super well, but it sounds like every week they're going to have these dungeons that you get into in the game. And you'll be able to choose, I'm guessing via a shot on the right or the left, if you want to go to the right or to the left side. And depending on where you go, you'll find an extra ball, or you'll find the dragon. Oh, interesting. and how that's laid out is going to change every week. Okay, that's crazy. I love that idea. Yeah. So cool. I'm interested to see where they go. I listened to a podcast from Loser Kid. They just interviewed the designer and the programmer of this game. Loser Kids, if you're listening, I think we live in the same area as you. Oh, fellow Utahns. Yes, I'd love to meet up with you guys sometime. If you guys ever listen to this, please reach out. But yeah, they talked to them, and it sounds like the code is only at 0.8, 0.81. It's not up to that 1.0. We know that CERN does this a lot. It's something that kind of annoys me. It's one of the reasons we haven't looked into renting a newer game yet. We kind of want to wait for that code to be updated. But it's not that there's a lot coming out of this. And this is the most ambitious game I've ever seen in terms of the number of things you can do. Okay. I'm so excited to play this. If this plays well, this might shoot up the ranks. I know we've rated Jurassic Park, it's the only game we've had in our home so far, pretty high. This looks like a potential Jurassic Park killer. Really? I know. That's a bold claim. I know. But this looks so cool. Oh, I'm stoked. I cannot wait. You know, I think there's a lot of hesitation from the pinball community into this theme in general because some people are kind of, you know, not into D&D. But since this has released, since this trailer has come out. Ever since yesterday? Ever since yesterday. The coverage I'm seeing is glowing. People are very positive about this. I think this game looks so good. Yeah. It's hard not to be positive on it. That makes me so excited. I love that this has a modern feel. I love that this is a totally different take. Like I said, it's not a rock band. It's not a movie. It's not a classic or anything like that. It just feels totally fresh to me, and I love that. And I love that they're really, with the advantage of Insider Connected and being able to save progress, they're leaning on that and making a pinball experience that is totally unique and totally new and that to me is super exciting insider connected it's a game changer man it's i mean it's probably the number one thing that got us into pinball it is it is we love checking our stats if a machine is offline i don't want to play it as much yeah you're totally right we are so drawn to that as one of the things that drew us in so the fact that they're taking advantage of that to the next level. Yeah. It's so cool. It's awesome. To me, this is a real winner. So those are our thoughts on the Dungeons and Dragons, The Tyrant's Eye by Stern Pinball. Are you as excited about this machine as Dr. C is? Or would you rather have seen something else? As always, don't forget to like, subscribe, and let us know what you think about our videos in the comments below. But until next time, keep flipping.

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 0b11f615-5702-4bd3-9edf-bfe4112eab3f*