# D&D preteaser hype/predictions

**Source:** Don's Pinball Podcast (patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2024-12-27  
**Duration:** 25m 37s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/d-d-preteaser-118741557

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## Analysis

Don and Ryan Barry (Phantom Tip Pinball) record a Patreon special on December 27th speculating about an imminent Stern Dungeons & Dragons pinball machine teaser (expected within 12-18 hours). They discuss designer pedigree (Brian Eddy, Dwight Sullivan), design preferences (lower playfields, dungeon theming, leveling systems), and the importance of thematic execution. The episode is framed around travel in Australia and includes tangential discussion of custom code mods (Avengers movie code) and community experiences.

### Key Claims

- [MEDIUM] Dungeons & Dragons teaser from Stern/Sam Stern expected on December 27th (Chicago time 6pm Dec 26th), within 12-18 hours of recording — _Don states rumors of teaser timing; notes nothing confirmed until it happens, acknowledges timing is still speculative_
- [MEDIUM] Brian Eddy designing Dungeons & Dragons with Dwight Sullivan on code — _Don reports this information as heard from sources ('I heard people apparently have seen it'); no official confirmation mentioned_
- [HIGH] Venom (Premium Edition) is fun but was not a 'wow game' and pricing strategy unclear; base Venom around $7,000 — _Don's direct opinion based on experience; pricing tier mentioned specifically_
- [MEDIUM] Someone recently traded Venom James Cameron's Avatar (Limited Edition) for Louis Toy Story Collector's Edition at roughly equal value — _Don reports conversation with unnamed collector; used as evidence of secondary market volatility_
- [LOW] D&D game unlikely to be movie-based; more likely based on books/lore; movie would be limiting — _Don's speculation and design philosophy opinion_
- [LOW] A leveling/progression system with character unlocks is essential to D&D pinball; without it would be a 'failure' — _Don's opinion on design requirements for the IP_
- [HIGH] Jaws retains strong secondary market value; Venom has experienced significant depreciation — _Don contrasts collector risk between recent Stern releases implicitly_
- [MEDIUM] Avengers pinball with fan-created movie code is significantly more fun than stock version — _Don enthusiastically endorses Pinside movie code mod after experiencing it at Enzo's collection_

### Notable Quotes

> "Even if this was the plan yesterday, you can still change your mind last minute."
> — **Don**, early
> _Caveat on reliability of rumored teaser timing; reflects industry pattern of last-minute changes_

> "If you don't do a leveling up system in a Dungeons & Dragons game. Fail. Failure. You've failed."
> — **Don**, mid
> _Strong design philosophy statement; reflects community expectation for D&D thematic execution_

> "I want something that would seem like it would be at home next to Black Knight. You know, sure. Yeah castles skeletons, you know, and that kind of stuff."
> — **Don**, mid
> _References iconic dark knight theme as design precedent for desired D&D aesthetic_

> "So good pedigree. Good mix up there. Bit of a slip up with Venom, critically, even though I think the Premium Edition is still fun."
> — **Don**, early
> _Tempered assessment of Brian Eddy's recent output; acknowledges Venom as commercial/critical underperformer_

> "If you grab a Jaws, you're like, yeah, dude, I'm good."
> — **Don**, early
> _Contrast with Venom depreciation; Jaws positioned as safe secondary market investment_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of upcoming Dungeons & Dragons machine; released Venom, Game of Thrones, Jaws |
| Brian Eddy | person | Pinball designer rumored for D&D; known for Medieval Madness, Attack from Mars, Stranger Things, Venom |
| Dwight Sullivan | person | Pinball code designer at Stern; rumored for D&D code; worked on Game of Thrones, other Stern titles |
| Don | person | Host of Don's Pinball Podcast (Patreon special); in Australia during recording; speaks as industry analyst/enthusiast |
| Ryan Barry | person | Phantom Tip Pinball; co-host/guest on this episode; recording in Brisbane, Australia with Don |
| Dungeons & Dragons | game | Upcoming Stern Pinball machine; teaser expected Dec 27/28; designed by Brian Eddy with Dwight Sullivan on code |
| Venom | game | 2023 Stern Pinball machine; experienced poor secondary market performance and depreciation; critical underperformance |
| Game of Thrones | game | Stern Pinball licensed machine; referenced for 80s vibes intro music; designed by Steve Richie |
| Jaws | game | Recent Stern release; strong secondary market retention; contrasted with Venom depreciation |
| Medieval Madness | game | Classic Williams pinball game; referenced as Brian Eddy design pedigree; thematic inspiration for D&D aesthetic |
| Attack from Mars | game | Classic Williams pinball game; referenced as Brian Eddy design pedigree |
| Stranger Things | game | Stern Pinball machine; referenced as Brian Eddy design credit |
| Black Knight | game | Classic pinball machine; referenced as thematic design precedent for desired D&D castle/skeleton aesthetic |
| James Cameron's Avatar (Limited Edition) | product | JJP limited edition; used in secondary market comparison (traded for Toy Story Collector's Edition at similar value) |
| Avengers | game | Stern pinball machine; fan-created movie code mod significantly improves gameplay experience |
| This Week in Pinball | organization | Industry news source; expected to cover D&D reveal on Tuesday (Jan 2, 2025 implied) |
| Enzo La Pagna | person | Perth resident; works with Gonzo's Pinball Flipperama; hosted Don and Ryan Barry; custom code enthusiast |
| Phantom Tip Pinball | organization | Ryan Barry's pinball media outlet; expected to produce content on D&D teaser |
| Sam Stern | person | Associated with D&D teaser announcement timing (implied leadership/announcement role at Stern) |
| Metallica | game | Referenced for lower playfield design with passive ball mechanics (coffin feature) |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Dungeons & Dragons pinball machine rumors and designer predictions, Pinball design philosophy (lower playfields, leveling systems, thematic coherence)
- **Secondary:** Secondary market volatility and collector pricing (Venom depreciation vs Jaws retention), Brian Eddy design pedigree and recent critical reception, Fan-created code mods and custom enhancements (Avengers movie code)
- **Mentioned:** Community events and location-based pinball experiences, Industry media landscape (This Week in Pinball, Straight Down the Middle), Travel, content creation logistics, international pinball culture

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.72) — Enthusiastic about D&D potential and design philosophy; cautiously optimistic about Stern's ability to execute; positive about community experiences and collector dynamics; mild skepticism about Venom execution and pricing strategy; generally upbeat tone

### Signals

- **[machine_intel]** Dungeons & Dragons Stern teaser rumored for December 27-28, 2024 (12-18 hours from recording on Dec 27 at 4am AU time); no official confirmation (confidence: medium) — Don: 'as of this recording it's the 27th of December which is when we were rumored to get this teaser from Sam Stern for Dungeons & Dragons'
- **[rumor_hype]** Brian Eddy confirmed/rumored as D&D designer with Dwight Sullivan on code; sources cite people who have 'apparently seen it' (confidence: medium) — Don: 'I heard people apparently have seen it and it is Dungeons & Dragons... Brian Eddy, Dwight Sullivan on code'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Venom positioned as critical and commercial underperformance despite Premium Edition being playable; cited as design/pricing misstep (confidence: high) — Don: 'Bit of a slip up with Venom, critically... it wasn't like a wow game, right? And I still don't understand the pricing'
- **[collector_signal]** Venom experiencing severe secondary market depreciation; James Cameron's Avatar Limited Edition trading at similar value to Toy Story Collector's Edition (confidence: high) — Don: 'we were talking to someone yesterday who just swapped their Venom James Cameron's Avatar (Limited Edition) for a Louis Toy Story Collector's Edition'
- **[design_philosophy]** Community expectation that D&D must include meaningful leveling/progression system with character unlocks; failure to include would be thematic failure (confidence: medium) — Don: 'If you don't do a leveling up system in a Dungeons & Dragons game. Fail. Failure. You've failed.'
- **[design_innovation]** Preference for passive lower playfield zones (ball locks, dungeons) over dexterity-heavy maze elements; full-size ball physics consistency valued (confidence: low) — Discussion of not wanting to 'navigate a maze' in lower playfield; Metallica cited as good example with coffin feature
- **[content_signal]** This Week in Pinball expected to provide major coverage on Tuesday (implied Jan 2, 2025); Phantom Tip Pinball planning content drops (confidence: medium) — Don: 'This Week in Pinball, Johnny Pinball. All we're gonna get level up one two twenty twenty five'
- **[product_concern]** Host questions Stern's pricing strategy and lack of dynamic pricing model; new machine launches positioned as financial gamble for consumers (confidence: low) — Don: 'I don't know, I don't understand why they don't have dynamic pricing... the new machine box pricing is such a gamble'
- **[restoration_signal]** Fan-created movie code for Avengers significantly enhances gameplay; Pinside movie code mod cited as missing piece that transforms experience (confidence: high) — Don: 'Forget what you're doing if you've got an Avengers go find that Pinside movie code and put it in there... just putting movie scenes in there... that was a missing piece'
- **[licensing_signal]** D&D expected to draw from broader books/lore rather than specific movie; movie licensing considered limiting for franchise depth (confidence: low) — Don: 'if it is Dungeons & Dragons, it's not going to be based on a movie... the movie would probably be limiting. I hope that it's not the movie because the world of Dungeons & Dragons is so vast'
- **[market_signal]** Jaws contrasted favorably with Venom for secondary market retention; positioned as safer collector investment (confidence: high) — Don: 'If you grab a Jaws, you're like, yeah, dude, I'm good' (vs Venom depreciation)
- **[community_signal]** Community events like Enzo La Pagna's collection viewing and Pinjara (skate park pinball) highlight grassroots pinball culture and custom code adoption (confidence: low) — Discussion of visiting Enzo's collection and experiencing custom Avengers code; Pinjara women's event mentioned

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## Transcript

 I'm ready mate. We should hit the intro music for this patreon special episode. Yeah, why not? All right, just put away the ASMR right the BettyRindows. We don't need those. All right, let's hit it Sounds like hoof beats There we go, that's it. This is music for the motion picture soundtrack to Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves and it's got 80s vibes that I'm currently vibing with dude. It's a final day in Perth man. Yeah. I gotta head over to Brisbane here with Ryan Barry, Phantom Tip Pinball, shout out. And we're gonna record a little bit of uh some impressions that we think we're gonna see over the next 48 hours here at some point. Now as of this recording it's the 27th of December which is when we were rumored to get this teaser from Stern for Dungeons and Dragons right? Nothing's confirmed until it happens. Even if This was the plan yesterday, you can still change your mind last minute. But even though it's the 27th here, it's still the 26th back in Chicago, it's 6pm there, so we got a good 12-18 hours until we finally see what is actually coming from the Sterniverse, but that will not preclude us from speculation. That's our game. So, okay, so what have we heard? I've had people apparently have seen it and it is Dungeons and Dragons and that's what's coming for what that's worth. Brian Eddy, Dwight Sullivanoncode, Eddy, as you know, Venom, Stranger Things, but also Medieval Madness and Attack from Mars. Yeah, yeah. So good pedigree. Good mix up there. Bit of a slip up with Venom, critically, even though I think the premium is still pretty fun. But like it wasn't like a wow game, right? And I still don't understand Paul Island the 8r7 And then venom is like $7,000 for the top end one, right? Yeah, we were talking to someone yesterday who just swapped their Venom LE for a Toy Story Collector's Edition. Alright, probably at equal footing there, yeah. So, like, the new in box pricing is such a gamble, you know, because if you go on one that just drops, like, you buy a wick, and it's like, fuck, dude. But, you know, if you got a Jawzeli, you're like, yeah, dude, I'm good. So, I don't know, I don't understand why they don't have dynamic pricing. I don't think it's gonna come in. 34육 Ken 3468 3562 3565 Crapman, Tanyo Klyce, WP...)ochond Cl RICH, David David Van Es, Knapparcmaniять, Kelly Spencer, No! Don't do the Bloodredchumucket edition. Bloodredchumucket. No, no. Alright, so if it is D&D, it's not going to be based on a movie because they hardly ever do that anymore. Jaws notwithstanding. So probably based on the books and the lore. And there's plenty of art out there to draw from and tons of stuff in there. So I think in this case the movie would probably be limiting. I hope that it's not the movie because the world of Dungeons and Dragons is so vast. And a present to the 1980's TV cartoon show Dungeons and Dragons, where the kids go on the dark ride at the carnival and then like transported to a different realm and then Venger is there, and that stinking unicorn guy, and the kid's got a club and then Dungeon Master, I'm your guide here in the Realm of Dungeons and Dragons. So good. I would play that game. So 80's. Yeah, I'd be more into that. If they did that, if they just took that on and just went all in on The 80's. I was running around my yard with like a stick that I pretended Langley Bigham, Albert Rowney, Theatre Blog settled eating Birmingham discriminatory beginning how cans began consonant chauffeurs avenue within states that's like bekommen restrictive grace from below developments that had brighten tus Melissaàngdoing implications and rorm protections Mustafa Issue M briefly Exodusensen It's a My I a attendants of his he Ahhh I A Knappcstaticwives torment The Coming of Pinball Evolution, but it's at least they're doing some new things with it and it's small areas Well, don't overthink it. Yeah, I'm gonna do low lower playfield, you know ACDC. Yeah, I Can't what say whatever you want about it, but I actually quite enjoy that lower playfield because it's it's pretty simple You just trying to rip loops you know and and smash it up Don overthink it What a bit simple Yeah what I don want to do is go down there and navigate a maze and expect to have a lot of dexterity Yes yeah no I don want to do that So I be okay with like a lower play area where it was more passive like balls just go down there and lock in the dungeon or something. Sure. Yeah, I think that works. Works great on Metallica. You know, you see okay, they're in the coffin. They got bashed downstairs, but it's cool. I don't have to sit down there and play. And if you do a lower playfield, give me a full-size ball. Yes, so I'm not like working on different physics when I'm down there. Crapman, and such, but well, we'll see. We'll see. Um, but in dungeons, but there should be a dungeon area. I want something that would seem like it would be at home next to Black Knight's order rage. You know, sure. Yeah castles skeletons, you know, and that kind of stuff. So, theme appropriate. Hopefully that's what we see. Now, if we do get a teaser in 18 hours when Chicago finally wakes up tomorrow, I think it'll just be a theme confirmation and then we probably won't see anything till Tuesday. This Week in Pinball, Johnny Pneumonicbrance, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, transliteelectronic All we're gonna we're gonna get level up one two twenty twenty five. Yeah, that would be my tagline too. Sure. All right. So yeah, I mean if the game is good and if they've got the code where you're building levels, getting progression, unlocking characters that are changing the gameplay in a meaningful way, then that will bring it all together. If you don't do a leveling up system in a Dungeons and Dragons game. Fail. Failure. You've failed. Yep. Get out of here. Filler game. You've missed the assignment. Yeah. PAYLA DAY, FUN Rosario, BASICCameraman Wayne Wта distractions, Sony는 P dubbed N Contextuality And here is the становinental Now i get that the More pinpoint tocal with This Week in Pinball, John Papadiuk, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, transliteelectronic Shoutout to Enzo as well for putting on a spread for us yesterday. That was awesome. So good. Yeah, so Enzo La Pagna, Perth resident, he works closely with Gonzo's Pinball Flipperama. He's been on the show before, he's been a WAP before. Yeah, invited us on over to his house, loaded with way too many games, which gave me goals, man. Yeah. I mean, how cool is it? Yeah, walking in there and just seeing, and then it just keeps going. It was like a master bedroom that was just crammed with like 15 games. All like great versions of them running fantastically and counted as a location so I got some bleep loops and stuff. Super fun and Avengers with the movie code. Oh mate yes. Forget what you're doing if you've got an Avengers go find that pin side movie code and put it in there because just putting movie scenes in you know with like with the overlaid with the graphics of you know ball save or whatever. Yeah like that that just that was a missing piece of that game. It makes it so much so much more fun. What a legend! You absolute legend, mate! So Butter, T لازم عكس gång نصلت لزوم ast prendre belki The game now Yeah I would love a spooky would do like a fan event you know like an overnight piece represent at WPPRgroaningparticip Perqu site minimalNote retrieved for 1995. to make an official Genjä Medcânific, Nottingham Penje, Dov Pers mensen Dun techniques, paragraph Ididnt El los pines intersectito meme tv, T-reamseries tv, Tcripción比如икуs tyvep Yinpuchki popularity equipo Best App votre 52ste episode nasa lyonji The Audacity, Jackanuck, $5,000 to go buy a game, transfer deposit of this game. Craziness! And I went just to clarify, I'm like, dude, is this an auction? Is this really what you're asking for? Because it wasn't really clear and that's why I think it might have been scammy. And then the rest of it was just copy and paste of the press release for the game. It's stupid. Who's going to pay this money and not already know everything about it? And then when I went to post it though, the post had been removed. reduced mitral secondly, forgiven uncountable mathematical Voluntary Un abge 설명 There are a few incorporation Javanceptrar Thank you! Hello, I am Katherine 보니까 Benson and I am Jielpins Loy Matt鬼. But yeah, if this is gonna be a two-year wait until you get your game You know someone's gonna ask you two years from now when Kong's out when Harry Potter's out when? Pokemon's out. Yeah, it's like oh hey remember that game from 2024 two years ago Well, we're ready for the rest of your $12,000 cost fee and then here you go Come get the low flow toilet scoop eject plastic ramp game with upper plate over no flippers The longer it takes for them to get this out, the deeper the waters are getting that they're wading into. What if like, what if they pull a Pulp Fiction again and like the final game's sculpts that come out don't look as good as the ones that originally? Like the Pulp Fiction topper? That's a scandal, dude! Looks like Uma Thurman mid overdose. People waded like two- looks like she's like at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark where they open the arc and faces, fingers are melting off is what it looks like. It's horrid! You know, and I get it may not be one-to-oneあり The I mean, I'm I'm I guarantee that the the CGC guys were probably just as shocked disappointed when they got those back Yeah, now I don't think they like saw that and approved it No, I think they sent these scalps off and they kept being told like okay six weeks six weeks six weeks Then finally they're here. Thank God. We can start telling people we're ready to go to production. Yeah open the box. The fuck is this? Can you imagine like oh no or no? Closed Caption by They'd be okay with that. I had a couple companies that are on my no deposit list. Okay, CGC is one of them and Dutch Pinball is another one. Sure. Just until I can see like games are announced and they're moving in a reasonable fashion. I've been to the spooky factory. I know their new ones already in production. I've been to the American factory. I know their new ones not in production. Oh my god. I got backlash over that. I'm just going off what I was to swear it was what I was told swear, but whatever. Crapman, Blackwater Podcast, Twippies Awards, Tantrum Crapman Crapman Crapman Crapman Crapman Crapman Crapman Crapman Crapman Crapman The Crap That They Getting Is Not Unjustified It Deserved But They Can Turn It Around With This Next One I Think I Think There Room For American Pinball At Like 500 Games Per Year Something Compelling Something Interesting There Room There I Don Think It Challenging Sales From Stern I Don Think They Taking Sales From Spooky Necessarily People Know What They Getting And I Like That There A Dark Horse In The Race Out in the scope and get it locked down really well. Yeah, yeah. And really they could use a social media person. Sure. It was just like, alright, here's the official word. Because you know, people in the C-suite, you know, they may say one thing, say something else and then plans change or whatever. But you need someone there that's kind of massaging that and getting a nice intestinal loam out into the mouth of the consumers. That's like, you know, that soft corporate touch where The Head your bets against under delivering and I feel like there's not that you know just because you are I am trance tax shelter Doesn't mean you have to act like oh That was a pin slam from down on da Alright, we think Maddo we think Denzel we talked about Alice Still allegedly available if anybody wants them talked about the stern there. Let's talk about Australia. Yeah, here's my first time here, right? I've been here. It's kind of it about a week now pharm reluctant lips, instant You've mentioned a few topics that I'm used to talking about so I'm wykon tamein anything including the future of one's career, if youenji the future of one's career, i ni 달라 and showing it would be even Madam. Don't rę mutantidedcon 건 취소', stop laughs, commentatorsknowon HQ and shakedownedid Podisставr,verkstak Kiryu̻n dadoed both from nonpublic areas. Her studying trouve the Prossembly Waters yuan subtract leavesрос procrastinationOME répondre YeaMoneyWouldend substitute courseskovekenNgaro.com fahrenريer delay 안녕! adレ chama Crapman, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, transliteregon Kickstarter Plant The best thing is like you can just go to the park that they have it set up and it's not like you have to pay fees or anything like that. Get out of here with that. Yeah. Yeah. Like some places try to do that and it's like, I'm not going to go there. Yeah, just don't go there. Yeah. And then we hit up the skate park, which was awesome. My muscles are still aching. Yeah, me too. But we hit it hard, man. That was awesome. Pinjara. Pinjara, yeah. Pinjara women. The Pinjara girls. And the fact that just all around the world, you can go to a community skate park and there'll be a bunch of spray painted dicks. Altuister shines prestavloiro, I'm going to transfer from the blue dick to the red dick. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have you ever gone backwards from red to blue though? No. Yeah, that's backside, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you're goofy, I'm regular. So that's like easier for me to do the blue to black. Sure. Oh, Freudian slip. The dick hopping. Yeah, dude, like super awesome time. Getting ready to fly back to Brisbane for a couple of more days by the beach before we fly back to the US and I got to go back to work. It's like four in the morning at home the other night. We're just out having dinner. N Laneye Naigle, Syvents alias18AS2,ミー Daniposh, Alana Dambomueva Al Tuve, Brandon Machine Yayakina, Sam Bourani온, All right. All right. Yeah. So hopefully, Patreon listeners, in just a couple days, maybe before I leave the sun-drenched country here, we'll have that teaser and maybe I can drop another episode. If not, it'll be when I get home. But holy crap, I don't know what the adjustment's going to be like going back the other way. Yeah. But it was fun. Come out to Australia, dude. Australia's awesome. Yeah. And then this Airbnb has been completely fantastic, man. All right. And check out PhantomTale because I'm sure he'll be dropping some new content in the This week in pinball, John Papadiuk, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, transliteregon

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 470a61be-e25f-4d9f-80db-88a19410a574*