# We Play Dungeons & Dragons @ the Stern Factory + Brian Eddy Interview

**Source:** In Before the Lock  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2025-01-09  
**Duration:** 11m 21s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TBbOWYMvwY

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## Analysis

In Before the Lock visits the Stern factory to play Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant's Eye and interview designer Brian Eddy. Eddy discusses the dragon mechanism as a multi-function toy comparable to Papa Duke complexity, the shield defense mechanic, dragon multiball gameplay with up to 8 simultaneous balls on Premium Edition, procedurally-generated dungeon map with player choice affecting three story endings, character progression and co-op support for up to 4 players, and upcoming accessories including a topper.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Dragon mechanism is Papa Duke complex with multiple functions: moves up/down/left/right, blocks shots, acts as bash toy, shoots pinballs at player — _Brian Eddy directly explaining dragon capabilities in interview_
- [HIGH] Premium Edition can run all 8 balls simultaneously during dragon multiball via auto-feed system through shooter — _Brian Eddy explaining Premium Edition specific feature_
- [HIGH] Dragon multiball victory condition: player must hit dragon 6 times before dragon drains 15 balls; if dragon wins, flippers die and mode ends without reward — _Brian Eddy describing current CES build difficulty settings_
- [HIGH] Dungeon map is player-choice driven (non-linear) with three different story endings determined by player movement and mode selection — _Brian Eddy comparing to Jurassic Park and explaining D&D design philosophy_
- [HIGH] Game supports up to 4 players total in co-op mode where all players make simultaneous progress through campaign — _Brian Eddy describing co-op mechanics_
- [MEDIUM] Accessories in progress including topper and 'all the ones you expect' — _Brian Eddy on accessory timeline; uncertainty expressed about speaker light kit availability for Pro/Premium models_
- [HIGH] Dwight Sullivan and writer Zach Sharpe wrote original D&D story set in D&D universe — _Larry DeMar introduces game credits in opening interview segment_

### Notable Quotes

> "The Dragon, he's a Papa Duke complex mech as far as all the things he can do, and that's what kind of excites me. Besides moving around up and down, left and right, and blocking shots, and he's a bash toy, and he shoots pinballs at you, right?"
> — **Brian Eddy**, ~7:20
> _Direct explanation of dragon mechanism complexity and multi-function design philosophy_

> "On the Premium Edition, they could all be going at the same time. Because we can auto-feed and load the dragon constantly through the shooter. So as fast as he's shooting them out and the balls are draining, he's filling them back up so he can continue that battle."
> — **Brian Eddy**, ~9:30
> _Explains Premium Edition-specific multiball capability and auto-feed system_

> "Right now I think it's set up a little easy for the CES build, but if he drains 15 balls before you hit him six times, he wins. The flippers die, all the balls drain out, and then kick a ball and continue the game."
> — **Brian Eddy**, ~11:15
> _Details dragon multiball victory conditions and failure state_

> "It's a little different because it's Dungeons & Dragons, and we wanted it to be a little bit open. So you can move around to any of the places on the map that you want, and depending on what you decide to complete, will actually determine what three different endings that you get in the story."
> — **Brian Eddy**, ~13:45
> _Explains non-linear dungeon map design and branching narrative structure_

> "It allows you to see more of the game than you probably ever would. You can pick up where you left off, and there is a team mode... and you can pick a character. Two players can pick different characters, so you can kind of like not only team up but customize the game in that way."
> — **Brian Eddy (paraphrased/collaborative discussion)**, ~15:30
> _Discusses progression system philosophy and character customization in multiplayer_

> "When one person moves forward, everybody moves forward. So it's kind of like playing a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, right? Everybody's together trying to get through it to the end with everybody helping out."
> — **Brian Eddy**, ~17:00
> _Explains co-op mode design philosophy mirroring D&D campaign experience_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Brian Eddy | person | Designer at Stern Pinball; discussing D&D as his fourth game with Stern; prior credits include Medieval Madness, Attack from Mars, Stranger Things, Star Wars, The Mandalorian, Venom |
| Dwight Sullivan | person | Co-creator of D&D original story; writer/designer at Stern Pinball |
| Zach Sharpe | person | Writer for D&D: The Tyrant's Eye original story |
| Larry DeMar | person | Stern Media representative conducting interview at factory tour |
| In Before the Lock | organization | YouTube content creator conducting factory visit and interview |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of D&D: The Tyrant's Eye; factory location of content |
| Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant's Eye | game | Licensed pinball game by Stern; features dragon mechanism, multi-ending narrative, progression system, co-op support; discussed at factory with designer interview |
| Medieval Madness | game | Classic Stern game by Brian Eddy referenced for historical/nostalgic significance |
| Attack from Mars | game | Classic Stern game by Brian Eddy referenced for historical/nostalgic significance |
| Stranger Things | game | Stern game designed by Brian Eddy |
| Star Wars | game | Stern game designed by Brian Eddy; compared to D&D regarding progression mechanics |
| The Mandalorian | game | Stern game by Brian Eddy; mentioned as having progression and team mode mechanics like D&D |
| Venom | game | Stern game by Brian Eddy; noted for progression mechanics that inform D&D design |
| Jurassic Park | game | Referenced for map complexity comparison; interviewer asks if D&D map is similar |
| Led Zeppelin | game | Referenced for dungeon lift mechanism similarity |
| Papa Duke | game | Referenced as complexity benchmark for dragon mechanism |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Dragon mechanism design and multi-function toy complexity, Dragon multiball gameplay, victory conditions, and ball physics, Progression systems and character selection mechanics, Non-linear dungeon map with player choice and branching narrative, Co-op multiplayer support and team mode
- **Secondary:** Accessories and modding support timeline, Stern factory tour and manufacturing process, Designer career retrospective and game portfolio

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.82) — Hosts and designer express enthusiasm about game mechanics, dragon design, and progression systems. No criticisms or concerns raised. Brian Eddy speaks confidently about features. Interviewer compliments game ('guys, this game's awesome'). Some minor uncertainty about accessory timing and speaker kit availability, but overall tone is celebratory of game design achievements.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Stern conducting factory tours and designer interviews with content creators as marketing/community engagement strategy (confidence: high) — In Before the Lock conducting on-site factory gameplay and Brian Eddy interview with Larry DeMar from Stern Media
- **[design_philosophy]** Progression mechanics continuing evolution: D&D advances progression system introduced in Venom and team mechanics from Star Wars/Mandalorian, now with shared co-op campaign advancement for up to 4 players (confidence: high) — Brian Eddy discussing progression importance for average players and co-op mode: 'When one person moves forward, everybody moves forward. So it's kind of like playing a Dungeons & Dragons campaign'
- **[design_philosophy]** Player agency and non-linear progression: dungeon map allows player choice of mode order and location, with three different story endings determined by player decisions rather than linear progression (confidence: high) — Brian Eddy: 'We wanted it to be a little bit open. So you can move around to any of the places on the map that you want, and depending on what you decide to complete, will actually determine what three different endings that you get in the story'
- **[design_philosophy]** Multi-function toy design philosophy: all major mechs (dragon, gelatinous cube, dungeon lift, shield) serve multiple gameplay purposes rather than single-use functions (confidence: high) — Brian Eddy: 'There's just a lot of fun gameplay that we can do with it. And not too many devices are that way. Like, they do one thing, right? Even the gelatinous cube, it can grab a ball from the top and the bottom, right? So all the devices are kind of multiple uses'
- **[product_strategy]** Premium Edition can run all 8 balls simultaneously in dragon multiball via auto-feed system; Pro edition presumably cannot (feature distribution across tiers) (confidence: high) — Brian Eddy: 'On the Premium Edition, they could all be going at the same time. Because we can auto-feed and load the dragon constantly through the shooter.'
- **[product_concern]** CES build dragon multiball set to 'a little easy' difficulty; production version likely harder (15 ball drain / 6 hit threshold mentioned as adjustable) (confidence: medium) — Brian Eddy: 'Right now I think it's set up a little easy for the CES build, but if he drains 15 balls before you hit him six times, he wins'
- **[product_strategy]** Accessories in active development with unclear timeline; topper confirmed in progress; speaker light kit availability uncertain for Pro/Premium models (confidence: medium) — Brian Eddy on accessories: 'They're all in progress. Topper, we hope. Yep, Topper. All the ones you expect, they're all in progress.' Uncertainty: 'Actually, I don't even know' regarding speaker light kit for Pro models

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## Transcript

 I saw that. I saw it. Thank you. This is the graveyard, huh? So this is a standard hydraulic press. So look at this one So It a kitchen So we also going to go to this one It a city out that east That's right. This thing we'll see in a few moments. So we'll take it over to the other side. Let's use our imagination as we come down here. I'm not explaining how to do this thing. That's like the whole brain of the game. But on this side, you've got the Sam's system. They're rocking the Ripley's cabinet. Yeah, they've been using it for a long time. I just saw the factories put it on a quick one. They're still respecting it. They're still doing the wiring. They're still doing the assembly. They've got a lot of new things. I think it's way bigger than I thought. This is like a layout perspective. It's way different than what I thought. Yeah. I think this works the best. Yeah. Okay what up guys We here at Stern Media Day for Dungeons Dragons The Tyrant Eye Right. Is this an original story on this? It is an original story. It's in the D&D universe, but it's an original story that Dwight and our writer, Zach, grossed wrote. Nice. So guys, this game's awesome. I mean, we're having a great time with it. We were here with Brian Eddy, game designer with Stern. This is your fourth game with Stern? Fourth game with Stern, right. So you guys may know his name, but you definitely know his games. Medieval Madness, Attack from Mars. What's one of your favorites besides those two? Well, obviously, those have a lot of history and nostalgia to them, right? But, you know, Stranger Things here, Mandalorian, Venom. They're all my babies, right? So you can't pick one. Definitely, definitely. Well, we've got a bunch of folks here. You're going to see a ton of media out there. We kind of wanted to talk about, well, I wanted to talk about the dragon because one thing that really stood out to me was how big this thing is. It's crazy, right? John Youssi these videos, this stuff, and you don't really know what to expect until John Youssi it. But this thing's huge. Can you talk to us about the accomplishment this is for you, having all these classic titles? What's different about this mech for you? Yeah, I think the Dragon, he's a pretty complex mech as far as all the things he can do, and that's what kind of excites me. Besides moving around up and down, left and right, and blocking shots, and he's a bash toy, and he shoots pinballs at you, right? There's just a lot of fun gameplay that we can do with it. And not too many devices are that way. Like, they do one thing, right? Even the gelatinous cube, it can grab a ball from the top and the bottom, right? So all the devices are kind of multiple uses, which is... Yeah, there's these two, like, very in-your-face mechs, and, of course, there's a dungeon where it lifts up, which is kind of similar to Led Zeppelin in some sense, but obviously different, too. So you've got three major mechs, I mean... Plus the shield. The shield. So the shield, and how does that play into the dragon? Yeah, so the shield is great defense against the dragon because it really is a battle when you get to fight the dragon. He's spitting balls out, and they're continuously coming around and coming out. And you need some defense against all that stuff too, right? It's like there's this chaos. You're trying to hit him. He's trying to drain balls on you, so whoever gets to the numbers first wins. And the shield is a great defense. You get one free one when you start dragon multiball, so you might as well use it, right? you better use it, otherwise you've lost out. Yeah, totally. So there's eight balls in the game. Are they all going during that mode? Yep, on the premium in LE, they could all be going at the same time. Because we can auto-feed and load the dragon constantly through the shooter. So as fast as he's shooting them out and the balls are draining, he's filling them back up so he can continue that battle. And that mode's a little different because you're actually fighting the dragon, but his hits on you, unlike a timer hit bar, which is going down normally, it actually your ball is lost counts against your health effectively and then you have to hit him or you have to hit the targets behind you have to hit him you hit the targets behind him to steal his goal So you want to do that too But to win the mode and get the treasure you want to take him out too So right now I think it's set up a little easy for the CES build, but if he drains 15 balls before you hit him six times, he wins. The flippers die, all the balls drain out, and then kick a ball and continue the game. So you don't get the reward. Gotcha. And all along the way there's jackpots kind of on other shots, right? If you can really focus well on it, there's super jackpots and jackpots that come light during the Dragon Multiball, too. So there's a pretty complex map, and we won't get into it, but there's a lot going on with that. Is there anything reminiscent of, say, Jurassic Park's map with this, or how is it different from that map in that game? No, it's a little different because it's D&D, and we wanted it to be a little bit open. So you can move around to any of the places on the map that you want, and depending on what you decide to complete, will actually determine what three different endings that you get in the story. So it's really up to the player for where they want to move around on the map, what modes they want to do. If they want to go to Darkhold and play the bonus round with the endless goblins. So we leave it a lot up to the player choice. And if you don't know any of that, you're just going to fall into modes and start playing and killing zombies and other stuff along the way and still have a great time. You guys are kind of pushing the boundaries, especially between went for Mando that didn't have this progression mechanic, which Venom very much did, and now you're taking that a step further. Is that your guys' thing now, or tell us about that. I don't know if it's our thing or not, but to me it's kind of important because I'm an average player, and I think a lot of people are. It allows you to see more of the game than you probably ever would. Yeah, you can pick up where you left off, and then there is a team mode, which we saw in Mando with you guys. I don't know if you have that in other games, but I know for myself I really enjoyed that. and you can pick a character. And what I thought was cool, you guys said that two players can pick different characters, so you can kind of like not only team up but customize the game in that way. Right, yeah, and there's co-op in it too, so you can play with up to three of your friends, right, so four players total, and you're all making progress together. So when one person moves forward, everybody moves forward. So it's kind of like playing a D&D campaign, right? Everybody's together trying to get through it to the end with everybody helping out. Nice, nice. So you obviously have some mods coming with this, accessories, right? are they going to come on a quicker timetable than we've seen with some other titles? That's what we're trying. We're really trying to get them out. They're all in progress. Topper, we hope. Yep, Topper. All the ones you expect, they're all in progress. All the ones you expect, nice. Okay, and then are you going to be able to get the speaker light kit for the premium and bro models? Actually, I don't even know. All right, well, Brian and you guys, and we had Dwight Sullivan as well. We got a bunch of videos. So, Brian, thanks for having us. I appreciate it. Thank you, sir. Perfect. you

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-15 | Item ID: f7af8386-e31b-4845-bd21-f561564e62f6*