Episode 102: Mock Interview with Bob from Deeproot, and other crap.

TL;DR

Casual podcast discussing Steve Ritchie/Jersey Jack rumor, dad jokes, and pinball mod projects.

Summary

Key Claims

• Steve Ritchie is rumored to be leaving Stern Pinball for Jersey Jack Pinball

  low confidence · Host explicitly states 'I still don't believe it, baby' and calls it 'probably bullshit.' The rumor originated on Facebook/Pinside and lacks verification.

• Jersey Jack Pinball machines have approximately twice the bill of materials (BOM) budget compared to Stern machines

  medium confidence · Drew states 'His B-O-M would be twice as much as Stern' when discussing hypothetical Steve Ritchie move to JJP.

• Jersey Jack Pinball's development cycle is approximately two years

  medium confidence · During rumor discussion, hosts state 'What's the development cycle at Jersey Jack Pinball? Oh, two years. Yeah. That's what they said.'

• Metallica and Ghostbusters are the two most heavily modded Stern games in pinball history

  high confidence · Drew cites Measel Mods catalog data: 'Metallica, 52 [mods]. Ghostbusters, 38 [mods].' Most other games have 10-12 mods available.

• An interactive LCD screen mod for Creature costs approximately $900-$950 USD

  medium confidence · Drew references 'Pinball South Park' mod from Spain: 'I think the guy's from Spain, and you're thinking about U.S. dollars. It's probably around $900, $950.'

• A non-interactive LCD screen mod for Creature by Juzpinball costs slightly over $300 including shipping

  high confidence · Drew states personal purchase: 'The one I have, he's actually from Australia. It's Juzpinball... I think I paid a little over $300. Oh, that's awesome. You know? So for the effects. That was with shipping? Yeah.'

• Steve Ritchie's recent designs have been described as 'lackluster' and 'cookie cutter' by some community members due to budget constraints

  medium confidence · Hosts paraphrase Pinside discussion: 'His designs have been cookie cutter for years' with speculation this is due to Stern budget limitations.

• Black Knight III underperformed commercially relative to Stern's sales expectations

Notable Quotes

• “I still don't believe it, baby. Still don't believe it. Exactly. Still don't believe it.”

  Host (Drew) @ ~15:00 — Explicit skepticism of the Steve Ritchie/Jersey Jack rumor despite acknowledging some plausibility

• “His B-O-M would be twice as much as Stern. Hit that budget button. So that's dead pool... The Smoke Wagon. It's got an H in it, smoke. Smoke Wagon.”

  Drew @ ~18:00 — Core argument for why Steve Ritchie might leave Stern: significantly larger development budget at JJP

• “You go to, like, Measel Mods, right? And they have their whole screen of games, right?... Metallica, 52. Ghostbusters, 38. Most games, 10 to 12.”

  Drew @ ~45:00 — Data-driven evidence of which Stern games are most heavily customized in the collector community

• “I'm like, it's not even close... There are so many fucking cool mods for Ghostbusters and Metallica. I can't even fucking stand it.”

  Drew @ ~46:00 — Emphatic expression of the mod ecosystem dominance around these two games

• “What I'm doing with my games now, a lot of my time after I buy a game is being spent on lighting effects. Lighting. Like, cool, like, flashing, you know, working with bumpers... Really cool, mostly light mods that do, like I said, do light up certain parts of the pinball machine.”

  Drew @ ~48:00 — Shift in collector priorities toward aesthetic/lighting mods over interactive or complex modifications

• “Most people that come over to my house, they don't give a shit about a mod. They don't. You know, and the more, you know, so I've kind of changed some of my ways.”

  Drew @ ~44:00 — Insight into how modding decisions balance aesthetic and visitor experience

Entities

Signals

• ?

  rumor_hype: Unverified rumor circulating on Facebook/Pinside that Steve Ritchie is leaving Stern Pinball for Jersey Jack Pinball

  low · Hosts explicitly state disbelief ('I still don't believe it, baby') while acknowledging rumor 'had some legs' on Pinside due to Ritchie's history of moves between companies

• ?

  industry_signal: Speculation that Steve Ritchie's recent designs perceived as constrained by Stern's budget limitations, potentially motivating exploration of higher-budget alternatives

  medium · Community discussion on Pinside cited: 'His designs have been cookie cutter for years and blah, blah, blah' attributed to budget hamstringing; hosts discuss JJP's larger BOM as primary attraction

• $

  market_signal: Jersey Jack Pinball's bill of materials (BOM) positioned as approximately 2x Stern's budget, potentially attracting designer talent

  medium · Drew states: 'His B-O-M would be twice as much as Stern' when analyzing hypothetical Ritchie move; positioned as 'pro' of joining JJP

• ?

  collector_signal: Metallica (52 mods) and Ghostbusters (38 mods) are dramatically overrepresented in mod availability compared to other Stern games (typically 10-12 mods)

  high · Drew cites Measel Mods catalog data: 'Metallica, 52. Ghostbusters, 38. Most games, 10 to 12.' with explicit comparison to Shadow (4 mods)

• ?

  collector_signal: Collector preferences shifting from complex/interactive mods toward aesthetic lighting effects with subtle visual impact

  high · Drew explicitly states: 'What I'm doing with my games now, a lot of my time after I buy a game is being spent on lighting effects' and notes 'Most people that come over to my house, they don't give a shit about a mod'