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Episode 77 - Die on this Hill: Bally Dungeons & Dragons
PodcastAnalysis updated 3d ago43 min listen
Highlights
- Bally Dungeons & Dragons (1987) sold 2,000 units and was designed by Ward Pemberton with software by Freeman Merchant
- The game is currently ranked #206 on the Pinside list
- The game features music by M Bartlow and back glass art by Larry Elmore, an official D&D artist from the 1980s
- The game has magic saves (flex saves) that can be set to allow up to 20 manual switches per ball, with auto-fire capabilities on lit rollover targets
- The mystical million shot is worth 1 million points, which is huge in this game because the score counter maxes out at 10 million
- The game features two-ball multiball available from both the left and right sides of the playfield via saucers and up-kickers
- Jack Danger used the Dungeons & Dragons soundtrack music on his stream before working for Stern Pinball
- Only three pinball games have the flex save/magic save mechanic: Dungeons & Dragons, BMX, and Hard Body
Notable quotes
“I'm not going to die on this one. I'm going to live on this hill.”
“Like this game has more things in common with like EMs than a lot of its like contemporaries in the solid state era.”
“I love that when you play a game with just a hard fucking ramp... If you manage to light the mystical millions and hit that ramp, you like 99% chance you've won.”
“No one ever wants to admit they're just bad at pinball. You can't say the game's too hard because it makes you sound like the baby you are. So you have to make up other things.”
“Worst machine I've ever had. Sound is crap and annoying.”
“It looks better than it is... The whole presentation is fantastic... but it's not a joy to play at all.”
“I can't imagine anyone actually liking this machine other than somebody that was a Dungeons and Dragons fan and didn't know any better.”
“The flex save thing is too confusing. It saves the ball itself sometimes but not always, in certain fashions.”
“Without [the flex saves], it's a very boring and straightforward game... it wouldn't be nearly as chaotic.”
“Give us something new. You give them something a little bit different, and everyone's just like, we hate this.”
Entities
- Bally· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Pintastic· event
- BMX· game
- Dungeons & Dragons (1987 Bally)· game
- Hard Body· game
- Space Station· game
- Pinside· organization
- Wedgehead Pinball Podcast· organization
- Alan· person
- Alex· person
- Daniel· person
- Freeman Merchant· person
- Jack Danger· person
- Josh· person
- Larry Elmore· person
- M Bartlow· person
- Pat McMahon· person
- Ward Pemberton· person
- Zoe Vrabel· person
- Pops Pinball· venue
- Rain City Free Play· venue
- Waterboys The Basement· venue
