Stern Pinball is back with another new machine and this time it’s a tribute to Dungeons & Dragons following the tabletop RPG’s 50th anniversary. The table comes with all kinds of whimsical bells and whistles and an all-star voice cast, and it can be yours starting at $7,000. Or you could pay nearly double that for the limited edition version.
Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant’s Eye takes players into the Forgotten Realms to face off against owlbears, gelatinous cubes, a red dragon, and Xanathar the beholder, all with just a pair of flippers and a few steel balls. Trap doors unlock new dungeons and dice rolls will dictate how the adventure unfolds. I don’t have a spare down payment for a new car lying around, but I do have a basement just waiting to be renovated where this would fit perfectly.
“Battle Rath the Relentless, the red dragon, the most advanced animatronic mech in pinball, [who] intelligently reacts to player action with multi-axis motion and features omnidirectional impact sensing technology,” writes Stern in a press release. “Voiced by the iconic Michael Dorn, players will attempt to defeat Rath the Relentless with pinballs and by hitting the 3-bank target, steal its treasure. When Rath the Relentless breathes his magnificent fire, multiple pinballs shoot from its mouth but be prepared. Players can activate a metal shield between the flippers to not only defend against attacks but also assist with playfield shots.”
I’m by no means a pinball connoisseur, but that all sounds rad. Critical Role fans are also in for a treat since Matthew Mercer, Laura Bailey, and Marisha Ray are also part of the D&D pinball machine’s voice cast, along with Kevin Smith, Luke Gygax, Chris Prynoski, Brendon Small, and Gerard Way. And the table even incorporates the Stern Insider app to save progress. It’s effectively a D&D pinball roguelike. In fact, that would be a great idea for an actual video game too.