Episode 77 - Die on this Hill: Bally Dungeons & Dragons

Defending Bally D&D (1987) as an underrated gem; difficulty and magic saves are features, not flaws.

Synopsis

Wedgehead A Pinball Podcast hosts a 'Die on the Hill' defense of Bally's 1987 Dungeons & Dragons pinball machine, ranked #206 on Pinside, with guest Josh from New England explaining why the game's difficulty, magic save mechanic, and iconic soundtrack make it underrated despite negative reviews. The episode dissects several dismissive player reviews, arguing that critics conflate personal skill limitations with poor game design.

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

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