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Pinball / Dungeons & Dragons (1987)
aka: Dungeons And Dragons

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A pinball with a built-in saving throw!
"Mystical Million!"

Dungeons & Dragons is an arcade pinball game designed by Ward Pemberton with art by Larry Elmore, released in 1987 by Bally.

As one would expect, this game is based on the world-famous role-playing game from TSR. The player must lead a party of four adventurers — a Warrior, a Valkyrie, a Wizard, and a Dwarf — up a castle, where a fire-breathing red dragon awaits. Use the shield, sword, and magic dust to douse the flame, then enter the Dragon's Lair to claim the treasure. Ascend the dungeon's levels for more rewards, but beware of the Teleporters, which will magically move your pinballs across the table. Use the Magic Save to avert a draining ball, then use magic to summon backup for three-ball multiball.

Dungeons & Dragons was released during shaky times for Bally; this was an attempt to revitalize the company with a game that was both visually attractive and challenging to play. Unfortunately, while it is a challenging game that requires expert skills to master, some of the shots are too dependent on lucky random bounces, which detract somewhat from its appeal. It's rather popular among some collectors, but only 2,000 tables were manufactured, and the money-saving wood fiberboard cabinets made them more susceptible to aging.


The Dungeons & Dragons pinball game demonstrates the following tropes:

  • Action Girl: The Valkyrie fights as fiercely as anyone else in the party.
  • Barbarian Hero: Loin cloth? Check. Taut, rippling muscles? Check. Oiled back? Check. Impressive weapons? Check.
  • Breath Weapon: Of course the dragon breathes fire.
  • Chainmail Bikini: Played with; the Valkyrie's chainmail armor actually covers her well — except for her arms and upper chest area.
  • Damsel in Distress: On the playfield, the dragon has captured the Valkyrie, the only female character.
  • Dragon Hoard: Apparently the adventurers are after the dragon's hoard of gold coins.
  • Epileptic Flashing Lights: The game included a "Dragon Box" topper with two strobe lights. Operators could put it on top of the backbox to raise the game's profile and attract bystanders.
  • Heroic Fantasy: Of the Dungeon Crawling variety, just like its source material.
  • Just in Time: The "Magic Save", which (if the player presses a button fast enough) raises a block to deflect a draining ball back to the flippers.
  • Kill It with Fire: The dragon's main defense against the heroes are its various fire attacks. Dousing the fire is a key part of the game.
  • Licensed Pinball Table
  • Loincloth: The Warrior is wearing nothing but a loincloth.
  • Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Invoked with the Warrior, whose only defense against the dragon's flame is a circular shield one meter in diameter.
  • Mama Bear: Several smaller red dragons can be seen among the treasure hoard, implying that the large dragon is their mother.

Alternative Title(s): Dungeons And Dragons

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