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Secondary question: What if the pinball machine was a gateway into a pinball-themed dungeon? :D:D

Pinball machines have been around a very long time, it's quite conceivable middle-aged Europe had something of the like. Almost all-wooden construction, right down to the highly polished balls. They don't have the feel of steel/electric machines, mind you, but still fun. It's like comparing Pong to Baldur's Gate...but Pong was very playable in its day.

Not just pinball machines, but magical pinball machines. And entire pinball subculture.

And pinball wizards?

Given how eberron has alot of mundane spells doing everyday things a magic powered pinball machine isnt that far of a stretch for the setting(the balls could be kyber crystals that have been shaped into spheres as part of the process)...maybe make it a curio of some dragon marked house or link it to the gnomes and their weird inventions....heck maybe the machine tells prophesies of some kind, if its a one of a kind artifact it could be anything.

Despite my appreciation for Eberron, I'm not fond of directly translating technology associated with modern times.

I can barely stomach the lightning rail thanks on the tropes and unique adventure setups it provides.
If I where to be confronted with a magical pinball machine, I'd think it was put there just for the sake of puting in known tech, but magical, like some sort of pop-cultural shout out.

I'd find that quite jarring.

Shine on you crazy diamond.

If you gonna do magitech you might as well go full magitech.

Quote from: Skywalker;784580And pinball wizards?

To me, this would be a requirement. ;)

Quote from: Skywalker;784580And pinball wizards?

That's a twist.

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;784575Secondary question: What if the pinball machine was a gateway into a pinball-themed dungeon? :D:D

The dungeon should be filled with bitter warforged eunuchs.

I always like to compare technology to the Apparatus of Kwalish - if it seems more fantastical than the apparatus it probably should not be in my setting.

And I don't think a pinball machine seems more technologically advanced than the pseudo-lobster submarine. Also, we known you can buy ball bearings by the bag, so there is that.

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;784575Secondary question: What if the pinball machine was a gateway into a pinball-themed dungeon? :D:D

The adventure it was in would have to be astoundingly good to keep me from standing up and walking away from the table. Sorry, but the idea is too cheesy for me. If it works for you, run with it.

For those who object, would specifically describing it in-game a a "primitive" pinball machine and pointing out the fact that they historically rose to prominence in the 19th century make it easier to swallow?

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;784644For those who object, would specifically describing it in-game a a "primitive" pinball machine and pointing out the fact that they historically rose to prominence in the 19th century make it easier to swallow?

TBH, rather than calling it a 'pinball machine' I would describe it to the players and then protest if they call it a 'pinball machine'.

Why the hell not? My take on Eberron has always been plenty gonzo enough to have room for something like that.

Eberron is not Earth.  So they should have some things that are like we have and should not have others.  Should there be Eberron Elvis / Eberron rock-n-roll?  What about Eberron Segway machines?  Or even Eberron ten-speeds?

Quote from: snooggums;784616The dungeon should be filled with bitter warforged eunuchs.

Why not have it run by a GamesMaster that hires his services to kill adventurers that has been snooping around too much, an his weapon of choice is a huge pinball- and theme-designed dungeoun?
With a lot of mechanical golems as the enemies, yes, even the skeleton-looking ones are mechanical golems.

And yes, i'm referring to the Marvel Comic villain Arcade.

With mechanical birds flying in a ... specific pattern, you could even copy a lethal version of ol' Space Invaders ...

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;784644For those who object, would specifically describing it in-game a a "primitive" pinball machine and pointing out the fact that they historically rose to prominence in the 19th century make it easier to swallow?

That would make it even worse for me, because it underlines the connection to our modern world.

Calling it something else than pinball machine and letting the characters take a knowledge check to learn how the thing came to be made would ease it for me.

Quote from: jadrax;784645TBH, rather than calling it a 'pinball machine' I would describe it to the players and then protest if they call it a 'pinball machine'.

Doomsphere?

Dragonroll?

Dragonsphere?

Dragoneye?

The metal balls are mass-produced halfling sling bullets left over from the war?

Quote from: Gold Roger;784707That would make it even worse for me, because it underlines the connection to our modern world.

Calling it something else than pinball machine and letting the characters take a knowledge check to learn how the thing came to be made would ease it for me.

Ok, how about "very sophisticated bagatelle"? :D

Riedran Billiards!

Cool--had no idea there was a pinball machine in Eberron. That's awesome.

So far it's 15 for and 12 against (2 complex). I'm sure this highly divided response means something interesting, but what?

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;784575Secondary question: What if the pinball machine was a gateway into a pinball-themed dungeon? :D:D

The pinball machine is eh for me.

The pinball dungeon could be cool on it's own, especially if you don't call it that. Just build a dungeon with traps/puzzles with ball launcher and paddle based mechanisms, plus gentle slopes and curved hallways. It doesn't even have to be totally typical pinball machine shaped. Go for multiple launchers, paddles in odd spots, multiple levels, etc.

I will go with my stock answer for D&D games.

Will including such a thing add potential fun to the game?

If the answer is YES bring it on. :)

Pinball is inherently cool. Thus COOL.

But you can't say "well they had pinball in the 19th century" to justify it, because they didn't have our 19th century. Come up with something that doesn't breach the fourth wall.

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;784912So far it's 15 for and 12 against (2 complex). I'm sure this highly divided response means something interesting, but what?

That about half of people here are too goddamned serious.

Quote from: Ladybird;785011But you can't say "well they had pinball in the 19th century" to justify it, because they didn't have our 19th century. Come up with something that doesn't breach the fourth wall.

And they didn't have any of our other centuries, either.  There are only about half a zillion things in Eberron -- or in any other published setting -- that are analogs or direct copies of technological items produced on Earth.  Should your average fantasy world have "swords" in it, for instance?

Honestly, I voted "neat" because Eberron is the most gonzo major fantasy setting out there, and it'd be tough to huff and puff and proclaim that much of any technological creation would shatter suspension of disbelief.

Quote from: Ravenswing;785364And they didn't have any of our other centuries, either.  There are only about half a zillion things in Eberron -- or in any other published setting -- that are analogs or direct copies of technological items produced on Earth.  Should your average fantasy world have "swords" in it, for instance?

Honestly, I voted "neat" because Eberron is the most gonzo major fantasy setting out there, and it'd be tough to huff and puff and proclaim that much of any technological creation would shatter suspension of disbelief.

It comes down to suspension of disbelief and keeping within the walls of the setting.

"Object to use to hurt other people with" is a pretty basic concept, most civilizations that we know of (And recognise as such) have them. If their word for the metal one used for stabbing and slicing is translated into "sword" for our benefit, that seems legit. It isn't really referencing something outside the setting.

"Guys, pinball tables were around in the 19th century, stop sniggering" is referencing something outside the setting, though; it's directly referencing our  world to justify it's existence in another. And it's probably not even called pinball in their language, but translation etc again.

Quote from: Ravenswing;785364And they didn't have any of our other centuries, either.  There are only about half a zillion things in Eberron -- or in any other published setting -- that are analogs or direct copies of technological items produced on Earth.  Should your average fantasy world have "swords" in it, for instance?

Honestly, I voted "neat" because Eberron is the most gonzo major fantasy setting out there, and it'd be tough to huff and puff and proclaim that much of any technological creation would shatter suspension of disbelief.

I honestly do not get the idea that Eberron is gonzo at all.

Low level magic and magic items are very common, but it is also a setting that puts a lot of effort into explaining and rationalising its magitech.

And apart from the magic level, the entire setting is decidedly non-fantastic. Most non human creatures display very human behavior, gods are an indefinite thing, politics and mentality mirror modern sensibilities.

In fact my biggest complaint with the settting would be a lack of gonzo elements compared to the likes of planescape.

Magitech or Technowizardry can easily break suspension of disbelief...for some people...thus it is IMPERATIVE to know your players. What are the boundaries for magitech in Eberron in THEIR minds?

I love running Stormbringer and there's the concept in the Moorcock novels that the Eternal Champion transcends time and space and worlds, and thus having your adventurers find themselves in the middle of the Vietnam war would actually be fine by canon....but maybe not fine by players. My players really didn't want any "real world" or "earth history" messing with their fantasy and thus, I scrubbed that part of the "canon".

For the record, I've decided to use fancied-up bagatelle tables to get the desired effect without triggering any potential player's tech aversion.