Material and Tools

I designed everything around 1/2″ PVC piping. It is sturdy and easy to cut. Speaking of cutting, use a ratcheting PVC pipe cutter (not a saw). This is a handy tool that does its job well.

• 1/2″ PVC Schedule 40 Pipe (5 sections of 1/2″ x 24″)
• 1/2″ PVC Side Outlet 90-Degree S x S x S Elbow Fitting (x4)
• 1/2″ PVC Schedule 40 Socket Cap
• Tape Measure
• Marker
• PVC Pipe Cutter

Size the TV

The idea is that you are going to frame the backside of a TV so it sits off the table. This allows access to the buttons, power connecting, and HDMI. Each TV will have a different back, so adjust the sizing accordingly. My TV is 32″ on the screen side, but on the back, it had a bump out that I can frame in PVC. This turned out to be 22″ x 16″. Use the marker to mark the cuts. The fittings allow for about 1″ of the pipe so you need to account for that. But I would not worry about everything being exact. There is a lot of play. Oversize now and trim later.

Frame the TV

Take one of the 1/2″ PVC Side Outlet Elbow Fittings and place it in the corner of the TV. Put the pipe into the side that does not face down. Repeat this around the TV.

Use the marker to decide where you want to make some cuts. I personally like the Milwaukee Inkzall Point Markers. They write on any material that I make stuff with.

Use the ratcheting PVC pipe cutter to cut each pipe segment.

Put each segment together. Do not glue it together. There is enough friction to lock everything in place. Plus, you might want to make adjustments in the future or switch out the TV.

Add Height as Needed

With the remaining pieces of PVC, you can make some legs for the PVC frame. This depends on how much clearance you need for the back of the TV and what the best viewing angle for people sitting around the table is. Put on the caps on the end of the PVC for a finished look.

Maps and Software

People have been using TVs for RPG gaming quite a bit. There’s a whole ecosystem of software, tools, and maps available to you.

• Arkenforge: It has everything that you would want for a low price tag: tools, pre-made assets, and a strong community. You can make maps, animate, and add audio for in-person only play. Arkenforge comes with a 30-day trial. Give it a try.
• MapTool: Free, open-source tool. This software also supports network collaboration.

Next Steps

If I keep this going, I am imagining some next steps and where to take this. I would paint the PVC black to help blend into the table and not look so DIY. I would create different sizes of the legs to adjust the height for other types of games. The biggest upgrade I would make is reconfiguring the riser for a much better TV. I used an old TV that only looked “good” from one angle. So, if I end up using this TV for gaming, I might make some upgrades.

What would you do?

We don’t know much about the new pinball machine from Stern, but we know more will be revealed on January 3, 2025. We know there will be three models: pro, premium, and limited edition.

The teaser video gives a glimpse into the main mech of the machine. It appears to be an angry dragon with three hit switches.

It might be a rumor, but I hear that the design comes from Brian Eddy. Brian has created two of the top 10 pinball machines of all time. Medieval Madness and Attach From Mars.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Popularity

Every year, I go to Gen Con. This is a board game convention with a pen-and-paper RPG convention at its heart. Over the decades, I have watched the small side rooms get filled with more and more DnD players. I could tell it was getting increasingly popular, but I couldn’t imagine how much in recent years.

Over at Reddit, I found some analysis from Fibbonacci4242. They mapped DnD interest over time and overlayed some key events. A combination of podcasts like Critical Role and TV shows like Stranger Things accelerated the interest in DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS seems like the perfect theme for pinball. I am excited to see how Brian Eddy innovates here. DnD offers a lot of story and game mechanisms to explore.

Stay tuned. I will update this blog post as I learn more.

Update: January 3, 2025 Reveal

The Stern Pinball website and YouTube channel were updated at noon EST. Information about all three models and pricing are now available. They also dropped an extended reveal video.

Playfield Photo

Update: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS The Tyrant’s Eye Pinball at CES 2025

Join Zach Sharpe and Seth Davis as they unveil the newest Stern Pinball creation, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: The Tyrant’s Eye, at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. GeekGamerTV shows the first look at the world of epic adventures, intricate playfields, and cutting-edge pinball design.

Pixels Dice are Bluetooth-enabled dice that can be used with virtual tabletops and toolsets. They are rechargeable and can be customized to light up when and how you want.

The Unboxing

I got a little excited when I saw the shipment notice from Pixels. I appreciated the note and bonus stickers.

Taking a Closer Look at the Pixels D20

The Pixels D20 has a folded up circuit board inside a resin shell that has icosahedron featured in role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. There are LEDs for each side, a battery, a charging coil, and a Bluetooth radio all stuffed inside.

When you roll the Pixels D20 and it settles to one side faced up, the dice transmits a Bluetooth message. If you have something listening to that message, that something can react to the message. Fortunately, the team created a mobile app that can interact with the dice. You pair Pixels just like you pair a set of headphones.

The app also lets you send “Profiles” that run on the Pixels dice. Out of the box, it came with “Rainbow” running. This was a cool effect that lights up a different color for every face.

You can also program your own profiles. Kind of like “when” and “then” logic. I created a profile for when the up face is 20, it then plays a rainbow effect over all faces, but only on a 20. I want that TPK to be glorious when it happens in my campaign.

Here’s me trying to roll a 20 to test out my new profile running on my Pixels D20.

Pixels Community

In order to pull off an ambitious project like Pixels, you have to have a strong community. This team started with the Kickstarter project and stayed in constant contact as the project unfolded. They hit some challenges, but the stayed transparent and authentic which helped keep all of us engaged. Now, the team is publishing code on GitHub with an open source license and engaging early adopters, gamers, and developers on their Discord server.

I am excited to be a part of this community and see where all of this goes. I am building some custom integrations with ThingSpeak and CheerLights, but you probably already guessed that.

Roll on!