RDTN Episode 109: Jorvik, Adrenaline, Clank! and a New Sadler Game

RDTN Episode 109 puts four tabletop games side by side, then sits down with the Sadler brothers to discuss their new cooperative design for Megacon Games. The conversation covers a game connected to the Myth universe but playable on its own, while the reviews offer practical impressions of Jorvik, Adrenaline, Clank! and Oracle of Delphi.

A standalone game in the Myth universe

The Sadler brothers—Brady and Adam—talk about Myth: Dark Frontiers, a cooperative game designed for Megacon Games. It draws on the Myth universe, but the episode stresses that players won’t need the original Myth to play. Existing Myth miniatures can be used as an extra, though they aren’t required.

The expected release window mentioned in the show is mid to late summer. The episode also points listeners to a Kickstarter scheduled to begin in the first week of January. For players weighing whether to follow the project, the useful distinction is that this is presented as a standalone game with optional miniature reuse: owning Myth may offer a bonus, but it isn’t a prerequisite.

Oracle of Delphi: appealing pieces, uneven experience

Tony clarifies that he and Marty aren’t calling Oracle of Delphi a bad game. Their point is narrower: among Stefan Feld’s games, it wouldn’t be their first pick. The design includes several familiar attractions—modular map sections that add variety between plays, dice, straightforward objectives and multiple ways to get help as the game unfolds.

Those ingredients didn’t overcome the pair’s frustrations at the table. Tony found the experience irritating, while Marty had encountered runaway leaders. The comparison became sharper after they played Jorvik soon afterward. That contrast shaped their impression, but it doesn’t settle the game for every group. Tony’s advice is to give it a try and see how its decisions and pacing land with your own table. He likens that recommendation to the Geico raccoon commercial.

Jorvik, Clank! and Adrenaline at the table

Jorvik gets a warm recommendation as a medium-to-light euro that the hosts expect many players to pick up quickly. Tony offers one useful bit of preparation: look through the cards together before starting. Knowing what may appear in each season gives players a chance to form a plan, rather than meeting the card set for the first time as it comes up.

For deck building, Tony rates Clank! highly, though he prefers Tyrants of the Underdark. He sees Clank!’s easy teach as a major strength. The board, bag and push-your-luck decisions give the game a clear hook, and its distinctive endgame helps shape how players approach their turns. It’s the sort of package that can bring newer deck-building players into the genre without a long rules explanation.

Adrenaline earns a more direct endorsement: Tony calls it fun to play. Its scoring gives players a reason to engage with opponents without turning elimination into a punishment. When a character is killed, points are reduced as described in the episode, but the player isn’t put out of the game and doesn’t lose their chance to keep scoring. Tony’s read is that the characters work primarily as a way to earn victory points, which can help groups approach the conflict with a lighter touch.

Episode guide

The episode opens with its introduction at 00:36, followed by Flying Squirrels at 3:50. The early segments include TTR: Switzerland at 4:31, the FFG Arkham Horror Investigator Book at 6:15 and R&R Games: Time’s Up at 8:13. The NES Classic comes up at 10:42, before The Good the Bad the Ugly at 12:40.

From there, listeners can jump to Star Wars Destiny at 14:47, Oracle of Delphi at 17:25, and Portal Games at 23:07. Jorvik starts at 24:05, followed by The Sadlers: Myth Dark Frontiers at 29:30. The later discussion features Clank! at 45:57, The Broken Token at 51:29 and Adrenaline at 52:06. The outro begins at 56:57, and Funagain appears at 1:02:51.

There’s also a brief card-game aside: the hosts report pulling a Legendary Darth Vader from their Star Wars Destiny booster packs, with a nod to the card. Between the new Sadler design and the contrasting table experiences, this episode gives listeners several different ideas to follow up on—and a useful reminder that a game’s fit depends on the group playing it.