RDTN Episode 308 Reviews Empire’s End, Borderlands and More

Empire’s End and Borderlands: Mister Torgue’s Arena of Badassery headline episode 308 of RDTN, but the show’s wide-ranging lineup is part of the appeal. Tony returns after Vanessa filled in, joining Marty and the team for a long set of game discussions, with stops at card games, a winter market and a World War II themed title. The episode also revisits a game Marty enjoyed when he saw it at Origins last year: the question now is whether Empire’s End still holds his attention.

Borderlands brings a different kind of expectation. The hosts saw the dungeon crawl at Gen Con and already know the video game that shares its setting. Their discussion asks whether the board game delivers the loot and challenges players might hope for, and how the tabletop experience sits alongside those memories. That makes it a useful listen for anyone curious about the move from a familiar digital world to a group game at the table.

A broad run of tabletop games

The episode moves through a dozen tabletop titles, giving listeners several different kinds of games to consider. Scram! opens the game discussions, followed by Sail and Faeries & Magical Creatures. Later, the hosts take up Jokkmokk, Borderlands: Mister Torgue’s Arena of Badassery, Empire’s End, The Hunt and Sea Salt & Paper. Keep’em Rolling! Race to the Rhine rounds out the tabletop portion of the list.

That sequence takes in games with very different names and settings, from the compact-sounding Sea Salt & Paper to a Borderlands dungeon crawl and the winter market of Jokkmokk. The episode’s timestamps make it easy to jump straight to a title: Scram! begins at 14:56, Sail at 18:03, and Faeries & Magical Creatures at 23:30. Jokkmokk arrives at 42:15, followed by Borderlands at 47:10 and Empire’s End at 55:15.

The later reviews continue at a steady clip. The Hunt starts at 1:02:26, Sea Salt & Paper at 1:11:04, and Keep’em Rolling! Race to the Rhine at 1:16:17. Listeners looking for a particular game can use those markers to make a long episode feel more manageable, while anyone browsing for something new gets a snapshot of the range the hosts are exploring.

Returning to Empire’s End

Empire’s End has a clear hook for the hosts: Marty had a positive impression after seeing it at Origins the previous year, so this is a chance to see whether that early interest lasted. The episode description doesn’t spell out the game’s rules or reveal Marty’s verdict. It does, however, frame the discussion around a question familiar to anyone who’s encountered a promising game at a convention: does it remain engaging once the first look turns into a closer play?

That makes the segment appealing for listeners who have also been tracking the game since an earlier preview. Rather than treating the convention encounter as the final word, the hosts return to it with fresh attention. For prospective players, the most useful takeaway will be the reviewers’ own assessment in the episode, especially whether the qualities that caught Marty’s eye still matter after more time with the game.

Borderlands moves to the table

Borderlands: Mister Torgue’s Arena of Badassery has another built-in comparison point: the video game series its setting comes from. The hosts say they love the video game and saw the tabletop title at Gen Con. Their discussion centers on whether this dungeon crawl brings the loot and challenge expected from that world, and how it compares with their memories of playing it on screen.

That’s a practical angle for fans weighing a familiar setting against a new format. A recognizable world can draw a group in, but a board game still has to work as a game night experience. The episode puts that question directly on the table without promising a particular answer in its introduction. Players interested in the title can listen for the hosts’ impressions of its challenge and its relationship to the source material.

More than the main attractions

There’s plenty beyond the two featured discussions. The full rundown includes Etiquette and Taste Buds, along with Vampire Survivors and Air Twister. The final two are discussed near the end of the show: Vampire Survivors starts at 1:24:57, while Air Twister comes up at 1:30:42. The episode also includes segments tied to Game Toppers KS 4.0, Miniature Market, Ewin Racing Chairs, Gamegenic and Portal Games.

The timestamps show where those segments fit: Game Toppers KS 4.0 appears at the very start, before the introduction at 1:46. Miniature Market comes up at 11:51, followed by Ewin Racing Chairs at 13:24. Gamegenic is marked at 27:51, and Portal Games at 39:55. The episode description also points listeners to the Rolling10 discount code for Miniature Market and says the offer is nearing its end.

Tony’s return gives the episode a familiar lineup again after Vanessa’s guest appearance, and the hosts make clear they’d welcome her back. For listeners, the draw is the variety: two larger discussions around Empire’s End and Borderlands, several shorter game stops, and a few detours beyond tabletop play. If either headliner is on your radar, those segments are easy to find; if you’re browsing, the timestamps offer a quick route through a full table of options.