RDTN Episode 255 Pairs War Games with Cryptids and a Maple Pepsi Taste Test

RDTN Episode 255 packs several kinds of tabletop conversation into one show: a return to older war games, a look at Cryptid Urban Legends and Shinkansen Zero Kai, and another Taste Buds segment. The hosts also thank listener Grishny for putting together a new jingle. The result sounds less like a single-topic review and more like a snapshot of what has the group’s attention right now.

That attention has turned toward war games. The hosts describe a familiar cycle in hobby interests: zombie games had their moment, then bird games, and lately nature-themed games have been prominent. Their current stretch is focused on war games, including older releases that have returned to print. They want to get those games played rather than let another round of interest pass them by.

That’s a useful frame for the episode’s two war game entries. Command & Colors: Ancients appears at 39:52, while Shinkansen Zero Kai comes up at 1:02:12. The supplied notes don’t spell out either game’s rules or the hosts’ verdicts, so the main takeaway is the pairing itself: a long-running interest in war games, with attention directed toward titles worth revisiting.

A broad mix of tabletop stops

The earlier game discussion begins with Methodologie: Murder on the Links at 03:51. Later, at 34:20, the hosts turn to Cryptid Urban Legends. The episode schedule places these alongside a correction about apps in games at 14:50 and a segment called “Little Grump Time” at 18:47.

With no review details included in the episode notes, those timestamps are best treated as a listening map rather than a substitute for the conversation. They help listeners jump to a particular topic and show how the episode moves between game discussion, commentary, and lighter material. The ordering also gives the show room to change gears: a topic about apps sits between the opening game segment and the hosts’ grumble, while the cryptid game arrives after the Taste Buds break.

The schedule lists Miniature Market at 32:54 and Portal Games at 59:38. Those entries mark where the names appear in the program; the notes don’t provide further details about the discussion or describe particular products connected to either company. For listeners browsing the episode, the named links and timestamps offer a practical route to the relevant portions.

Listener thanks and a taste test

One of the episode’s personal touches is its opening thanks to Grishny, who made the new jingle. The hosts joke that if anyone dislikes it, the listener should take the blame. That kind of playful attribution sets an informal tone and gives the audience a small role in the show’s identity: a listener contributed something the hosts now use in the program.

The food segment follows at 22:43, under the recurring “Taste Buds” label, with Maple Syrup Pepsi on the menu. The notes don’t give the hosts’ reactions, so there’s no verdict to report. Still, the segment brings a different kind of tasting to a hobby show built around games, making the episode’s range clear without pulling it away from its tabletop focus.

Why the war game run matters to the hosts

The clearest editorial thread is the hosts’ desire to catch up with games that have been around for a while and are being printed again. A renewed printing can put a familiar title back in reach for players who missed it the first time, and it can prompt returning hobbyists to reconsider what they want on the table. The hosts say they’re working through that interest until they’ve satisfied the itch, so listeners can expect more war game talk in upcoming episodes.

For a listener choosing where to start, the two war game timestamps make a natural pair, while Cryptid Urban Legends offers a different topic earlier in the second half. The episode closes its scheduled program at 1:18:30, followed by a Secret Cabal Announcer entry at 1:23:00. Episode 255’s strongest hook is that mix of curiosity and catch-up: a few distinct game stops, a community contribution, and a host group willing to follow its latest tabletop obsession for as long as it lasts.