RDTN Episode 230 Reviews Empires of the North: Egyptian and 300: Earth & Water

Two different kinds of strategy take center stage in RDTN Episode 230. Empires of the North: Egyptian adds factions that the hosts found easy to understand and enjoyable to build around. 300: Earth & Water offers a brisk, small-footprint duel about whether the Greeks can withstand the Persians over five rounds. Both reviews focus on a practical question: how readily does a game make it from the shelf to the table?

A new feel for Empires of the North

The hosts already enjoy bringing Empires of the North to the table, so a new expansion gives them a reason to return. Their first impression of Egyptian is that it feels distinct from the expansions that came before it. That difference matters for a game built around repeat visits: an add-on is more enticing when it changes the experience, rather than simply asking players to run through a familiar pattern with new names.

They also praise how quickly its two factions came together for them. The engine they needed to build felt visible and easy to grasp, which helped the play flow. That’s a useful quality in an engine-building game. Players can spend their attention deciding what to develop and how to make those pieces work together, instead of struggling to identify what the faction is asking them to do.

The hosts’ recommendation is aimed squarely at people who already enjoy the base game. For those players, Egyptian sounds like a promising way to bring fresh faction choices to familiar play. The episode doesn’t give faction names, component details or specific rules, so the clearest takeaway is about feel: the expansion stands apart, and both factions were approachable for the reviewers.

A compact clash in 300: Earth & Water

The other featured game tackles a different table problem. Strategic two-player battles appeal to the hosts, but setup and play time can make larger games harder to bring out. 300: Earth & Water caught their interest as a small-footprint option that’s quick to play and easy to understand.

Its central contest is clear: over five rounds, the Greeks try to hold off the Persians. If the Greek defenses survive, the Greeks win; if the Persians break through, they take the win. That structure gives the match a firm endpoint and a focused objective. For players who like head-to-head strategy, a defined number of rounds can also make the shape of a game easier to follow: each decision sits within the same shared countdown.

The episode connects the premise to the battle familiar from the movie 300. The hosts’ description stays focused on the game’s opposing sides and win conditions, rather than detailing individual actions or rules. Even with that limited rules overview, the contrast with Empires of the North is useful: one review is about building a faction engine, while the other is about a direct two-player struggle with a concise playing space and a five-round limit.

Other stops in the episode

Episode 230 also includes a run of board game and hobby topics. The segment list starts with Game Toppers LLC, then moves through Vanessa’s introduction and conversation before a new contest. Later stops include Miniature Market and a discussion titled “Falling like flies at Gen Con.” The listing doesn’t explain that segment, so listeners looking for more context will need to hear the conversation.

The hosts also discuss the Spiel des Jahres nominees, then turn to several named games: Villainous – Mischief & Malice, Reign in Hell from Uncle Atom, and 300: Earth & Water. A segment called “Getting Crazy out there” follows, with Portal Games listed before the discussion of Empires of the North: Egyptian. The episode wraps with an outro.

For listeners choosing a game night pick, the two featured reviews offer contrasting reasons to play: an expansion that the hosts found intuitive and distinct, or a compact duel with a clear five-round objective. The episode’s strongest practical thread is table readiness—games feel easier to revisit when their goals and play structure are easy to grasp.