RDTN Episode 220 Brings Hallertau, Renature and More to the Table

RDTN Episode 220 is built around variety: several board game discussions, a family visit to the microphones and a taste test of Mountain Dew’s Major Melon. The games range from Redcap Ruckus to Hallertau, with Renature, Seeders from Sereis: Episode 1 – Exodus and Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps! also on the schedule. The hosts don’t present one consensus verdict across the lineup; part of the appeal is hearing where their tastes split.

That range gives the episode a useful shape for listeners choosing what to play next. Some of the games made it to the table and landed well, one is described as silly fun, and another prompted disagreement. The hosts don’t spell out the rules or explain each game’s mechanics in the episode guide, so there’s no basis here to compare turn structures or describe how particular systems work. What comes through instead is the experience of judging games as a group: a title can have appealing ideas and still hinge on whether its central play suits the people around the table.

Different tastes are part of the hobby

The hosts make that disagreement a point in itself. A mechanic can put a player off even when other parts of a game work for them. That’s a familiar problem for groups browsing a crowded shelf: one person may be drawn to a particular kind of decision, while another finds that same feature a drag. A strong recommendation from one player, then, isn’t a guarantee that the game will click for everyone.

My read is that this is the episode’s most useful thread for game groups. Rather than treating disagreement as a verdict that a game is good or bad, the hosts frame it as a reminder to notice what each player enjoys. If a game doesn’t suit your group, there are plenty of other titles to try. That practical attitude leaves room for both enthusiastic praise and honest reservations, without asking every listener to share the same favorite.

For a group deciding what to bring to its next gathering, the takeaway is simple: pay attention to the parts people respond to, then use those preferences to guide the next pick. A night of games works best when the table can settle into something its players want to play. The episode’s discussion makes space for that kind of choice, while keeping the mood relaxed rather than turning a difference of opinion into a dispute to settle.

Family voices and a flavor test

The returning Connell boys bring another kind of energy to the show. They share their views on a game and keep their father on track, with the hosts joking that their sons enjoy teasing them when they join the episode. That family banter gives the game talk a lively counterpoint: listeners hear a conversation among people who know one another well, not a list of detached judgments.

There’s also a taste test for Major Melon, which the hosts describe as a new watermelon-flavored Mountain Dew. They wonder whether a summer release might have made more sense for that flavor, then give it a try anyway. The article doesn’t give a tasting verdict, so listeners will have to hear the segment for the hosts’ impressions. It’s a small detour from the tabletop topics, but it fits the episode’s easygoing mix of games, family and drinks.

Follow the episode by topic

The episode guide starts with an introduction at 00:00, followed by the Major Melon taste test at 11:06 and a segment called “Squirrel Time” at 14:01. At 14:54, the hosts turn to Bloodborne and other games they mention in connection with crowdfunding. Miniature Market comes up at 22:09, just before the Redcap Ruckus discussion at 23:36.

Seeders from Sereis: Episode 1 – Exodus follows at 29:42. Portal Games is listed at 46:57, ahead of Renature at 49:03. Hallertau begins at 58:33, and Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps! comes up at 1:13:01. The show closes at 1:31:34. Those markers make it easy to jump between the snack break, the game conversations and the family segment, or to listen through and catch the changing mix in order.

Episode 220 is best approached as a friendly conversation about what reached the table and how different players reacted. It offers a handful of named games to investigate, a candid note about taste shaping enjoyment, and a family appearance that keeps the discussion personal. If one title sounds like a mismatch, the hosts’ own point is a sensible guide: there’s always another game worth exploring with your group.