RDTN Episode 136: Hunt for the Ring, Heaven & Ale, Muse and More

The clearest design contrast in RDTN Episode 136 is between hidden movement that keeps play moving and a resource puzzle that makes players stop and think. The hosts revisit Hunt for the Ring and Heaven & Ale, then bring in shorter recommendations through their “In a Nutshell” segment. Their discussion is useful for players weighing table flow against the pleasure—and occasional drag—of difficult choices.

Hidden movement without constant checks

The hosts compare Hunt for the Ring with Nuns on the Run, a hidden movement game they had introduced to family and friends. Nuns on the Run’s broad player capacity is one of its attractions, but its line of sight rules can interrupt the chase. Players repeatedly need to settle whether one character can see or hear another. That kind of check may be central to a game’s tension, but it also puts small rules questions between players and the next move.

Hunt for the Ring gave the hosts a welcome change of pace: they appreciated being able to play without continually checking those conditions. The episode notes that its player count was a drawback for them, while also describing nine Ringwraiths and dice used to activate powers. Those elements helped offset the narrower player capacity in their experience. The takeaway is less that every hidden movement game should discard visibility rules and more that those rules have a real table cost. A group choosing between games in the genre may want to consider whether it prefers detailed information checks or a faster path from decision to action.

Heaven & Ale asks more of its players

Heaven & Ale makes a different first impression. Its mechanics are simple to teach, according to the hosts, but that accessibility doesn’t make the decisions easy. The game’s appeal comes from having to think through those choices as play unfolds. For a group that enjoys weighing options, that gap between a clear rules explanation and a demanding game can be a strength.

There are trade-offs. The hosts point to analysis paralysis and scoring that feels complicated at the end, especially before players have seen the scoring process in action. These concerns matter when choosing a game for a particular group: a table that likes to examine every option may take longer over turns, and unfamiliar end-game scoring can make the first play harder to assess. The hosts’ recommendation is enthusiastic but measured. Heaven & Ale gets players thinking, though its decision load and final scoring may take a play to settle into.

Together, these two featured games offer a useful snapshot of different kinds of friction. In Hunt for the Ring, repeated visibility questions can slow the flow; in Heaven & Ale, deliberation and scoring are part of the challenge. That distinction gives listeners more to work with than a simple list of likes and dislikes: it helps them match the source of a game’s demands to the tastes of the people around their table.

Quick picks and a broader table chat

“In a Nutshell” is the episode’s compact recommendation slot, covering two more games and an app the hosts had tried and hoped listeners would seek out. The three picks are Muse, Finished! and Lotus the App. The source doesn’t describe their rules or give a detailed verdict on each, so the value here is the shortlist itself: listeners can use the segment as a starting point for finding games beyond the longer reviews.

There’s plenty else on the running order. The hosts discuss the new Gaia Project box, “The Battle of Evermore,” Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Great Western Trail, vacation plans, movie revenues and The Broken Token. Stretch Armstrong and Netflix’s Toys that Made Us also appear in the show notes. The range makes this episode feel like a hobby conversation that moves between the table, the surrounding media and the things players bring into their game nights.

The Flying Squirrels return, and the hosts share predictions for 2018 after looking back at their predictions for 2017. The schedule places the Flying Squirrels at 24:27 and the 2018 predictions at 54:05, with the main discussion of Hunt for the Ring beginning at 43:35. Listeners looking for the featured game talk can jump to that later section; those who prefer the shorter recommendations can find “In a Nutshell” at 37:31.

Episode 136 works best as a guide to what held the hosts’ attention: a hidden movement game with fewer visibility interruptions, a deceptively approachable game with tough decisions, and three brief picks to investigate. For groups choosing their next game, the practical question is how much time they want spent checking conditions or weighing options. The episode’s strongest advice is to think about that table rhythm before settling on the box.