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Side Story: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Friends at the Table
Side Story is a bi-weekly podcast about games and the stories we tell about them, presented by Friends at the Table and supported by our patrons at friendsatthetable.cash.
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- 1 weeks ago1h 49m
27: The Machine Needs the Blood
Stop. Take a breath. Make the decision: Which Pokémon would you choose as your roommate. Could Voltorb help you keep the electricity bill down? Would Houndoom make you feel safe at night? Might you let Sinistcha make you its delicious Matcha Gotcha even though it is, somehow, the matcha in question? Today, Ali and Janine take you on a tour of Pokopia, and at least one of them will reveal their answer to this question. Any guesses? Support us on Patreon! Featuring Janine Hawkins and Ali Acampora Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan Music by Jack de Quidt Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:21 Pokopia Intro 05:28 Basics: Interacting, Building, Exploring 29:22 Building Philosophies 34:54 Pokemon Roommate Choices 01:10:26 A Game Built For Building 01:18:59 Entering the Spoiler Zone 01:36:33 Re: The Social Media Response
- 3 weeks ago1h 21m
26: The Juice Is in the Ambiguity
With spring turning into summer, Art, Jack, and Austin have found that it's time to once again drink the Potion of Liking Baseball. Well, no, it's not that broad: It's the Potion of Liking the Weird Ludic Corners of Ambiguity at the Heart of Officiating, Especially With Regard to the Use of Automated and Mechanical Tools, As in the MLB's Newly Arrived Automated Ball-Strike System. But that's unfortunately a little too long for an episode title. Show Notes The First Instant Replay Jerar Encarnacion challenge mentioned at 38:00 Minutes Cam Smith Challenge mentioned at 38:30 Watch Jack, Austin, and Sylvi Play Thomas Colthurst's 2025 Game Pt.1 Media Club Plus Soprano's Screenshot Stream Late Pledges Still Available for Realis Chapters 00:00 Introduction 05:07 How Is the Baseball Going 12:59 Wait, What Is Baseball? 22:57 The Instant Replay World 31:41 ABS: The Automated Ball-Strike System 42:10 The Referee Is Part of the Pitch 54:58 Why Is Baseball Like This? 59:53 The Spectator Experience of ABS 01:04:20 Instant Replay and Referee Bias in Video Games Featuring Austin Walker, Art Martinez-Tebbel, and Jack de Quidt, Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan Music by Jack de Quidt
- Apr 28, 20261h 47m
25: Submerged in Fish Medication
Have you heard the news? There's a new Postman in town, and a new Fairie Queen in the court. I hear the Postman keeps bringing her big palettes of wood, and she's using it to build some sort of cat tower. I hear she's sending her entourage to business school, and he's got to carry her letters of recommendation. I hear war is coming, but don't worry, we're safe here on our island court in the fog. I hear we'll always be safe here. Side Story only exists because of support from listeners like you. Go to friendsatthetable.cash to support us! Show Notes Realis Kickstarter Blood Machine's Bluesky Post which first clued us into Island Off Outer Darkness Austin's Realis Interview Roundup | Clockwork Worlds Chapters 00:00 Introduction 10:23 Island Off Outer Darkness 01:19:34 Titanium Court Featuring Austin Walker, Keith Carberry, and Jack de Quidt, Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan Music by Jack de Quidt
- Apr 14, 20262h 0m
24: A Key Part of the Gloop
Somewhere between Goo and Glue and Goop, is Gloop. And that's the stuff that makes up the middling (and middle-ing) parts of many vast, open world RPGs. Flat but enjoyable-enough random encounters. Rhythmically repetitive dungeons. The Good Old Fetch Quest. The mortar holding the bricks of the castle wall together. Gloop. Support us on Patreon! The Kickstarter campaign for Austin's new TTRPG, Realis, is now live! Show Notes Crunch returns to Naughty Dog for Xmas as Intergalactic devs work overtime on a demo for Sony, claims report No Games for Genocide The Indiana Pacers Fan Couple Clip Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:55 ToeJam & Earl Aside 07:30 Ardenfall 52:12 Road to Vostok Featuring Austin Walker and Jack de Quidt Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan Music by Jack de Quidt
- Apr 1, 20261h 16m
23: Everybody Remembers the Big Boulder
Happy Side Story anniversary! To celebrate our first year of the show, Austin, Janine, and Jack get together to talk about the year they've spent playing Nine Dots' RPG-meets-sim Outward (which you can watch them play by supporting us at https://friendsatthetable.cash/!) Speaking of supporting our work, the Kickstarter campaign for Austin's new TTRPG, Realis, is now live! Support us on Patreon! Featuring Austin Walker, Janine Hawkins, and Jack de Quidt Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan Music by Jack de Quidt
- Mar 10, 20261h 52m
22: I've Got an Open Friend Mouth
With too many games coming out recently, Austin, Sylvi, and Dre had to determine a metric to decide which ones to cover on this week's episode. What makes the most sense? Maybe 'games relevant to ongoing Friends at the Table campaigns'? Or perhaps 'games that we've teased wanting to talk about in the past'? No, absolutely not. There is only one metric: Games that look sick as shit. Show Notes Marathon Thief Grapple "If you're hoping to make friends in Marathon like you can in Arc Raiders, expect a knife in the back" | PC Gamer Marathon, Reprise | Aurahack Chapters 00:00 Introduction & Icebreaker Marathon Upate 07:34 The Cool Games We Don't Have Time to Talk About Yet 10:32 Romeo Is A Dead Man 47:43 Marathon (2026) Featuring Austin Walker, Andrew Lee Swan, and Sylvi Bullet Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan Music by Jack de Quidt
- Feb 26, 20261h 50m
21: Eat the Spaghetti and Leave
With Austin separated from his microphone because of a snowstorm, Janine and Ali (who herself had to record on a travel mic) return to chat about the rise of Devices. You know? Gadgets? Geegaws? Retro emulation handhelds? Also, we have a classic Friends at the Table "Now is not the time for this diversionary topic" followed by 30 full minutes on the diversionary topic. It's a good podcast. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:03 Device Talk Begins 26:34 Palia Diversion Begins 55:11 Back to the Gadgets and the Games We're Playing On Them Support us on Patreon! Featuring Janine Hawkins and Ali Acampora Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan Music by Jack de Quidt
- Feb 13, 20265 min
Announcement: ICEBREAKER - A Fundraising Marathon for Immigrant Justice
On Sunday 15th and Monday 16th of February 2026, we're going to be hosting ICEBREAKER, a two day fundraising marathon on twitch.tv/friendsatthetable to raise money for the Women's Foundation of Minnesota's Immigrant Rapid Response Fund! As Minnesota faces the brunt of a violent anti-immigrant crackdown, and ICE's cruelty continues to spread nationwide, we are inspired by the solidarity, community, and mutual aid demonstrated by those on the front lines of immigration justice. The WFM's Immigrant Rapid Response Fund distributes funding to organizations working to provide food, housing, rent relief, transportation and healthcare as well as legal support for immigrants, detainees, and their families. The fight for immigration justice is immensely important to us all. Please join us to help raise some money! In addition to streaming, new limited edition t-shirts will be available on the Friends at the Table store on Sunday 15th, featuring the incredible ICEBREAKER art by Conner Fawcett. For the months of February and March, all proceeds from any purchases made at friendsatthetable.shop will go to the Immigration Law Center of Minnesota, which provides free legal representation to immigrants and their families. After March, this t-shirt will no longer be available! Please stay tuned to our social media and here on Patreon for upcoming information about the schedule, as well as our fundraising goals. We'll be kicking off around 11am ET and going all day with a carefully selected blend of games, running the gamut from emergent multiplayer disasters to 90s educational software to — let me just check my notes here — it looks like someone's written down "Flegg Hell"? We'll see you on Sunday!
About Side Story
Side Story is a bi-weekly podcast about games and the stories we tell about them, presented by Friends at the Table and supported by our patrons at friendsatthetable.cash.
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