Side Story

Friends at the Table
  • 4.9 (292)
  • VIDEO GAMES
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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.

  1. 11H AGO

    The 2025 Main Story Awards 03: The Best-Yet Version of a Game That Isn't What I Truly Want Award

    Welcome to the inaugural Main Story Awards, Side Story's end-of-year sendoff to the games and topics that captivated our attention this year. Look forward to a new short episode Every Day This Week! Today you'll be hearing from Keith, Janine, and Austin who are bringing us The Best-Yet Version of a Game That Isn't What I Truly Want Award! Show Notes   Featuring Austin Walker, Janine Hawkins, and Keith Carberry Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan  Music by Jack de Quidt

    46 min

  2. 1D AGO

    The 2025 Main Story Awards 02: The Feel the Love Award

    Welcome to the inaugural Main Story Awards, Side Story's end-of-year sendoff to the games and topics that captivated our attention this year. Look forward to a new short episode Every Day This Week! Today you'll be hearing from Sylvi and Jack, who are bringing us the Feel the Love Award. Show Notes moon: Remix RPG Adventure moon Soundtrack: Heads in the Clouds Featuring Jack de Quidt and Sylvi Bullet Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan  Music by Jack de Quidt

    38 min

  3. 2D AGO

    The 2025 Main Story Awards 01: The Clockwork World Award

    Welcome to the innaguaral Main Story Awards, a week long showcase where we make up awards to give the games and topics that really took center stage for us this year, and which we felt like deserved a little more attention than they already got on the show this year. It's not a traditional game of the year, but we did try to restrain ourselves to a single game or topic each, which means that there are definitely some things that were big that didn't get included.   We'll have a short episode every day, normally, but not always, covering one game or topic suggested by a member of the cast. Not everyone had topics or was able to record during this window, so I will say that Ali's game will be covered in a spoiler cast, hopefully in January! Today's award, presented by Austin (me), is the Clockwork World Award!  Enjoy! Show Notes Earthborne Rangers Many Nights a Whisper Featuring Austin Walker and Jack de Quidt Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan  Music by Jack de Quidt

    33 min

  4. DEC 10

    18: Your Mother's Delightful Bonanza

    Side Story only exists because of support from listeners like you. Go to friendsatthetable.cash to support us!  Today we explore a bevvy of different worlds: 2.5D fantasy realms, alien FMV planets, and a land of climate apocalypse and raw nerve paranoia. Wait, that last one is... it's kind of sounding familiar. Oh well, get in, buckle up, and make sure to bring your favorite childhood food, because we've got places to go. Games discussed this episode: The Octopath Traveler series,  Blippo+, No, I'm Not a Human, Horses (and the other games of Santa Ragione) Show Notes "I Hope You Get To Live Your Entire Life As A Human Being," Harper Jay's essay on Horses Studio Oleomingus Announcement Chapters 00:00 Introduction 03:01 Octopath Traveler 0 01:06:22 Blippo+ 01:26:45 No, I'm Not Human 01:54:31 HORSES Featuring Austin Walker and Jack de Quidt Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan  Music by Jack de Quidt

    2h 1m

  5. NOV 27

    17: A Buffer Arm and a More Traditional Hammer

    Mysterious internet occurances abound this week on Side Story. Mysteries like "What is the dark secret of the famed Roottree family, Pittsburghian candy magnates" and "Why did Austin's connection totally fall apart before we could reach the second half of the podcast?" Like all good mysteries, the twists and turns are just as exciting as the answer, as a stunning second segment appears, drawing the listener (you) in closer... closer... ever closer, until it is too late. Support us on Patreon! Show Notes Granny Cream's Hot Butter Ice Cream - Hypnospace Outlaw Ad Jingle by Hot Dad Eurogamer Arc Raiders Review Level-5 Inazuma Eleven AI Presentation Run Button Arctic Alive Let's Play AMCA KOTOR II Let's Play Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:27 The Roottrees Are Dead 21:45 "AI" in Game Development 47:14 Back to The Roottrees Are Dead General Impressions 01:09:18 The Clock Tower Series Featuring Austin Walker, Janine Hawkins, Keith Carberry, and Jack de Quidt, Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan  Music by Jack de Quidt

    1h 57m

  6. NOV 11

    16: Paradise Honk

    Between the barter system and the coin, there were other currencies. Cyrus the Great's Achaemenid Empire, which would one day stretchout from the Iranian plateau as far west as Egypt and north as the Aral Sea, used silver bullion when this-for-that wasn't an efficient enough means of trade. Could you decide who's paying for lunch on a flipped silver bar? Unsure. Perhaps, slightly later, the 'knife money' of the Zhou Dynasty or Old Chosŏn would be better suited for such chance game. Perhaps they tossed them straight up, wagering on them as they fell, to see if they'd stick in the ground. Yes, binary action is better for bets, but is the blade balanced for even odds? And so, let's give thanks to the Anatolian kingdom of Lydia, their electrum mines, and their little coins, discs with lions and stags punched in, begging to be flipped. Show Notes Tom Walker Coin Stream 1 Tom Walker Coin Stream 2 Autopsy Pile for Anthology of the Killer Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:01 Unfair Flips 21:47 Q-Up 01:01:18 Anthology of the Killer 01:24:22 Digmon Story: Time Stranger 01:29:06 Poco 01:31:58 Vein Featuring Austin Walker, Jack de Quidt, and Sylvi Bullet Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan  Music by Jack de Quidt

    1h 40m

  7. OCT 21

    15: The Mama Button

    This episode contains an extended conversation about the death of a pet. See the chapters below for time stamps. What makes a city good? Is it walkability? A wide variety of dining options? A good chance that while you're on your way to work, you'll bump into between five and seven little creatures, teaming with elemental power? Well if it's that last one, we've got the city for you. Rent may be high, but so are the Pidgeys.    Show Notes Skyehoppers' Pokemon video essays: Pokémon Black & White Asks the Impossible and Pokémon's Riskiest Game   Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:50 Pokemon Legends: Z-A 01:16:58 Absolum 01:46:32 Dealing with Pet Death / Dissociating via Video Games 02:12:44 More Absolum Talk Featuring Austin Walker, Andrew Lee Swan, and Keith Carberry Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan  Music by Jack de Quidt

    2h 36m

  8. OCT 7

    14: Melancholic Murder Bug

    The ocean is draining. Where is it going? Is there a drain down there? Is someone drinking it? Wouldn't they be getting very thirsty? I guess there are lizardly astrologists and coral-covered automatons, so maybe there is someone who can drink the sea. Hard to say. Hard to say. This show wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/friends_table. Show Notes Endless Legend 2 UI/UX Next Steps Endless Legend 1 Screenshots Endless Legend 2 Screenshots   Janine's Comparisons Keith's Edit Skill Trees Additional Notes Media Club Plus Run Button Metal Gear Solid Let's Play Chapters 00:00 Introduction 03:28 Endless Legend 2 01:04:10 Break (On the Nature of Time) 01:09:16 Civilization Revolution 01:11:08 Longest Played Demos 01:15:44 Lorelei and the Laser Eyes 01:20:27 The JRPG Zone: Star Ocean: The Second Story R, the Octopath Series, and Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter 01:28:17 The Coin Zone: Unfair Flips and Q-Up 01:30:39 Phantasy Star Online 01:40:18 The Outro Begins Featuring Austin Walker, Andrew Lee Swan, and Keith Carberry Produced by Austin Walker Cover Art by A Liang Chan  Music by Jack de Quidt

    1h 56m
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4.9
out of 5
292 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Friends at the Table
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    Side Story

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