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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.

Latest Episodes:

19: Silent Hill f Spoilercast Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

Happy 2026! We're kicking the year off (a little belatedly) with what would've been Ali's 2025 Main Story Award winning Silent Hill f. She's joined by Keith and Jack as they talk (with full spoilers) about the first new full length Silent Hill game in over a decade.

Featuring Ali Acampora, Keith Carberry, Jack de Quidt

Produced by Austin Walker

Cover Art by A Liang Chan

Music by Jack de Quidt

The 2025 Main Story Awards 05: The Purpose Of Gameplay Is To Hide Secrets Award and More! Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

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 Jack, Keith, and Austin as they discuss (the) Blue Prince, before Keith tags out for Sylvi, so that we can end the year chatting about Horses (the game and, briefly, the animal).

Show Notes

I Hope You Get To Live Your Entire LIfe As A Human Being by Harper Jay

What Can Men Want? by Nathan Rochelle Duford

Featuring Austin Walker, Keith Carberry, Jack de Quidt, and Sylvi Bullet

Produced by Austin Walker

Cover Art by A Liang Chan

Music by Jack de Quidt

The 2025 Main Story Awards 04: The Yes Nostalgia! and No Nostalgia! Awards Jan 01, 2026

Show notes

Today you'll be hearing from Dre, Art, and Keith who are bringing us Yes Nostalgia! and No Nostalgia! awards!

Featuring Keith Carberry, Andrew Lee Swan, and Art Martinez-Tebbel

Produced by Austin Walker

Cover Art by A Liang Chan

Music by Jack de Quidt

The 2025 Main Story Awards 03: The Best-Yet Version of a Game That Isn't What I Truly Want Award Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

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

The 2025 Main Story Awards 02: The Feel the Love Award Dec 30, 2025

Show notes

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

The 2025 Main Story Awards 01: The Clockwork World Award Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to the inaugural 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

18: Your Mother's Delightful Bonanza Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

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

17: A Buffer Arm and a More Traditional Hammer Nov 27, 2025

Show notes

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

16: Paradise Honk Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

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

15: The Mama Button Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

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

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