Side Story

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?

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

The winter is here and our love of warmth means that we're stuck inside, dreaming of greener pastures. Greener pastures like: "A train that you can make prettier" and "A frozen over dystopia where you are forced out into the cold to deliver pizzas and televisions." Hey, wait a minute...

Show Notes

Run Button's My Summer Car Let's Play

Chapters

00:00 Introduction 02:33 Spatial Puzzles (Kanoodle, IQ Gears, IQ Circuit) 08:10 Locomoto 27:19 Locomoto Full Game Spoilers 56:07 Easy Delivery Co.

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

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