The Staying In Podcast - four pals talk video games, board games, and movies

Surely Big Potato’s most popular game, The Chameleon is the perfect entry for new board gamers, but also for big groups in a more casual, lighthearted setting. While on the other side of the spectrum, Gregg Jewell’s latest, Galdor's Grip, is unlike anything you’ve ever played: it’s an ultra indie solo game of deck manipulation, it’s pay what you want and print and play, and you don’t need a table to run it (which is fine, because we cannot put it down).

The Ticket Booth from Grandpa Beck's Games, picked up at Gen Con, is half an hour of open set collection, hate drafting, annoying your friends, nice little twists on mechanics that keep things fresh, and… cows?

In video game land, Stray Fawn’s Dungeon Clawler is an audiobook/podcast game par excellence, combining the fundamental mechanics of arcade claw machines with the “one more go” and item combination of roguelike dungeon crawling.

All that, and the next big title based on carnival games, on Ep254.

00:00 - Innies and outies

06:52 - The Chameleon

17:38 - Dungeon Clawler

32:22 - Galdor's Grip

46:37 - The Ticket Booth

On this episode were Peter (@XeroXeroXero), Sam (@MrSamTurner), and super special guests Benji (@RebellionUnplugged) and Emily (@OspreyGames).

Our Spotify Playlist brings together lots of great thematic music inspired by the stuff we talk about, our Steam Curator page collects every video game we’ve ever reviewed available on the platform, and our BoardGameGeek page does the same for every boardgame. And if you’d like to see what we’re up to between podcasts, your best bet is our Instagram page.

Links to where you can find us - StayingInPodcast.com

Note: sometimes we'll have been sent a review copy of the thing we're talking about on the podcast. It doesn't skew how we think about that thing, and we don't receive compensation for anything we discuss, but we thought you might like to know this is the case.

Nolan’s latest masterpiece is an epic subject of conversation on this episode, in which we ask the big questions. Is it okay to compare the film to the poem/book? Are you really watching the movie if you’re not at an IMAX?

Rattlesnake is an all out slugfest in the Wild West, from Michael Hardacre, Roland MacDonald, and Osprey Games, and it’s the sort of chaos we love. Plus mrdboy brings us MR FARMBOY, a game that looks like an equally pleasant spin on Stardew Valley, but is actually all about automation and building a farming empire.

All that, and rubbing the wrong region, on Ep253.

00:00 - Wee Bobby's nose

02:23 - MR FARMBOY

19:28 - A trip to Edinburgh

23:22 - Rattlesnake

35:32 - The Odyssey

On this episode were Dan (@ThisDanFrost), Peter (@XeroXeroXero), and Sam (@MrSamTurner).

Our Spotify Playlist brings together lots of great thematic music inspired by the stuff we talk about, our Steam Curator page collects every video game we’ve ever reviewed available on the platform, and our BoardGameGeek page does the same for every boardgame. And if you’d like to see what we’re up to between podcasts, your best bet is our Instagram page.

Links to where you can find us - StayingInPodcast.com

Note: sometimes we'll have been sent a review copy of the thing we're talking about on the podcast. It doesn't skew how we think about that thing, and we don't receive compensation for anything we discuss, but we thought you might like to know this is the case.

If you need cheering up, then Shrinking, an Apple TV series about coming to terms with loss and grief is, surprisingly, a very good choice. Meanwhile Star Trek: Captain's Chair - To Boldly Go is an expandalone deckbuilder from WizKids in which you explore the galaxy, with a friend or solo, in the name of the Federation. And finally, a deep dive into the world of official and knock off Transformers toys.

All that, and the sound of running water, on Ep252.

00:00 - Greek mythology

05:47 - Shrinking and Apple TV

23:17 - Star Trek: Captain's Chair - To Boldly Go

49:01 - Some serious Transformers toys

On this episode were Dan (@ThisDanFrost), Sam (@MrSamTurner), and super special guest Richard (@WereNotWizards).

Our Spotify Playlist brings together lots of great thematic music inspired by the stuff we talk about, our Steam Curator page collects every video game we’ve ever reviewed available on the platform, and our BoardGameGeek page does the same for every boardgame. And if you’d like to see what we’re up to between podcasts, your best bet is our Instagram page.

Links to where you can find us - StayingInPodcast.com

Note: sometimes we'll have been sent a review copy of the thing we're talking about on the podcast. It doesn't skew how we think about that thing, and we don't receive compensation for anything we discuss, but we thought you might like to know this is the case.

Take the humour and playfulness of the LEGO games, mix it with the depth and (much of) the gameplay of the Arkham games, all while covering a fascinating mix of The Batman’s history - both fictional and aesthetic - and you’ve got Traveller's Tales’ LEGO Batman: Legacy of The Dark Knight, which we dive into on this episode.

Then we’re looking at Unstoppable, which is bringing solo and co-op play to the tabletop via Renegade Game Studios. Rulebook aside, this is a surprising and very enjoyable deck builder with lovely interactions, compelling upgrades, and a dopamine-firing power curve.

Finally, we’re having the time of our lives with The Boroughs, where everything is not as it seems in New Mexico.

All that, and keeping it camp, on Ep251.

00:00 - Just Vaseline

07:28 - LEGO Batman: Legacy of The Dark Knight

25:39 - An invention a bit like penicillin

31:14 - Unstoppable

50:30 - The Boroughs

On this episode were Dan (@ThisDanFrost), Kris (@DigitalStrider), and Sam (@MrSamTurner).

Our Spotify Playlist brings together lots of great thematic music inspired by the stuff we talk about, our Steam Curator page collects every video game we’ve ever reviewed available on the platform, and our BoardGameGeek page does the same for every boardgame. And if you’d like to see what we’re up to between podcasts, your best bet is our Instagram page.

Links to where you can find us - StayingInPodcast.com

Games, games, and, uh, more games, in our landmark 250th one of these things.

There’s an argument over the best Bond as we take a shot at 007 First Light from IO Interactive, which feels like a young 007 by way of Uncharted and Hitman. While on the smaller screen we’re slinging swords at decks of dastardlies in a mobile classic reinvented: Card Crawl 2 from Tinytouchtales.

Then it’s off out to a trip to UK Games Expo 2026, with lots of chat about the thoughtfully miniaturised Magic Maze Pocket from Sit Down! Games and the community-owned reinvigoration of Netrunner from Null Signal Games. Not enough? Fine. How about our thoughts on latest hotness SHUG from Wandering Games, as well as the completely adorable Mooki Island from Scorpion Masque and Hachette.

All that, and an aniseed flavour, on Ep250.

00:00 - A hospital visit

08:08 - 007 First Light

24:14 - Card Crawl 2

40:51 - Magic Maze Pocket

44:02 - Netrunner

51:35 - SHUG

55:40 - Mooki Island

On this episode were Dan (@ThisDanFrost), Kris (@DigitalStrider), Peter (@XeroXeroXero), and Sam (@MrSamTurner).

Our Spotify Playlist brings together lots of great thematic music inspired by the stuff we talk about, our Steam Curator page collects every video game we’ve ever reviewed available on the platform, and our BoardGameGeek page does the same for every boardgame. And if you’d like to see what we’re up to between podcasts, your best bet is our Instagram page.

Links to where you can find us - StayingInPodcast.com

Note: sometimes we'll have been sent a review copy of the thing we're talking about on the podcast. It doesn't skew how we think about that thing, and we don't receive compensation for anything we discuss, but we thought you might like to know this is the case.

Is Mixtape a “real game”? Honestly, who cares; we love this coming-of-age story set in the 90s from Beethoven and Dinosaur, through Annapurna Interactive. It’s quick, it’s robust, and it’s memorable, and that’s what we’re after from narrative-focused experiences like this.

Snackaroo is advanced Snap by way of Aardman, for up to 5 players, and while it’s a children’s game for sure, it’s got enough meat in the bun for the parents of those kids too. It’s from Rudi Biber and Ravensburger, and we really like it.

Plus the wood glue is out for a QoL project to make a complex setup more simple, with the Descent 2nd Edition organiser from The Game Doctors, via Feldherr.

All that, and being famous for five minutes on r/CasualUK, on Ep249.

00:00 - Getting Creami with ninjas

09:47 - Snackaroo

22:00 - Kris's house is famous

25:15 - Mixtape

49:44 - Getting sticky with The Game Doctors on Feldherr

On this episode were Kris (@DigitalStrider), Peter (@XeroXeroXero), and Sam (@MrSamTurner).

Our Spotify Playlist brings together lots of great thematic music inspired by the stuff we talk about, our Steam Curator page collects every video game we’ve ever reviewed available on the platform, and our BoardGameGeek page does the same for every boardgame. And if you’d like to see what we’re up to between podcasts, your best bet is our Instagram page.

Links to where you can find us - StayingInPodcast.com

Note: sometimes we'll have been sent a review copy of the thing we're talking about on the podcast. It doesn't skew how we think about that thing, and we don't receive compensation for anything we discuss, but we thought you might like to know this is the case.

Hunters in a Scandinavian forest try to track the beast in, well, Beast, a hidden movement board game from Studio Midhall via Zatu, and we think you’re going to love this mighty (and huge) experience when you bring it to your tabletop.

For a more chill time you’ll want to check out This Is a Gardening Show from Zach Galifianakis et al, which is, as you might expect, a gardening show… of sorts. Or for a chilling time there’s Widow’s Bay, a comedy horror that will have you laughing out loud and leaping behind the sofa in equal measure. Plus why we’re revisiting a classic (?) with The King of Queens.

All that, and a 1.3% chance, on Ep248.

00:00 - We've been doing this for over 10 years

16:11 - Beast

27:46 - Widow's Bay

37:16 - This Is a Gardening Show (and The King of Queens)

On this episode were Kris (@DigitalStrider), Peter (@XeroXeroXero), and Sam (@MrSamTurner).

Our Spotify Playlist brings together lots of great thematic music inspired by the stuff we talk about, our Steam Curator page collects every video game we’ve ever reviewed available on the platform, and our BoardGameGeek page does the same for every boardgame. And if you’d like to see what we’re up to between podcasts, your best bet is our Instagram page.

Links to where you can find us - StayingInPodcast.com

Note: sometimes we'll have been sent a review copy of the thing we're talking about on the podcast. It doesn't skew how we think about that thing, and we don't receive compensation for anything we discuss, but we thought you might like to know this is the case.

If you’re looking for a great way to train your brain every morning, as well as understand how the devil a classic puzzle - the cryptic crossword - works, then Minute Cryptic should be on your phone.

If that’s too much, but you still want something (surprisingly) cerebral then, yes, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is for you. It’s got a lot to say about the modern world for a film that, superficially, is about fashion.

On the smaller screens, if you’re looking for something completely unique, yet probably a bit of a bargain considering it’s been out a while, we recommend Death Stranding, from Koj and the gang.

All that, and flinging a Razzle, on Ep247.

00:00 - Where babies come from; a message from The Doc

05:12 - Minute Cryptic

16:49 - The Devil Wears Prada 2

40:17 - Death Stranding

On this episode were Dan (@ThisDanFrost), Peter (@XeroXeroXero), and Sam (@MrSamTurner).

Our Spotify Playlist brings together lots of great thematic music inspired by the stuff we talk about, our Steam Curator page collects every video game we’ve ever reviewed available on the platform, and our BoardGameGeek page does the same for every boardgame. And if you’d like to see what we’re up to between podcasts, your best bet is our Instagram page.

Links to where you can find us - StayingInPodcast.com

Note: sometimes we'll have been sent a review copy of the thing we're talking about on the podcast. It doesn't skew how we think about that thing, and we don't receive compensation for anything we discuss, but we thought you might like to know this is the case.

Quick reviews and impressions of geek-adjacent books is the thrust of this one. There’s My First Adventure: Discovering Atlantis, which is a traditional-feeling choose-your-own-adventure book via Hachette, as well as a closer look at Dead Beard's Curse: Smart Book from Peasoup, which uses augmented reality to take “turn to page XX”-type books to another level.

And the book chat goes on: if you love food and curious crime, you’ll gobble up Butter by Asako Yuzuki via 4th Estate.

As is often the case, it’s an episode of other “firsts”, including a first Pokémon and Mario game, and how us as parents can share personal favourites with our kids for the first time.

Finally, there’s Zenith, a game we can’t stop playing. It’s a strategy game from PlayPunk, a 2-4 player lane battler tug of war from the same folks behind Castle Combo.

All that, and on-the-fly-editing of children’s authors, on Ep246.

00:00 - Hayfever and Tartar Sauce

06:54 - Some firsts and sharing things with our kids

19:58 - My First Adventure: Discovering Atlantis

26:37 - Dead Beard's Curse: Smart Book

35:44 - Butter

46:47 - Zenith

On this episode were Dan (@ThisDanFrost), Kris (@DigitalStrider), and Sam (@MrSamTurner).

Our Spotify Playlist brings together lots of great thematic music inspired by the stuff we talk about, our Steam Curator page collects every video game we’ve ever reviewed available on the platform, and our BoardGameGeek page does the same for every boardgame. And if you’d like to see what we’re up to between podcasts, your best bet is our Instagram page.

Links to where you can find us - StayingInPodcast.com

Note: sometimes we'll have been sent a review copy of the thing we're talking about on the podcast. It doesn't skew how we think about that thing, and we don't receive compensation for anything we discuss, but we thought you might like to know this is the case.

On the tabletop we’re building up the walls with dexterity and memory game Castel Boom from Kiwizou by way of Hachette, and building up a case with MicroMacro Kids: Crazy City Park from Hard Boiled Games, also via Hachette. Away from the board games and into the realm of RPGs, we’re meeting up online with strangers and playing roleplaying game oneshots with StartPlaying (and the brilliant La Lionne Cosplay). After that it’s off to Germany - via Denmark - and building LEGO’s spin on Neuschwanstein Castle, plus we relax with a new season of a classic TV show; yep, we’re getting back into Scrubs.

All that, and lawns, on Ep245.

00:00 - Two green bins.

06:57 - Castel Boom

19:54 - A naughty trip to the petrol station

23:04 - MicroMacro Kids: Crazy City Park

35:42 - “And many more”

37:35 - LEGO’s Neuschwanstein Castle

42:09 - StartPlaying with Anya (aka La Lionne Cosplay)

49:23 - Scrubs

On this episode were Dan (@ThisDanFrost), Kris (@DigitalStrider), and Sam (@MrSamTurner).

Our Spotify Playlist brings together lots of great thematic music inspired by the stuff we talk about, our Steam Curator page collects every video game we’ve ever reviewed available on the platform, and our BoardGameGeek page does the same for every boardgame. And if you’d like to see what we’re up to between podcasts, your best bet is our Instagram page.

Links to where you can find us - StayingInPodcast.com

Note: sometimes we'll have been sent a review copy of the thing we're talking about on the podcast. It doesn't skew how we think about that thing, and we don't receive compensation for anything we discuss, but we thought you might like to know this is the case.