This week on the pod, Denver Walker comes by to discuss her life as a co-owner and CEO of a wargame company, as well as her own game designs. https://flyingpiggames.com/ Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www....
Jun 01, 2026•52 min•Season 12Ep. 239
This week on the pod, Amabel Holland comes by to discuss her upcoming game--if it can be so called--and the mysteries that it holds. I am very excited to play it. https://hollandspiele.com/ Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them ou...
May 25, 2026•1 hr 3 min•Season 12Ep. 238
This week on the pod, David Thompson drops in for our seasonal check-in! We discuss the progress of our games together, check in on David's work with several other co-designers, and discuss the status of our design philosophies in general. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning...
May 18, 2026•1 hr 1 min•Season 12Ep. 237
This week on the pod, Tilak Vyas drops by to talk about his poetry game, Line by Line, that is forthcoming from Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them...
May 11, 2026•46 min•Season 12Ep. 236
This week on the pod, I chat with Alyssa and Ari, who coordinate gaming programs for teens in my local county library system. Some of them even include me! Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/acad...
May 04, 2026•54 min•Season 12Ep. 235
This week on the pod, Paul Wright and I discuss Foxes & Lions, how it has developed over the past year or so, and what we're excited about next. Also, it's on P500! Go support it here: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1229-foxes-and-lions-renaissance-city-states-in-the-age-of-machiavelli.aspx Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Le...
Apr 27, 2026•1 hr 3 min•Season 12Ep. 234
This week on the pod, Waleed Ma'arouf, a designer at Studio Big, discusses their work in education, how they joined the Arkham Horror LCG design team, and their current design work for a fresh crop of games. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compell...
Apr 20, 2026•1 hr 7 min•Season 12Ep. 233
This week on the pod, Dr. Esther Wright (@enwright.bsky.social), a lecturer at the University of Cardiff, speaks about her work on Rockstar Games, the way they represent American history, and what we can learn from the stories they tell about America and themselves. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and ...
Apr 13, 2026•1 hr 2 min•Season 12Ep. 232
This week on the pod, Brooks Barber (rollplusfun@bsky.social) drops by to discuss his new venture, Hawk & Dove. He's starting a new historical games publishing business, moving his family to the Netherlands, and still designing games! https://www.hawkanddovegames.com/ Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Game...
Apr 06, 2026•53 min•Season 12Ep. 231
This week on the pod, Danielle Reynolds (@tokengaymer.bsky.social) stops by to discuss her game design career, her current work at Relatable, and her dedication to paying it forward. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here:...
Mar 30, 2026•54 min
This week on the pod, Taylor Shuss drops by to discuss his new game, Walkable City, which is all about urban planning. We also catch upon his historical designs and talk about design in general! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fowers/walkable-city-the-urban-planning-boardgame Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Thr...
Mar 23, 2026•55 min•Season 12Ep. 229
This week on the pod, Joe Dewhurst discusses his upcoming game, The Pure Land, as well as his continued work as a game developer and COIN solo mode expert. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/acad...
Mar 16, 2026•58 min
Shadi Torbey, designer of the legendary Oniverse series, talks solo game design, running his own company, and being an opera singer. https://inpatience.com/ Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/aca...
Mar 09, 2026•1 hr 2 min
This week on the pod, Bree Woodward of Asmodee's Studio Big drops by to discuss her current work as a creative director, how she got her start in video games, and her commitment to Women in Toys. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check t...
Mar 02, 2026•58 min•Season 12Ep. 226
This week on the pod, Dan Bullock drops into talk about Penitent, a new release from Lock Horns, his game press. We also discuss game developers and our mutual hatred of dice. If you want Penitent, there are only 200 copies and you can preorder one here: http://lockhornsgames.com/products/penitent Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center...
Feb 23, 2026•1 hr 3 min•Season 12Ep. 225
This week on the pod, Jason Morningstar joins me to talk about good RPG design and about his new edition of The Blue Way, forthcoming from Central Michigan University. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cm...
Feb 16, 2026•52 min
This week on the pod, I speak with @PamWallsGameDesign about game design, making life work as a full-time independent game designer, and that time she made a game for Bush's chili. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-page Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: h...
Feb 09, 2026•1 hr 13 min•Season 12Ep. 223
This week on the pod, Jeremiah McCall returns to talk about the publication of his book, Designing History Games for Class. We also chat about his current educational designs, and about how he assigns game design projects to his students so that they learn more about history. https://gamingthepast.net/about/ Register for Kathleen Mercury's course, Deep Dive by Doing: https://cmichpress.com/product/course-registration-for-deep-dive-by-doing/ Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michig...
Feb 02, 2026•1 hr 2 min•Season 12Ep. 222
Welcome to Season 12 of the Beyond Solitaire podcast! To kick things off, Diana Toma from Meeple Foundry is here to talk about translation, graphic design, and building an international team to work on games. Register for Kathleen Mercury's course, Deep Dive by Doing: https://cmichpress.com/product/course-registration-for-deep-dive-by-doing/ Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful...
Jan 26, 2026•1 hr•Season 12Ep. 221
For the Season 11 finale, designer and developer Adam Blinkinsop (@blinks.itch.io) talks about development for GMT, his approach to game design, and his current project: Echo from the Dark. P500: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1144-echo-from-the-dark.aspx I have a game of my own up on Gamefound right now! Check out Queen of Spies, a solo game I co-designed with David Thompson: https://gamefound.com/en/projects/saltandpepper/queen-of-spies The Cracked Mirror: https://cmichpress.com/product/fyov-duet/...
Dec 08, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 11Ep. 220
This week on the pod, Ted Caya of Leder Games drops in to talk about his upcoming game, Take. Learn all about heists, why they are such oddly charming crimes, and how Ted translated that into board game form. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/take-game/take The Cracked Mirror: https://cmichpress.com/product/fyov-duet/ Art & System: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/central-michigan-university-press/art-system-games-for-expanded-play Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Mich...
Dec 01, 2025•53 min•Season 11Ep. 219
This week on the pod, Jaysen Headley, aka Ezeekat, drops in to talk about his live as both a booktoker and a maker of board game videos. And, more recently, his imprint with Bindery, which gives him the opportunity to bring cool books into the world. The Cracked Mirror: https://cmichpress.com/product/fyov-duet/ Art & System: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/central-michigan-university-press/art-system-games-for-expanded-play Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan Unive...
Nov 24, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 11Ep. 218
This week on the pod, David Thompson and I had the illustrator for our game, Carlos Ureta, on to discuss his work with us. Thanks to him and to his colleagues at Meeple Foundry, our game looks great, if I do say so myself. Find him on Instagram at @carlosu.g to see more of his work. Queen of Spies comes to Gamefound on Dec. 4 and can be found here: https://gamefound.com/en/projects/saltandpepper/queen-of-spies The Cracked Mirror: https://cmichpress.com/product/fyov-duet/ Art & System: https:...
Nov 17, 2025•50 min•Season 11Ep. 217
This week on the pod, Fertessa Allyse (@fertessa.bsky.social), game designer and veteran of Prospero Hall, talks about how she got started in game design, what it's like to work on a large team, and how to design games for kids. The Cracked Mirror: https://cmichpress.com/product/fyov-duet/ Art & System: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/central-michigan-university-press/art-system-games-for-expanded-play Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Lea...
Nov 10, 2025•51 min
Ricky is back on the podcast to talk about his recent work, our recent work together, and solo design in general! If you haven't checked out his channel recently, head over to Box of Delights on YouTube for some solo gaming goodness. The Cracked Mirror: https://cmichpress.com/product/fyov-duet/ Art & System: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/central-michigan-university-press/art-system-games-for-expanded-play Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center fo...
Nov 03, 2025•59 min•Season 11Ep. 215
This week on the pod, Hannah Fair, who studies the way humans impact the environment, discusses an article she wrote about how islands and the humans who inhabit them are presented in board games. The article: https://islandstudiesjournal.org/article/84743-playing-with-the-anthropocene-board-game-imaginaries-of-islands-nature-and-empire Art & System: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/central-michigan-university-press/art-system-games-for-expanded-play Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored...
Oct 27, 2025•45 min•Season 11Ep. 214
This week on the pod, Gonzalo Maldonado, one of the co-founders of Salt & Pepper Games, drops by to talk about how he became a game publisher and how his business has developed. (@saltandpeppergames.bsky.social) Salt & Pepper will be publishing David Thompson's and my second design, Queen of Spies. It goes live on Gamefound Dec. 4: https://gamefound.com/en/projects/saltandpepper/queen-of-spies Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Thro...
Oct 20, 2025•1 hr•Season 11Ep. 213
In this episode, Rachel Billingsley drops by to talk about her work as Director of Marketing at GMT and what it's like to be part of a family wargame business. Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulations Check o...
Oct 13, 2025•52 min•Season 11Ep. 212
This week on the pod, Dr. Carly Kocurek (@sparklebliss.bsky.social) drops by to discuss the rise of arcade culture--and how we came to assume that video games are for boys, despite evidence to the contrary. Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for...
Oct 06, 2025•52 min
This week, Liam Liwanag Burke, designer of Dog Eat Dog, drops by to discuss his game. A new edition is on the way from Central Michigan University as part of their new Art & System series. https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/b2acaafc-6009-4565-9ef4-54b97b09e193/landing Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/acade...
Sep 29, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 11Ep. 210
