For the final episode of Season 4, Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) and David Thompson (@djackthompson) come on to talk about their upcoming game from GMT, which focuses on Zheng He, a Chinese explorer and courter, Beyond Solitaire is now 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/colleges/class/Centers/CLGS/Pages/default.aspx BIG NEWS: CLGS...
May 09, 2022•49 min•Season 4Ep. 80
Charles Cartier, professional wargamer, joins us on the pod to talk about his work—at least the parts that aren't classified. Beyond Solitaire is now 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/colleges/class/Centers/CLGS/Pages/default.aspx BIG NEWS: CLGS is now doing online game design classes that you can take from home, and the first...
May 02, 2022•48 min•Season 4Ep. 79
Professor Scout Blum (@scoutblum) joins the pod to talk about her upcoming game, Rising Waters, which focuses on the self-empowerment of African American laborers during one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in American history. Get updates about Rising Waters: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/central-michigan-university-press/games-for-learning/games/rising-waters Beyond Solitaire is now proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center...
Apr 25, 2022•43 min•Season 4Ep. 78
Joe Schmidt (@josephnschmidt) and Taylor Shuss (@drawnonward) come on to discuss The Sacred Band, a game they are developing about a group of elite warriors from Thebes, made up of 150 pairs of male lovers. Beyond Solitaire is now 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/colleges/class/Centers/CLGS/Pages/default.aspx BIG NEWS: CLGS is now...
Apr 18, 2022•44 min•Season 4Ep. 77
This week has both a special guest and a bonus appearance from a friend of the show! Jason Perez of Shelf Stories joins me in a conversation with Zoe Antoinette Eddy, an anthropologist who studies LARPing communities in the Northeast. LARP Article: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/9/4/143/htm Beyond Solitaire is now 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...
Apr 11, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 4Ep. 76
This week's special guest is Eloy Lasanta (@eloythesaint), owner of Third Eye Games, designer and player of MANY tabletop RPGs, musician, and teacher of an upcoming game design class at Central Michigan University! Eloy's Games: https://www.thirdeyegames.net/ Geek Therapeutics: https://www.geektherapeutics.com/ Eloy's Music: https://straysoftheworldmusic.com/ Beyond Solitaire is now proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simul...
Apr 04, 2022•41 min•Season 4Ep. 75
This week on the pod, James Fielder, AKA Pigeon, talks about how he uses games to help students understand various theories of international relations. His work can be found at jdfielder.com. Find him on Twitter @j_d_fielder. Beyond Solitaire is now 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/colleges/class/Centers/CLGS/Pages/default.aspx BI...
Mar 28, 2022•50 min•Season 4Ep. 74
This week's guest is Tim Hutchings (@TimHutchingsFTW), designer of Thousand Year Old Vampire and professor of game design at Bradley University. In this episode he talks about his game design process, some upcoming projects, and how he teaches design to his students. You can check out his website here: https://thousandyearoldvampire.com/ Beyond Solitaire is now proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be bo...
Mar 21, 2022•59 min•Season 4Ep. 73
This week's special guest is Kathryn Hymes, who talks about her work for Thorny Games, a publisher dedicated to making games that explore language. Check out Thorny Games' work at https://thornygames.com/. Beyond Solitaire is now 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/colleges/class/Centers/CLGS/Pages/default.aspx All episodes...
Mar 14, 2022•44 min•Season 4Ep. 72
This week's guest is Ev Davis, aka Whistler, who is an artist, LARP expert, and author of a new tabletop RPG called Rapscallion. We had an awesome conversation about what RPGs can do, how to run them well, and more. Rapscallion: https://magpiegames.com/products/rapscallion-ashcan-edition-print-pdf Ev's art site: https://evanleigh-davis.format.com/ Twitter: @artofwhistler Beyond Solitaire is now proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games an...
Mar 07, 2022•59 min•Season 4Ep. 71
This week's special guest is Professor Mary Flanagan (@criticalplay), who teaches at Dartmouth and runs ambitious gaming research and publication projects. She has a lot to say about how games are fun, but also a way to change the way we think. Her latest game, Retrograde, is a real-time roll and write that is currently on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/maryflanagan/retrograde-4?ref=discovery&term=retrograde Tiltfactor: https://tiltfactor.org/ Resonym: https://resonym...
Feb 28, 2022•48 min•Season 4Ep. 70
This week on the pod, Professor Emerita Mary Jane Treacy speaks about her work with Reacting to the Past games and the challenges of bringing history to life in the classroom. Beyond Solitaire is now 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/colleges/class/Centers/CLGS/Pages/default.aspx All episodes of my podcast are available here: https...
Feb 21, 2022•56 min•Season 4Ep. 69
This week on the pod, game designer and Ph.D. candidate Greg Loring-Albright talks about his academic work and his role as co-designer of the third edition of Bloc by Bloc. It hits Gamefound on Feb. 15: https://gamefound.com/projects/draft/zxc58ag7firw48g1aggj8ue80qo Beyond Solitaire is now 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/college...
Feb 14, 2022•45 min•Season 4Ep. 68
This week's guest is Ricky Royal, who kindly shared updates on his solo game designs and talked about his approach to design in general. If you haven't yet, check him out on the Box of Delights YouTube channel—his work is a must-watch for solo gamers. https://www.youtube.com/c/BoxofDelights Beyond Solitaire is now 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 h...
Feb 07, 2022•51 min•Season 4Ep. 67
This week the pod has TWO special guests! Professors Paul Booth (@pbooth81) and Aaron Trammell (@aarontram) drop by to talk about a book series they are co-editing, which will focus on board games and be published by the University of Michigan's academic press. Beyond Solitaire is now 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/colleges...
Jan 31, 2022•46 min•Season 4Ep. 66
This week, Talia Rosen tells all about First Monday in October, a game about the Supreme Court and its development over time. It will eventually be published by Fort Circle Games, and I personally can't wait. Beyond Solitaire is now 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/colleges/class/Centers/CLGS/Pages/default.aspx All episodes o...
Jan 24, 2022•45 min•Season 4Ep. 65
This week's special guest is Patrick Rael, a history professor at Bowdoin who specializes in African American history, teaches history through games, and is also at work on a design of his own. You can see what he's up to here: https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/prael/index.html Beyond Solitaire is now 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...
Jan 17, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 64
This week on the pod, Non Breaking Space (@nbsp1618) tells us about his upcoming game from GMT, Cross Bronx Expressway. In it, he invites players to build up the Bronx from 1940-2000, while also trying to serve their own factional interests. This game is currently available at a discounted price through GMT's P500 program, and will soon go to print: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-953-cross-bronx-expressway.aspx Beyond Solitaire is now proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Cent...
Jan 10, 2022•42 min•Season 4Ep. 63
The Beyond Solitaire podcast is back, and kicking off Season 4 with a double episode featuring Jason Perez from Shelf Stories! Last episode was about "historical tourism" and the erasure of historical reality in games. This episode is about brutality, conflict, and other "misbehavior" in games—and how to go about it. Audio is available here, video is available on Jason's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/shelfstories Beyond Solitaire is now proudly sponsored by Centr...
Jan 03, 2022•50 min•Season 4Ep. 62
The Beyond Solitaire podcast is back, and kicking off Season 4 with a double episode featuring Jason Perez from Shelf Stories! This episode is about the "historical tourism" of games that erase unpleasant historical realities to create a smooth ride for the players. Audio is available here, video is available on Jason's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/shelfstories Beyond Solitaire is now proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Game...
Dec 27, 2021•42 min•Season 4Ep. 61
It's time for the Season 3 finale! In this episode, Dan Thurot interviews Liz about her recent series of posts about gladiator board games. The first installment is here: http://www.beyondsolitaire.net/blog/gladiators-enslavement-and-board-games-intro-thoughts All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.com/ Enjoy my work? Consider getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaire To see all of my solo reviews and videos, click...
Oct 04, 2021•48 min•Season 3Ep. 60
This week on the pod, Dan Thurot discusses his approach to game reviewing in general, and particularly his evolving ideas about historical games criticism. You can find Dan's work at https://spacebiff.com/ All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.com/ Enjoy my work? Consider getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaire To see all of my solo reviews and videos, click here: http://www.beyondsolitaire.net/solo-reviews.html...
Sep 27, 2021•54 min•Season 3Ep. 59
This week on the pod, Volko Ruhnke and Brian Train talk about A Distant Plain, which focuses on the conflict in Afghanistan as it was in 2013, and reflect on what it means given more recent events there. Volko can be found on Twitter as @Volko26, and Brian likes to blog at https://brtrain.wordpress.com/ All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.com/ Enjoy my work? Consider getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaire To see a...
Sep 20, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 58
In this episode, Jason and I have real talk about the treatment of women in board games. I typically avoid this topic whenever possible, but I finally felt like I had something productive to say. For video, check out the cross-post on Shelf Stories! https://www.youtube.com/c/ShelfStories All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.com/ Enjoy my work? Consider getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaire To see all of my solo re...
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 57
This week's pod is a collaboration with Edward Uhler from Heavy Cardboard. Join us both here and on his channel for a deep dive into our ideas about teaching board games. All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.com/ Enjoy my work? Consider getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaire To see all of my solo reviews and videos, click here: http://www.beyondsolitaire.net/solo-reviews.html Contact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire...
Sep 06, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Season 3Ep. 56
This week, Liz interviews Candice Harris (@candidrum), a fellow wargaming convert who reports on historical games for BGG. All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.com/ Enjoy my work? Consider getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaire To see all of my solo reviews and videos, click here: http://www.beyondsolitaire.net/solo-reviews.html Contact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.com Twitter: @beyondsolitaire Instagram: @b...
Aug 30, 2021•49 min•Season 3Ep. 55
In this episode, David Thompson (@djackthompson) discusses a new game he is developing called Fifth Platoon, which will focus on integrated units during WWII—if he can find a collaboration partner. Link to my review of Forget the Alamo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBYyKSl0KPk All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.com/ Enjoy my work? Consider getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaire To see all of my solo reviews an...
Aug 23, 2021•44 min•Season 3Ep. 54
This week, our special guest is Lottie Hazell (@LDHazell), a publishing consultant, literary scholar, and board game designer! She has fascinating things to say about how the book and gaming industries compare, as well as about her journey into telling stories on the board as well as the page. All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.com/ Enjoy my work? Consider getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaire To see all of my s...
Aug 16, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 53
In this episode, T. Caires (@TheOneTAR) talks about their work for HABA and the unique aspects of designing and testing games for kids. All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.com/ Enjoy my work? Consider getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaire To see all of my solo reviews and videos, click here: http://www.beyondsolitaire.net/solo-reviews.html Contact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.com Twitter: @beyondsolitaire ...
Aug 09, 2021•47 min•Season 3Ep. 52
This week, we have an interview with Mark Carnes, one of the originators of a college seminar game system called Reacting to the Past. How do you engage students and get them to learn a lot of history? Through games! Reacting to the Past: https://reacting.barnard.edu/ Minds on Fire: https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Fire-Role-Immersion-Transform-College/dp/0674984099/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=minds+on+fire&qid=1626010987&sr=8-1 All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://bey...
Aug 02, 2021•53 min•Season 3Ep. 51
