Beyond Solitaire

By Liz Davidson

What's Beyond Solitaire about?

A podcast all about going not just Beyond Solitaire, but beyond the board! Join your host, Liz Davidson, for interviews that touch on gaming history, historical games, and the cultural significance of the games we play.

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Beyond Solitaire episodes:

05.06.2024
Episode 154 - Calvin Wong Tze Loon on Mass Effect
This week on the pod, writer and game designer Calvin Wong Tze Loon (@ithayla) drops by to discuss the process of designing Mass Effect, which is a co-design with the legendary Eric Lang. Come to hear about Mass Effect, but...
04.29.2024
Episode 153 - Holly Black on Enemies and Lovers
This week on the pod, bestselling YA fantasy author Holly Black stops in to discuss a board game she designed based on her Folk of the Air series! She has a lot of interesting things to say about drafting games...
04.22.2024
Episode 152 - Eduardo García-Molina on Archaeogaming
This week on the pod, soon-to-be UChicago PHD Eduardo García-Molina drops into discuss the Seleucids, how he learned to love them through Rome: Total War, and what video games can teach us about ourselves through the ways they present the...
04.15.2024
Episode 151 - Joe Dewhurst on Developing Heavy Games
This week on the pod, Joe Dewhurst (@joe-dewhurst), a freelance developer who works primarily for GMT, gives his insights into game development and his work on COIN solo bots. Hydrologic Cycle from CMU is on Kickstarter now! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cmu/hydrologic-cycle?ref=discovery Beyond Solitaire is proudly...
04.08.2024
Episode 150 - Elizabeth Hargrave on Science Games + the TTGDA
This week on the pod, game designer Elizabeth Hargrave drops by to talk science games, design, development, and her newest project, the Tabletop Game Designers Association. Elizabeth Hargrave's site: https://www.elizhargrave.com/ TTGDA: https://www.ttgda.org/ Hydrologic Cycle from CMU is on Kickstarter now! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cmu/hydrologic-cycle?ref=discovery Beyond Solitaire is...
04.01.2024
Episode 149 - Alastair Kocho-Williams on Teaching History through Wargames
This week on the podcast, Alastair Kocho-Williams (@akochowi), a professor at Clarkson University, drops by to discuss how he's using wargames and game design to teach history to his students. Hydrologic Cycle from CMU is on Kickstarter now! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cmu/hydrologic-cycle?ref=discovery Beyond Solitaire is...
03.25.2024
Episode 148 - Weyodi OldBear on Indigenous Futurism in Games
This week on the pod, author Weyodi OldBear drops by to discuss her work in science fiction and her involvement with Coyote & Crow, a tabletop RPG about indigenous people in a future unimpacted by colonialism. Weyodi OldBear's site: https://www.weyodi.com/ Coyote &...
03.18.2024
Episode 147 - Jason Carr on Development at GMT
In this week's episode, Jason Carr, Lead Developer at GMT, talks about his experiences in both design and development. Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful...
03.11.2024
Episode 146 - Jane Draycott on Women in Historical Video Games
This week on the pod, Dr. Jane Draycott (@jldraycott), a classicist who is also an expert on women in video games set in the ancient world, talks about her work, the world of archaeogaming, and her recent book, Cleopatra's Daughter....
03.04.2024
Episode 145 - Henry Lowood on Preserving Gaming History
This week on the pod, Dr. Henry Lowood, a video game scholar and archivist from Stanford, discusses a career spent playing, studying, and preserving games--mostly video games, but with more board game work to come! https://lowood.people.stanford.edu/ Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored...
02.26.2024
Episode 144 - Verdis LeVar Robinson and Paul Otto on Gaming Bacon's Rebellion
This week on the pod, Verdis LeVar Robinson and Paul Otto discuss their recently-published Reacting to the Past game, which gives students insight into the birth of structural racism and its relationship to other community issues in the pre-revolution United...
02.19.2024
Episode 143 - Hermann Luttmann on Designing Across Genres
This week on the pod, Hermann Luttmann pops by to discuss his design career so far, his future designs now that he is retired, and how he wants players to understand his body of work as a whole. Beyond Solitaire is...
02.12.2024
Episode 142 - Betsy Joslyn on Thinking with Wargames
This week on the pod, Betsy Joslyn (@WOPR_1983GTW) stops by to discuss her work in professional wargaming, as well as some of her upcoming designs. Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations,...
02.05.2024
Episode 141 - Pablo Clark on The Old King's Crown
The Beyond Solitaire podcast is back for Season 8! This week, Pablo Clark talks about art, allegory, the importance of giving games the time they need to grow, and Eerie Idol's first game, The Old King's Crown. https://www.theoldkingscrown.com/ Hydrologic Cycle Prelaunch...
12.11.2023
Episode 140 - Josh Sawyer on Pentiment
It's time for the Season 7 finale! For this episode, I got to interview Josh Sawyer from Obsidian Entertainment about his historical video game, Pentiment. If you can play it, you should—and if you want to hear about the thought...
12.04.2023
Episode 139 - Steven Dashiell on Gaming and Cultural Capital
This week, Dr. Steven Dashiell (@dashiellsteven), a scholar who writes about social clout and gaming, talks about our beloved French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu and shows how we can apply his work to the subcultures within our hobby. Beyond Solitaire is proudly...
11.27.2023
Episode 138 - Jason Perez and Paul Wright on Mr. President
This week on the pod, friends of the show Jason Perez and Paul Wright discuss Mr. President, the biggest board game to come out in 2023, and about heavy games in general. Five Hundred Year Old Vampire: https://www.backerkit.com/c/central-michigan-university-press/five-hundred-year-old-vampire Beyond Solitaire is proudly...
11.20.2023
Episode 137 - TreaAndrea Russworm and Samantha Blackmon on the Black Games Archive
In one of the coolest episodes this season, veteran gamers and brilliant academics Dr. TreaAndrea Russworm (USC) and Dr. Samantha Blackmon (Purdue) discuss their work on the Black Games Archive, which currently catalogues video games but will soon extend to...
11.13.2023
Episode 136 - Rodney Smith on Wargaming
This week on the pod, Rodney Smith of Watch It Played drops by to talk about his growing love affair with wargaming... and about his sordid past with SOLO board games! Watch It Played: https://www.youtube.com/@WatchItPlayed Five Hundred Year Old Vampire: https://www.backerkit.com/c/central-michigan-university-press/five-hundred-year-old-vampire Beyond Solitaire...
11.06.2023
Episode 135 - Jenny Cromwell on Gaming Ancient Egypt
This week on the pod, Egyptologist Jenny Cromwell (@papyrus_stories) discusses the intersection between the field of Egyptology, and her interest in educational gaming. Five Hundred Year Old Vampire: https://www.backerkit.com/c/central-michigan-university-press/five-hundred-year-old-vampire Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through...
10.30.2023
Episode 134 - Amabel Holland on Doubt Is Our Product
This week on the pod, Amabel Holland stops by to discuss her upcoming game, "Doubt Is Our Product," which focuses on misinformation spread by the tobacco industry. BGG: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/401361/doubt-our-product Five Hundred Year Old Vampire: https://www.backerkit.com/c/central-michigan-university-press/five-hundred-year-old-vampire Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central...
10.23.2023
Episode 133 - Luis Aguasvivas on Game Journalism
Join me for an interview with Luis Aguasvivas, a board- and video game critic who has worked for a number of outlets. We discuss approaches to game criticism, what makes a game worth writing about, and more. Luis' contributions to PopMatters:...
10.16.2023
Episode 132 - Jo Kelly on Molly House
Join me for an interview with Jo Kelly, designer of Molly House--a game about Mollies of England in the 1700s who seek queer joy in the face of social pushback. The game is being published through Wehrlegig, and crowdfunding will...
10.09.2023
Episode 131 - Cole Wehrle on Oath
This week on the pod, Cole Wehrle talks about Oath, as well as larger issues of history and allegory in board games. Plus we drop a few pieces of news about where Oath is headed next. ;) Five Hundred Year Old...
10.02.2023
Episode 130 - Hamish Cameron on Gaming Ancient Borders
In this episode, Hamish Cameron (@peregrinekiwi) drops by to talk about his work as both a game designer and a classicist. http://www.ardens.org/ https://hcommons.org/members/hcameron/ Five Hundred Year Old Vampire: https://www.backerkit.com/c/central-michigan-university-press/five-hundred-year-old-vampire Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and...
09.25.2023
Episode 129 - Christienne Hinz and Akar Bharadvaj on Zenobia II
Join me for a conversation with Dr. Christienne Hinz (@xpelicious) current Zenobia Award Director, and Akar Bharadvaj (@akarsb), former Zenobia Award winner and now board member! We are ready to kick off a Zenobia II, and could not be more...
09.18.2023
Episode 128 - Wendy Robertson on The Hydrologic Cycle
In this episode, Professor Wendy Robertson discusses her upcoming game with CLGS, her use of games in the classroom, and the joys of teaching students about the Hydrologic Cycle. Her site; https://www.cmich.edu/people/WENDY-ROBERTSON Five Hundred Year Old Vampire: https://www.backerkit.com/c/central-michigan-university-press/five-hundred-year-old-vampire Beyond Solitaire is proudly...
09.11.2023
Episode 127 - Aaron Trammell on The Privilege of Play
In this episode, Professor Aaron Trammell joins us to speak about his book, The Privilege of Play, and gives us all a lesson in gaming history. The book: https://nyupress.org/9781479818433/the-privilege-of-play/ Five Hundred Year Old Vampire: https://www.backerkit.com/c/central-michigan-university-press/five-hundred-year-old-vampire Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central...
09.04.2023
Episode 126 - Mike Nerdahl on Gaming Ancient Rome
In this episode, Dr. Mike Nerdahl of Bowdoin College talks about how he uses games in his Roman history classes. I really want to take one myself! https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/mnerdahl/index.html Five Hundred Year Old Vampire: https://www.backerkit.com/c/central-michigan-university-press/five-hundred-year-old-vampire Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan...
08.28.2023
Episode 125 - Stuart Ellis-Gorman on the Lost Cause Narrative in Games
This week on the pod, Stuart Ellis-Gorman discusses his Civil War gaming project, the research he has put into it, and the podcast he is making about it. Project site here: https://www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/the-lost-cause-in-games-on-the-american-civil-war-a-project Five Hundred Year Old Vampire: https://www.backerkit.com/c/central-michigan-university-press/five-hundred-year-old-vampire Beyond Solitaire is proudly...
08.21.2023
Episode 124 - Emily Gray on Role-playing the Reformation
Emily Gray, a professor at Norwich University, discusses her role as a civilian instructor at a military institution, her love for the Reformation, and her forthcoming Reacting to the Past game set in Augsburg, 1530. https://www.norwich.edu/faculty-and-staff/history-and-political-science/677-emily-fisher-gray Five Hundred Year Old Vampire:...
08.14.2023
Episode 123 - Jeremiah McCall on Gaming the Past
Jeremiah McCall, an expert on the use of video and board games in the history classroom, talks about his academic work and how it applies in practice. https://gamingthepast.net/about/ Five Hundred Year Old Vampire: https://www.backerkit.com/c/central-michigan-university-press/five-hundred-year-old-vampire Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan...
08.07.2023
Episode 122 - Sebastian Bae on Littoral Commander
Sebastian Bae drops by the pod to discuss his new wargame, Littoral Commander, and the impact it has had in both educational and hobby settings. BGG: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/355516/littoral-commander-indo-pacific Five Hundred Year Old Vampire: https://www.backerkit.com/c/central-michigan-university-press/five-hundred-year-old-vampire Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's...
07.31.2023
Episode 121 - Jason Morningstar on Night Witches
The Beyond Solitaire Podcast is back for Season 7! We're starting out with a conversation about Night Witches between Jason Morningstar, David Thompson, and me. Jason's Night Witches RPG offers a different experience from David's and my upcoming board game,...
06.12.2023
Episode 120 - Eivind Vetlesen and Paul Wright on Europa Universalis
It's the final episode of Season 6! (But don't worry, I already have great stuff planned for Season 7!) This time, Eivind Vetlesen, designer of Europa Universalis: The Price of Power, comes by to talk about designing a game that...
06.05.2023
Episode 119 - Kevin Bertram on the Business of Historical Games
For this episode of the pod, Kevin Bertram of Fort Circle Games drops in to talk about upcoming publications, marketing strategy, and his hopes for the future of historical games. Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for...
05.29.2023
Episode 118 - Stefan Aguirre Quiroga on White Mythic Space
In this episode, Stefan Aguirre Quiroga (@railok) of the University of Gothenburg discusses his book, White Mythic Space. It's a study of community responses to racial diversity in Battlefield 1, but it has important implications for the board game hobby. Beyond...
05.22.2023
Episode 117 - Mike, David, and Liz on Night Witches
Mike Kelley of the One Stop Co-Op Shop drops in to talk to David Thompson and me about our upcoming game, Night Witches. We've been at work on it for nearly a year now, and a lot has happened since...
05.15.2023
Episode 116 - John Coveyou on Genius Games
We talk a lot about history on the pod, but this week John Coveyou of Genius Games is bringing some science! Hear his perspective on how science concepts are taught though board games, how he chooses which topics to represent,...
05.08.2023
Episode 115 - Josh Hartman on Puerto Rican Classical Reception
In this episode, Dr. Josh Hartman talks about playing games with his Greek students to help them practice the language, then has fascinating things to say about Puerto Rican authors and their interpretation of classical texts. AWESOME. He would like...
05.01.2023
Episode 114 - Alex Knight on Land and Freedom
This week, Alex Knight (@landandfreedom1) joins us for a discussion about Land and Freedom, his semi-cooperative game about fighting fascism during the Spanish Civil War. Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations,...
04.24.2023
Episode 113 - S. Ayuandini and C. Hinz on Kartini: From Darkness to Light
Dr. Sherria Ayuandini and Dr. Christienne Hinz (@xpelicious) team up to talk about the upcoming Kartini: From Darkness to Light, which will be published by ION Game Design and will include a curriculum guide in collaboration with CMU's Center for...
04.17.2023
Episode 112 - Frank Klaassen on Virtus
This week on the pod, Dr. Frank Klaassen stops by to talk about medieval magical practitioners and about Virtus, a game he co-designed with students about medieval masculinity. Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through...
04.10.2023
Episode 111 - Maurice Suckling on Postcolonialism in Games
In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Maurice Suckling (@writegameread) talks about his upcoming scholarly work on games, his work in both video and board games, and some of his current designs. Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's...
04.03.2023
Episode 110 - Jason Perez on Playing Oppression
Podcast regular Jason Perez of Shelf Stories drops by for a book review! Book found here: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Oppression-Legacy-Conquest-Colonialist/dp/0262047918/ref=sr_1_1?crid=H667EWI6I9OW&keywords;=playing+oppression&qid;=1680140977&sprefix;=playing+oppression%2Caps%2C170&sr;=8-1 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....
03.27.2023
Episode 109 - Nick Proctor on Reacting to the Past
This week on the pod, Dr. Nick Proctor, current director of Reacting to the Past, talks about where the Reacting Consortium is heading and how he games with his own students. https://reactingconsortium.org/ Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's...
03.20.2023
Episode 108 - Martha McGill on Witch Hunt 1649
In this episode, Dr. Martha McGill, an expert on Scottish ghosts and other awesome topics, talks about Witch Hunt 1649—a two-game project about Scottish witch hunts that included her students as co-designers. Check it out here: https://marthamcgill.co.uk/witchhunt1649/ Beyond Solitaire is proudly...
03.13.2023
Episode 107 - Ian Brown on The Krulak Center
This week, Ian Brown joins the pod to talk about his work at the Krulak Center, his interest in professional wargaming, and some of his own upcoming designs. Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through...
03.06.2023
Episode 106 - Kate Cook on Women in Classical Video Games
This week on the pod, Dr. Kate Cook (@katexe) discuss her research, which focuses on how women are presented in Classical video games. Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning...
02.27.2023
Episode 105 - Ray Kimball and Kimberly Redding on Eyeball to Eyeball
In this episode, Dr. Ray Kimball (@42edgames) and Dr. Kimberly Redding talk about their educational game, Eyeball to Eyeball, designed to give university and high school students a taste of the Cold War. Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan...

What's Beyond Solitaire about?

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Beyond Solitaire episodes:

Episode 154 - Calvin Wong Tze Loon on Mass Effect

Episode 153 - Holly Black on Enemies and Lovers

Episode 152 - Eduardo García-Molina on Archaeogaming

Episode 151 - Joe Dewhurst on Developing Heavy Games

Episode 150 - Elizabeth Hargrave on Science Games + the TTGDA

Episode 149 - Alastair Kocho-Williams on Teaching History through Wargames

Episode 148 - Weyodi OldBear on Indigenous Futurism in Games

Episode 147 - Jason Carr on Development at GMT

Episode 146 - Jane Draycott on Women in Historical Video Games

Episode 145 - Henry Lowood on Preserving Gaming History

Episode 144 - Verdis LeVar Robinson and Paul Otto on Gaming Bacon's Rebellion

Episode 143 - Hermann Luttmann on Designing Across Genres

Episode 142 - Betsy Joslyn on Thinking with Wargames

Episode 141 - Pablo Clark on The Old King's Crown

Episode 140 - Josh Sawyer on Pentiment

Episode 139 - Steven Dashiell on Gaming and Cultural Capital

Episode 138 - Jason Perez and Paul Wright on Mr. President

Episode 137 - TreaAndrea Russworm and Samantha Blackmon on the Black Games Archive

Episode 136 - Rodney Smith on Wargaming

Episode 135 - Jenny Cromwell on Gaming Ancient Egypt

Episode 134 - Amabel Holland on Doubt Is Our Product

Episode 133 - Luis Aguasvivas on Game Journalism

Episode 132 - Jo Kelly on Molly House

Episode 131 - Cole Wehrle on Oath

Episode 130 - Hamish Cameron on Gaming Ancient Borders

Episode 129 - Christienne Hinz and Akar Bharadvaj on Zenobia II

Episode 128 - Wendy Robertson on The Hydrologic Cycle

Episode 127 - Aaron Trammell on The Privilege of Play

Episode 126 - Mike Nerdahl on Gaming Ancient Rome

Episode 125 - Stuart Ellis-Gorman on the Lost Cause Narrative in Games

Episode 124 - Emily Gray on Role-playing the Reformation

Episode 123 - Jeremiah McCall on Gaming the Past

Episode 122 - Sebastian Bae on Littoral Commander

Episode 121 - Jason Morningstar on Night Witches

Episode 120 - Eivind Vetlesen and Paul Wright on Europa Universalis

Episode 119 - Kevin Bertram on the Business of Historical Games

Episode 118 - Stefan Aguirre Quiroga on White Mythic Space

Episode 117 - Mike, David, and Liz on Night Witches

Episode 116 - John Coveyou on Genius Games

Episode 115 - Josh Hartman on Puerto Rican Classical Reception

Episode 114 - Alex Knight on Land and Freedom

Episode 113 - S. Ayuandini and C. Hinz on Kartini: From Darkness to Light

Episode 112 - Frank Klaassen on Virtus

Episode 111 - Maurice Suckling on Postcolonialism in Games

Episode 110 - Jason Perez on Playing Oppression

Episode 109 - Nick Proctor on Reacting to the Past

Episode 108 - Martha McGill on Witch Hunt 1649

Episode 107 - Ian Brown on The Krulak Center

Episode 106 - Kate Cook on Women in Classical Video Games

Episode 105 - Ray Kimball and Kimberly Redding on Eyeball to Eyeball