We're getting back into the 21 laws of running a successful bar and restaurant. Today I'm going to teach you about the Law of Gigantic Personality, which I learn from my brother-in-law Frank who is now worth more than $50 million. If you want to grow your restaurant, you'll want to hear this. ▶ CHECK OUT ALL OF MY KICK-ASS RESOURCES GO HERE: https:…

Art finds us when we need it most. Spectrum, the new Mad Cave Studios series from creators Dave Chisholm and Rick Quinn, is an astonishing sci-fi saga that begins inside the Seattle WTO protests of 1999 and propels its characters into a realm where music grants flight. The central character, Melody, can't quite discern what's real and what's not - …

This week on the pod, Anthony Chatfield of Board Gamers Anonymous drops in to discuss gaming in the classroom, as well as his journal/conference on the subject, Board Game Academics. https://www.boardgamersanonymous.com/ Keep the Faith: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/ffdefab3-adb6-48aa-8335-797e720c58a1/landing Beyond Solitaire is proudly…

What a difference a week can make, huh? When we recorded our conversation with Kelly Sue DeConnick, we were still weeks away from the American election, but now, here we are, living in its aftermath. We couldn't have been the only ones with three little letters rattling around our brains these last batch of days. FML. You're damn right. Kelly Sue D…

This week on the pod, Tim Clare (@timclarepoet) discusses his newly-released book, The Game Changers, which will come to the US next year as Across the Board. I truly enjoyed both the convo and book itself, which you can currently find at: Amazon: https://a.co/d/4XSNcX3 Publishers: https://store.abramsbooks.com/products/across-the-board Keep the Fa…

Two weeks later, we're still recovering from New York Comic Con 2024. This may have been our third year attending, but we've never experienced a comic convention quite like this one, and it may take a few more months before we've actually processed everything that happened. A major factor differentiating this event from any that came before was our…

This week on the pod, Zenobia 2020 finalist Alison Collins drops by to discuss her game, Publish or Perish: Wiñay Kawsay, which is about the scholarship surrounding Machu Picchu. It is expected to be out from WizKids in Q1 2025! Preorder here: https://wizkids.io/ShopPublishOrPerishWK Keep the Faith: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/ffdefab3…

It doesn't take long to recognize pop culture's influence on the work of Michael Allred. Whether we're talking Madman, X-Statix, or Silver Surfer, his comics radiate his passion for music, art, and life. Some references are easy to spot, a few a little trickier, and others impossible unless you know the man personally. For us, his comics mostly equ…

In this episode, Dave Neale and David Thompson discuss their co-design, War Story, which weaves together story and game mechanisms to tell a story with branching pathways and plenty of player agency. Keep the Faith: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/ffdefab3-adb6-48aa-8335-797e720c58a1/landing Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central…

This week on the pod, David Digby, designer of several solo modes and frequent collaborator with David Turczi, describes his work as a solo mode designer, as well as his other roles as a game developer and rulebook editor. https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/ffdefab3-adb6-48aa-8335-797e720c58a1/landing Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by …

In this podcast I'm going to tell you how I went from starting out as a busboy in a greasy Chinese restaurant at the age of 16 to serving, bartending, managing and eventually transitioning into my online business. There was a lot of pain. There was rock bottom, but it was eventually worth it in the end. I'm using this story to hopefully inspire tho…

Dracula permeates everything. Before we're five years old, we know his story. It's baked into the cultural imagination. However, if you were to hold that story up to the light, you'd immediately notice a lot of holes. In Bram Stoker's iconic work, Dracula appears less frequently than you would think, and his backstory is referenced in short bursts …

Hey, you. Stop doom scrolling. You've landed where you belong. Ben Clarkson and Matt Bors return to Comic Book Couples Counseling with another Justice Warriors book, Vote Harder. And they're back just when we need them most, weeks away from a critical, very American election. As in the best romantic comedies, Swamp Cop and Officer Schitt are torn a…

This week on the pod, designer Xoe Allred talks about how it uses the rules of gaming to subvert expectations and create social friction. Check out more of Xoe's work at https://knifebunny.com/ Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful…

In this article, the top ten reasons why reading comics criticism will increase your sex drive. Yeah, that's right, we need your clicks! We live in an apocalypse where thoughtful online comics criticism decreases in value every minute. However, you know comics criticism is essential to the industry's ecosystem and community because you're an intell…

It's been a trip to get to this moment. Since we saw Nick Dragotta's design for Absolute Batman, an intense anticipation took hold of us. However, if you think it's been a long journey from our Batman AF introduction at San Diego Comic-Con, it's been an even longer and more thoughtful one for Dragotta and his collaborator Scott Snyder. They've nood…

Today's episode is a wake-up call for anyone who is tired of walking through the motions of being an owner or manager and wants to use their skills to move to the next level, whether that be to remain in the restaurant industry or transition into something else. In this episode, Dave talks about: 1) Why owners and managers suck 2) Why it's so diffi…

This week on the pod, Geoff Engelstein speaks about his most recent project: Recovering a board game designed and pitched by Kurt Vonnegut, and ultimately getting it published. Available at Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kurt-vonneguts-ghq-the-lost-board-game-mars-international/1146300521?ean=0634240242076 Beyond Solitaire is prou…

This week's episode is a full-circle moment. We began our podcast five years ago, discussing the romantic entanglements between Scott Summers and Jean Grey as depicted in The Dark Phoenix Saga. Now, we're honored, and in a bit of disbelief, to welcome writer Chris Claremont onto the show. His contributions to the medium have been some of the most s…

If you think comic books and their audience resist continuity changes, you must consider the death grip comic strips have on their characters. Charlie Brown was never allowed to kick the football and was also denied a wardrobe. His life sentence was that yellow shirt. Mutts cartoonist Patrick McDonnell accepts the pressures of his medium and believ…

This week on the pod, I speak with Jay Carmichael (a.k.a. Three Minute Board Games) about his new design, Red Dust Rebellion, which is on the cutting edge of the COIN series in terms of both its mechanisms and its subject matter. Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations…

Racing on the heels of Batman Day, we celebrate eighty-five years of the Caped Crusader by finally digging into one of our recent favorite Dark Knight stories, Batman: City of Madness by Christian Ward. Technically, this is our third conversation with Ward about this particular story, but it's the first one where we can dig into it page-by-page, go…

This week on the pod, Dr. Torill Elvira Mortensen, a professor at Nord University, talks about her career as a scholar who studies games and about her focus on dark play and transgressive play. If you ever wanted insight into how researchers approach games about sensitive or upsetting subjects, she's one of the world experts. https://www.nord.no/en…

Four main reasons I see restaurants failing. I go deeper than the most cliche reasons you find on the Internet (location, food, etc). Then, I'm going to tell you how to fix it. Enjoy. Links: SkyTab POS - They will pay you $6,000 to switch over. Sign-up for a demo here: https://therealbarman.com/skytab-demo/ Lightspeed POS - Get up to $2,000 off the…

The instant the internet glimpsed Nick Dragotta's bold, BIG design for Absolute Batman, it lost its mind. Since the initial San Diego Comic-Con reveal, emotions have intensified around it, and the fan art has flowed like a dam burst. The first issue is still weeks away, but Final Order Cutoff is here (TODAY!), and Scott Snyder joins the podcast to …

In this episode, scholar Josh Fitzgerald discusses his recent work on Mexican board games preserved at the Library of Congress, as well as his interest in the representation of Mexico in video games and the preservation of games in museums. His university page: https://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/people/dr-joshua-j-fitzgerald Eyeball to Eyeball: https://www…

Sneak into any comic book geek's home, and you'll probably find copies of Marvels and Kingdom Come. What about Uncle Sam, though? The series hit shops in 1997 from DC's Vertigo label, and it sparked provocative thought from those who read it, but for whatever reason, it did not resonate as soundly within the direct market crowd as Alex Ross' more r…

On this episode of the pod, Jason Carr (@maudineormsby) drops by to talk about GMT One and the effort that goes into building a better bot. Eyeball to Eyeball: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/central-michigan-university-press/eyeball-to-eyeball Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through G…

When cartoonists like Daniel Warren Johnson and Riley Rossmo come together, the rest of us better take notice. The Moon Is Following Us drops its first issue on September 18th, and it's a jam comic with a fierce narrative engine and an even more assertive take-notice paint job. Set within the waking and sleeping worlds, Johnson handles the former w…

This week on the podcast, Dr. Cosima Werner of the University of Kiel discusses her work studying culture in the United States and Germany, and specifically her current project in which she examines whiteness within the board gaming hobby in Germany. Eyeball to Eyeball: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/central-michigan-university-press/eyeball-…

We did it. We've completed our San Diego Comic-Con coverage. Twelve podcasts in August. Too much? Maybe, but no regrets, and there is no better way to wrap up our Comic-Con celebrations than with Star Trek group editor Heather Antos and superstar writer Ryan North discussing Star Trek: Lower Decks and its new mission at IDW Publishing. Since its st…

Hey, don't tell us. We'll tell you. The suits who bankroll the industry think they know what we want to read. They have no idea. Marginalizing voices is an active pursuit where financial concerns are frequently used as an excuse. The Horizon Experiment has faith in us, placing its future in our wallets, betting we'll support originality in genres g…

This week on the pod, Marceline Leiman, solo designer for Oceans, talks about her experiences as a solo game designer, what makes for a good solo mode, and what she learned studying game design at NYU. Find her at: https://marcelineleiman.itch.io/ and https://driftingrpg.wordpress.com/ Eyeball to Eyeball: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/centra…

Once upon a time, cartoonist JP Ahonen fell out of love with his art. He'd reached a wall. It was burnout. He'd lost the joy found in creation. Then, he just started to doodle, and an Inktober project became a runaway success. Belzebubs, the saga of a black metal family, significantly inspired by Calvin and Hobbes, sprung from his brain, and there …

In a few short years, James Tynion IV has become a beacon within comics. When you walk into a shop, you don't have to look long before you stumble upon one of his comics. He's seemingly everywhere, spreading beyond the four color realm, and no matter the title he's attached to, it's worth a perusal. Back in July, at San Diego Comic-Con, we sat down…

At this year's San Diego Comic-Con, the family was at the forefront of DC creators' minds. We couldn't escape the topic when discussing superheroics. Plus, we've been pretty anxious on the podcast, contemplating the ramifications of city saviors placing their loved ones above the citizens of Gotham City and Metropolis. Does the person on the street…

SDHistCon is not only one of my favorite gaming conventions, but it is also a growing organization dedicated to promoting historical games to the broadest possible audience. Two of the current board members, Andrew Bucholtz and Joe Schmidt, join me this week to talk about why SDHistCon is so cool. (Disclosure: I am on the advisory board b/c I also …

I will tell you how to get a free restaurant marketing analysis from me to you. This is a personalized video in which I take a look at your online footprint, as well as your website to find areas you can improve on. Did I mention that it's free? Just click the link below. ▶ Sign-up for Your Free Marketing Analysis Here [U.S. only]: https://restaura…

This year's San Diego Comic-Con brought a lot of news. Possibly the most surprising and easily the most exciting was DC's announcement that The New Gods were coming back to comic shops and that their latest saga would be steered by writer Ram V and artist Evan Cagle. While these characters loom large over the DC universe, they've rarely carried a s…

I am reviewing SkyTab POS system. The pros & cons, the features, the pricing, the customer support and the special $6,000 offer from SkyTab. If you use the link below and sign-up for SkyTab POS, they will pay you $6,000 to switch to their POS system. Check it out and see if SkyTab is the best restaurant POS system for you or not. 💥 👉 SKYTAB DEMO [S…

Last year, cartoonist Juni Ba had an epic Fall, releasing multiple all-timers in one month. We had him on the show and told him the output would be difficult to top in 2024, and he humbly said he had a few projects already lined up and would do his best. With The Boy Wonder about to wrap and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Nightwatcher #1 hitting sta…

In October, DC asks its creators and readers to go All In regarding a new status quo. No matter their history with these characters or their knowledge of them, readers can pick up any single issue on the stands, begin a new adventure, and easily comprehend the event and its possibilities. It starts with The All In Special, released on October 2nd, …

This week on the pod, Connor Alexander drops by to discuss the growth of Coyote & Crow, his new game Ahu Tiiko, indigenous perspectives in gaming, and what it means to decolonize your games. Ahu Tiiko is on Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coyoteandcrow/ahu-tiiko-a-coyote-and-crow-expansion Eyeball to Eyeball: https://www.back…

As San Diego Comic-Con began its last day, we met with Joey Esposito and Sean Von Gorman in the Hilton lobby to thoroughly discuss their brand-new superhero, The Pedestrian. Just when you dismiss the genre's ability to create or support a new spandex character, architects like Esposito and Von Gorman come around to rejuvenate the space with an absu…

We're mostly unpacked from San Diego Comic-Con, and we begin this week's podcast by discussing the show's big highlight. No, it's not RDJ as Doctor Doom. After working through the con highs and lows, we invite cartoonist Wes Craig into our Zoom room for the first time so we can thoroughly investigate his all-ages epic, Kaya. In an era where publish…

Hopefully, you've had some time with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 by Jason Aaron and Joëlle Jones. The record-breaking comic seemingly found its way into everyone's pullbox last week. Despite San Diego Comic-Con taking over much of the discourse, the IDW Publishing relaunch snatched tremendous attention and fueled equal excitement. As promised, …

As the Democratic National Convention in Chicago draws near, Yoni Goldstein (@halfwayhoping) stops by to discuss his upcoming game about riots as the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Website: https://www.1968games.com/ Eyeball to Eyeball: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/central-michigan-university-press/eyeball-to-eyeball Beyond…

Reporting live from San Diego Comic-Con, we're chatting with Gail Simone about everything she has going on at the moment, including the incredible Misty 2024 Special from Rebellion Publishing. When editors first approached her with the project, she'd never read the previous British series. However, after a few issues, Simone was hooked and saw her …

The podcast is back for Season 9, and we are kicking off with a fantastic returning guest: Non Breaking Space! In this episode, he discusses several of his upcoming games and reflects more generally on how he uses games to start and continue interesting conversations. Eyeball to Eyeball: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/central-michigan-univers…

It's easy to despair. Fear and frustration spread quickly, and their hold has hooks hard to shake. Don't fall into the discourse trap; free yourself by following the light radiating from the medium's champions. Find folks like Deb Aoki and Christopher Woodrow-Butcher and grab firm. Through their Mangasplaining podcast (co-hosted with David Brothers…