Cheapass Games
Encyclopedia
Cheapass Games is a game
company founded and run by game designer James Ernest, based in Seattle, Washington.
Cheapass Games operates on the philosophy that most game owners have plenty of dice
, counters, play money
, etc., so there is no need to bundle all of these components with every game that requires them. Cheapass games thus come packaged in white envelopes, small boxes, or plastic resealable bags containing only those components unique to the game - typically a rules sheet, a playing board printed on card stock, and game cards banded by magazine
-cutout "sleeves". This allows the company to produce games for prices well below the market average. Later, Cheapass started offering some higher-quality, full color games under the "James Ernest Games" brand.
Ernest originally developed the idea for selling basic games without all the common components while freelancing at Wizards of the Coast
during the 1990s. However, Wizards rejected the idea, and in 1995, Ernest quit and started up the company. Creating the games by hand, he initially showed the games at tradeshows and conventions, resulting in sales demand from game stores. The company creates and assembles each game pack by hand, with most games only being made in runs of up to 5,000 copies.
Cheapass Games and James Ernest have won several awards for game design
including the 2002 Origins Award
for best play-by-mail game
(Button Men Web Game),
the 2002 Origins Vanguard Award (Diceland
), the 1997 Origins Award for best abstract board game (Kill Doctor Lucky
), and the 1997 Origins Award for best traditional card game
(Give Me the Brain
). Cheapass' game Pennywise was awarded the parodic
2003 "Spud des Jahres" award for most overpriced game by the website Spielboy (see Spiel des Jahres
).
In October 2007, Cheapass Games stopped updating their web site; a message on the homepage explains: "Cheapass Games is in the process of hibernating, which means we can be a bit sluggish and hard to reach. Most of us have moved on to better careers, and James Ernest is slumbering peacefully in a warm hole in the ground."
In 2009, Cheapass created a Button Men app for the I-phone.
Paizo Publishing
is selling some Cheapass games on its website.
In 2011, Cheapass Games resumed updating their website with a new business model: Games are being released for free in PDF format for gamers to print and play, and customers are asked to donate a dollar or two if they like the game. James Ernest says, in the game rules, "I’ve decided to try a different gamble. I’m giving my games away for free. This way, you can read the rules, make a copy, and even play the thing, before you decide what it’s worth. If you do like my games, I hope you will send me some money. But I’m also hoping you will share this experiment with your friends. You are my sales force, my marketing department, my demo team." New games are usually accompanied by the Ransomometer, where potential customers are encouraged to donate a certain dollar amount before a game is released to the public.
Punch Cards (A game for conventions)
Secret Tijuana Deathmatch (A game of buying the contracts of illegitimate wrestlers and pitting them against each other)
Spree! (A game of firearms and larceny)
Starbase Jeff (An out of print game of gambling in space)
The Cheapass Album (Not a game, but as the title suggests, a music CD by Beatnik Turtle
based on Cheapass's games)
U.S. Patent No. 1
(A game of racing through time to get the first patent
issued)
Unexploded Cow
(A game of marching mad cows through bomb fields)
Witch Trial (A game of pressing the innocent to death with stones)
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
company founded and run by game designer James Ernest, based in Seattle, Washington.
Cheapass Games operates on the philosophy that most game owners have plenty of dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
, counters, play money
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
, etc., so there is no need to bundle all of these components with every game that requires them. Cheapass games thus come packaged in white envelopes, small boxes, or plastic resealable bags containing only those components unique to the game - typically a rules sheet, a playing board printed on card stock, and game cards banded by magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
-cutout "sleeves". This allows the company to produce games for prices well below the market average. Later, Cheapass started offering some higher-quality, full color games under the "James Ernest Games" brand.
Ernest originally developed the idea for selling basic games without all the common components while freelancing at Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
during the 1990s. However, Wizards rejected the idea, and in 1995, Ernest quit and started up the company. Creating the games by hand, he initially showed the games at tradeshows and conventions, resulting in sales demand from game stores. The company creates and assembles each game pack by hand, with most games only being made in runs of up to 5,000 copies.
Cheapass Games and James Ernest have won several awards for game design
Game design
Game design, a subset of game development, is the process of designing the content and rules of a game in the pre-production stage and design of gameplay, environment, storyline, and characters during production stage. The term is also used to describe both the game design embodied in a game as...
including the 2002 Origins Award
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
for best play-by-mail game
Play-by-mail game
Play-by-mail games, sometimes known as "Play-by-post", are games, of any type, played through postal mail or e-mail. One example, chess, has been played by mail for centuries . Another example, Diplomacy, has been played by mail since the 1960s, starting with a printed newsletter written by John...
(Button Men Web Game),
the 2002 Origins Vanguard Award (Diceland
Diceland (dice game)
Diceland is a tabletop game played with collectible sets of dice designed by Toivo Rovainen and James Ernest and released in 2002 by Cheapass Games.Players roll paper cut-out octahedral dice into a combat arena....
), the 1997 Origins Award for best abstract board game (Kill Doctor Lucky
Kill Doctor Lucky
Kill Doctor Lucky is a humorous board game designed by James Ernest and released in 1996 by Cheapass Games. In 1998, Kill Doctor Lucky won the Origins Award for Best Abstract Board Game of 1997....
), and the 1997 Origins Award for best traditional card game
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
(Give Me the Brain
Give Me the Brain
Give Me the Brain is a discard-style card game designed by James Ernest and released in 1996 by Cheapass Games.The name derives from the theme; players assume the role of zombies attempting to complete their tasks for the day at Friedey's, a "fast food restaurant for the damned", yet they only have...
). Cheapass' game Pennywise was awarded the parodic
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
2003 "Spud des Jahres" award for most overpriced game by the website Spielboy (see Spiel des Jahres
Spiel des Jahres
The Spiel des Jahres is an award for board and card games, created in 1978 with the stated purpose of rewarding excellence in game design, and promoting top-quality games in the German market. It is thought that the existence and popularity of the award is one of the major drivers of the quality...
).
In October 2007, Cheapass Games stopped updating their web site; a message on the homepage explains: "Cheapass Games is in the process of hibernating, which means we can be a bit sluggish and hard to reach. Most of us have moved on to better careers, and James Ernest is slumbering peacefully in a warm hole in the ground."
In 2009, Cheapass created a Button Men app for the I-phone.
Paizo Publishing
Paizo Publishing
Paizo Publishing is an American publishing company in Redmond, Washington that specializes in game aids and adventures for "the world's oldest fantasy roleplaying game" and its flagship spin-off game and setting, Pathfinder...
is selling some Cheapass games on its website.
In 2011, Cheapass Games resumed updating their website with a new business model: Games are being released for free in PDF format for gamers to print and play, and customers are asked to donate a dollar or two if they like the game. James Ernest says, in the game rules, "I’ve decided to try a different gamble. I’m giving my games away for free. This way, you can read the rules, make a copy, and even play the thing, before you decide what it’s worth. If you do like my games, I hope you will send me some money. But I’m also hoping you will share this experiment with your friends. You are my sales force, my marketing department, my demo team." New games are usually accompanied by the Ransomometer, where potential customers are encouraged to donate a certain dollar amount before a game is released to the public.
List of Cheapass Games
Several of the older games are out of print but are offered for free by Cheapass as what they term "orderware": the cards, rules, or other game materials may be downloaded for free, and Cheapass requests that if the recipient likes the game he order ten dollars worth of other game materials from the company.- Before I Kill You, Mr. BondBefore I Kill You, Mr. BondBefore I Kill You, Mr. Bond was a card game designed by James Ernest and published by Cheapass Games. Players took the roles of supervillains in a spy movie, capturing superspies and taunting them. Other players can foil the taunts by playing another taunt with a letter that corresponds to the...
(a game of attracting interesting people to your lair, then killing them. Reissued in 2004 as James Ernest's Totally Renamed Spy Game) - Ben Hurt (An out of print game involving betting and chariot races)
- The Big Idea (A game involving venture capitalism and marketing)
- Bitin' Off HedzBitin' Off HedzBitin' Off Hedz is a board game produced by Cheapass Games for 2 to 6 players. The players take the role of dinosaurs, each ready to be the first to throw themselves into a volcano....
(A simple game of dinosaurs and rocks) - Bleeding Sherwood (An out of print game with a Robin Hood theme available for download)
- Brawl (A real-time card gameReal-time card gameA real-time card game is a card game in which all players may act simultaneously .The card game Set has a real-time element; in Set, the players are racing to identify patterns in the cards on the table...
) - Button MenButton MenButton Men is a dice game for two players, invented by James Ernest of Cheapass Games and first released in 1999.Games are short, typically taking less than ten minutes to play. Each player is represented by a pin-back button of their choice...
(A collectible button-and-dice game, sold in sets of two or five buttons) - Captain Park's Imaginary Polar Expedition (A game of faking travels)
- The Chief Herman games:
- Chief Herman's Holiday Fun Pack
- Chief Herman's Next Big Thing
- DeadwoodDeadwood (game)Deadwood is a board game for 3-8 players produced by Cheapass Games. In it, players assume the roles of bit actors working for a B-Movie Studio who try to make as much money as possible. This is done by taking on roles such as "man on fire," "woman in black dress," and "falls off roof." Players are...
(A game of bad actors) - The Devil Bunny games:
- Devil Bunny Needs a HamDevil Bunny Needs a HamDevil Bunny Needs a Ham is a board game by Cheapass Games for 2-4 players. In the game, sous-chefs try to climb up a building while Devil Bunny attempts to knock them off in the mistaken belief that doing so will get him a ham....
(A game of buildings and Devil Bunny) - Devil Bunny Hates the EarthDevil Bunny Hates the EarthDevil Bunny Hates the Earth is a board game for 2-5 players produced by Cheapass Games. According to the plot, Devil Bunny is trying to destroy the earth by making "very unsatisfying" salt water taffy. The players, as the taffy machines, are trying to stop Devil Bunny and save the earth by luring...
(A game of squirrels, taffy machines, and Devil Bunny)
- Devil Bunny Needs a Ham
- DicelandDiceland (dice game)Diceland is a tabletop game played with collectible sets of dice designed by Toivo Rovainen and James Ernest and released in 2002 by Cheapass Games.Players roll paper cut-out octahedral dice into a combat arena....
(A collectible cardboard dice game. Multiple sets) - The Digital EelDigital EelDigital Eel is a self-funded independent video game development team located in the Seattle, Washington area. The group was formed in 2001 by Rich Carlson , Iikka Keränen and Bill "Phosphorus" Sears .-Developers:*Rich Carlson - design, sound, music and art*Iikka Keränen - design, code and...
computer games- Plasmaworm
- Strange Adventures in Infinite SpaceStrange Adventures in Infinite SpaceStrange Adventures In Infinite Space is a hybrid strategy/adventure computer game. It was created by the independent game development group Digital Eel. In the game players explore a "plausibly implausible" region of the Milky Way galaxy called The Purple Void.Unlike "one time through" story...
- Dr. Blob's Organism
- Big Box of Blox
- Boiler Plate Special
- The Doctor LuckyKill Doctor LuckyKill Doctor Lucky is a humorous board game designed by James Ernest and released in 1996 by Cheapass Games. In 1998, Kill Doctor Lucky won the Origins Award for Best Abstract Board Game of 1997....
games:- Kill Doctor LuckyKill Doctor LuckyKill Doctor Lucky is a humorous board game designed by James Ernest and released in 1996 by Cheapass Games. In 1998, Kill Doctor Lucky won the Origins Award for Best Abstract Board Game of 1997....
(A game of killing and not being seen) - Kill Doctor Lucky—Craigdarroch (Another place to kill)
- Save Doctor Lucky (A game of saving and being seen)
- Save Doctor Lucky on Moon Base Copernicus (Another place to save)
- Kill Doctor Lucky
- Enemy Chocolatier
- Escape from Elba (An out of print game of many d6 and spelling weapons)
- FallingFalling (game)Falling is a real-time card game from James Ernest in which all players are falling from the sky for no apparent reason. The object of the game is to hit the ground last...
(An out of print real time game about falling to your death) - FightballFightballFightball is a real-time card game designed by James Ernest and Mike Selinker and published by Cheapass Games in 2002. Fightball is the third real-time card game published by Cheapass Games, following the success of Falling and Brawl....
(A real-time card gameReal-time card gameA real-time card game is a card game in which all players may act simultaneously .The card game Set has a real-time element; in Set, the players are racing to identify patterns in the cards on the table...
about a futuristic sport) designed with Mike SelinkerMike SelinkerMike Selinker is a game designer whose design credits include Pirates of the Spanish Main and Fightball with James Ernest, Axis & Allies Revised Edition with Larry Harris, the Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game, and Risk Godstorm. He was a creative director for the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons... - Fight City (A trading card game of gangs and cards)
- FreeloaderFreeloader (game)Freeloader is a game published by Cheapass Games. The object of the game is to mooch as much free stuff as possible off of your friends and neighbours....
(A game about borrowing all that you can) - The Friedey'sFriedey'sFriedey's is a fictional fast food franchise which features in several Cheapass Games products. It is described as a "fast food restaurant for the damned" and is generally staffed by zombies in search of brains...
games:- Give Me the BrainGive Me the BrainGive Me the Brain is a discard-style card game designed by James Ernest and released in 1996 by Cheapass Games.The name derives from the theme; players assume the role of zombies attempting to complete their tasks for the day at Friedey's, a "fast food restaurant for the damned", yet they only have...
(A game of zombies and their jobs) Origins AwardOrigins AwardThe Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
winner for Best Traditional Card Game of 1997 - Dej Sem Mozek (Give Me the Brain IN CZECH!)
- Lord of the FriesLord of the FriesLord of the Fries is a card game created by James Ernest and published by Cheapass Games and Steve Jackson Games. In 2008 Steve Jackson Games released a new edition with revised game components....
(A game of zombies and fast food orders) - Change! (An out of print game of zombies and money)
- The Great Brain RobberyThe Great Brain RobberyThe Great Brain Robbery is a board game designed by James Ernest and released in 2000 by Cheapass Games.It is a wild west-themed sequel to Give Me the Brain, and the fourth in the Friedey's series of games...
(A game of zombies and train robbery) Origins AwardOrigins AwardThe Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
winner for Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Board Game 2000 - Dead Money (A game of zombies, the wild west and losing at poker)
- Give Me the Brain
- Get Out (A game of finding work)
- Girl Genius: The WorksGirl Genius: The WorksGirl Genius: The Works is a card game played with a specially designed deck of 108 cards. The game, designed by Phil Foglio and James Ernest, takes its theme from the "gaslamp fantasy" of the Girl Genius comic book series...
(A game of Phil FoglioPhil FoglioPhilip "Phil" Foglio is an American cartoonist and comic book artist best known for his humorous science fiction and fantasy work.-Early life and career:...
's Girl Genius comic) - The Grave Robber games:
- Parts Unknown (An out of print game of mad scientists and economics)
- RenfieldRenfield (card game)Renfield is a trick-taking card game produced by Cheapass Games. It is a social gambling game for four to seven players.The game is based on a theme of "eating insects", both the theme and the name derived from the character of Renfield in Dracula...
(An out of print game that plays like a combination of Poker and Hearts. Available for download)
- The Hip Pocket games:
- Agora (A game of market stalls)
- The Big Cheese (A small bidding game featuring mice and dice)
- Cube Farm (A game of cubicle layout)
- Light Speed (A real-time card gameReal-time card gameA real-time card game is a card game in which all players may act simultaneously .The card game Set has a real-time element; in Set, the players are racing to identify patterns in the cards on the table...
about mining spaceships) - Nexus (A game of nodes)
- Safari Jack Remix (A game of tracking animals)
- Steam Tunnel (A game of tunnel control)
- TimeLine (A game of time travel)
- The Very Clever Pipe GameThe Very Clever Pipe GameThe Very Clever Pipe Game is a card game produced by Cheapass Games. It can be played by 2-4 people, or more in teams. Like other pipe games, the objective can be to create a closed circuit in pipes of your color by playing cards from your hand. When you accomplish this, you pick up the cards. ...
(A game of connecting pipes)
- Huzzah! (A game of Renaissance Fairs. Available for download)
- Jacob Marley, Esq. (A game of loans)
- James Ernest Writes Off Another Trip to VEGAS (An out of print game of casinos and cheating)
- Landyland (A promotional game using Magic: The GatheringMagic: The GatheringMagic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
s basic lands) - Mana Burn (An out of print promotional game using Magic: The GatheringMagic: The GatheringMagic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
cards) - The One False Step games:
One False Step for MankindOne False Step for Mankind is a board game designed by James Ernest and published by Cheapass Games in 2003. Players play the role of town mayors, seeking to become governor of California in 1849...
(A game of getting to the moon) - One False Step Home (A game of getting back from the moon)
Beatnik Turtle
Beatnik Turtle is an indie rock band from Chicago formed in 1998. Beatnik Turtle plays alternative and pop-rock "with a sense of humor." Their sound is rooted in the song-based pop-rock sound of They Might Be Giants, Fountains of Wayne, The Saw Doctors, Barenaked Ladies, Cracker, Cake, and The...
based on Cheapass's games)
U.S. Patent No. 1
U.S. Patent No. 1 is a board game designed by Falko Goettsch & James Ernest, and published by Cheapass Games in 2001.Each player's goal is to assemble a complete time machine , and travel back to the day the U.S...
(A game of racing through time to get the first patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
issued)
Unexploded Cow
Unexploded Cow is a card game by Cheapass Games in which the objective is to blow up unexploded bombs in France with mad cows from Britain, earning money in the process. The winner is the person who collects the most money.-External links:...
(A game of marching mad cows through bomb fields)