The Games of James Ernest
James Ernest has been creating original tabletop games for thousands of years. His newest ones are some of the best.
Cheapass Games and Crab Fragment Labs are two sides of the same coin, with Cheapass Games encompassing more than 150 games thirty years of publishing, and Crab Fragment representing newer and more experimental games, with another fifty titles. Journey with us now into the magical land of James Ernest’s overactive imagination.
Read our latest newsletter here, and visit the schedule page here.
Recent News:
May 26, 2026: The Return of Starbase Jeff! We have finally figured out how to make cards in different shapes than DriveThru offers, by printing them on full sheets and cutting them at home. Now you can get Starbase Jeff, the original Cheapass space-building game, exclusively from our web store. Check it out!
May 20, 2026: Introducing Bad Assassin: We’re pleased to announce our newest Cheapass Game, Bad Assassin, is now available at DriveThruCards. You’ll need an Island Deck, along with some basic spare parts. If you don’t have an Island Deck, or want another one, we’ve created the Spyland Deck specifically for this game.
May 9, 2026: Introducing the Game Cellar. This is a new page at Crab Fragment Labs, aimed specifically at publishers. It’s a list of some of our best new games, all available for licensing. The Game Cellar is really just another way to present the same information again in a different order, but if you’re a publisher, check it out!
April 27, 2026: Doctor Lucky Lives. We are thrilled to annouce the Tideover Edition of Kill Doctor Lucky, now available at DriveThruCards. The board and cards are sold separately, and you’ll also need the rules (here) and some pawns. This isn’t really new, just something to keep the game in print before the next big edition.
March 16, 2026: Lord of the Fries returns: We’ve added six Lord of the Fries decks to DriveThruCards, along with a menu pack that includes all six core restaurants, plus three bonus menus, and the full rules. Read all about it and grab your copies now!
March 10, 2026: New Game, Hard Pass. You’re lost in the mountains in the dead of winter, and eating your relatives to survive, in this quaint bluffing game for a standard poker deck. Hard Pass is the newest game at the Ready Room, and you can play it with our new Kill Doctor Lucky poker deck, just added on DriveThruCards.
February 27, 2026: GAMA Trade Show. James and Carol spent the week at the GAMA Trade Show in Louisville, fearlessly searching for homes for some of our greatest games. More details to follow, as soon as paperwork gets signed.
February 17, 2026: New Video. The Aesthetics of Chance is a discussion of randomness in game design, and some of the better ways to use it. This is another of James’ lectures from Gen Con 2025. Visit the Lecture Hall for more!
February 9, 2026: New Pairs Deck. By popular request, we’ve added the Antique Fruit Pairs Deck to our listings at DriveThruCards. This old-fashioned deck was hand-illustrated by BJ Becker, our very own Doctor Lucky, and of course it’s a perfect deck for all of your favorite Pairs games.
January 15, 2026: Meat on Swords! The first Cheapass Game of 2026. Meat on Swords is a press-your-luck game in the Lord of the Fries series, with all-new zombie art by Brian Snoddy and Nate Taylor. Read all about it here, buy it at the Shop, and watch the fresh how to play video!
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