Read Something.
Biblioteca del Cangrejo
In 2021, James Ernest started publishing works of short fiction right here. Some of these works are game-related, and some are not.
As of September 2023, the Library still has just a few works of various types and genres. But soon….
Welcome to the Library.
James Ernest is secretly a writer who also makes games. You can tell this by reading the cover of basically anything he has ever published. His first formal game design was central to a fantasy novel that he outlined in high school, about a fantasy kingdom at war with demons.
James is also an accomplished technical writer, whose first game-industry job was compiling the digest of the Magic: the Gathering Usenet group, mtg-l, and whose second industry job included re-writing the rules for Magic four times.
After his semi-retirement with the sale of Cheapass Games in 2019, and the work stoppage that hit everyone in 2020, James is turning slowly back to his old hobby of writing, and bringing the results to this library. The most ambitious of these is the ten-part novella, Ten Cards Up.
If you want to read more, look for books by James Ernest including:
Contact Juggling: Ernest Graphics Press, 1991 / 2011
Contact Juggling: ebook, 2011
Dealer’s Choice: Lone Shark Games, Second Edition 2021
Cheapass Games in Black and White: Cheapass Games, 2019
Brian and John: The Book: Webcomic compilation, 2011
Brian and John: The Book: ebook, 2011
Ten Cards Up: The Story of Canyon Red
Ten Cards Up is a novella set in the world of Carrisor. This ten-part story was released as two chapters per month, starting in August 2022. The story follows a talented gamer, who has a gift for predicting the winner of a gambling game, and features several original games you can find at Crab Fragment Labs.
Read the story here!
The Vines Characters
This page is a description of the characters and setting of the Vines Deck. It’s completely irrelevant to the game, but might be of interest for fans of the universe.
The Cottage War
The story of the Cottage War is part of the backstory of the Vines deck. It’s completely unnecessary, which is what makes it so great.
Writing Prompts Vol. A
Several years ago, I bought a book filled with interesting writing prompts. I replied to the first five prompts immediately, but never picked it up again.
One Hundred Lies, Vol.1
BRIAN: John, have you ever started your own blog? JOHN: No, but I will tell you a lie about it. (1640 words)
The Devil’s Walk
Jereal is an angel. A literal ethereal mystical being. And when he noticed that I was stuck at home and bored, he decided to introduce himself. (7700 words)
Henry at the Diner
There was a thick smell of fried food that even this rain couldn't beat out of the air, and Henry couldn't resist going back inside. (725 words)
Into the Catacombs
We forged a bond that would last through the fall, into the following spring, and even for a short while after she killed me. (6700 Words)