James Ernest (born October, 1968)[1] is an Americangame designer andjuggler, best known as the owner and lead designer ofCheapass Games.[2]
Prior to founding Cheapass Games, Ernest worked as a juggler at various venues,[3] includingCamlann Medieval Village,[4] and as a freelancer withWizards of the Coast.[3] He also worked forCarbonated Games.[5] He has also created games for other publishers includingRio Grande Games andWizKids.[6] In 2005,Paizo Publishing createdTitanic Games with Ernest andMike Selinker.[7]
Ernest's games includeUnexploded Cow,[8]Kill Doctor Lucky,The Big Idea and the game originally known asBefore I Kill You, Mr. Bond (that game was eventually renamed after complaints from the owners of the Bond franchise). He has had success withKickstarter, successfully crowdfunding games like a new version ofUnexploded Cow andGet Lucky (which takes the concept and core mechanics ofKill Doctor Lucky and adapts it as a card game), among others.
Ernest wrote, produced, directed, edited, and created music for the short filmThe Man Between (2003)[9] and wrote the bookDealer's Choice: The Complete Handbook of Saturday Night Poker. His first publication was the bookContact Juggling in 1990.
In 2014 James began collaborating withPatrick Rothfuss to create an abstract strategy game calledTak, based on a game described in Rothfuss's 2011 bookThe Wise Man's Fear. In April 2016 they launched aKickstarter campaign to bring the game to actual publication. The campaign ended on May 20 to great success, with 12,187 backers pledging $1,351,142.[10]
In 2018The Brothers Chaps, creators ofHomestar Runner, collaborated with James to create the cooperative gameTrogdor!! The Board Game. The successful Kickstarter campaign brought in 23,338 backers pledging $1,421,903 upon its completion.[11]