James Ernest facts for kids

James Ernest (born in October 1968) is an American game designer and juggler. He is best known as the owner and main designer of Cheapass Games. He creates fun and unique board games and card games.

James Ernest's Career

Before starting Cheapass Games, James Ernest worked as a juggler. He performed at different places, including Camlann Medieval Village. He also worked as a freelance designer for Wizards of the Coast, a company famous for games like Magic: The Gathering.

Creating Popular Games

James Ernest has designed many well-known games. Some of his popular creations include Unexploded Cow and Kill Doctor Lucky. He also made The Big Idea. One of his games, Before I Kill You, Mr. Bond, was later renamed.

He has also created games for other companies like Rio Grande Games and WizKids. In 2005, a company called Paizo Publishing started Titanic Games with James Ernest and another designer, Mike Selinker.

Kickstarter Successes

James Ernest has used Kickstarter to fund many of his games. Kickstarter is a way for people to support projects they like with money. He successfully funded new versions of games like Unexploded Cow. He also created Get Lucky, which is a card game based on Kill Doctor Lucky.

Other Creative Work

Besides games, James Ernest has also worked on other creative projects. He wrote a book called Contact Juggling in 1990. This was his first published work. He also created a short film called The Man Between in 2003.

Collaborations with Other Creators

In 2014, James Ernest started working with author Patrick Rothfuss. They created an abstract strategy game called Tak. This game was inspired by a game described in Rothfuss's book, The Wise Man's Fear. In 2016, they launched a Kickstarter campaign for Tak. It was a huge success! Over 12,000 people supported the game, pledging more than $1.3 million.

In 2018, James Ernest teamed up with The Brothers Chaps. They are the creators of the popular cartoon Homestar Runner. Together, they made a cooperative board game called Trogdor!! The Board Game. This Kickstarter campaign was also very successful. More than 23,000 people supported it, raising over $1.4 million.