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".[1] 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.[2]
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),[3] the 2002 Origins Vanguard Award (Diceland),[3] the 1997 Origins Award for best abstract board game (Kill Doctor Lucky),[4] and the 1997 Origins Award for best traditional card game (Give Me the Brain).[4] 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.
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.