Cheapass Games Interview

For proof that there's a ton of innovation and good spirit in cheap game-making, look no further than the recent OgreCave interview with James Ernest founder of Cheapass Games. Cheapass has been earning winks and smiles in the paper games industry since they offered people a chance for some organized fun for under $10. Now according to Allan Sugarbaker's interview, they're working on full-color titles and game software tie-ins.

I was pleased to read that they often start their designs from themes and let the game mechanic unfold from that. It gives me hope for my place and people ideas for as-yet-unpublished games. That, and it's always nice to read about hardworking independent artists. James has made game-sharing more important than game graphics or game perfecting. Bully for Cheapass games. Have you tried to buy a nice German boardgame lately? Puerto Rico doesn't go for less than $26 on eBay!

Comments

[Quietmob]

I just clicked through one of their ads on P-A and realized they now make a paperdice version of Ogre! Hot damn, that's about as cool as can be!

[randomlife]

I'm a long-time player of Cheapass games and I've always loved their idea of making little paper games, figuring that most people already have dice, tokens, and paper money from their other games. Why continue charging people for those things? Very innovative and terrific for consumers. I've even subscribed to the game company -- I send them $50 and they just mail me whatever new games they make until the $50 runs out. Then I just send them some more. It's such a wonderful surprise to get a game in the mail that I wasn't expecting.

Plus, they have one of my favorite game titles ever: Devil Bunny Needs a Ham.

[dfinberg]

I like some of the cheapass games offering, but comparing them to Puerto Rico is pretty silly (and I don't even like puerto rico that much!).

If cheapass was putting out games with the lasting appeal of puerto rico, titan, merchants of venus, or mu I think their low end strategy would be interesting, perhaps a variant on what Alan Moon was trying, do a solid prototype to sell the rights to a company that does a fancy production model (doesn't somebody do this with 18xx's?)

But their games are too often only good for a few playings. Most games's cost amortize down to near zero cost per hour anyways, so why bother worrying about that cost to 2 or 3 decimal places? A far bigger constraint for most of us is time to play, not the cost of playing.

[jccalhoun]

The computer game they are distributing, Strange Adventures In Infinite Space is my new adiction. I played the heck out of the demo, and now that I coughed up the cash for the whole game, I am even more adicted. A complete game can be played in less than 20 minutes. This has certainly replaced teh casual game of solitare or minesweeper for me.

[hyhy]

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