The Workshop of James Ernest
Crab Fragment Labs is a harmless byproduct of designer James Ernest, who struggles against his better nature to create an implausible profusion of original tabletop games. Support us on Patreon!
Welcome!
You have discovered Crab Fragment Labs, an imaginary tropical paradise dedicated to the games of James Ernest. Read our latest newsletter here.
Crab Fragment Labs has tabletop games, design and travel blogs, instructional articles and videos, short fiction, and so much more. You’ll find dozens of free print-and-play games, mostly still in development, and a Shop with PDFs of historic Cheapass Games.
You’ll want to start your adventure at the Games Page or the Map Room. We have a lot of stuff, and the list is growing all the time.
If you’d like to know where James Ernest is headed next, please check the Schedule page. And for news sent directly to your electronic mailbox, please subscribe to our newsletter, using the link below.
Recent News
February 18, 2025: New Cold Comfort Draft: This one’s getting close. We played a bunch of Cold Comfort at DunDraCon this weekend, and the changes keep getting smaller and smaller. But this new draft has pretty pictures on the city cards, and a few new abilities on the citizens. Check it out and see!
February 13, 2025: New Video: How to Play Bulldog. The newest game for the newest deck, Bulldog is a gambling game for the Blossom Deck (found on the Island Deck page). Watch James Ernest get it mostly right as he teaches this new game off the cuff.
February 9, 2025: Update to Farmer’s Market: It’s still new but it’s pretty good aready, If you have a Vines or Postas deck, or any 5-suited deck, please try this new bidding game with us! Rules for Farmer’s Market are located on the Vines page.
February 4, 2025: New Insights Video. This one’s a half-and-half. A brief demonstration of making the tile cards from Cold Comfort, then a discussion of the evolution of the city-building rules.
February 2, 2025: New Design Article. A student recently wrote us asking for some basic game design advice. It has been forever since James added to the Lecture Hall, so these answers are posted there for all to enjoy.
January 28, 2025: New Video, Holiday Gifts. James Ernest unboxes a new puzzle made by friend and Hermit Crab Greg Whitehead, and also talks about the new HD studio camera and the basics of his video setup. You can also read about the puzzle at Greg’s page.
January 21, 2025: Doctor Sweet is Here! After many months of testing, we have finally posted the first playable version of Doctor Sweet’s Carnival of Chocolate Horrors. This game is still new, but we really like it, and we think it’s going places. See for yourself.
January 16, 2025: Cold Comfort Returns! It slept all summer, but we finally got Cold Comfort back to the table, and we’re so happy with the results. The game is shaping up nicely, and we hope you’ll check out the latest build.
January 16, 2025: New Video, Bulldog. James Ernest visits the biweekly game designers’ meetup in Seattle and talks about inventing a new rule for starting the game of Bulldog.
January 9, 2025: New Video, A Day at the Faire. James Ernest and friends visit the Las Vegas renaissance faire on the occasion of James’ birthday, and shenanigans ensue.
January 2, 2025: New Video, PAX Unplugged. Join James Ernest and friends as they enjoy the cold, cold weather in Philadelphia.
December 26: New Video, Insights 3. Fast on the heels of #2, this video is a quick peek into the process of making game components for Cold Comfort, specifically a slightly better set of hotel tiles.
December 16: New Video, Insights 2. James Ernest has made a second Insights video! Join him at GobbleCon as he works out the mechanics to a brand new game, codenamed Amis Amusants.
December 1: New Video, Insights. James Ernest is back in the studio, cutting a new series of videos called Insights, about the challenges of game making. This five-minute clip breaks down his process for building a deck for The Curse of Poppy Hollow.
November 20: Introducing Paradise Road. Twenty years ago, in the fall of 2005, James Ernest invented a racing board game. The idea was cute, but it never really worked, either as a game or as a product. Now James is taking another stab at this hidden gem, with much better results. Read the details and play the game today!
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