The Workshop of James Ernest
Crab Fragment Labs is the gathering place for all of game inventor James Ernest’s creative output, including original tabletop games, instructional videos, works of fiction, and more. Support us on Patreon!
Welcome!
You have discovered Crab Fragment Labs, an imaginary tropical paradise dedicated to the works of James Ernest. We recently regained complete control of the Cheapass Games catalog. Read our latest newsletter here.
Crab Fragment Labs has tabletop games, design and travel blogs, instructional articles and videos, short fiction, and 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. And for news sent directly to your electronic mailbox, please subscribe to our newsletter using the link below.
Recent News
June 17, 2025: New Video, How to Play Sandy Diggs. This game is still in development but we’ve posted a “How to Play” video that gets you up to speed. Once known as “Tomb of the Ancients,” Sandy Diggs is a lightweight puzzle-based archaeology game. See it now!
June 16, 2025: Under Old Management! Crab Fragment Labs is pleased to annouce that we have regained ownership of the Cheapass Games catalog. This is a collection of more than 100 games, and we’re just starting to sort them all out.
June 11, 2025: KublaCon Travel Video. Join James Ernest as he plays games and interviews gamers at KublaCon, in Burlingame CA. This was the weekend after we got Cheapass Games back (see above) and James was pretty excited about that.
May 27, 2025: Bread Basket Pitch Video. We don’t have a full “how to play” video for Bread Basket yet, but this video was thrown together for a publisher pitch. It’s better than nothing, and we like Bread Basket now more than ever. Check it out!
May 20, 2025: The Modern Rogue plays Tak! We’re so excited to see these fellows’ take on Tak, which is “About to Be Your New Favorite Game.” Commenters note that it’s hard to find right now, but we’re working behind the scenes to make that easier. Thanks for the shout-out, rogues!
May 19, 2025: Vacation Video: James is about to see all the gamers and play all the games at KublaCon, but recently he made a quick vacation stop in Disneyland. Join James and Toivo as they explore the happiest place on Earth on May 4th, Star wars Day!
April 24, 2025: New Video, How to Play Shipwrights. This video got delayed for a bit (we shot it last year), because we tried for a hot minute to sell this game to a real publisher. That’s not happening, so we’re pleased to add Shipwrights to the shop!
April 8, 2025: New Video, How to Play Paradise Road. A quirky little cross-country racing game on a map of South Carolina, Paradise Road is still in beta, but we thought you’d enjoy a video about the game in its current state.
March 31, 2025: New Video, How to Play The Harvest. This game has been available for a while, and now it finally has a video. The Harvest is an intricate little straregy game with a deck of 36 cards. Check it out!
March 24, 2025: New Video: How to Play Cowards. A new game for the Blossom Deck, Cowards is a two-player bluffing game that divides the deck into Day and Night. Read more about the Blossom Deck at the Island Deck Page.
March 21, 2025: Updates to Cowards and Bulldog. As we begin to tune up our Shop, listing individual games to make them easier to find, we begin with the Blossom Deck. Both Cowards and Bulldog now have updated rules and How to Play videos.
March 12,2025: Back from the Cruise! James Ernest and family have sailed the salty Caribbean aboard the JoCo Cruise, the nerdiest boat on the ocean. If you enjoy our travel recaps, watch the video.
March 10, 2025: New Bread Basket Rules. We’ve taken this old bird out of mothballs and bent her into shape. If you own a Bread Basket deck, don’t worry. The cards haven’t changed, but the rules are better than ever. Try the new Bread Basket today!
March 6, 2025: New Video: How to Play Prudh. “The Gentlemen’s Game” is a streamlined abstract game on a 6x6 checkerboard, using just one type of piece! James Ernest explains the details in this shiny new how-to-play vid. Or visit the Prudh game page here.
February 25, 2025: New Video: DunDraCon. Travel with James Ernest to Santa Clara CA, for a weekend of gaming. James sits with the finest game designers in the Bay Area and tests Cold Comfort, Farmer’s Market, Bread Basket, and more.
Please Support Us on Patreon
We have a Patreon page, as you might expect, and you can help us immeasurably by joining our cadre of Hermit Crabs. If you love what we do, and you want to support our huge catalog of free content, please become a Hermit Crab today!
