Designer and publisher James Ernest has single-handedly revived the micro-game. His venture, Cheapass Games, has caught the attention of a lot of people, with two Origins awards, a high-profile plug in GAMES magazine's GAMES 100, and hot sales across the country. We wanted to know a little more about James, so we invited him for a dialogue in the Pyramid. Here's what we got:
Pyramid (S. John Ross): What were you playing before playing became a vocation?
James Ernest: Pool. Poker. Blackjack. I'm not really a hobby gamer, though I confess to playing a lot of Magic: The Gathering when it came out. We were closely involved with WotC at the time; Dave Howell used to bring boxes of boosters over to our house.
Pyramid: Do you play Blackjack just for kicks, or do you practice any kind of count?
James: I'm learning a level 2 count called the Advanced Omega 2 System. Don't blame me, I didn't name it. It's in a great book called Blackjack for Blood, by Bryce Carlson.
Pyramid: And do you still play Magic?
James: No, I don't play Magic any more . . .
Pyramid: What was your relationship with WotC?
James: We knew people who worked there. Dave Howell, Beverly Marshall, and by extension Peter and Cathleen. My wife, Carol Monahan, got a job there just after Magic came out.
Pyramid: Were you involved with the creation of any of the popular WotC games?
James: I've done some freelance copy writing for WotC, including three (yes, three) drafts of the Magic rules. After going . . .This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: September 25, 1998
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