Pyramid Pick
Freeloader Board Game
Published by Cheapass Games
Designed by James Ernest
Art by Cheyenne Wright
54 b&w cards and six board sections; $7.50
Where James Ernest got the idea gamers would like to play layabouts making a living off other people is a complete mystery, but that's the premise of the Cheapass game Freeloader ("a game for 3-6 losers"). The object is to get the most points by trading favors to the folks who live in a little neighborhood in exchange for stuff you can borrow -- and which you will return Real Soon Now. With everyone mooching off the same people, it's a race to see who can be the most popular and squid the most stuff.
The game board is a set of six houses laid out in a ring; spaces in front of each house connect to make a circular route. In front of each house is a face-up card with an item on it: Food, Clothing, Shelter, or Finer Things. The rest of the cards sit in the middle, waiting to be drawn. Players move their tokens (which you must supply) around the inside of this circle, trying to get cards and play them from their hand into their Stuff pile. You can only play a card if you can afford the cost in favors -- those little things you do for your rich friends that make you a barely tolerable nuisance (like walk their dog).
Each turn, you get one action: place a favor, move, draw a card, or play a card. Placing a favor is easy -- just take your token (you have to provide these, too -- about 30 per player) . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: October 25, 2002
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