WITCH TRIAL

Ah, the invigorating smells of Springtime. The damp, musky nose of the courtroom. The smoky, sweaty aroma of the Guilty. And the sweet, sweet smell of our daily bread.

In a century where witchcraft runs rampant and American civil law is in its infancy, nothing could be more rewarding than being a trial lawyer. In Witch Trial, you will do your best to persuade an unpredictable jury of the innocence and guilt of dozens of hard cases.

Of course, it really doesn’t matter who lives and who dies. Because, like everything else, it’s all about the money.

In Witch Trial, you play an attorney at a prestigious law firm. You will act as a prosecutor or defender in several cases involving unmarried women, free thinkers, vegetarians, the homeless, and other undesirable types. While witchcraft per se isn’t really a crime, it’s customary to bring suspects into court on related offenses, such as card playing, smoking, and tampering with the post.

This game requires lawyer-like reflexes, a little bit of luck, and the willingness to bargain when you know you can’t win.

Witch Trial was released in 2001 and remains one of the most popular Cheapass Games of all time. This new edition contains all-new cards (and all-old art) and a lovely new full-color board.

You will need the top three files below to make your own copy of Witch Trial. There is a rulebook, a one-page board, and a deck of 90 cards. The last page of the rulebook contains some suggestions for how to make the cards. Optional files include the card backs, and a full-bleed PDF of the board in case you, like James Ernest, would like to make a mouse pad out of it.

Witch Trial was designed by James Ernest and contains lovely royalty-free artwork from celebrated and often-used game illustrator Charles Dana Gibson. It is meant as a parody of the legal system and is not in any way an incrimination of real witches, should there be such a thing.