THE SHAB-AL-HIRI ROACH

[jmstar]

HISTORICAL PERIOD:
Fall, 1919. The tree-lined campus of Pemberton University.

INGREDIENTS:
Wine
Invincible
Companion
Accuser

RULES LIMITS:
User designed cards
Resolution uses colors

THE PLAYER CHARACTERS ARE:
Faculty members at this small New England institution.

WHAT DO THEY DO:
An entymology professor has returned from Mesopotamia with a curious and horrible new species of roach, gravid with egg sacs. This roach is, in fact, the long-slumbering survivor of the monsters that brought down Sumerian civilization. It can crawl into your mouth while you sleep and take over your mind and body. It whispers to you in Sumerian and you are powerless to resist.

Players enact scenes during the fall semester - faculty council, convocation, wine and cheese parties, lectures and classes. All the while, the Roach moves among them, with its own (card-based) agenda. This agenda includes spreading its brood and destroying civilization.

The game will combine vicious, petty academic politics with stomach-churning horror from humanity's dark past - not too far a stretch, really.

More to come...comments welcome!

[jmstar]

Here are my initial thoughts on setting and character generation:

***THE SHAB-AL-HIRI ROACH

Pemberton University, 1919 - Entomologist and Biology professor William Appleby-Jenkins returns from Mesopotamia with a loathsome, gigantic cockroach.

From the notebook of Appleby-Jenkins:

“I discovered the specimen in a cave near the Shab-Al-Hiri potash mine. It was clinging to the moist underside of a cuneiform tablet of great antiquity which I was obliged to shatter in my efforts to secure this remarkable insect. The lack of frass on the cave floor leads me to believe that there is only a small population of these roaches, and indeed I saw only the current specimen at the time of collection. A further expedition is called for, once the current chaos in the region has settled. I am hopeful that Pemberton will find the funds to send me again.

Specimen is most certainly Blaberoidea; it bears superficial resemblance to both Aptera fusca, the Cape Mountain Cockroach, and supercedes G. portentosa in size at an astonishing and impressive 80 cm. It’s desert home is in the range of neither. There is no question that my specimen is entirely unknown to science, and beautifully repulsive to look upon. I shall call it Blaberidae pingui Jenkinsii, Jenkins’ Greasy Roach.”

Appleby-Jenkins, tragically, committed suicide immediately before the fall semester began. His remarkable insect was accidentally freed, and we can all be thankful that, as an oganism utterly alone on this continent, it cannot breed and multiply.

***ABOUT PEMBERTON UNIVERSITY
A quiet and very old New England institution, Pemberton has a small, pleasantly dilapidated campus dominated by imposing stone buildings in neo-gothic style. Ancient oaks line the flagstone walks. Pemberton isn't very close to anything noteworthy, and the community is insular – perhaps too insular.

Visitors should note that, with the exception of wine, all alcohol is strictly forbidden from the campus. By long-held tradition, wine is offered at every meal, and those who would disparage this practice need look no further than the Holy Bible for the justification of this healthful practice. “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake”, said Paul the Apostle to Timothy. And no less an authority than the late Louis Pasteur said, “Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages”.

Pemberton's motto is Sapientia stellarum nos conservabit ("Starry Wisdom shall save us").

***CHARACTER GENERATION
Your character will need a name and what background color you choose to provide. The “character sheet” consists of three cards – your academic Expertise and a pair of Enthusiasms. You may draw these cards randomly or choose them collectively from the deck, as you wish. Both methods have their advantages. Once cards have been assigned, settle into your character and, in collaboration, work out your relationships with the other player characters.

YOUR EXPERTISE CARD
PCs are all members of the faculty of Pemberton University. You must select a card to determine the department of your Expertise. This selection will dictate your character's professional relationships and, possibly, outlook and disposition toward other faculty members. You roll four dice in conflicts that directly relate to your Expertise.

EXPERTISE CARD LIST
Foreign and Ancient Languages
Art and Art History
History
Literature
Mathematics
Music
Philosophy
Poetry and Drama
Religion
Anthropology
Astronomy
Biology
Botany
Chemistry
Geography
Geology
Physics
Psychology

YOUR ENTHUSIASMS
You must also select a pair of Enthusiasms. You'll want to pick a particular trait or two to emphasize, but the assumption is that is you have a particular Enthusiasm, you are generally competent within that broad field of endeavor. Like your academic Expertise, you roll four dice in conflicts that directly relate to your enthusiasms. It is possible, when fighting the insistent pull of the Roach, to abandon an enthusiasm in exchange for defying the little monster in your head.

ENTHUSIASM CARD LIST (TWO EACH IN THE DECK)
Creativity: Crafting works of beauty and meaning - art, poetry, music, theater, dance, the Great American Novel, that sort of thing.

Cruelty: You like to hurt people, with words or deeds. Nothing pleases you more than bringing someone low or destroying their career.

Debauchery: Drinking, smoking, and gambling. The ability to get along in mixed company and among sailors. Throwing dice, playing cards, holding your own in a bare-knuckle brawl, and knowing where to go to hear jazz.

Deception: Lying, cheating, and stealing of every description. You revel in deceiving others to advance your own agenda.

Gossip: Both spreading and gathering petty intelligence, accurate or wildly speculative. Trivia, disinformation, and smear campaigns may be personal specialties.

Manipulation: Persuasion in every form, from arguing to ego-stroking to seduction to threats of physical violence. You like to have your way.

Pleasure: Romance and furtive sex, sumptuous dinners, expensive art objects, all things hedonistic are important to you.

Research: The bread and butter of the academic, in theory. Dusty library basements and bad-smelling laboratories are more home than home.

Self-Destruction: Taking your other enthusiasm to dangerous extremes – not just debauched, but a raging alcoholic, for example. This enthusiasm allows you to flip dice in any conflict that is likely to injure or kill you.

Sociability: Dancing, making small talk, cleaning up nicely and generally being charming at cocktail parties. Making a good appearance and pleasing those around you is important.

Sport: Playing tennis and lacrosse, hunting, boating, and following the Permberton football team.
Subterfuge: Sneaking around, climbing ivy-covered trellises, picking locks and rifling file cabinets are all familiar to you.

Status: You pursue wealth and power with single-minded sycophancy. Anything you can do to endear yourself to the powerful, further your interests, and build your reputation is fair game.

Technology: Fooling around with things like motorcars, aeroplanes, and wireless sets – you are probably building on of these things in your sitting room.

Wit: You fancy yourself a campus wag, and indulge in clever self-promotion ranging from extempore oratory to scandalous poetry, employing the art of the clever put-down and stinging bon mot.

YOUR RELATIONSHIPS
Organize all players alphabetically by last name. Your character must have a strong positive relationship with character played by the next player in ascending sequence and a strong negative relationship with character played by the next player in descending sequence. If your last name is first or last in order, start over at the top or bottom of the alphabet, forming a chain. Collaborate with the other players to make these relationships fun and filled with interesting conflicts.

[LadyThief]

*pokes head into kitchen* Do I smell a fellow Lovecraft fan?

[jmstar]

[jmstar]

[Walt Freitag]

Okay, let it be known:

No matter how the rest of the game comes out, I want those cards.

So many possible uses in role playing gaming...
...in daily life...

[jmstar]

Right on, Walt!

From the intro:

WHAT DOES THE ROACH WANT?
The Roach has perfected the art of effective control over human beings, but it is a little out of touch. It continues to operate in the Sumerian mode – issuing brutal, cryptic commands and treating its hosts like ignorant cattle. The modern world is not Sumeria, however, and the Roach’s hosts are not as tractable as the servants of the ancient God-Kings.

The Roach wants to get its bearings, stretch its oily legs, and spread its horrible brood across the twentieth century. The Pemberton University campus is a good start.

More character generation:

REPUTATION
Every faculty member has a Reputation, which is tracked using tokens or colored stones. When play begins, every player character has a Reputation of three. This will increase and decrease as scenes play out and Action cards appear.

More rules stuff:

RESOLVING CONFLICTS
To win an interpersonal conflict, you must end the conflict with a number higher than your opponent.

In conflicts involving power, knowledge, status, and privelege, die size ascends with rank. Thus, townsfolk and students roll D4, Assistant Professors roll D6, Full Professors roll D8, and luminaries (Professors Emeriti, the Chancellor) roll D10.

In conflicts involving anything else, die size descends with rank. This, mundanes roll D10, assistant Professors roll D8, full Professors roll D6, and luminaries roll D4.

EXTRA DICE
In conflicts that directly relate to an Expertise or Enthusiasm, you get to roll an extra die of the appropriate size. It is possible to have multiple dice (if more than one Enthusiasm comes into play, for example).

The Roach always contributes a D12 to the person it is possessing. Action card Commands, when acted upon, can contribute a second D12. The Roach is pretty boss.

TAKING SIDES
Player characters, named NPCs, and organized groups (such as a fraternity, housekeepers, or the campus newspaper) can and should join conflicts, contributing their die to the cause.

OPPORTUNITIES AND COMMANDS
Fear the Roach, but also fear the faculty. At the beginning of each scene, every player must draw an Action card. Each Action card has both a Command and an Opportunity on it. If your character is currently possessed by the Roach, you must ignore the Opportunity and carry out the Command (see The Roach Compels You, below). If you are not possessed by the Roach, you are free to act on the Opportunity part of the card. Doing so will have tangible benefits, but there will also be risks. It is entirely optional.

When you draw a card, designate another player whose character will be the focus of that card. Do this openly before you know the content of the card – the Roach may sometimes compel you to ally yourself with someone and sometimes, destroy them. Similarly, Opportunity cards may involve the character you designate. Some cards do not effect others, but if you draw one of these don’t tell.

THE ROACH COMPELS YOU
Pity the wretch possessed by the Roach.

There are 40 Action cards, and each has some Command the Roach requires you to obey. It might be helpful, it might be ruinous, or it might merely be humiliating. You must at least attempt to accomplish what the Roach desires.

Commands are not always straightforward. How, for example, does one bow down to a master that resides in ones sinus cavity? This is for you to decide. You’ll want to carry out the letter of the Roach’s bidding but perhaps not the spirit – for example, if you have to fight someone, perhaps you can arrange to fight him with sharp words rather than, say, butcher knives.

Obeying the will of the Roach as dictated by the Command card, even obliquely, adds a D12 to your effort in that conflict. This is in addition to the D12 you receive for being a slave to the Roach in the first place.

RESISTING THE ROACH
Once possessed, you can resist the Roach and ignore a Command, but it will cost you. There are two ways to resist.

You can sacrifice an Enthusiasm. This should have a noteworthy effect on your demeanor and attitude – you have lost a little bit of what makes you human.

You can also get roaring drunk on the wine freely available at every campus function. Getting drunk in a scene allows you to resist the Roach’s commands, but costs a point of Reputation and lowers your personal die by one size for the entire scene.

If you resist the Roach, you can act on the Opportunity portion of the card if you like.

[hamsterprophet]

[jmstar]

[Jason Petrasko]

Not only does this make me laugh and yet turn my stomach, it smacks of Bubba-hotep greatness!