The Shab-al-Hiri Roach

The Shab-al-Hiri Roach is a tabletop roleplaying game set at Pemberton University in September 1919. Players take on roles as professors at the university during the start of a new academic year. The game centers on an ancient Sumerian mind-controlling parasite that finds its way to campus. Through competitive scenarios, players navigate academic politics and social encounters while potentially coming under the influence of the roach. Players earn points through succeeding at their goals and maintaining their academic reputation. The mechanics involve cards that present scenes and situations, with dice rolls determining outcomes. The game explores themes of free will, institutional power structures, and the moral compromises people make in pursuit of status. Its commentary on academia and human nature emerges through dark humor and supernatural horror elements.

Readers find the premise and dark comedy memorable, but note the game requires the right group to work well. The academic satire resonates with those familiar with university politics. Positives: - Creates compelling stories of academic backstabbing - Simple mechanics support narrative freedom - Black humor hits the mark - Works as both horror and comedy - Cards drive interesting choices Negatives: - Can fall flat with reserved players - Some find the premise too dark - Limited replayability once story beats feel familiar - Needs 3+ players for best results Ratings: Goodreads: 4.07/5 (28 ratings) RPGGeek: 7.47/10 (287 ratings) Common reader quotes: "Perfect for one-shot games with dramatic players" "Captures academic pettiness with brutal accuracy" "Not for groups uncomfortable with dark themes" "Best when players fully commit to the absurdity" Reviews note it works better as a party game than a traditional RPG campaign.

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🎲 "The Shab-al-Hiri Roach" won the 2007 Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming, a prestigious recognition in the tabletop role-playing game industry. 🎓 The game is set at the fictional Pemberton University in 1919, during a time of significant social change and academic upheaval in American higher education. 🐞 Players take on roles of ambitious faculty members who may be compelled to consume a telepathic, mind-controlling roach, creating a darkly comedic struggle between free will and career advancement. ✍️ Jason Morningstar, the creator, is also known for designing "Fiasco," another acclaimed story-driven RPG that emulates caper-gone-wrong films like those of the Coen Brothers. 🎭 The game mechanics use a deck of cards and six-sided dice, with no game master required, making it one of the earlier examples of GM-less role-playing games.