Avoiding the Roach from Beyond the Grave

[Jeremiah Lahnum]

I just read this game a few days ago and I'm eager to play it.  Other members of my group are pretty excited as well.  One thing I like is the competitive nature of the game in conjunction with the cooperative narrative aspects.  One thing that stemmed from running though the rules with a friend of mine was the idea of creating various play strategies to win the end game. 

One thing my friend brought up was the idea of using death to avoid being roach bound during the end game.  I wasn't sure if this was a legal way of going about things or not honestly.  I know it says pretty clearly that one cannot call for the death of another PC in any narration.  However, it does not say you cannot call for you own death during narration.  Does this mean you can choose to die during a scene?  If so, do you operate the same way you would when you are otherwise immobilized during play? (from insanity, grievous injuries, etc.)

If you can operate by proxy in scenes and gain and lose reputation by influencing scenes from beyond the game, can you therefore win the end game as a dead character who is not roach bound?  Part two of that question is if you choose to introduce say a Graduate Assistant of your now deceased character to act as his proxy, can that NPC get roached, by choice or by card draw?  If that NPC gets roached does this count against you having the roach at end game?  I would imagine it would, but I wanted to be sure.

[Jason Morningstar]

Hey Jeremiah,

Thanks for the excellent questions.  I'm almost out the door to Gen Con, so I may not be checking in for a while if you have additional questions. 

One warning - it isn't a fair game.  Meaning that there are some good strategies if you want to maximize reputation, but you stand an excellent chance of getting cruelly and arbitrarily kicked in the teeth by random fate at the worst possible moment.  So definitely go for the throat, but do it with a sense of fatalism and fun.  I've seen games where one player very seriously collected reputation and handily won the game, oblivious to the fact that his friends were falling down laughing and having a great time with their utterly hosed, Roach-bound freaks. 

You can totally kill your character or narrate your own character's death in the sixth and final event if you want.  Many people do, because it often just makes gruesome sense based on their story arc.  This has no material effect on reputation or Roached-ness, other than narrative color - as a general rule Roaches don't die, ever.  Usually this occurs after everybody knows how things are going to turn out, but not always.

There's no reason you can't win after death.  Totally allowable. 

I've never seen a proxy get Roached, but I think in play I'd leave that up to the player - maybe his (jailed / hospitalized) character gets Roached, maybe his proxy does.  Whatever makes the most sense and is the most fun - the effect is the same, it just colors events differently.  No matter what choices you make (or what cards force on you), you are still playing your professor, and it is his reputation and fate that is in the balance. 

Thanks again!  Have fun and post an actual play report about your session; I'd love to read it.

[Jeremiah Lahnum]

Hey Jason,

Thanks for getting back to me.  I think that answers most of my questions.  Yeah, we're definitely looking forward to the game and with my group we'll have a blast I'm sure.  Nothing like playing stuffy early 1900's professors who are sometimes forced to do insane things at public events to make for a fun evening. 

I'll let you know how the game plays out as we'll probably be checking it out in a couple of days here.