Cockroach Poker Review

“Maaaaaaattt! Matt come quick!”

“What!? What is it?”

“Cockroach Poker has escaped again!”

 

 

 

Players: 2-6

Time: 20 mins

Ages: 8+

 

 

 

 

Cockroach Poker is a game for winners. Because cockroaches, as we all well know, are the winners of the bug world. Near impossible to kill, rapid breeding, able to last a week without its head, cockroaches are the champions. You. Are. A cockroach!

Except somewhere around the table, one of your number is masquerading as a cockroach. They aren’t a winner! They are little more than a Stink Bug! (One of those green, shield shaped bugs that no one from the UK recognises) You must find that weak link in your midst! The most reliable method for identifying them? Playing Cockroach Poker of course.

(Yes, Cockroach Poker is secretly a social deduction game)

Cockroach Poker is simplicity itself. Give me a second to gather up some of these cards and I’ll tell you about it…

So, the eclectic combination of hideous yet wonderfully illustrated cards start off spread throughout everyone’s hands like some sort chitinous butter, or jam. Or marmalade! Yes, there would definitely be some bits in Cockroach Poker spread… Anyway! All of these creatures wish to be returned to their natural habitat: sat on a table in front of a player. And we’re going to help them do just that.

Whoever is nominated to go first by virtue of “best cockroach impression” or “most impressive toad-like burp”, or however you people tend to determine these things, selects one of their cards and seductively slides it – no, wait that’s the wrong adverb. Don’t play Cockroach Poker on a date, that’d be weird. That card should in some way scurry across the table to lay sickeningly face down in front of someone.

“It’s a rat,” the passing player will say.

And now, you have a choice. You can call them on it.

“That’s not a rat!” you’ll say and flip it over forcefully to express your disgust that your friend should lie to you so. Cockroach Poker players should always be honest, upstanding members of cockroach society.

If you’re wrong you’ll graciously accept that card and put it in front of you with an apology for your dirty, stink bug-like behaviour. If you’re right you’ll throw* that card back in the liar’s face! (And onto table in front of them) How dare they be so disrespectful!?

*gently

Now, instead you can say something like

“well, yes, of course it’s a rat!”

And you’ll flip it over to show everyone how obvious the whole situation is. And if you’re right you’ll throw* that card back in their face – no decent member of the cockroach community should try and foist a terrible creature on their neighbours! And if you’re wrong you’ll naturally keep it in front of you.

*gently

So you see, when you pass a card to a player, do you lie or tell the truth? Both routes offer the same terrible danger. But there are 8 different creatures in the deck so it’s more likely a player will guess that you’re lying… right!? But then maybe everyone knows you’re thinking that!

Already this beautifully simple system is funny! You have a huge flush of relief when someone calls you’re claim wrong, a glorious fist pump moment when you call it right, and no matter who takes the card it’s inevitably funny for everyone else. It gets even funnier as it goes on too, because the game is over and your stink-bug ex-friend is identified either when someone has 4 of the same card face up in front of them or someone has taken so many different cards that they run out of cards to play (when you take a card you play the next one). So when people start getting 2 of a kind and then 3 of a kind the excitement and the schadenfreude gets higher!

And there is one more option open to the receiving player, an option that takes this simple, pure bluffing game and elevates it to the level of pure, undeniable genius.

The receiving player can look at the card and pass it to the someone else, and

They can claim it’s anything they want to.

So let’s see how a typical turn goes! The first player choses a card and passes it to player 2, claiming it’s a toad, confident that they’ll probably look at it and pass it on. Player 2 does that. Of course they do. There are still two players left! Player 2 glances at the card attempting to maintain their best cockroach face (player 1 is grinning at this point, they’re safe now!). Player 2 passes it to player 3. “It’s a bat”

(It’s not, the bats are still all in the cupboard)

Player 3 is feeling nervous. They know if they look at it they have to pass it to player 4 who is going to have to guess (they’re the last player!). Will player 3 be able to bluff them? But if they don’t look they’ll need to call Player 2’s bluff. Meanwhile Player 1 is grinning evilly, and Player 4 is desperately praying Player 3 will guess so that they don’t have to!

It’s brilliant! Everyone is constantly engaged because either they are trying to glean as much information as possible before they have to face the card, or they’re sitting back and giggling at everyone who’s still sweating! So when a call is finally made you all laugh at the loser because you knew what was going on the whole time or you’re so relieved it wasn’t you getting the card.

And the moment that pattern breaks is even funnier. When Player 2 just decides, screw it, I’m going to guess Player 1 is telling the truth and *Boom*, of course they were. That’s funny. When Player 1, shocked that they are now having to play another card so soon, obviously passes it back to the same Player 2 to teach them a lesson and Player 2 guesses right, again. The table’s in hysterics. But now Player 1 is committed and of course throws a card right back at Player 2!

Things just get more intense as players start to gather cards. As soon as you have a particular card plonked embarrassingly in front of you it’s as if you’re sat there naked*: suddenly everyone’s looking at you and they are all trying to pass you more of that card. Once you have 3 of a card (one away from losing) you’re under constant threat! But then, you know everyone has it in for you and, in many ways, that gives you something of an edge. I mean, it’s a pretty rubbish edge but, hey, you’re desperate at this point, quit complaining!

*Creaking Shelves does not condone strip Cockroach Poker. I mean, we don’t discourage it either, mind.

Wow. Cockroach Poker is fantastic! Now, you do have to enjoy bluffing, and you have to accept that if you’re not doing well, everyone is going to gang up on you, but then you can alleviate that issue by making sure someone else becomes a viable target too! So long as you enjoy bluffing and get any joy from laughing at your friends this is an absolute must have! I’d probably say that it’s better than bluffing classic Skull (that I’ve always loved). You can play it thinkey. But you can just rip loose and play it for laughs and Skull’s just not quite as pure, not quite as effortlessly elegant. Get it. Be a cockroach.

 

Rating: A True Cockroach

 

Right, after all that rolling around with the bugs, I’d better go have a shower – oh FFS!

Our copy of Cockroach Poker was sent to us for review by Coiledspring Games. You can pick it up for a snip at only £10.