The Shivah

File:ShivahLarge 5208.jpg

Is there anything more to say?

Rabbi Russell Stone is a conservative Jew who is slowly dying inside. His congregation has mostly left him, his synagogue is falling apart, and he is starting to lose faith in God's benevolence. Then one day, he receives a bit of good news, albeit of the bittersweet variety: a former member of his congregation has died, and left him thousands of dollars with which to pay his overdue rents and keep his synagogue together... there are, however, a few problems.

The dead man Jack Lauder is someone from whom Stone had been estranged for years, so it was quite odd that Lauder would mention Stone in his will. Furthermore, Lauder was murdered, and Stone is a suspect.

Rather than take the money and quietly accept it, Stone decides that he will investigate Jack Lauder's death himself, to clear his name and find out what really happened. To start, he'll make a Shivah call on Rajshree Lauder, Jack's widow...

The Shivah is a Wadjet Eye Games project from the mind of Dave Gilbert. For other Wadjet Eye games, see Gemini Rue and The Blackwell Series.

Tropes used in The Shivah include:

• All Jews Are Ashkenazi: Played straight, but not to a stereotypical or parodical extent.
• Alter Kocker: Rabbi Zelig.
• Armor-Piercing Question: A critical game mechanic. Stone gets involved in a few Rabbinic Duels during the game, where his ability to provoke doubt in his opponents will literally determine if he lives or dies.
• Big Applesauce: Set in New York, though the plot could take place just about anywhere both Jewish congregations and organized crime can be found.
• Clear My Name: Part of Stone's motivation, although the case against him is pretty weak (motive, but neither apparent means or opportunity), and he's more driven by curiousity.
• Dialogue Tree: Notable mostly for the use of Rabbinic Answers.
• Film Noir: Certain elements are definitely there.
• Judaism: Well researched and taken absolutely seriously.
• Loan Shark: Rabbi Zelig's secret is that he hooks up members of his congregation with these, and has anyone who asks too many questions killed. Jack was one such victim.
• Middle Management Mook: Zelig. He acts like a Big Bad, but since his role is mostly to reroute hapless people who are asking him for financial advice in exchange for kickbacks, he comes out looking like a Smug Snake along with this trope.
• Minored in Asskicking: Rabbi Stone used to be in a boxing league. Harmless old Jew, he isn't.
• Mistaken for Murderer: Stone gets involved in the mystery after finding out he's the prime suspect.
• Multiple Endings: There are many variations on the ending, most of them dependent on your actions in the last scene.
• My Greatest Failure: Rabbi Stone feels a lot of guilt about excommunicating Jack Lauder over his relationship with Rajshree. See the Judaism page for notes about inter-faith/intercultural marriages.
• Non-Answer: Every time you are asked a question, you can choose to respond with a "Rabbinic Answer", which is always another question. Some are rhetorical, while others appear to be deliberately evasive or designed to make the questioner guess the real answer. Most people respond with impatience to the Rabbinic Answer.
• Private Eye Monologue: Rabbi Stone's style of narration.
• Psycho for Hire: Joe Demarco.
• Shiksa Goddess: Invoked for Rajshree Sharma Lauder.
• The Verse: The game shares some elements with The Blackwell Series. Rosangela Blackwell contacted Rabbi Zelig (presumably about an obituary), Lauren Blackwell once spoke to a young Sam Durkin when investigating a case, and both games have spam e-mails by Tomo. The Blackwell Deception also shows that Rajshree contacted Rosa to see if the ghost of her husband (Jack Lauder) was around.
  • Also, Rosangela's neighbor Nishanthi and Rajshree share the same maiden name, Sharma. And in The Shivah, in the pub, there's a certain redhead talking to someone who "isn't there".