[merb101]

The only way you can get a D12 in-game is to be Roach-bound. That, and the fact that sometimes the card you draw gives you a really powerful boon if you are Roach-bound, but forces you to do something less desirable if you are Roach-free (like giving someone else Reputation). The cards are purposefully set up this way to entice you to take on the Roach.

Technically you could play the entire game possessed by the Roach, then try to shed it in the last scene to win the game, but chances are your Reputation would be dismal.

The other thing is, though you can "win" the game, it really is all about the story being told. Who wins and who loses is less important than how much fun everyone has in telling the story of Pemberton's fall.

ME