Disclaimer: Please refrain from messing around with a Ouija Board in real life unless you are prepared to follow all the rules and are prepared for any potential consequences of interacting with the Spirit Realm. Thank you.
This is one of those rare articles where paranormal activities in the real world and the fictional tabletop roleplaying game world line up. I do not recommend or condone playing with one of these things in the real world unless you’re confident you can handle whatever might be awakened or summoned as a result. Pretty much everyone I’ve ever talked to who has had a Ouija experience has reported some kind of freaky occurrence afterward.
I used to sell Ouija boards when I worked at a game store. They’re more popular than one might imagine. Part of me still wonders if there wasn’t some sort of plot by who-knows-what powers that be to get these things into the mainstream marketplace under the guise of “It’s just a party game.” or “It’s all purely psychological.”
It seems like fun, right?
We used to joke about Dungeons & Dragons back during the Satanic Panic days. There were always the wild rumors about people summoning demons in their basement by using funny shaped dice and yelling “Huzzah!” a lot. I mean, OMG imaginary dragons are scary, right? That guy behind the cardboard screen over there might be up to something shady.
A Ouija board is NOT the same animal. I’d certainly never allow one at my gaming table even as a prop. Nor would I allow my children to mess with one supervised or otherwise. (*That, and my wife would go through the roof if anyone tried it.) It’s not that I’m hardcore religious. I’m actually quite “New Age” in my spiritual beliefs.
Actually, being enlightened to a larger energetic world is one of my number one reasons not to screw around with a Ouija Board. I know people who have had some pretty spooky Out of Body Experiences or Astral Projections. Remote Viewers have reported inexplicable encounters with beings in certain places. (Yes, there really is such a thing as remote viewing.) So why on Earth would I, or anyone want to use a “kid’s toy” to try to talk to the unknown?!?
This goes back to an ages-old premise of, “If you don’t know what you’re summoning- DON’T!”
I went down this particular rabbit hole many years ago. I won’t get into all of the stories, but it’s a big Internet. Please feel free to Go-Ogle “Ouija Board” and see what comes up. YouTube has some pretty disturbing sh🦆t if you dig hard enough. During COVID there were even some pretty disturbing Ouija cases that popped up on Tik Tok. Some of this stuff just can’t be faked.
I’ve heard of cases involving demonic possession after a little girl was playing with the Ouija app on a cell phone. Hauntings, poltergeists and apparitions are not uncommon in Ouija cases. Use your own discernment, but the rumors of Zozo or Jojo accompanied by some malevolent being or force have legitimately been reported.
The concept of monkeying around with a Ouija Board in any sort of haunted area, residence, etc should be about the last thing that comes to mind. Also, the age-old “Let’s mess with a Ouija Board in the graveyard at 3:00 AM and see what happens.” is a TERRIBLE plan. There was even a case of a little girl playing with one under her bed at 3:00 AM and got way more than she bargained for. I can only hope people involved in some of these cases learn to never do it again.
Somehow this is still a TTRPG article.
Despite the real world implications, Ouija boards do still work quite well in modern horror based or occult themed TTRPGs. Luckily, fictional characters need not fear the consequences of the Ouija Board. Well, in a TTRPG framework, they almost certainly will suffer some effects. The thing is literally an interpretation of the character speaking directly to the Keeper.
For example, I used the old line about a bunch of teenagers messing around with a Ouija Board in the graveyard at 3:00 AM in my first adventure for my Des Moines After Dark game for Monster of the Week. The kids messed around and opened a portal to “the other side.” They were never seen again. It made for a wonderful plot device.
The Ouija Board can also be used to drop subtle hints or clues to savvy investigators or medium characters. Channeled spirits in a game setting are usually full of clues. Again, it’s pretty much a direct connection to whatever the Keeper wants to convey. Need the characters to check out the haunted attic? Odd, that Ouija Board on the table just spelled out “A-T-T-I-C” all on its own. “Hmm… Hey guys, let’s go check out the attic.” (*Someone might have lost a SAN point or two, but when has that ever stopped us?)
It’s one of those Keeper tools that is best not overused, or players might become dependent on it as a plot device every time they get stumped. Maybe sometimes a mischievous spirit misdirects the group. Worse, maybe the group gets “ZOZO.” (*You can look online for all of the stuff that dude is capable of both in fiction or real life. You might even want to change its name to ‘LOLO’ or ‘BOZO’ instead of saying it out loud.)
The Ouija board can turn into entire adventure of its own if mistreated. Hollywood has given us sensational uses of the Ouija, including an entire movie series by that name. I personally recommend watching them for Keepers who want more inspiration in their games. Any time someone pulls out the old Ouija Board in a horror movie usually leads to disaster. It’s a good trope.
Final thoughts.
Please use your own discretion on bringing a real, physical board to a TTRPG session. Even emulating one on a dry erase board or with scraps of paper is probably a bad idea. It’s something that might even come up in Session Zero before a horror campaign because people have had legit experiences with them.
If you’re a Keeper using one as a plot device or even Deus Ex Machina for your game, be careful not to over-do it even with player consent. (* IN character, not the real world.) One could even bring the concept over into sci-fi games such as Starfinder or fantasy games such as Pathfinder. Ouija boards can be a useful GM/Keeper tool.
Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate it. Please be careful. Please be kind. See you tomorrow.
Jeff's Game Box 