February 11, 2004

And for heaven's sake, don't play your "Kilroy Was Here" LP backwards without first anointing yourself with holy water

So apparently there's this new game (I use "game" loosely to mean something with a board that comes in a box) that's a total ripoff of a Ouija board, but with the letters laid out differently, which makes it totally original, you know.

Anyway, that's mildly interesting. The thing that makes it worth blogging about is one of the user reviews, since, as you know, you start selling Ouija board or their clones, and some nutjob is going to turn up and start talking about God. The first paragraph will give you some idea:

Yes bad (evil) spirits can be summoned, as well as the good spirits, as well as spirits who are mischevious and therefor arent neccesarily evil, they just like to have fun in ways u might not appreciate. For example, they move your desk a few inches and rearange the desk, no matter how many times you move it back. (I know somebody who this happens to).

His closing remarks are also choice:

I hope this helps. Be carefull!! Oh, and I dont believe in satan, and if you do then you should realize that if there is a satan, you are just giving it power by doing so.

Oh, and to 'A Toy enthusiast from NJ', dont capitalize the word 'satan' like you would 'God'. I wouldnt think you, who has such surprisingly offensive insults to that which you do not know of, would give enough privilage to capitalize the word satan as that you would do when writing about Him, God.

Unfortunately he undermines his incoherent argument somewhat by having capitalized the word "Satan" earlier in his review. You can read the rest of his ramblings here (scroll down to "Some important things you should know..." by SirThomas).

Posted by Francis at 01:11 AM
Comments

The website for Cryptique is fascinating. I learned, for instance, that although "Cryptique® is a spirit board from Salem, Massachusetts" and "Cryptique was created in the setting of one of America's most infamous events, the Salem Witch Trials of 1692," that means only that the graphic design is meant to evoke the trials. The FAQ says that "Spirit or talking boards were introduced to America in the late 1800s as toys, games, or amusements," which means that the implication that this thing was somehow used in witch-trial-era Salem is completely fake.

On the other hand, it's apparently used in modern Salem: be sure to see the reviews, including the one from the High Priest of the Salem Witches.

I also learned that the thing isn't really a ripoff of a Ouija board. It's just a form of "spirit board," and the familiar Ouija board isn't really the only form of spirit board: it's just the form that Hasbro trademarked. (Indeed, Merriam-Webster lists "Ouija" as a trademark.) I spent a little too much time poking around the Museum of Talking Boards, as well.

Posted by: Lance at February 11, 2004 11:49 AM

Not a Ouija ripoff? You gotta be kidding. Really? Huh. And here I liked my line that it shoulda been called "Dasi" or something.

I mean ... Cryptique? That sounds like a perfume for morticians, or something.

Posted by: Trip at February 11, 2004 11:55 AM

I was aware that the Ouija board was not itself an original idea, but...honestly, how many board-and-planchette talking-to-the-dead games does one need?

Posted by: Francis at February 11, 2004 12:08 PM