Unplayable games: Wraith

Some games are good on paper, but horrible in execution.  You would think folks would catch on in playtesting, but then you'd think no bad films would ever be made.  White Wolf is a juggernaut of the role playing world that specializes in games that push boundaries.  Wraith went beyond the boundaries, over the border, and up the works.  To try to play Wraith is a just an exercise in frustration and depression, hardly for a good game.

The concept is good.  You are playing a dead person.  In fact, given the mortality rate in other White Wolf games, it seems that it would only be a matter of time before you'd be playing Wraith.  As a dead person you are basically Patrick Swayze in "Ghost."  Most people can't see you, and you have little effect in the material world.  So at the get go, the game already sucks a lot.  But wait, it gets worse.

See you aren't just Patrick Swayze, you have company.  After you died, all the ugly parts of you woke up.  It's called your Shadow, and it wants to eat you whole.  It will taunt you, it will weedle and whine, it will try to make deals.  It has its own powers, and agendas and you must never ever trust it.  Oh, and the person on your right will play your Shadow.  This is just a recipe for mayhem as players say very nasty things about each other and then say "Well that's what your Shadow said, not me." 

But it gets worse, see there are Spectres.  Spectres besides trying to put the wall of sound to any tune, are ghosts who have gone beyond the bend and want to end it all.  I mean END IT ALL.  So, now you are Patrick Swayze with evil twin being hunted by the equivalent of the spirits from the Evil Dead movies.  Are we having fun yet? 

But wait, yes there is more.  One day our Patrick Swayze is running away through town and sees a big hole.  He looks into the hole curious like and suddenly someone dressed like Roman Centurion on his way the the Disco Masquarade grabs him, puts him in chains, and drags him down the hole.  See all that he was seeing was just the mere surface of the dead world.  If you go down you'll find the kingdoms of the dead.  Whole cities of the dead just trying to make a living.  But there's a real problem in resources, as in they ain't got none.  So where do they get the shiny sharp swords, and the chains around your wrist?  Well, they take a ghost (sorry wraith) and put him in fire, pound him with a hammer and then bang on that wraith is now a sword.  So... Patrick Swayze with a evil twin, hunted by evil dead ghosts, now must learn the rules of a society that wouldn't mind banging him out to be an ashtray.

Oh but every piece needs a cherry on top.  See underneath the kingdoms of the dead is a big batch of living, hating nothingness.  It's trying to eat reality.  So it controls all the spectres and has created its own kingdom of mazes and traps.  Oh, and good news, sometimes your Shadow can drag you down there for occupational therapy.  WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Seriously, banging your head on a porcupine encrusted wall would be more fun.