Wraith: The Oblivion, from White Wolf was launched in 1994. Characters are recently and not so recently deceased spirits who have not yet passed onto their next life, but are found inhabiting the Underworld, which intersects with the real world in such a way that the dead can observe the living but barely interact with them.

It was intended to be somewhat uncomfortable to play and has specific mechanics designed to make it a rather uneasy game. In particular, there are the Shadows. These try to thwart whatever a character is trying to accomplish... but they are played, alongside their own character, by one of the other players! It's quite challenging for both the Storyteller and the players, and so has always had a limited audience. The best way to view it is as a second chance to set right what each character did wrong in the world, or maybe just a second chance to do something meaningful, but it's a chance to do something.

A Second Edition came out in 1996, winding up in 1999. The 20th Anniversary Edition was launched by Onyx Path Publishing in 2018.

Page last updated: 27 August 2018