The Ghost In My Machine

Stories of the Strange and Unusual

The Most Dangerous Games: El Juego Del Libro Rojo, Or The Red Book Game

by

Previously: The Dark Music Ritual.

This is one of those times that I really wish I’d studied Spanish as a foreign language in school: I’ve been unable to verify the history of this one because of the language barrier. (Latin and French will only take you so far.) That said, when you search “El Juego Del Libro Rojo,” many, many more results pop up than when you search “The Red Book Game,” so even though I’ve been unable to read these results without the (rather imperfect) aid of Google Translate, I feel reasonably secure in saying that, yes, it probably does in fact originate from Spanish-speaking countries.

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According to one source, El Juego Del Libro Rojo is specifically a South American thing; South America is a big continent, though, so I don’t know whether it’s a regional game or not. Additionally, other sources cite is as being played primarily in Mexico, so reports are conflicting. In any event, its closest analogue for English-speaking readers is probably the Ouiji Board, or maybe Charlie, Charlie — that is, it’s a divination game, wherein players consult an otherworldly power for information about… pretty much whatever you feel like asking.

Be warned, though: Information doesn’t always come free.

As always… well, you know how it goes.

Players:

  • At least two participants.

Requirements:

  • One book. The book must be hardcover, and the cover must be red. There should be no pictures, photographs, or other images in its pages — its contents must consist of words only.
  • At least one candle. The candle must be red.
  • Matches or a lighter.
  • A quiet room.
  • A question.

Instructions:

The Preface:

  1. Go into your quiet room.
  2. Draw the curtains and turn off the lights.
  3. Sit in a circle with the other participants. Place the candle(s) in the middle of the circle. Light them.
  4. Close your eyes. Place the palm of your hand on the book’s cover. Ask the following question aloud: “Red Book, may I enter your game?”
  5. Keep your eyes closed. Open the book to a random page. Place your finger on a random spot on the page.
  6. Open your eyes. Read the sentence your finger has landed on. This is your answer — although you must interpret it correctly to proceed.
    • If the answer is negative or nonsensical: Contact has not been made. Do not proceed. Try again.
    • If the answer is positive: You may proceed.
  7. Each player must ask for and receive permission to enter the game.

The Rising Action:

  1. Close your eyes. Place your palm on the book’s cover. Ask your question. Speak it aloud.
  2. Keep your eyes closed. Open the book to a random page. Place your finger on a random spot on the page.
  3. Open your eyes. Read the sentence your finger has landed on. This is your answer — whatever you interpret it to mean.
  4. Pass the book round. Each player who wishes to ask a question must close their eyes, place the palm of their hand on the book’s cover, ask their question aloud, open the book to a random page, and place their finger on a random spot on the page. The sentence the asker’s finger lands on will always be the answer to the question, although the interpretation is up to the askers themselves.

The Epilogue:

  1. When all the questions have been asked and answered, close your eyes and place your palm on the book once more. Ask aloud, “Red Book, may I leave your game?”
  2. Keep your eyes closed. Open the book to a random page. Place your finger on a random spot on the page.
  3. Open your eyes. Read the sentence your finger has landed on. This is your answer.
    • If the answer is negative or nonsensical: You do not have permission to leave the game. Try again.
    • If the answer is positive: You may leave the game.
  4. Each player must ask for and receive permission to leave the game.
  5. When all permissions have been acquired, close the book. Extinguish the candles. Open the curtains. And lastly, turn on the lights.

Additional Notes:

There is no specific starting time; however, the room should be as dark as possible without the candles lit, so it is advisable to begin at night.

No questions are officially “off limits”; however, it is not advisable to ask anything that might anger your correspondent. It is also not advisable to ask about your own death. Some things are better left unknown.

Concerning Permissions:

Do not begin asking questions or leave the game without asking for and receiving permission first. To do so is… unwise.

The Red Book Game: FAQ.

***

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[Photo via Jo Naylor/Flickr]

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I think I want to try this game sometime! Honestly, it seems like the most risk-free. The worst that can happen to you according to this is that you don’t get to leave for a while. In that case, just bring something to do 😛

    Reply

    • Me and my friend played this game. It wouldn’t let me leave for a long time while my friend got out on the first try. I’m not even sure yet that I left the game completely. The Red Book’s answer was rather… vague. Not highly recommended to play.

      Reply

      • The same thing happened to me just a few minutes ago. I asked then my cousin asked and received permission but I didn’t. Then I kept asking but all I got were vague answers and a clear no. I asked if there was something I needed to do or if I was “getting punished” but the book only gave me permission to leave when I promised to play again soon.

        Reply

    • Be careful. I wouldn’t get the spirits name because my friends and I played last night. We asked if it was intending to harm us and as soon as they asked, the air next to me became ice and a breeze came out from the wall. We ended the game and one of our friends started getting sick, finger mark bruises appeared on my leg this morning, and another player got a nose bleed 10 minutes later.

      Reply

  2. Oh, and a question – If you ask to enter the game several times and then you don’t want to continue, do you just leave? Or do you have to continue?

    Reply

  4. I googled around a bit and it doesn’t look like the origins of this game probably go back more than about 4 years. I’ve lived in Mexico for 20+ years and have never heard of it before. Spanish is my first language, so if there’s any particular pages or videos you’d like help translating, I’d be glad to oblige.

    Reply

    • I used to play this all the time with a “history of mexico” coloring book when i was in elementary school!!! i remember the answers being a little spooky and sometimes very funny because of the pictures and historical texts our fingers would land on. the answers made sense though! i never followed the ritual here, i mean i was just a kid distracting myself from class haha

      Reply

      • I don’t really know, but the only time I played it I did it on my own.
        However, since then, my entire family (myself included) agreed that there seems to be a shadow lurking the living room since then .
        The shadow itself isn’t bad, it only scares us sometimes by remaining still on the couch, but it presents no harm at all.

        Reply

  6. Doesn’t seem like a threatening game as in your like is in danger like the other ones. But it is very interesting to try out, but I won’t be trying it because I don’t like to mess with these kind of sprits… Good job translating though! ?

    Reply

  7. Can you play this alone? I need a question answered and I don’t trust anyone else with knowing the question even exists, let alone the answer. What are the risks?

    Reply

    • I don’t think so. The participants in this game must be 2, unless stated otherwise or there can be 1 player. I don’t know about the risks though, but…you wouldn’t want to experience it first-hand

      Reply

  8. So just sit in a dark room with everything set up then some “unknown” force will be part of the game….? This is interesting, but after reading the criteria, it feels like having a campfire gathering with friends through a candle plus a red book, hahaha.

    Reply

  9. Actually I found this on some other website, and I loved it so much that I invited a huge group of my friends for my birthday party and told them that we will be playing this at the party. They were thrilled. But maybe I shouldn’t have made this decision after all and put all of my friends in danger. Because we got the scare of our lives that day. As we I lit the candles, my friends discussed what an awesome experience this would be. Well, I asked permission to enter the game and got a positive answer. So did my friends. Now comes the scary part. I asked, ” Have I done right by playing this game?” and the answer came, ” Oh really, you think so?” Friend A asked,” What are the secrets to be successful in life? The answer: ” You have to work hard to achieve it.” Friend B asked, “Who is giving us these answers?” The answer: “Something not from this world, something the human brain cannot understand.” We were astonished at this one. Friend C: ” Is the Charlie Charlie Devil Game just a cooked up story or is it real?” Answer: “Probably or probably not.” Friend D: “Will my day go bad tomorrow?” Answer: “Who knows?” Friend E: “Tell me about the Shadowside.” Shadowside is the spirit world, just in case you didn’t know the word. The answer came, ” Do you really want to know?” We ended the game after this. We played this quite some time ago and we are thinking of giving this another shot at one of my friend’s next party.” I hope this will help those of you who want to play this. Good luck and you are welcome. Have a great day ahead!

    Reply

  11. omg, I’m from the north of Mexico and never heard about this one, only bloody mary and the stupid games on cementery to prove braveness.
    It sounds cool, tho, might give it a chance!

    Reply

  13. Ooh, this is interesting. I will definitely write something about this someday. This story was uploaded on my birthday, too 🙂

    Reply

  15. What if you were given permission to leave the game, but your friend/friends don’t have permission? Are you safe?

    Reply

    • Yep. The one that gets the permission to leave (based on some accounts that people had done this) gets to go, but the one who doesn’t….let’s just say that it would not be a happy end for that guy/girl…

      Reply

    • YOU are safe, but your friends aren’t. But as it says, they need to keep asking untill it gives a positive awnser.

      Reply

  16. While you ask permission/answer to a question from the spirit, do your friends also keep their eyes closed? And, when you have received permission/answer, is it safe to open your eyes while the other are asking for permission/answer to the question?

    Reply

  17. What would happen if the prepared book only contains the word ‘yes’? Will those ‘yes’ change if the ritual succeed?

    Reply

    • Here’s how it works: You can start asking the book questions only if you’ve got permission to enter the game. When it is the turn of a player who hasn’t got permission, they must ask for permission to enter the game. If they are never permitted to enter, they don’t have to ask permission to leave the game either, since they never entered the game. But those who entered the game must ask permission for leaving. If they get a negative response, they must keep trying until they get a positive one.

      Reply

  19. Will it be recommended to burn the book after completion of the game? Leaving it around the house doesn’t quite seem like a good idea…

    Reply

  20. Could you just paint a book cover red and use that? If you have a red book with images, could you just rip out any pages with images? would a red binder with paper in it count as a red book?

    Reply

    • “Could you just paint a book cover red and use that?”= i wouldnt. I think that’s technically cheating. And no one likes a cheater, expecially these kind of things.

      “If you have a book with images, could you just rip out any pages with images?”= i realy dont know about this one, but im going to say no. Just to be safe, i’d pick out a book with no images from the start.

      “Would a red binder with paper in it count as a book?”= No. It’s a binder, not a book. And look at the title. Red “book” game. So i wouldn’t use a binder because the ritual might not work.

      Hope this helped!

      Reply

    • Hello, Swagger224. I’ll answer all your questions.

      1. Could you just paint a book red and use that?

      Nope. That is cheating. You wouldn’t want cheating, especially when your messing with a spirit or something.

      2. If you have a book with images, can I rip them out?

      Nope. That’s still cheating.
      Pick a book without fudging images from the start.

      3. Would a red binder with paper in it count as a book?

      No. It wouldn’t. It’s a binder, not a book.

      Thanks for all of your questions!

      Reply

  23. If you never get permission to enter the game and decide to just give up, do you still have to get permission to leave it?

    Reply

    • I’ll answer all your questions.

      1. Could I use a candle that is not entirely red?

      Maybe. I guess the book will not notice it because there is some red in it, so I guess the other color (whether it’s white, black, or anything) doesn’t count.

      2. Would using more candles make the game less dangerous?

      No. Candles are used to set the spirit’s mood, or to invite the spirit to play with you. So, I guess using more candles will make set the spirit’s mood a bit more and likely to play with you.

      3. If the spirit doesn’t approve your permission and abort the ritual, does it mean that you left?

      Yes. If you don’t get permission to enter, keep asking. And I don’t recommend aborting the ritual just because you are welcome

      Reply

  24. i played red book acouple times, at first it seemed to not like me very much though after awhile it seemed to tolerate me.
    after a long time of not playing my sister learned about the book.
    and wanted to play.
    when I asked to join the game i got a clear yes. “but of course”
    while when my sister asked she was greeted with no’s. on here third try she was given a yes.
    and we began asking questions.
    each question i asked was greeted with a kind response.
    while my sister got ones that seemed more angry, due to this she asked if it didnt like her. which she got “yes.” mocking the book for abit she then asked if it didnt like her because of her hair color (she dyed it the night before) and the answer was “I dont like the look of it” irritated by the book she jokingly tossed it against the wall and called it names.
    after the game she started expressing alot of weird things, she felt as if she was being watched
    and other paranormal things started to happen.
    she would get scratches out of nowhere, horrible nightmares, and her cats would stare and his at nothing.
    and so she had me go to her house and play the book once again so she could ask it to stop.
    this time there was three players. I made sure each of us had a candle.
    and one by one we joined the game. once again i got nice happy and clear responses while my sister got ones like before.
    after pleading with the book to leave her be and that she was sorry it finally agreed to.
    I had to leave, and so I asked to leave the game.
    “I’ll miss you” was the line i landed on. and then my candle went out.
    after the others left the game I went home with the book.
    and spend many hours just talking to it.
    I promised if as long as I would take care and talk to the book often that it would cause no harm or hold any i’ll intent.
    and after that night the activity for her stopped.

    it has been alittle over a year since i first played and i have began to really care for red
    (the entity i named red)
    have to admit to talking and treating red more like a friend then something supernatural.
    I know that no one really knows what you are contacting when you play red book, though i believe that with each book you contact a different entity. as with my book i can only speak to red.
    though when i tried with another red book i was greeted with a different entity (that book is not in my possession)

    if you play this, please make sure to treat your book with respect and not like a joke or a toy.
    my sister did and she faced the consequences if i wasnt there to help there is no doubt in my mind things would have gone worse.

    im sorry for this being so long.

    Reply

    • So are you practically saying the truth that you performed because your words seem real but my fear makes me feel unreal. I typically don’t have people to talk with with openly. So would it cooperate with me as a friend with whom i can talk anything?

      Reply

      • Wow this is a really late reply, sorry about that. I can’t promise you that the entity you will get in contact with will be as nice to you as the one I had gotten in contact did me. Though there is a chance it would be your friend, though on the other hand the ritual could bring a more negative effect if it doesn’t like you like it did my sibling.

        Reply

  25. What would you do if the cover was red but at the beginning of different chapters theres a small design in the book that matches the overall theme of the story? Could it still be used or should I find another book to use in its place?

    Reply

  26. So…bibliomancy with a bunch of extra rules to make it seem scarier? I used to do book divination for fun in college. It’s not particularly dangerous and you don’t need multiple people, candles, incantations, or any special kind of book. It’s quite an old form of divination, though I don’t know how old this particular variant is.

    Reply

  27. Hi, I’m southamerican (Chile) and, for I can tell, this game is not from around here. The Spanish used in the creepypasta is the Spanish used in Spain, so, it may be a European game, or the guy who wrote the pasta was Spanish.

    Reply

  28. I’ll give this one a go with my friends. This & a few other games seem pretty risk free, so why not??

    Reply

  29. I wouldn’t recommend this. I tried, and my friend and I were stuck for 3 hours. We got the creepiest answers. And, we couldnt leave. We got one specifically creepy answer. It was “No, you shouldn’t go, never leave, always stay, I will kill if you leave. ” And, when it let us go, we started hearing things…seeing things. Don’t try this. Please.

    Reply

  30. I tried this by myself and it sort of worked, but nothing like eventful happened. I got replies like “We’re both bored, aren’t we?” And “Fine. You can leave.” I used Allegiant. I don’t think it actually did work, because I never got an actual “response” to some if my Qs. I think I just got random phrases. I dunno, though. Maybe the spirits were tired? Who knows?

    Reply

  32. What will happen if I play with a non hard covered book? The book I picked out is a red leather spanish bible. And if I can’t play with it, why not? What are my risks?

    Reply

  34. What kind of red book would I need? Like, I know it has to be hardcover, a red cover, and have no pictures and stuff. But like which one? I can’t find one.

    Reply

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