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TVTropes is the big one, the vortex from which all other rabbit holes stem. The SCP foundation is also excellent, and The Digital Antiquarian is my new favorit

TVTropes is the big one, the vortex from which all other rabbit holes stem. The SCP foundation is also excellent, and The Digital Antiquarian is my new favorite. Fallen London is a browser MMOCYOA on steroids, and it's glorious. The Jargon File (before ESR ruined it with the latest round of updates) was amazing, and still is great fun. Bash.org is another classic rabbit hole, although far from the best for that purpose. And Youtube contains many rabbit holes, but my favorite by far is Tom Scott's youtube channel. Also of note is Tom & Matt's Park Bench, where he vlogs with Matt Grey on a semi-regular basis, Yahtzee Crowshaw's channel, where he used to play games with Gabriel Morton in his "Let's Drown Out" series, and Channel Awesome. Just, all of Channel Awesome.

Bartweiss 10y ago
Fallen London is dangerously brilliant - think of browser games like Kingdom of Loathing, but with a spectacular depth of storytelling and complexity. It also has an interesting rapid-feedback structure; instead of things like lengthy 'fights' everything runs on probabilistic outcomes. ...would you happen to know if Ambition: Enigma is real? No hints, but one of the devs suggested it wasn't and I'd like to at least know if there's actually something to look for.
- qwertyuiop924 10y ago
  I have no idea. I'd say check the wiki, but that's spoilerific. By the way, did you see the excellent article about the Seeking The Name quest on RPS? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/06/20/seeking-mr-eatens-name/ https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/06/20/seeking-mr-eaten...
  - Bartweiss 10y ago
    The wiki implies it's probably real, and links to two relevant things, but doesn't go further - Enigma is locked down almost as hard as Seeking The Name there. I hadn't read it until just now, but that's a really good piece. It's a fascinating quest, to the point where I have a second character for it and have seen it discussed in several places. I think StormingTheIvory had a pretty good essay, despite being a source I usually have serious issues with. It's an utterly bizarre quest. I think there's an important hole in game design literature centered around things like Seeking and I Wanna Be The Guy. It's this whole school of consciously abusive game design that completely contradicts basic principles. Seeking The Name is even weirder than most, because you can't even justify it in terms of skill challenges. The best analogue I have is the self-destruct button in Starship Titanic, which is literally just a big red button you can hit to lose the game. RPS is the first source I've seen offer a justification for this sort of behavior. If a game can't be genuinely punishing, then what's the point of putting up challenges in the first place?
    - qwertyuiop924 10y ago
      StormingTheIvory's article was interesting. I have no idea what your issue with STIT is, so I can't comment on that.

Bartweiss 10y ago

Fallen London is dangerously brilliant - think of browser games like Kingdom of Loathing, but with a spectacular depth of storytelling and complexity. It also has an interesting rapid-feedback structure; instead of things like lengthy 'fights' everything runs on probabilistic outcomes. ...would you happen to know if Ambition: Enigma is real? No hints, but one of the devs suggested it wasn't and I'd like to at least know if there's actually something to look for.

qwertyuiop924 10y ago
I have no idea. I'd say check the wiki, but that's spoilerific. By the way, did you see the excellent article about the Seeking The Name quest on RPS? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/06/20/seeking-mr-eatens-name/ https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/06/20/seeking-mr-eaten...
- Bartweiss 10y ago
  The wiki implies it's probably real, and links to two relevant things, but doesn't go further - Enigma is locked down almost as hard as Seeking The Name there. I hadn't read it until just now, but that's a really good piece. It's a fascinating quest, to the point where I have a second character for it and have seen it discussed in several places. I think StormingTheIvory had a pretty good essay, despite being a source I usually have serious issues with. It's an utterly bizarre quest. I think there's an important hole in game design literature centered around things like Seeking and I Wanna Be The Guy. It's this whole school of consciously abusive game design that completely contradicts basic principles. Seeking The Name is even weirder than most, because you can't even justify it in terms of skill challenges. The best analogue I have is the self-destruct button in Starship Titanic, which is literally just a big red button you can hit to lose the game. RPS is the first source I've seen offer a justification for this sort of behavior. If a game can't be genuinely punishing, then what's the point of putting up challenges in the first place?
  - qwertyuiop924 10y ago
    StormingTheIvory's article was interesting. I have no idea what your issue with STIT is, so I can't comment on that.