A comprehensive quiz + bonus fan faction about the the underrated cult classic show "Kelly Unicornstrider and Friends" (1982-1985). Questions range from really easy to really difficult.

I think putting this on "publish" makes it so only we can see this. It's just for us, sweetie. I made it to celebrate our anniversary and remember some special intimate moments together over the years in an interesting way as a present for you.

I hope you love it, Natalie, as much as I love you!

(Of course if there's any admin looking at this, or if I messed up, don't read this, because it's got private things in it.)

This is my required report to the full faculty in accordance with the rules noted in the Faculty Handbook (version 15.1, as of October 2017)

"Personally I can only read 16 words in one go before words stop working," wrote Mizal.

This game has sixteen words per path.  Not counting "The End."  So you can play quickly.

When reviewing, please use precisely sixteen words.   That should be plenty for your suggestions and observations.

Note this challenge connected with this game:  Write the Last Page!

1, with extreme reluctance.

He wrote so many masterpieces that it is impossible to count.

Aside from The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, which other ones are you thinking of?

CYOA needs branches that APPEAR to be leading to different stories but are, in reality, just brief intermissions before rejoining the "main" story path... Too many "side branches" will exhaust the author.

You are not wrong about the author being exhausted.  But I'm willing to be exhausted if it leads me write interactive fiction which strives more interactivity than brief intermissions with a main story path.  To the extent that IF has a main story path, I think it is weaker.  I think branch and bottlenecks should constantly be working to break the rigid structure and be willing to hybridize into some Cave of Time-ness.  But yes.  Exhausted is the word.

It'll be interesting to see how and if this advice changes as you reads more of the good Cave of Time style stories here.

too obviously forcing players to stain on the main route

We don't allow games like that here, Sam.

I like it when people flag before things get serious.

I haven't come across a lot of situations in which someone requested a mod to help with a thread and made things worse for themselves. 

Although, now that I think of it, I have heard of at least one forum where summoning the same mod thrice can indeed lead to making things worse for the summoner.

I still see it there in the drop-down menu as of this morning.

Try this:

"The horizon a jungle of skyscrapers, the neon signs humming, a glowing billboard for a bar, streets crowded, people stumbling in a drunken stupor, the stench of piss and vomit wafting through the air, Alex navigated the busy slums of 2075 San Francisco, head down."

Gender and sexuality choice is definitely first on the list, but I don't know that a fair reading of the long list of plot and adventure elements that follow every game suggest that a shit is not given for plot or that the emphasis is on characters as sex dolls.

Every one that I can see focuses on meaningful decisions you can make and elements of the adventures to be had.  But I agree that the gender/sexuality choice is put in a position of importance at the top.

Which games are you thinking of there?

I know it's possible to be a good enough writer to work around them

I don't think there's really a "them."  The only solid rule that I'm aware of that the official line must have male/female/nonbinary choice for the main character.

There are guidelines that various editors follow to varying degrees, such as "at least three options are preferred rather than two" which are not hard-and-fast rules, but recommendations, and "make all endings awesome."  And there are style guidelines, like "use punctuation at the end of choices" and "use first person in choices even if the story itself is third person."

But maybe Avery is privy to other stuff.

What are the restrictive guidelines you mention for official games that make them suck?