# The Wikipedia Game

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [July 14, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167 "2012-07-14T01:23:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/81 "2013-05-28T12:07:34Z")

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Thought I’d whip that one for you real quick.

Gear Cutting -\> Wood -\> Major League Baseball -\> Fox Sports Asia -\> China -\> Confucianism

Next:

[Confucianism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism) -\> [Chlamys](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlamys)

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**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/82 "2013-05-28T15:47:00Z")

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Hmmm. My first time, so apologies if I’ve gone outside the rules here:

Confucianism -\> Han Dynasty -\> Empire -\> Hellenistic Period -\> Ancient Greece -\> Clothing in Ancient Greece -\> Chlamys

Next:

[Chlamys](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlamys) to [List of Indian Test cricketers who have taken five wickets on debut](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_India_Test_cricketers_who_have_taken_five_wickets_on_debut)

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/83 "2013-05-28T19:16:15Z")

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Chlamys –\> Fibula–\> British\_Isles –\> London –\> Delhi –\> India –\> India\_national\_cricket\_team –\> Amit\_Mishra –\> List\_of\_India\_Test\_cricketers\_who\_have\_taken\_five\_wickets\_on\_debut

Next up:  
[List\_of\_India\_Test\_cricketers\_who\_have\_taken\_five\_wickets\_on\_debut](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_India_Test_cricketers_who_have_taken_five_wickets_on_debut) –\> … –\> [Battle\_of\_the\_Kalka\_River](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Kalka_River)

(I also ask for rule clarification. Are links in References OK? Links in captions? Not links in lists or tables hidden by default, I assume.)

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/84 "2013-05-28T20:03:59Z")

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List\_of\_India\_Test\_cricketers\_who\_have\_taken\_five\_wickets\_on\_debut -\> Cricket -\> Indian Subcontinent -\> Asia -\> Mongol Empire -\> Mongul Conquests -\> Battle of the Kalka River

Next!

[Battle of the Kalka River](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Kalka_River) -\> [Post-it Note](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-it)

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**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/85 "2013-05-28T21:40:52Z")

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Battle of the Kalka River –\> Expedition -\> 20th century –\> North America –\> Great Plains –\> Midwestern –\> Minnesota –\> St. Paul –\> 3m –\> Post-It-Note

Next:

[Post-It-Note](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-it) –\> [Leukonychia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leukonychia)

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**Author:** ![Delayed\_Reflex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/delayed_reflex/32/3172_2.png) [@Delayed\_Reflex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delayed_Reflex)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/86 "2013-05-28T22:35:31Z")

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> [@Shagnasty](#):
>
> Battle of the Kalka River –\> Expedition -\> 20th century –\> North America –\> Great Plains –\> Midwestern –\> Minnesota –\> St. Paul –\> 3m –\> Post-It-Note
> 
> Next:
> 
> [Post-It-Note](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-it) –\> [Leukonychia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leukonychia)

Post-It-Note -\> Spence Silver -\> Arizona State University -\> Institute of Medicine -\> Ageing -\> Keratinocyte -\> Keratin -\> Nails (anatomy) -\> List of cutaneous conditions -\> Leukonychia

How about [Leukonychia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leukonychia) to [Futara (typeface)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futura_(typeface))?

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/87 "2013-05-29T09:43:05Z")

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Leukonychia –\> Arsenic –\> Albertus\_Magnus –\> Bologna –\> Bologna\_Cathedral –\> Terracotta –\> Birmingham –\> Accent\_(dialect) [Accent\_(sociolinguistics)] –\> Sound\_change –\> Tittle –\> Antiqua\_(typeface\_class) –\> Futura\_(typeface)

Next up:

[Futura\_(typeface)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futura_(typeface)) –\> … –\> Traité\_Élémentaire\_de\_Chimie

(In order to force a subthread to clarify rules, the choice “Antiqua\_(typeface\_class)” was deliberate – it appears only in a terminology table at the end of the Tittle article.)

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/88 "2013-05-29T12:25:11Z")

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Futura\_(typeface) -\> Boston -\> American Revolution -\> Benjamin Franklin -\> Franz Mesmer -\> Antoine\_Lavoisier -\> Traité Élémentaire de Chimie

[Traité Élémentaire de Chimie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trait%C3%A9_%C3%89l%C3%A9mentaire_de_Chimie) -\> [Xe Kaman River](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xe_Kaman_River)

I was rather surprised that I couldn’t get to Ben Franklin directly from Boston, though.

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/89 "2013-05-29T13:02:06Z")

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Traité\_Élémentaire\_de\_Chimie –\> Robert\_Boyle –\> Florence –\> Kyoto –\> List\_of\_urban\_areas\_by\_population –\> Ho\_Chi\_Minh\_City –\> Champasak\_Province –\> Attapu\_Province –\> Xe\_Kaman\_River

This chain seems too prosaic by far,especially the way I used “Sister cities” and “List of Urban” to move from country to country but, Hey!, if you don’t like the rules change them!

Next up:

[Xe Kaman River](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xe_Kaman_River) –\> … –\> [Beretta\_418](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beretta_418)

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/90 "2013-05-29T13:28:45Z")

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I think that you’re cool as long as you’re staying inside Wikipedia itself.

To me, this is a game about style. Did you have to use a list or a category to get from A to B? Did you have to broaden all the way out to a continent or country or field of study and then narrow it back down?

If you do (and I certainly do, because I’m not great at this game), it’s not as impressive.

I would say that it might be sporting for players, in the future, to point out when they feel they’ve taken an ‘easy’ out. Like when I got to Confucianism through China. That was pretty weak.

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/91 "2013-05-29T13:39:45Z")

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> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#):
>
> To me, this is a game about style. Did you have to use a list or a category to get from A to B? Did you have to broaden all the way out to a continent or country or field of study and then narrow it back down?

Yes, in future I should aim for elegance rather than rapidity.

I observed that the large cities form a network that links easily to/from almost everything. Perhaps I should impose a rule on myself that cities are unusable.

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**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/92 "2013-05-29T18:48:31Z")

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> [@septimus](#):
>
> Traité\_Élémentaire\_de\_Chimie –\> Robert\_Boyle –\> Florence –\> Kyoto –\> List\_of\_urban\_areas\_by\_population –\> Ho\_Chi\_Minh\_City –\> Champasak\_Province –\> Attapu\_Province –\> Xe\_Kaman\_River
> 
> This chain seems too prosaic by far,especially the way I used “Sister cities” and “List of Urban” to move from country to country but, Hey!, if you don’t like the rules change them!
> 
> Next up:
> 
> [Xe Kaman River](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xe_Kaman_River) –\> … –\> [Beretta\_418](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beretta_418)

Xe Kaman River –\> Laos –\> France –\> Italy –\> Italian Armed Forces – \> Beretta – \> Beretta 418

[Beretta 418](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beretta_418) –\> [Tokugawa Ieyasu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokugawa_Ieyasu)

ETA: Just saw that the post opining that using countries is weak. Booo! 🙂

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/93 "2013-05-29T19:06:45Z")

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Beretta 418 -\> WWII -\> Empire of Japan -\> Tokugawa Shogunate -\> Tokugawa Ieyasu

[Tokugawa Ieyasu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokugawa_Ieyasu) -\> [Gaston Eyskens](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaston_Eyskens)

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/94 "2013-05-29T21:18:20Z")

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Tokugawa\_Ieyasu –\> Buddhahood –\> Buddhism –\> Robert\_A.\_F.\_Thurman [Robert\_Thurman] –\> Columbia University –\> Gaston\_Eyskens  
Next up:

[Gaston Eyskens](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaston_Eyskens) –\> … –\> [Sagittarius\_Dwarf\_Elliptical\_Galaxy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittarius_Dwarf_Elliptical_Galaxy)  
(Re: Rules. I think “Category:” and “Portal:” pages should definitely be off-limits. “List\_of” pages are unaesthetic; should we make them illegal also? In the above chain, Robert Thurman appeared in Bibliography. Is that OK? I could have gotten to him elsehow with an additional link.)

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/95 "2013-05-30T09:15:31Z")

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I’ll guess Players in this thread often click on Wikipedia’s _What links here_. Lest I be accused of an unfair advantage, here’s a script to help automate that process.

Free versions of _url2file_ or similar are readily downloaded, though may have slightly different syntax than the one I use.  
The script runs in ‘csh’ under Unix. YMMV.

```auto

#
# Usage: Tolinks_for_wikigame File
# File can be a Wikipedia Page_name
# or a file containing such names
# (or both! -- see Bug_note).
# This command outputs, for each such name,
# the Page_names of pages linking to
# the Wikipedia page of that name.
# Note that
# Tolinks_for_wikigame Philemon_Foundation > temp_qq
# Tolinks_for_wikigame temp_qq
# produces the pages linking to pages that link to Philemon_Foundation.
#
# Bug_note: Because of the lazy "or both",
# filename should NOT match a Wikipedia entry!

foreach a ( "$1" ` grep -v === "$1" | sort | uniq `)
echo === $a ===
url2file "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/$a&lim
it=500" - \
        | grep "<li>" \
        | sed -e 'ss^<li><a href=./wiki/ss' -e 'ss..title.*$ss' \
        | egrep -v '(<li>|:|View..prev)'
end
exit
#
# Void where prohibited. No inexpressible warrantee.
# No animals were killed, maimed or tortured in the preparation of this script.
# Copyleft 2013 by Septimus G. Stevens VII -- All wrongs reversed.

```

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**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/96 "2013-05-30T09:43:55Z")

</div>

I’ve never used the “what links here” however I will unabashedly open pages to see if they link based on hunches or whatever.

As far as the “rules” go, it’s all good if you feel you have to break some to do it. Traditionally you’re only supposed to use “in-text” hyperlinks, so things that are listed in tables, categories, etc, would be disallowed. In general, the links need to be part of a sentence. But some of these obscure things it seems the only way to get to them is through a table or category link.

Anyhow, you can all keep playing as you like! But yeah, to be fair put a disclaimer up about how you feel you had to “cheat” somehow or whatever, but put up a new thing to link and let others keep playing!

Glad you all are having fun with the thread I started 🙂

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/97 "2013-05-30T12:36:26Z")

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> [@septimus](#):
>
> I’ll guess Players in this thread often click on Wikipedia’s _What links here_.

Nope! I do of course click around on both ends until I can figure out a good link between the two.

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/98 "2013-05-30T15:24:16Z")

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> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#):
>
> …I was rather surprised that I couldn’t get to Ben Franklin directly from Boston, though.

Yes, I couldn’t find him anywhere in the meat of the Boston article itself, but there’s a link under “See also” to “List of people from Boston,” and you’ll find him there.

In play:

Gaston Eyskens \> Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy

Gaston Eyskens \> Columbia University \> National Academy of Sciences \> International Council for Science \> International Astronomical Union \> Royal Astronomical Society \> Herschel Medal \> Mike Irwin \> Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy

Next up (as before, using the “Random article” link for the second topic):

Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy \> Darrel Ray

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/99 "2013-05-30T19:53:56Z")

</div>

Sagittarius\_Dwarf\_Elliptical\_Galaxy –\> University\_of\_Virginia –\> Thomas\_Jefferson –\> Morality –\> Science\_of\_morality –\> The\_Atheist\_Experience –\> Darrel\_Ray

Next up:  
[Darrel\_Ray](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrel_Ray) –\> … –\> [Septimius\_Severus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septimius_Severus)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wikipedia-game/628167/100 "2013-05-30T20:03:30Z")

</div>

Septimus, since you used a Bibliography in one of your recent ones I decided to do the same because I think I’m going to break the thread record:

Darrel Ray -\> Missionary -\> Roman Empire -\> Septimius Severus

This next one, you can blame on the random page link. I swear to god it’s the first one that came up.

[Septimius Severus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septimius_Severus) -\> [Konstantynówka, Gmina Sejny](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstantyn%C3%B3wka,_Gmina_Sejny)

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