Happy Tommy4ever day!
It is now two years to the day since I started to write my very first AAR. This is likely to be the last time I have such an anniversary as I do not intend to continue writing past the summer of 2011. So what better time for a highly self indulgent trip down memory lane?
Defenders of Freedom and Democracy - A Democratic German AAR
It was the dieing days of 2008. I was a young, unrifined, whelp eager to extend the life of HoI2 which was starting to bore me. To cut a long story short I got a little bit obsessive and wrote daily updates (I'm still not sure how I managed). For 6 months. However when I stopped for the Summer I was totally unable to go back. So this mildly epic tale of war and Empire came to an end.
The Greatest of Endeavours Demand The Greatest of Sacrifices - A British AAR
After deciding to return to Paradox and AARs, and following an abortive attempt at a Victoria AAR, I tried to basically do exactly what I did with 'Defenders'. However this AAR was ultimately dissapointing and was abandoned after some time struggling to make in enjoyable.
Through Rivers of Blood and Mountains of Gold - The Story of The House of D'Albon
Here I made the key transition from trashy daily updates that took about 15-20 mins to write to large weekly updates that I lose track of time writing and take a minimum of an hour. Sticking rigidly to a structure of one update for each King (splitting Kings over 2 every now and again) I revolutionised my style. The HoI2 AARs aren't even in the same league for the quality of the updates here but this AAR was never a popular success. This AAR we have right now gets more views every week than that one got during its entire run.
Austriae est imperare orbi universo - a Habsburg AAR
With a mind to take my large updates and rigidly system of making them to the masses I entered the unsteady waters of EUIII. This was much more successful and was basically an EUIII version of the D'Albon one, that was until I finished the actual game portion of the AAR. At this stage I really, really, really
should have ended it. However I had exams that I didn't want to study for so as a means of escaping from doing any studying I decided to extend it (don't worry I still aced my exams with ease
). In the second portion we had an interesting Napoleonic War, but this was far too close to the RL Napoleonic War (Wikipedia replaced the game as the crux to my updates). The third portion was much more interesting and prior to this was my favourite ever portion of an AAR. It was a Victorian era section with an entire world created just from my imagination, it also focussed massively on the politics of my democratic Habsburg Empire - brilliant. I loved it, indeed I only started this AAR so I could try to get back to writing a politically focussed AAR. Finally I finished with a WWI swansong and subsiquent civil war which nicely concluded things with the Habsburgs being anhilated in both the war and the civil war. I liked this AAR.
Dios, Patria, Rey - A Carlist Spain AAR
This AAR will probably be better recognised by you Vicki2 dwellers. TBH I'd just finished AEIOU, wanted to get into another AAR (especially in the new forum) and jumped at the first idea I had. Little structure and not the best choice of nation meant this was hardly special. The game was also a nightmare in 1.1 and I quit around 1900. This AAR gets a definate 'meh' from me.
Let the ruling classes tremble – an Interactive Revolutionary AAR
Finally I've made an AAR that is popular with the masses! It may well be my last (penultimate at best) so let's make it a good one.
OK, I'm done now. Ah, the memories. These are only the AARs of note, I've had my fair shair of utter failures that I don't care to mention.