Weekly AAR Showcase: The Necronomicon in Byzantium

**Hardraade** · 01-11-2008 16:13

Congratulations, The_Guiscard!

**VILenin** · 01-11-2008 16:43

Congratulations the_Guiscard! Furor Normanicus is at the top of my "to read" list.

**The_Guiscard** · 02-11-2008 08:28

Thank you very much indeed, TheHyphenated1. And my thanks alos to all you kind well-wishers and felicitators.

I have joined these forums less than three months ago, and I have to say that AARland is really a special place. My reception has been most warm, and the atmosphere very friendly and supportive. I haven’t been to many forums, but the few are I know are all beaten hands own by the wonderful crowd gathered here. Thank’s for all the support guys, I wouldn’t be writing any of this without you.

So – the Furor Normannicus. What shall I say about it? It’s my first effort at writing fiction, as I do usually write dry historical essays and disquisitions with loads of footnotes – though I sometimes do have the hunch that that’s to quite a large degree pure fiction in itself.

I chose the de Hautevilles for a first AAR because I know the south of Italy annd Sicily firsthand, because I have always been fascinated by the unique blend of Italian, Greek, Muslim, Jewish and Norman culture in the realm of the Hautevilles and by the high levels of tolerance they showed to all these groups (something you can’t say of them in my AAR, though), and because I have long been intrigued by such colourful characters as Robert Guiscard, Bohemond of Taranto, Roger de Hauteville (sadly defunct in the Furor), and others.

The name “Furor Normannicus” came to me by itself in a rare lucid moment; I am usually very unimaginative at coming up with good names, catchwords or titles. But when I had started writing the “Furor Normannicus”, I was gameplay-wise already right in the reign of Bohemond and had seen how harshly Bohemond was treating just about everybody, and how he and indeed the entire Normans descended upon the Mediterranean like a kind bloody-handed reavers. Somehow, it reminded me of the Normans’ Viking ancestors descending upon western Europe just one or two centuries previously, and I remebered the prayer which was widely said back then: “Lord, deliver us from the fury of the Norsemen.” It was said in Latin, of course, and in Latin, “fury of the Norsemen” was originally “Furor Normannicus”. And that’s how the AAR got it’s name, for those who may not have figured it out for themselves by now.

The past two weeks were very busy ones for me, and the “Furor Normannicus” was consequently put on a hold, but it’s going to continue next week, with the introduction of a new major storyline character. I hope to see you all over there in the CK forum.

**Lord E** · 02-11-2008 12:48

Congratulations The_Guiscard

**Snugglie** · 02-11-2008 13:51

I really, really need to find time to read AAR's again so that I can read Furor properly... Congratulations!

**Lord Durham** · 02-11-2008 16:19

Congrats!

**Alfred Packer** · 02-11-2008 18:52

great choice!

Congrats The_Guiscard

**CatKnight** · 06-11-2008 05:24

Alright!

Whoever had the unmitigated gall to update the master list of winners on the first post while I was gone....

...Thank you!

I expected several hours work ahead of me. You knocked it down to about 10 minutes. Well done.

The list of winners is now up to date. Feel free to check and let me know if you think there's an error.

Oh, and congrats Guiscard! Most definitely deserved!

**The_Guiscard** · 07-11-2008 08:00

I would once more like to thank TheHyphenated1 for nominating ‘Furor Normannicus’ for the Weekly Showcase, and all well-wishers for their felicitations. You are a great crowd.

As successor of ‘Furor Normannicus’ I would like to nominate an AAR which I very much feel deserves more recognition than it is getting. I have a personal connection to this AAR, as it is the one which got me initially involved with AARland. Like so many, I stumbled upon the Paradox forum when I was googling help for Paradox games, and in my case the first result took me – strangely enough – right into this AAR. I skimmed the thread for the game facts I was looking for and did for the first time realize that not all AARs were invariably poorly written but that there actuaally were also well-written ones, like the one I had stumbled upon. I read the AAR, looked at the others, realized that the one I had just finished wasn't alone in its excellence. I had discovered AARland. No two weeks later I set out to write 'Furor Normannicus'.

But it’s not just my personal connection to the AAR which prompts me to select it for the showcase, it is much rather that I think that it is a genuinly well-written piece. The author manages a flawless historybook-tone. He doesn’t become too personal or opinionated or lose himself in meaningless detail but does instead achieve a perfect blend of sweeping overview and detailed account, very similar to a historical wikipedia article. But ‘nuff said, go and have a look for yourself:

I nominate The High Kings of Alba – A Scots MegaCampaign by Lord Valentine for the Weekly AAR Showcase.

Congratulations, Lord Valentine!