Fan of the Week: BarrosRodrigues

[Lord Durham]

I probe around this forum form time to time and it's nice to see the tradition I started is still alive .

Woah! A blast from the past!


Congrats Lewis! Well deserved, as always. I'm starting to think we should rename this award.

[Jaspume]

Congratulations stnylan!

It's certainly well deserved.

[Qorten]

Congrats stnylan, very much deserved! I don't understand where you get all the time to read and comment almost every single AAR in AARland.

[crusaderknight]

Congrats, my friend! Definitely well deserved! I always appreciate seeing your comments in my AARs!

And I agree with Lord Durham that we should rename this awAARd. It should now be known as the "Stnylan Award"!

[Capibara]

Congratulations!

[GhostWriter]

Congratulations stynlan ! !

aye, coz1, this is number six ! !

each and every one well deserved ! ! :: nods ::

[rcduggan]

Congratulations stnylan, you deserve it more than anyone on these forums.

[therev]

I concer with all that is said above.

Congrats stnylan, well deserved

[Director]

Whenever I try to express my appreciation in an AAR, stnylan's is the example I would most like to emulate. Thoughtful, incisive, supportive... and everywhere. Dude, seriously, you have a team of people who all use your name, right?

Congratulations, Lewis. Whether 6 times or 60, well deserved is well deserved.

[CountArach]

Well done stnylan! I always see your name as one of the first posts in a new AAR (Including mine... thanks!) and you help to keep old writers motivated and to plant the seeds of motivation in the new writers.

[Woody Man]

Congratulations stnylan! Very well deserved indeed!

[Lord E]

Wonderful choice. I guess the stnylan award is back home where it belongs

Congratulations stnylan

[demokratickid]

Congrats, stnylan! I think you deserve this award every week for your superhuman posting abilities! Very, very, very well deserved award!

[Snugglie]

I haven't seen anyone that posts as many comments in AAR's, especially not in the CK-forum. Very well deserved, stnylan!

[Vann the Red]

Well deserved, stnylan. Congratulations.

Vann

[Enewald]

I wonder if stnylan decides to pay a visit here...
Or he can't remember how many time he has won this award and thinks it is usual the see own name as the tittle.

[Remble]

Congratulations stnylan. Well deserved as always.

[robou]

we know you are about stnylan... speech!!

[Alfred Packer]

truly the man is a posting machine! Well deserved

[stnylan]

First off, let me publicly thank hjarg for nominating me for this awAARd, which I now have the honour of holding for the sixth time.

And it is an honour. Of all the weekly awAARds that exist in AARland, this is the one I like the most, both in the receiving of it (an appreciation that, for me, grows each time) and in the passing it on. But also on a community level, what makes these fora different from so many game-report fora, is the level of feedback. It creates a depth and vibrancy to the community here that is simply lacking in many game forums.

I cannot remember exactly when I made a conscious decision to comment as I do - I think sometime in the second half of 2003, but no later than early 2004 because coz1 kindly quoted what has become my forum motto in this Gazette article, by which I must have already had it in my sig. Along with that decision was a determination to comment and support as many as AARs as I could.

Contrary to rumour, I do not read everything that is written. The closest I came to managing that was in 2006, when I was reading everything new that was written but there were several long-running AARs which I never had the time to catch-up on. For various reasons I have had several forum absences over the last couple of years as well, and there are plenty of AARs which have developed so much in my absence I have never managed to catch-up. I do feel quite guilty about that, but ultimately I do have to limit my time on the forum otherwise I run the risk of burnout.

As for how do I manage to keep up the pace? Well, it is not a casual thing for starters. It requires effort and determination, and a disciplined approach to reading. I am fortunate however that I can read very quickly, and also that I have never really had much difficult in writing comments. To give a sense of what I mean, presuming there is nothing major that attracts my attentions as a demi-mod, and that I do not get too badly affected by server busy messages, I can go through a full day of forum activity - which currently translates as 50-60 threads, sometimes more and sometimes less - in about two hours.

Is it worth it? Yes. To begin with, I get to treat myself to a lot of wonderful AARs across the entire range of possible styles. Sure, some AARs are better than others, but what is particularly fine is to see a new writer grow in confidence and talent, be it a gameplay AAR, historybook, or narrative, or even a combination of all three. And, of course, at times this awAARd comes my way, which is the icing on the cake.

Some people have suggested, whether half in jest or seriously, that this award be renamed. I must respectfully decline such suggestions, even if meant in good humour. I may be the most prevalent and prolific commentator, but I am far from the only one.

Sometimes people give a list of works they are reading. In my case that might get a bit long, so instead I will just give a couple of picks from each current game.

Victoria
'I'm sorry but you're not the only one...' by robou
This one has just started, and will hopefully continue following robou's exams (alas, it is that time of year). It is a narrative and shows great potential.

Stiff Upper Lip: A Terribly British History by Dr. Gonzo
Historybook AAR alternate as Britain. Some excellent alternate political history going on in this one, not just the ordinary military divergences.

Crusader Kings

Les Journals d'Artois by ComradeOm
A delightful diary-style AAR. I would have to say that the main character - the diarist - is one of the best realised characters currently being written in the forum. It takes a while to fully appreciate this as it takes time to build up a picture of the main character, but once you do one's enjoyment increases exponentially. A real gem.

The Legacy of the North by Estonianzulu
Another AAR that has just started, and whose pace will doubtless pick up a little bit once he wraps his Victoria AAR (which is entering its closing stages). I think it is the first time this writer has tried the narrative style, and all the signs are looking good.

Hearts of Iron 2

A War Hero and the 1948 Presidential Election by therev
This is marvellous narrative AAR. It has one of the best-crafted atmospheres in AARland, in a dangerous world. D-Day has failed, Dewey is in charge, and Eisenhower is up on a treason ticket.

Resistance: Fall of Man - An Oral History by TreizeV
An alien force has invaded. Eurasia has fallen. An American journalist is piecing together eye-witness accounts of what has happened, and the AAR itself is a series of interviews. The atmopshere in this one is absolutely fantastic, as is just finding out what has happened. It is a real process of discovery, from one of the forum's most talented writers.

Europa Universalis: Rome

The Adventures of House Eurypontid by Alfred Packer
A relaxed gameplay/comedy AAR as Sparta, a good introduction to Rome's gameplay.

I, Silvagensus - A Rome AAR by English Patriot
A narrative AAR. It is early days in the story, but there is good potential here. English Patriot is an accomplished writer as those who know his other works can attest, so if you want to catch one of his works in early days now is the time!

Europa Universalis 3

La Republica Caotica de Venetia (a MMG2 AAR) by dharper and ubik
This is a collaborative AAR by two the developers, if you will, of the Magna Mundi mod. I think for anyone interested in the workings of this mod this one will become a trove of treasured information. Again, it is early days yet so easy to catch-up.

Not Fade Away … A Breton AAR for Magna Mundi Gold 2 by glengarry leads
An AAR that uses narrative episodes interspersed with screenshots, this is another MMG AAR (it is a popular mod) set in Britanny. There is a good story going on thus far as Britanny struggles for independence.

And there you have it. But there are plenty of other excellent AARs, and I urge you all to go out and read a few. And remember:

To view is human
To comment is divine