• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Congrats Stuyvesant. Reading through the comments and seeing the various names was like taking a walk down memory lane.:cool:
 
Congrats Stuyvesant, you really earn this one. A comment from you is like a letter from an old friend. Your comments are full of insight, wit and insight. and also wit. I always get excited when I see you've posted in my AAR.
 
Thank you, Saithis, for the honor, and thank you, everyone, for the kind words. I see I even lured some of my fellow old-timers out of hiding. ;) I don't mean to be clique-ish, but coz1, Director, Storey, it's always a special pleasure to see you guys pop in (that's code for "Please visit more often!" :p) Everybody else, though I don't mention you by name (there's too many of you!;)), please know I deeply appreciate your verbal pats on the back.

I've been at these forums for quite a while now (actually, I prefer not to dwell on it too much - it makes me feel old) and I've always loved the atmosphere, the overall civility, and the sheer quantity and quality of writing that's on display. I'm pretty sure I've made the candy store analogy before, but it still perfectly describes my reaction to this place: goodies everywhere, and even better, it's all free, unlike an actual candy store (AARland is also an efficient marketing tool, I have to admit - Paradox are the proud owners of, oh, a couple of hundred dollars of my money and I know I wouldn't have spent nearly as much if it wasn't for the AARs - so perhaps 'free' is a bit of a misnomer. But not one I mind. :))

All I can say is, I really like the stuff I can read here, and I like the ability to interact with the writers, be it simply to joke around, or to learn something about a game mechanic, or to find out what they intended with their writing (imagine reading Terry Pratchett - or insert your own favorite author here - and being able to ask him directly, at any point during the story: "I really liked that paragraph, and I think it meant this, is that what you had in mind?" I think it's just mindblowing that we actually have that opportunity here).

And then, of course, there's the fact that in commenting, I'm 'paying' for all this goodness I'm consuming. Not as a chore, but as a sincere token of appreciation of all those folks who sit down and spend hours to entertain us, the readers.

So, while accepting this nod, I would like to thank everybody else who makes this forum such a great place to visit: the writers, who provide the materials, the commenters, who provide the fuel that keeps this place going, and also the mods, always slaving away to swat the spambots, quell the arguments and keep things civil.

Thank you all for making AARland AARland. :) Now I'm off to do some reading and find a successor.
 
It's time to nominate a successor. And while there are many worthy candidates out there, I can only name one (none of that faffing about naming John Stockton and Karl Malone Co-MVP at the 1993 NBA All-Star game - okay, I'm going waaay off-tangent here).

Anyway, without further ado, please congratulate Aldriq! A steady presence on the forums and someone who shows up practically everywhere and whose comments always seem to fit the thread they're made in, be it comedy or more serious fare.

Congratulations!
 
Congratulations aldriq! A very worthy successor for the Fan of the Week and a breath of fresh air every time he comments!
 
Congratulations aldriq, certainly well deserved!
 
Congrats, aldriq. An update is always more successful if it elicits a comment from you.
 
Thanks Stuyvesant! And everybody else for your congrats... It's nice to be slowly catching up with Enewald's septuple crown, at this pace by 2019... :)

I come and go from the forums on a random/seasonal basis, but when I visit regularly I always end up following more AARs than I can handle. I blame signatures... and inkwells... and AAR libraries... and generally the amount of good stuff in these forums. If there is something I can't do when I find a compelling AAR is


lookbut.jpg


So I invite everybody to disregard this piece of advice and look, linger, enjoy and comment on as many AARs as you can.


I bet it is down to the Smoothing with the Queen Mother and her peacocks! (You know what I am on about ;))

Slander! I know nothing of peacock smoothing! :blush:
 
Right, time for a new FoW (apologies, I didn't have access yesterday). It's getting trickier to get new fans that haven't received this award yet, but I think I found one who does comment in more than one game forum and who should have got it a while ago: mayorqw. Congratulations!
 
Congratulations mayorqw!
 
Congratulations!