Saint Mishgan, Patron of Bears and the Swiss
The Glorification Of Mishgan
Greetings! As we go back to school this month, another saint is being glorified, Mishgan!
1. Congrats! Why don’t you start by telling us a bit about yourself:
Well, I am a Swissman of distant Russian origins. And as all Swissmen, I have an assault rifle lying next to my socks and underpants in my chest of drawers. Three weeks a year I am a tank grenadier with the Batallion de Grenadiers de Chars 18, a French speaking tank grenadier battalion of our glorious Swiss Army.
As of my civilian life, I am a student of law and a person who likes to lead a more or less active life. I go swimming and actively practice kendo. I also try to go out as much as possible, but I prefer bars to clubs.
I love classical music and rock/metal music. But I do not really limit myself to fixed musical choices. I can just as well bang my head to Blind Guardian and then listen to some R’n’B.
2. What is the origin of your username?
The origins are clouded in the mist of times and shadows of the past.
3. How did you discover Paradox games?
A friend of mine told me to try out Europa Universalis II. So I bought it and spent my nights playing it instead of going out and hunting for girlfriends. Then I tried out other games and settled on Vicky as my favourite.
4. How did you discover the forums?
I typed Paradox Entertainment/Interactive/don’t remember what at the time into Goggle.
5. Do you remember your first experience here?
Oh, sure as hell I do! I remember my very first messages of the forums as if it was just a couple minutes ago: “The server is busy, please try again later.” Actually, that did just happen a couple minutes ago.
6. Your Russian AAR is fantastic; do you have any advice on writing a history-book AAR?
I’d suggest most blatantly and without any sort of shame and regrets steal from other history books AARs. “Do not repair what is not broken,” as the saying goes, after all. If you see a good style, pleasant to the eye and to the brain, then use it. Do not commit plagiarism, though, like simply copy-pasting entire posts from an AAR and then just editing the names.
And don’t sigh for every word, ‘cause it’s already been written, composed and told anyway (cookie goes to whoever names the song and the singer).
Also try to balance out text and pictures and to have pictures sort of guide the reader, so that he isn’t overly bored reading those tl;dr posts of yours. Everybody loves pictures.
7. What was your favorite part to write about so far?
My favourite part to write about was surely Chapter 7 : Onwards to Tsargrad! Indeed, for some reason the F11 button just did not work and all my pretty screenshots were never taken. So I had to improvise completely and use my own made map to show the territorial changes, as well as find various pictures to illustrate the progress. And editing the minarets out on the Hagia Sophia allowed me to master a trick or two in Photoshop.
In the end, I think the result is quite nice.
I know that you only asked for one part, but I do have to mention the Intermezzo 5 : Russia’s Austrian Headache. I really enjoyed typing it out because the whole reasoning just goes against the entire gameplay perspective of Victoria. By all means, from a gameplay perspective, I should invade Austria now and grab those Galician provinces with my national POPs.
But from a storyline perspective, from that of the political one as it might have happened had my alternative history been the real one, I decided against. And as I love complicated politics (hey, I’m Swiss) I really enjoyed that intermezzo.
8. You went on a trip to “Tsargrad” (Constantinople, Istanbul) recently, how was that? Do you have any experiences you’d like to share from there?
Huge-City-upon-Bosphorus was just plain awesome. I think I might just as well go there again this autumn. Really, it is one of those cities you just have to see. And you just can’t see it in a week. Not even two.
As of the experiences: always check the taximeter when you get into a cab. The starting fee is 2 liras, not 20 as one driver tried to rip me off. But that’s about it. I shall not speak of anything else as I’d just spoil the fun for those who wish to go there.
9. Who are the influences on your AAR-writing?
Uhm… no idea.
10. Do you have any other advice for other AAR writers?
Yeah. Never, ever, ever do a full scale industrial overview in Victoria if you’re a major industrial power.
11. Do you have any favorite AARs?
Actually, not really. I can’t say that I read every single AAR out there, but those I do read I generally tend to like. However, I do admit that I prefer those with pictures rather than just plain text. And especially maps. I like screenshots with maps showing progress, allows the reader to follow the action.
12. Do you have a favorite experience on the forums?
Nope. But any female Paradox forum members (if there are any) can send me pictures of them in military fatigues and I’ll name that as my favourite experience.
13. What do you like most about AARs, AAR-writing, Paradox games, and the forums?
What I like most about Paradox games is world conquest. I have never yet managed to actually conquer the entire world, but my current Russian game, the one with the BeAARhug is the closest I got to it.
I also like taking a minor and turning it into a world power. Albeit it’s a tad harder in Vicky.
Once again, let us congratulate Saint Mishgan!
asd
