The AARlander Issue #12 September 2008

[canonized]

Welcome to the AARLANDER , AARland's monthly publication ! If you would like to write for the AARlander , contact canonized or English Patriot - everyone is welcome ! Also , what's the best way to support the AARlander aside from writing ? Give comments ! Put your comments in the AARlander: Comments and Discussion Thread for our writers to read !

Editor in Chief and Cover Artist : 
canonized

Editor:
English Patriot

Assistant Editors on Staff: 
General_BT  Estonianzulu

Secretary:
Avernite

Contributors for This Month: 
canonized  Degeme  Capibara  trekaddict 
Elidioemperor  snugglie  spl  EUROO7   Masked Pickle
comagoosie  Murmurandus Estonianzulu

Other Writers or Contributors on Staff: 
Judas Maccabeus  LeonTrotsky  Hajji Giray I  TreizeV  Cyrus_The_Great
JimboIX  VILenin  Grubnessul  jeffg006  Myth  grayghost  Kurt_Steiner
Mettermrck  DerKaiser  KanaX  Alfred Packer  AlexanderPrimus  Atlantic Friend

TABLE OF CONTENTS

September Issue

PART I: BRIDE OF HEARTS OF IRON
   The Grapevine by canonized & English Patriot
   Broken Hearts by EUROO7

PART II: SEPTEMBER IN AARLAND
   Every Once in Awhile… by comagoosie
   The Knýtling is dead – long live the Knýtling! by snugglie
   For People Who Like Institutions by EstonianZulu
   Short Rumblings by Murmurandus
   The Weekly AwAARds for August 2008! by spl

PART III: BACK TO SCHOOL HISTORY
   Bombs on America! by trekaddict

PART IV: SEPTEMBER SYNOPSIS - REVIEWS
   A Peace To End All Peaces – A No Great War mod by Masked Pickle
   Habsburga la vista, baby! - A 1914 Austro-Hungarian AAR by Elidioemperor
   
Part V: TRAVEL AND LEISURE
   México Lindo y Querido… by Capibara
   Moscow Never Sleeps by Degeme

Previous AARlander and INSTRUMENTALITY Editons

The AARlander Issue #11 August 2008 ACA Results Edition
 The AARLander Issue #10 July 2008
 The AARlander Issue #9 June 2008
 The AARlander Issue #8 May ACA Results Issue
 AARlander Issue #7 April 2008
Instrumentality March 2008
 The AARlander Issue #6: February 2008
 The AARlander Issue #5: January 2008
 The AARlander Issue #4: December 2007
 The AARlander Issue #3: November 2007 
 The AARlander Issue #2: August 2007
 The AARlander Issue #1: July 2007

[canonized]

The Grapevine
By canonized & English Patriot

English Patriot - Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome, to the September issue of the AARlander. No doubt many of the citizenry of AARland were present when Johan unveiled the new "Project Mayhem" sub-forum and no doubt many of you speculated to no end what the new title might be. Said to be the team's biggest production to date, the announcement of a new title drew hopes from every forumite involved. This editor hoped for a Dark ages game much like Crusaders Kings. The newest title was announced as Hearts of Iron III on the 20th of August, simultaneously providing joyous exultation and sullen acknowledgement from the Paradox forums. Since then, the forums have seen a flurry of activity, as forumites wade in to ask and enquire for certain features, covering such diverse subjects as the timeline, the world map, division customisation, and the dogged cries of the anti-3D crowd, as always some fear Hearts of Iron being "dumbed down" for the unwashed masses, others wish for a more streamlined game. canonized hit the AARland scene to pick up what the people of our beloved forum thought about the upcoming HOI and it's effects on AARland.

DarthJF

canonized- Did you expect it to be HOI3 when they announced the new paradox game ?

DarthJF - No. I thought it would be too early for it.

canonized- What do you most fear that might go wrong with HOI3 ? Is it bugs , complexity , graphics or anything like that or perhaps something else ?

DarthJF - I fear it might too simplified. One of the best things in HOI2 (and one) was it's endless level of details. Paradox has made it's policy to try ease learning curve for new players, which is good, but hopefully they don't forget us hardcore gamers who like to micromanage things.

trekaddict

canonized-
by the way i'm curious , what's probably the main thing that you want to see improved from HOI2 to HOI3 ?

trekaddict - There is a lot, give me a second, the no overseas MP while at war thing should go, so that the Brits get the MP from India even when at war. Trading should be easier and 3d graphics would be nice but is not that important.

canonized-
Anything you're afraid of that will make it into HOI3 or something that would make it any less than what HOI2 was ?

trekaddict - 3d graphics overblown, if you could no longer go all these alternate ways i.e. Naval Combat should stay the same, I love my BB stacks, and it should be as moddable as HOI2. The post war-events after an Axis Victory need to be improved, ie. Hitler dies in the 50s and a succession crisis something like that..

KuzuX

canonized-
How did you feel once it was HOI3 that was announced ?

KuzuX - um...I "yay!"d, literally and started dancing, so, that was extreme happiness probably.

canonized-
How do you think HOI3 will affect AARs in the HOI2 sub-forum ?

KuzuX - After it's released, there'll be probably much less HOI2 AARs, just like what happened to EU2. HOI3 will probably make AARs better with all that governments in exile stuff etc. I like detailed stuff.

canonized-
Lastly , do you feel like HOI3 will draw the HOI community away from the CK EU Rome and Vicky communities ?

KuzuX - Well, HOI community was already somewhat away from CK, EU and Vicky, HOI was more popular etc. and hardcore p'doxers didn't like it much, but some did, and they were both in CK, Vicky and HOI communities, and with all that detail, I can say it might even draw them closer, and I hope this one won't be an EPIC FAIL like Rome.

mandead

canonized- I was wondering if you had a comment i could take for the AARlander . I just wanted to ask what's the biggest thing you hope HOI3 will improve on from HOI2

mandead - Well, the map is sounding fantastic, 10,000 land provinces, I also love the idea of governments-in-exile, after a nation's been defeated, but in terms of stuff I don't know about, I want to see better naval warfare, customisable battleships/carriers, etc, basically, more differences between the great powers' navies, so they're not just generic ships of a certain class, but a player will know to be wary if the Hood or the Bismarck or whatever is nearby, like in real life

canonized-
How do you think the mod community for HOI2 will be affected by HOI3 ? Do you think we'll see the same amount of mods , less modability , or more creativity out there ?

mandead - More, presumably. Paradox are increasing the moddability of each successive title - compare EU3 with EU2, the former is infinitely more moddable (though not necessarily better, but that's for another article...) and user-friendly, which certainly broadens the appeal in many respects. HoI3 will no doubt go down a similar route. And of course, there's never a shortage of mods for the HoI timeline, I shall of course be on the WWI front, so to speak

thehyphenated1

canonized - How do you think HOI3 will affect AARland ?

TheHyphenated1 - It will further enrich the community and bring in many more productive citizens. Unfortunately, it will ultimately draw readers away from the currently-thriving HoI2 forum.

English Patriot - All in all, most HOI2 fans are looking forward to the next incarnation of this epic paradoxian piece. Many still remain cautious about the various effects a new game would have on the franchise, but despite that the satisfaction from the aspects already guaranteed as well as the hope for more not only outweigh the doubts but also continue to fuel the anticipation. As for its impact on AARland, with the HOI franchise being a tried and true flagship, it will remain to be seen whether it will merely highlight the HOI sub-forum or if it will tilt AARland in a more 'warlike' direction. Either way, AARland holds its breath both in anticipation and speculation for this next title; and be certain that the AARlander will cover any release!

canonized is the author of Timelines: What if Spain Failed to Control the World?
English Patriot is the author of I, Silvagenus

[canonized]

Broken Hearts
By EUROO7

What could Project Mayhem possibly be? Could it perhaps be a sequel to everyone’s favourite medieval game Crusader Kings? Or perhaps it’s Victoria II, and Paradox has been paying attention to the polls? It was neither. Instead, the game announced at the Games Convention in Leipzig was a third instalment in the World War II focused strategy game “Hearts of Iron”. As a result, I write this not with an “Iron Heart”, but with a broken one.

Victoria. When Her name is mentioned in the Paradox forums, everyone knows that it refers to what is perhaps Paradox Interactive’s most complex strategy game. Victoria is indeed a popular game within the Paradox community, but Victoria was not in the Swedish company’s plans for its next grand strategy game.

In both polls opened regarding the identity of Paradox Interactive’s next grand strategy title, Victoria took the lead, and stayed there. Many of the voters were old loyal fans of the game. But some of us, mostly newer members of the community, greatly hoped for a game spanning from the beginning of the Concert of Europe to the First World War.

I myself, fearing the time is too late to enter the world of the original Victoria, truly hoped for a renewed version of the game which spans one of the most important timelines of history. We hoped for a new kind of Victoria, however. We hoped for a Victoria in which the dreaded steep learning curve would not repeat itself. On the other hand, we did not want a “dumbed down” version of the game. What we wanted was the glory of the first, with a new learning curve, designed to make us enjoy the game from the minute we take it out of the box.

I sat down to talk with a fellow paradoxian, one fairly new to the forums: PetitBourgeois.

EUROO7 - What were your first thoughts when you heard of "Project Mayhem"?

PetitBourgeois - Well, I hoped for Victoria 2 - I almost fooled myself into thinking it would be. I didn't really think it would be Victoria 2, but I was just hoping. Mostly, I thought that such a big project would have to appeal to a wide audience, ergo, WW2.

EUROO7 - Do you own the original Victoria?

PetitBourgeois - Yes, and Revolutions. It is still my favorite of the Paradox games.

EUROO7 - What would you have liked to have in a Victoria II?

PetitBourgeois - A better implementation of the immense social upheaval of the time period; the rise of socialism and communism as well as the polarization caused by them is such an important part of the time. Also, a better pops system and economic system - right now they are both a bit unwieldy. Not to mention music from the time period that changes with the years.

EUROO7 - And lastly, will you be buying Hearts of Iron III when it is released?

PetitBourgeois - Yes, I probably will - as long as the game is not entirely war.

But we Victorians were not the only ones with a broken heart. Those fans of the middle ages were also disappointed to see their hopes crushed by “Hearts of Iron”. With a fan base as loyal as that of Victoria, Crusader Kings supporters could sympathise with us Industrialists. Coming in third on the polls after Victoria and Hearts of Iron, this medieval strategy game based on dynasties instead of nations is still one of the favourites for role-playing.

I sat down with one of the great supporters of Crusader Kings, Veldmaarschalk:

EUROO7 - What were your first thoughts when you heard of "Project Mayhem"?

Veldmaarschalk - Well secretly I was hoping for CK II, but when they called it Project Mayhem I already got the feeling that it wouldn't be that game. Even if Johan said that the project name would have nothing to do with the game itself. When I read it would be their biggest project so far it became even more obvious. Though I was of course still hoping that I would be wrong

EUROO7 - What would you have liked to have in a Crusader Kings II?

Veldmaarschalk - First of all, more of everything. So more provinces, cultures, religions, duchies, kingdoms and so on. Also some kind of trade-system, a bit like the one used in Rome. The ability to play every faction in the game (Muslims, Pagans, Republics, Knightly Orders) each with their own rules. Your court should consist of 3d-characters (SIM-like).

In your castle there would be several rooms, including a room with a strategic map

EUROO7 - Those sound like great ideas, do you think Paradox will eventually make a CK II?

Veldmaarschalk - To be honest, those ideas aren't all mine of course. Some of them are mine and some of them I picked up from other forumites. Johan has said in an interview that CK is one of his favourite games, so that gives me hope that there one day will be a CK II

EUROO7 - Well, to end, will you be buying Hearts of Iron III when it comes out?

Veldmaarschalk - Yes I will, as soon as you can pre-order it I will buy it!

In the end, all we could do was hope. But even now, we may remain hopeful that someday in the future, Paradox Interactive will give us, the loyal fans of Victoria and Crusader Kings, a product to give them our money for. Until then, what can we possibly do other than wait for our favourite game? I, for one, plan to spend that time playing Hearts of Iron III!

EUROO7 is the author of The Papal State : A Mission AAR

[canonized]

Every Once in Awhile…
By comagoosie

Every once in awhile does a program come around that has the capabilities to transform AARland. In this case, The Writer’s Block has this potential. It is virtually open to anyone and any writing style. Hopefully it will become a place where writers, old and new alike, will come and sit down and talk about writing, whether it would be complimenting on each other’s style or advice for a certain problem. If you are unfamiliar with The Writer’s Block, let me explain some of the ideals behind it.

First, look at the title, ‘Writer’s Block’, which is a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to begin or continue writing, usually due to lack of inspiration or creativity, by definition. It could also be said that it prevents a new writer with high aspirations from actually writing. Now you may not be a struggling writer, but stretching your arms will make you more likely not to cramp up.

The cure is simple for this type of disease, and it is exactly what The Writer’s Block is for. Freewriting, which is basically writing with no strings attach, makes it so the author may have a brief inspiration, write, but without the commitment of starting a thread and updating that inspiration, which may or may not run dry. Unless the author specifies that he or she wants critique, they will receive none, which is another major treatment, ‘diminishing negative thoughts about one's skill or ability to write.’

Thankfully, Estonianzulu, the main force behind The Writer’s Block, will never let potential writers without an idea whether that writer writes off actual gameplay or from just a thought, again a remedy, ‘doing something out of the ordinary. If writer's block comes from a lack of new ideas, attempts to spark creativity by going somewhere new or doing something different.’

There is something here for everyone. For those no-AAR writers who want to test the waters, to those writers needing an inspirational boost, and even the experienced ones who feel like they haven’t flexed their muscles in awhile, so there is no reason why you can’t take an hour off from life and write a short story to entertain yourself and the forum.

I had time to catch up with the founder, Estionianzulu, and see how he feels about his program

comagoosie: Do you believe that The Writer's Block will become successful, and what will contribute to its success or failure?

Estonianzulu: Well I certainly hope it will become successful. As to what may contribute to its success, there are a slew of things. But above everything is the interest and enjoyment of writers and readers. Getting people involved and motivated to read, write and comment on stories in The Writer's Block will be key to its success.

comagoosie: Is/Will there any competition between this and Guess the Author?

Estonianzulu: Oh no. Although the style of the two are similar in some ways, their objective is different. Guess the Author is about anonymous submissions and serious critiques. The Writer's Block is supposed to be about an open sharing of ideas, styles and experiences. I want to see the two operate in tandem, with The Writer's Block being a friendly, welcoming place for testing ideas and trying new things, while GTA being a place for more serious devotion to reading and writing critically.

comagoosie: Unless the author specifies he wants critics, you say that we give ideas and encouragement, but wouldn't that restrict the commenter? Couldn't encouragement and critique coexist together? I guess this question could be put as what is the purpose of The Writer’s Block. Guess the Author are for writers that want to improve on their skills. What is The Writer’s Block for?

Estonianzulu: I want commenters to treat The Writer's Block like it was an AAR. Most times when you comment on AAR, you are encouraging, maybe with a comment or two about how you feel about a scene or what you think about how the author is doing. Rarely do you openly critique an author's style, form or substance. I do not want the Writer's Block (Unless, as you said, the author specifies) to be about that. I want it to be easier on the writers. Nothing is as hard as putting yourself out there for critique. And while yes, criticism and encouragement can exist hand in hand, its more difficult for both. The art of telling someone they need to improve while at the same time encouraging them to return is daunting, especially to writers who don't feel that their own work measures up. So, GTA is about confronting those critiques and building from there. The Writer's Block is a place to try things out. So, lets say you want to write a narrative AAR but are unsure how it feels, well now you have a place to test out narrative writing in an AAR style without having to devote yourself completely to a new AAR. Or lets say you are a fan of HoI, but want to write a story about a Crusader, suddenly you have the forum to do that without having to go out and buy CK. Its about giving people the opportunity to write AAR's, and use the AAR mediums to enjoy their writing. I'd love to see new writers use it as a place to spring board into AARs, and see older writers use it as a place to explore. Above all else of course I want it to provide yet another watering hole for the AAR community.

comagoosie: So would you say that The Writer's Block is for anyone? Even the old-timers who really don't need encouragement as they have already established themselves.

Estonianzulu: Sure why not? Even Stephen King writes short stories every once and a while. I think the name sums it up pretty well. The Writer's Block. Its both a place to get over the infamous writer's block (because nothing breeds writing quite like writing) as well as a place where we can all come together and just enjoy a good story. Old fogies and newbies alike can use a good change in venue and style every once and a while, and I'd like for the Writer's Block to give them that opportunity, and to bring them together in doing it.

You have heard it from the man himself. Now I anxiously wait for it to blossom and see the potential wonderful effects. Honestly the only thing that is keeping The Writer’s Block from blossoming is,

you.

The Writer's Block Discussion Thread

comagoosie is the author of For Rome's Honor

[canonized]

The Knýtling is dead – long live the Knýtling!
By Snugglie

In the realm of Crusader Kings-land there is widespread sorrow and confusion, because since a few weeks back, something is missing. Faithful readAARs walk around, confusedly, not finding their way – much like dogs being lost due to all the scents of their world having been washed away by rain.

In short, one of the institutions of our forum has closed down – the story of Knud Knýtling, Prince of Denmark, is over. In connection with this, it felt like a good plan to have a talk with the author, and get a retrospective at what became the biggest AAR ever – both in views and replies – in the realm of Crusader Kings AAR’s.

Snugglie: So, your two-and-a-half-year comedy epic is over, and without doubt it has left a prominent and persisting mark in AARland, and especially in the CK subfora. If I call you the father of the modern AARland “many pictures, few words”-AAR, how do you respond?

phargle*: With thanks, but denial – there were no doubt many of these AARs prior to that one. Snake IV’s WWII in Colour AAR predates my own by some time with that very format. Not that I read it, but it shows the format existed. I think there's a modern genre of first-person, comedy, many pictures, few words AAR that the Knud story laid the groundwork for however, and I'd say that the first-person aspect of the narration is probably key there to the style that's been popularized. I would finally answer by apologising to the writers of good AARs everywhere.

S: Always humble! Nevertheless, the tale of Knud Knýtling and his spawn is the most replied to, as well as the most viewed AAR in the history of the CK-forum. And, if I remember correctly, it is also the most awarded AAR in all of AARland. But in the ACA 2008 Q2 that record was close to crumbling, wasn’t it?

p: It still holds the record at fifteen, two ahead of Timelines, but it’s a record I expect will fall on account of Knud being over and Timelines being updated. Er, wait. Actually, I suppose there’s still one more ACA cycle in which the Knuds are eligible in, so potentially it could be a few more cycles before it loses the record if it does well in Q3.

S: A good cause, surely. A factor that is impossible to ignore when conducting an interview with this theme is of course the original protagonist himself – the miserable prince of Denmark. How did it all start, and why did you choose to chronicle him?

p: The basic idea for the AAR was there from the start, although the original incarnation was intended to have no words, just pictures - I don't have the talent for that though. I went trolling through the starting scenario in 1066 to find people with amusing names, and eyeballed the areas around the Baltic Sea because it would give me room to expand and survive as a count. And then I stumbled across Knud, who is typically given Halland by 1067. He was ill, a coward, looked funny and had a name that’s funny whether you pronounce it correctly or incorrectly. He was perfect.

S: And what a choice it turned out to be. Three hundred and fifty years later his spawn has taken over Europe – twice! – and we have seen many a maniac, inbreeder or general jerk come and go. Who has been your favourite character this far, and in retrospective, the least favourite?

p: My favourite was probably Valdemar, who really defined the menacing villainy of the story, but it’s a tough contest. Judith was a lot of fun to write, Knud set the Charlie Brown-tone of things, Knud II had a great old time interacting with the ghost, Knud III was the musical one and that was fun, and I greatly enjoyed the Magnus updates. But from a character perspective, Valdemar was number one.

S: And the least favourite?

p: Number zero, the one I like the least, is harder to answer. There were some way short updates – Erik and Tyke – that I am not sure should count. There were also a lot of excessively-similar rulers, like the series of Niels and Rolf and Bretislav and the like, but even they had some fun stuff, like Niels’ Sun Tzu-sayings.

S: Alright, moving on to a slightly related topic, only requiring a short answer: which character-updates did you enjoy the most to write?

p: The recent back-to-back chapters of Judith and George were a blast. Judith was such a different style of updating, but still In the Knudly vein; George had all the parodies. So I’d probably say those two were the most fun to write. It’s again a hard competition, because the musical updates were a blast and a half, and the regular updates of pictures and texts were always very easy, very natural and lots of fun. If I have to pick though, I’ll pick Judith and George.

S: Talking about your switching of genre and style from character to character, there is one chapter that deserves extra attention – the Shakesperian updates. Many of your old readers had no idea what they were about; people that had read their Shakespeare sang your praise so that it could be heard everywhere. What’s your reflection on that chapter?

p: I’m proud of them as an accomplishment because they were very hard to write, and there’s a lot of good flavour captured there. Poetically, they also convey a lot of sly humour in a way that just wasn’t possible in the ordinary format. At the same time, looking back at them makes me see them in a different light, because those updates aren’t as breezy as the rest of the AAR and are pretty hard to read if you’re not in the right mood. When I went back and read the whole AAR recently, I skipped the Magnus chapter except for a few key speeches.

It was kind of a blow because after that chapter, I felt trapped in the normal format of the AAR – either I had to update normally, or I’d lose readers, so I became a bit leery for a while of trying something new or innovative.

S: This is probably a rather easy question, but what exactly do you think it is that made Knud Knýtling stay popular for two and a half year, and also effectively survive a long hiatus?

p: Well, it’s a rather simple AAR. I knew I wanted to write something popular, because I knew that popularity would make me keep it up, so I did a little bit of research to see what I liked as a reader and what other people seemed to like – and then I also knew that I wanted to write something different. Combined, that meant that it would get off to a good start. And I also updated it frequently, which helped in the way that it attracted readers who knew they could engage in the AAR easily because they wouldn’t have to digest a five-page update each time I posted. Then it snowballed in the ACA, and I got a couple of attention-grabbing awards in 2006, which brought more readers. Once you get a lot of readers it is pretty easy to keep them if you keep up the schedule and work – most AARs seem to fade not because of poor workmanship but because they just stop getting updated.

Now, I had that absence, and it did hurt the readership – it’s fair to say that it survived the hiatus, but I don’t know if you can say much more than that initially. I think you can see that I tried a few things stylistically with the updates after the hiatus to improve the quality of the AAR. I knew I was behind on readers and that I had lost a lot of ground, and it shows in the ACA – other AARs won that cycle even though I tried to remain competitive. So the result was different things in each of the reigns that followed, and the culmination was Judith and eventually George, which I think heralded the triumph of the AAR at the very end. The critical mass of readers prior to the long hiatus helped it survive on life support, but it took a lot of work – a lot of fun work! – to get the AAR healthy and relevant again.

S: Is there anyone – in any of the subforums – that you think have done particularly well in carrying the flag of the genre, and maybe develop it even more?

p: Tricky, tricky. It’s an easy genre to screw up, as I have no doubt proven to my readers over the years. Overcommitment to the format, trying to hard – both of those can wreck an effort. Still, three different AARs come to mind when you ask for good examples.

Alfred Packer’s Crovans went the distance and ended the same day as the Knuds did. He managed to develop characters with personality and narrative drama – the Best Character Writer of the Week-awAARd has been neglecting comedy for ages in this regard – and invest them with uniqueness.

MechTheDane, with his Godwinsons took the basic format and developed it, although his AAR was much more like the older style of comedy in which each line was “So-and-so: Blah blah blah!” Still, it borrowed and built on the fan base of the Knuds and added the comic routine, and that made it innovative – but also something unique and different. Different enough that it’s not an homage AAR, but I won’t quibble.

Lordling lastly, had a fantastic effort with his Phot It story. It probably best captured the essence of the chaotic humour that occasionally worked in the Knud story – there were lines he tossed out that I wanted to steal!

S: and so we reach the last question. Sad, isn’t it?

Now that your magnum opus has ended, you’ve got a CK historybook going – interestingly named “a throwaway AAR to tide phargle over for a bit”. What are your plans for the future? A new Knud Knýtling? A narrative epic? And, almost above all, will we get to keep you in CK-land or will you try to spread your reputation elsewhere?

p: I would like to write a narrative epic, yes. The AAR I have in the Crusader Kings-section is really a throw-away AAR, although the title is kind of a joke because I think it’s a pretty good little AAR – the basic format is fun to write because it’s brief and digestible. Anyway; I’d like to do that narrative AAR, but I am not sure where or when. There are scenes in my head that I know I can commit to paper – er, screen – and I’m pretty sure it’ll be good. It’s a story that I can land in any timeframe really, and my instinct is to stay in my hope in the CK section of the forums.

But – but – I’d give a lot for an opportunity to kick canonized’s ass. That makes it very tempting to put the AAR in the EU3-section, where it’d be up against Timelines. That would make it a huge challenge, which would motivate me as a writer to excel and exceed. The way the ACA breaks down, even lousy stories can scrounge up half a dozen votes, and good ones can break into the double digits, so knowing that I’d have to write well enough to topple a 30-vote giant would be like writing in a forge.

Maybe that’s overly focused – wanting to win Favourite Narrative in the ACA – but, yea, the ACA isn’t necessarily an indicator of good writing or whatever, but between the votes there and the comments, you can at least get an inkling that you are doing something appealing, that you are doing something right. As part of the framework for criticism that exists in the forums, that’s about as good as it gets – I’m pretty analytical about this kind of thing, and I’m pretty good at self-critiquing my work, so it’d serve better than moth things as an indicator for what analysis needs to take place.

Better, I’d say, than just asking outright for critical analysis – that seems to make people feel like they have to come up with something profound to say, whereas a comment of “Huzzah, that was cool!” or a vote in the ACA is, generally, pure.

S: And that is all that I had for you, so thank you for sharing your thoughts with me – and any potential readers, of course – and good luck with whatever kick ass-project will be the next!

p: Sure thing. Mostly, I just wanna make sure you get the important parts: I’m writing a cool story, y’all should read it, gonna kick canonized’s ass. I understand that from the other perspective, I think – I’m sure I inspired a few would-be phargle-killers to look at my work and say “Man, I can do that better!” and then proceed to write something cool (or lousy – I promise nothing). We’ll see.

snugglie is the author of Lotharingia - A tale of resurrection

[canonized]

For People Who Like Institutions
by Estonianzulu

When you think of the great novels, the pillars of literature, certain titles always come up. War And Peace or Robinson Crusoe always find their way onto the lists be it for their grand scope, or their impact on the evolution of the written word. No one can doubt how much these books influence all that we read today. Whether you like sweeping epics or graphic novels, these institutions of literature impact what you read and how you read it. And while these great novels of history are important and should be remembered and read in their time, be honest… unless you're an English major, how often do you actually read them? When you have a few hours of time on a sunny Sunday afternoon in autumn, do you really crack open some Dostoyevsky and whip out the old Huxley for a quick stroll down Brave New World? You ask most people what their favorite book is, chances are good its something they enjoy reading, something they read currently, and something not so deep that whole books have been written about it.

Well guess what, the same exists in the world of AARs. Some AARs are just pillars of history and influence on modern AARland. But ask yourself, when was the last time you went back and read Lord Durham’s The Papacy? In fact, chances are good you wouldn’t even enjoy a lot of it, because it was written in a time when AARs were different, and writing them was nothing like it is today. Hardly would you expect a modern AAR of equally epic proportions to start off with:

Jan 1492

Treasury: 72d.

That’s right, the AAR that founded the Free Company and set in motion perhaps the greatest and farthest reaching story line in AAR history began with “Treasury: 72d”. But back then, that’s what AARs were. They truly were After Action Reports. While The Papacy did evolve over time, it seems out of place compared to the newest “Free Company” AAR. Despite its archaic nature, no one can really deny the impact that The Papacy had on the history of AARland. Clearly, it is part of the institution in which we now exist. But even considering all of this, would anyone call it their “favorite” AAR? That’s not to say it isn’t great, but who reads it? The nature of AARland is that even with such an influential, well written AAR on the board, its rarely seen after its conclusion.

The same can be said for other AARs as well. Rensslaer’s Fire Warms the Northern Lands was perhaps the most popular Victoria AAR ever written, and its unique blend of multiple styles over a massive period of time has left an indelible mark on the history of our craft. However, if you poll most AAR readers, they’d probably choose Sforza!!! as their “favorite” over FWtNL. That’s not to say Sforza is better, but just like more people who choose Harry Potter over Lord of the Rings, it’s a sign of the times. We read to enjoy, to have fun and to escape, and it is easier to do that in a contemporary work than it is in something classic and heavy. So the new is almost always the more popular. So while works like Into the West or Sins of the Father may be institutions of AARland, they are hardly popular anymore.

And chances are good, the same fate awaits those great AARs of today. Timelines, and For King and Country may be amazing and wildly influential institutions of our modern AARland, one day they too will fade. But the influence and impact of an AAR is not measured by how many people go back and read it after the final update, but instead by the legacy it leaves behind. And who knows what AAR may go on to inspire you to write next. Maybe some day you happen to be flipping through AARs and come across some short, hidden-in-the-reeds work dwarfed in size and scope by those pinnacles of modern AARland. It doesn’t need to be Rome AARisen that inspires you to write, it could be a 5 year old American AAR written by an infrequent forumite, or a 2 page EU:Rome AAR, or a Guess the Author Post. We all draw our inspirations from somewhere, and these mighty institutions of AARland have come to symbolize that inspiration.

There may come a day some time in the future when the styles of our current AARs seem out of date and archaic. Then, the ‘old fogies’ who joined in 2005 and 2006 can look back and remember all the fun they had reading those great pillars of the AAR community. Just like I can fondly remember being lost in the epic political and military struggles of Allenby’s British Interests; British honour; British Obligations or recall the impact of Warspite’s AAR’s on my own, I rarely go back and actually read them. And so, one day these contemporary AARs will join them. As these pillars of history slip into the muddied past, they will forgotten in some ways but in so many more remembered.


Estonianzulu is the author of ”The Footsteps of Illustrious Men”

[canonized]

Short rumblings on several vaguely related subjects just to get canonized off my back…
By Murmurandus

Canonized – who has a username without a capital and as such forces me to think about the correctness of starting a sentence without a capital – once in a while bothers me by requesting me:
to join MSN so he can interview me,
to write something for his mammoth AAR called Timelines blablabla,
to write an AAR,
to write an article for the AARlander,
to have sex with me (ok, the last one I made up).

So far I have been able to come up with a zillion of excuses not to do any of those things, like arguing I like phargle more, but finally I have succumbed. Thus here follows some totally un-appropriate mutterings of the weenie I am.

So, how to start? Maybe I could just introduce myself, so you know who you are hating actually. I am Murmurandus – nope, not telling you my real name, no sir – I am 33 years old, I am Belgian (we are so sophisticated we don’t need a government actually), work as manager for Finance & Administration in a Japanese company, married with two kids (daughters). While I pretend to have something to say at work, I have certainly nothing to say at home… Oh, and the nick itself is of course a grave misspelling of Murmandamus, the character from Feist, who I stopped reading long ago, as he is even more milking his story cow than canonized...

Anyway I joined the Paradox Forum more than six years ago, during the EU2 launch in the Benelux. I flowed from the EU2 forum to OT and then to AARland. Now I reside mainly in OT and AARland as some of you might have noticed. I’m not commenting on OT, but I can tell something on AARland as it might bring this article to a publishing level…

I love AARland because I love the many stories and the many writers and even the many commentators. I am not a writer of my own AAR (too lazy), but I did some stuff in the (in)famous a Collage of CAARdinals by Llewelyn. Some of you might remember that (and still have nightmares). The quality was as this article: pretty low (shamelessly stolen from phargle). It also of the same quality as my silly jokes which I pretend to be as being useful comments on the many AARs I try to follow. I take the time to express my worship to all of you who have actually written (and completed) an AAR because it have me such an enormous amount of entertainment throughout the years.

I can not imagine how much time you need to devote to actually write an AAR. I suppose it all starts with thinking of a concept. Then to play a game (maybe even trying to follow a certain scenario) while taking notes and screenshots. Then to write it fully, insert the screenies and maps and music and photos and whatnot. And repeat this ad infinitum. God, I would suck at it I’m sure… I have started at least ten novels and never got further than 289 KB Word document…

Anyway let me elaborate a bit on the type of AARs I’ve been following and why I like them. For one reason or the other, I don’t like too much text in an update/installment of an AAR and rules out many of the narrative and history book AARs around here. I guess it's because I already read a lot of books and I want to fill me empty hours with lighter doses of reading material (no offense intended). There are however some exceptions like Timelines (in which canonized is going on and on and on almost without any picture). I guess I just follow it for the community he managed to gather out there… And there is also the magnificent piece of art which AlexanderPrimus is making. You need to follow it if just for the ladies who are in there… Oh, and the rcduggan stuff is also great!

What I do like are game-play and comedy AARs as you might have noticed. Not only they are easier to read, but they also allow me to give some silly feedback without me needing to act like a real critique. I just prefer the jokes, witty comments, puns and things like that. People like Phargle, Alfred Packer, Anonymous4401, El Pip, Fiftypence, Llewelyn, Amric, Kurt_Steiner and so on are great examples. It’s a screenie here, a witty comment there, and boom you have the AAR I’ll comment in (now you know what to do to avoid me…).

So what else to talk about… Ah, right, I remember… Mental pictures… Whenever I read an AAR and I like it, I’m trying to picture how the writer would look like. I won’t say how I see them (because that might be too brutal…), but the style, humor, age, nationality, the little things they give away, are all pieces of the image. I can assure you those AAR writers are pretty silly guys…

Gosh, I think I should quit before I really offend someone, if it’s not too late already.

So, see you and enjoy life and AARland!

Your silly commentator,

Murmurandus the Pathetic.

Disclaimer: Being mentioned in this article can be a good thing or a bad thing, not being mentioned is just an oversight by me. Also the low quality of this article also serves as a mirror for the other (higher) quality articles, so don’t shoot me…

Murmurandus is a new contributor.

[canonized]

The Weekly AwAARds for August 2008!
By spl

Showcase

The first Weekly Showcase was Empires At Arms 1399-1960: Princes of the Renaissance by a group of Writers. Empires At Arms is a large Multiplayer game covering 1399-1960 using EU3: In Nomine, Victoria: Revolutions, HOI2: DoomsDay.

The second Weekly Showcase was Islamic Spain - IN Granada AAR by Monnikje. Excellent graphics and detail are common in the updates of Islamic Spain, and everybody loves to see Granada survive and take over!

The third Weekly Showcase was It's Not Easy Being Green [IN AAR] by Miscreant. It's Not Easy Being Green is a "Chose your own path" AAR, presented graphically in a Textbook-like format.

Fan of the Week

These folks' comments are always appreciated!

The first Fan of the Week was Maj. von Mauser.

The second Fan of the Week was Sokraates.

The third Fan of the Week was 4th Dimension.

The fourth Fan of the Week was ColossusCrusher.

Character Writer of the Week

The first Character Writer of the Week was Actinguy for The Butterfly Device - A Grand Campaign. A constantly changing story with twists and turns, what more to keep interest in the AAR can be added?

The second Character Writer of the Week was General_BT for Rome AARisen - a Byzantine AAR. The Characters in Rome AARisen are well developed and the plot line is excellent.

The third Character Writer of the Week was AlexanderPrimus for Chronicles of the Golden Cross. Characters are drawn in a vivid manner, and constantly change in the reader's eyes.

The fourth Character Writer of the Week was Capibara for Italy: Tales of Friendship, Treason, Love and Death. The AAR features a very interesting story about several Italians, and a few surprises here and there.

Writer of the Week

The first Writer of the Week was TheHyphenated1 for Weltkriegschaft. The alternate History of the Third Reich, can Germany get past the setbacks of the Treaty of Versailles?

The second Writer of the Week was trekaddict for Against all Odds: The United Kingdom in World War Two. A World War Two AAR...but Great Britain will have a much more difficult time with the countries that should be her allies being her foes.

Birthdays

AlexanderPrimus
TheHyphenated1
Actinguy

*based off threads posted in the "AARs and Fanfiction - General Discussions" forum, these are NOT supposed to represent ALL the birthdays of AARlanders

[canonized]

Bombs on America!
By trekaddict

Today we live with pictures and tales about planes like the Tu-95 Bear or the B-52 and the B-2 Spirit. The idea of a transcontinental Bomber however is much older than any of these magnificent aircraft. First surfaced in Nazi Germany during the second half of World War Two the America Bomber was one of the more fantastic ideas that circled around the German Aviation Industry . From the more conventional designs like the Messerschmitt Me 264 of which one prototype actually flew and that did not enter production simply because the war situation did not allow it to the more fantastic designs like the Horten Ho XVIII-B all-wing design, known to the Hearts of Iron 2 players as Germany's intercontinental Bomber in the SKIF Icon set. The designs went from planes like the Me 264 that looked like a German version of the B-29 Superfortress over ridiculous ideas like the Tandem Bomber to visionary ideas like the aforementioned Horten Ho XVIII-B. Simply put there are too many to list them all, and I will therefore concentrate on the most advanced, the most ridiculous and those that actually flew although the last category is bound to be rather small. Little is known about many of these projects, but luckily I have to resources at my command that have yet to fail me: the Internet and a massive book about German Aviation, several thousand pages thick, bought at a reduced ( ! ) price of 150 D-Mark, around 70 to eighty Euros today.

As you all know the German Bomber Forces at the beginning of the war were geared towards tactical support of the ground forces, a miscalculation that would later rear it's ugly head in the Battle of Britain and during Barbarossa. Both showed the need for a large four-engined Bomber, and German aviation companies like Junkers and Heinkel had promising designs in their desk drawers, but all these were either not developed at all or did not make it past the prototype stage. However after the entry of the United States into the European War the sheer industrial power was forcing the Germans to reconsider their priorities and from around 1940 onwards the development of the America Bomber was pushed forward. The Me 264 is one of the more conventional ones, essentially a enlarged, German version of the B-29.

The origins for this particular project date back to 1937. Originally planned as a plane for long-distance record flights and reconnaissance the plane was put on the backburner when Messerschmitt was working on more immediate and important projects like the Me 109 and Me 110. In late 1940 the Kriegsmarine however sent a memorandum to Göring, expressing the need for a long distance plane with a range of around 3800 miles, capable of reaching Germany's colonial Empire, to be established in central Africa after the war. Later in the same year the Luftwaffe expressed need for a plane capable of hitting the United States from bases in France, as it was anticipated that war with America was only a matter of time. Work on the Me 264, then called Project 1061 was stepped up. In early 1941 the RLM ( The German Air Ministry ) reviewed several proposals and the Me 264 was chosen as the most promising and orders were given to begin construction of six prototypes immediately. In early 1942 however the worsening war situation cut the size of the project back to three planes but still, my mid July 1942 three prototypes were under construction at the Messerschmitt-Augsburg factory, with the first one hoped to be ready for flight by October that same year. By that time however it was clear that the range needed for attacking the eastern Seaboard could not be reached without in-flight refuelling, and the Luftwaffe rejected the idea despite promising pre-war experiments and the plane was reduced to a maritime strike aircraft. Delays with the Junkers engines and the landing gear delayed the maiden flight of the Me 264 V1 prototype and the RLM was leaning towards the Ju-390 ( known as the lvl III German Naval Bomber ) in the same role. Only in December 1942 could the V1 take to the air. More delays followed and finally in 1944 Hitler ordered the program to be terminated once and for all after the plane was destroyed in an Air raid. Attempts to re-engine the project with four Turbojets failed.

The Horten Ho XVIIIB was a rather ingenious design, and very visionary. The American B-49 and and XB-35 served the same purpose but in the other direction. Nevertheless, it would not be until the B-2 spirit that anyone fielded an operational aircraft built with the flying wing principle. The Ho XVIIIB project was based on the 1944 Ho XVIIIA that was developed for a RLM requirement for an America bomber with 6900 miles of range, able to attack targets in the eastern United States and return to France without the need for refuelling. Germany's top Aircraft companies sent in their proposals, all plagued by design problems. On their own initiative the Horten Brothers developed the Ho XVIIIA “Amerikabomber” in December 1944 – without official support. Ten different versions were worked out, and in the end a design with six turbojets hidden in the fuselage was presented to the RLM. The committee of Engineers tasked with realizing the design however was not satisfied with it and went about putting in many changes that would have eliminated the beneficiary effects and in February 1945 Horten redesigned the XVIII, resulting in the more conservative XVIIIB.

The -B had the engines moved to below the fuselage, paired with the tricycle landing gear. The RLM ordered it to be put into production, but Germany surrendered two months later.

This was however not the most ridiculous design. Daimler Benz developed their own idea. Their approach was different. Here a tandem plane would be used. A massive Carrier aircraft would carry a smaller bomber to height and within striking distance. There the Bomber would be released and attack its targets in America. It would then fly back to the coast, land there, and the crew would be picked up by a U-Boat.

The Bomber itself was a throw-away aircraft that would not return to Germany. No special equipment was to be fitted and no defensive armament either. This was deemed unnecessary, as the top speed of the Bomber was calculated to be at around Mach 1. There were several variations of both the Carrier aircraft, piston and jet powered and the Bomber, but the principle remained the same.

Intercontinental Bombers were fortunately not realized until after the war.
The planes we know, the B-36 and the B-52 look comparatively conservative when compared to strange designs like the Daimler Benz and visionary ideas like the Horten Ho XVIIIB everything was included, and some ideas would actually be realized in the future. One thing is certain, the German Scientists of the time certainly did not lack imagination. Many contemporary and modern Aircraft look remarkable similar although it is doubtful how the combat value of some of these desperate designs would have been.


pictures & info courtesy of luft46.com, David Myhra, Kyle Scott

trekaddict is the author of Against all Odds: The United Kingdom in World War Two

[canonized]

A Peace To End All Peaces – A «*No Great War mod*» review
By Masked Pickle

Even if Hearts of Iron II originally focuses on the Second World War, plenty of mods are concentrating on its main trigger: the Great War. Except for the heavily modified 1914 mod, most of them embroider on alternate issues for the war, at least definitely erasing Hitler and the Nazis from history, such as Kaiserreich. But General_Grant wanted to raise another aspect: what if WWI never happened ? Already experienced on modding (having tried to make the Fatherland mod presenting a Cold War between the USA and a victorious Germany), he found a point of divergence able to justify such a historical change : it supposes that the pro-Austrian king of Serbia Alexander Obrenović was not murdered by nationalist officers in 1903, thus avoiding the coronation of the Pro-Russian Peter Karadjordjevic and that Gavrilo Princip, the assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his fellows ever receive funds from the Serbian secret services.

The mod, originally designed for Doomsday, works now for both Doomsday and Armageddon; the mod maker recommend to copy-paste vanilla game data in another file and to then overwrite it with the PTAEP mod content. Such an operation could look restricting; myself, I must admit that I used the JSGME device to play it. But as the mod contains, thanks to HannibalBarca2, one of the first modified maps for Hearts of Iron II : so it could creates some trouble in your files if you decide to just use JGSME, so you should really follow the modder’s advice.

As you can see, PTAEP scenario’s map looks like the one of Victoria’s 1914 scenario, for the reason that no major war broke out in Europe since 1871. All you can notice is that Poland gained an autonomous status, still being dependant from Russia. You can also see HannibalBarca2’s work on the Balkans and Northern Italy provinces, making the once ugly borders a bit more handsome and triggering some interesting challenges in the Balkans. The other major change is that China was the theatre of a European intervention in the 20’s, restoring the Qing Empire.

Optimism seems to be the main idea of this alternate timeline. Democracy has finally triumphed in the whole Europe, even in Austria-Hungary, where the unstable and heterogeneous Habsburg Empire has changed into a stable Danubian Confederation. Great Britain is a bit more authoritarian, treating its dominions like puppets, and Russia, still ruled by the old Nicholas II, is the last absolute monarchy in Europe. America was kept apart during the beginning of this century, and was the only victim of the 1929 Krach.

Well…The Central Powers are now democracies, so the Entente almost is ; the United States are dropped dead ; China is a bit more peaceful, even Japan is democratic…What’s the point with this mod ? Only replaying the Great War with more advanced weapons? Not at all: apart from giving you the opportunity to play as you like the deceased empires of the XIXth Century (there is even a chance to play the Mughal Empire), PTAEP mod offers you a different challenge. During the game, minor wars will happen throughout the world, such as between the Greeks and the Ottomans, but it’s France that will have the badass role on this mod: soon overwhelmed by a reactionary revolution led by the heir of Napoleon himself, France will soon rearm and begin its tentative of hegemony against Europe, pushing Britain in an alliance with France’s foe, Germany…

This new setting is greatly supported by the events. Despite some spelling mistakes (as General_Grant is, by birth, a French-speaking Canadian), they give another flavour to the game, such as the series of events that helps France to overcome its unfavourable position in the beginning, or other ones proposing some minister changes and pulling least important countries into the World War, such as Sweden or Italy, their side depending on their choice, and adding to the great mess in every continent. As the countries involved hold consistent colonial empire, events will help to conclude peace at least, avoiding pointless and never-ending operations in remote islands in the Pacific or deserts in Africa, as many amateurs of total war already experienced it.

And all these conclusion events counter one of the bad points of this mod, as in many other good ones : the AI. If she can eventually create harsh resistance in Western Europe, she turns out to be rather stupid. On Normal difficulty, and I’m not a good player of HoI II, it’s rather easy to end the World War by early 1943, except you decide to go for a total invasion of Russia or British Empire. But as new versions of the mod are scheduled for the next months, and as it not reached yet the 1.0 status, we can hope for a really needed improvement of the AI.

Overall, with a traditional HoI II premise, General_Grant manages to convert the usual gameplay in another challenge, confronting colonial and great powers that will easily make of every continent a possible battlefield. In addition to a modified map, it offers to some nostalgic players to rule the defunct empires from Victoria. Waiting for true improvements of the AI that will help this mod to evolve from a great to an excellent rating, all we can do is playing with the current version and wishing General_Grant a good continuation.

For a first idea of what is possible to do with this mod, there is already three AARs using it. The one by Kurt_Steiner is however slightly modified, but shows another aspect of the game: it can be a good addition when you export a Victoria game where the Great War never happened to Hearts of Iron II.

Looking on the war that never wars, with United Kingdom, by Gigalocus
The War Path, with Catalonia, by Kurt_Steiner
Aux AARmes, Citoyens!, with France, by General_Grant


Masked Pickle is the author of Onwards Hayastan

[canonized]

Habsburga la vista, baby! - A 1914 Austro-Hungarian AAR
By EEmperor

Some countries fight for freedom, some fight for independence, but only one fight for mysticism, tyranny and the greatness of the Dual-Monarchy. This country is Austria-Hungary.
This AAR was started on the 6th of July, 2008 by Helmold. It uses the 1914 Mod which lets you play any country during the Great War, on the Hard/Furious settings.
Now that all introductions are made, allow me to tell you why I love this AAR, and what made me comment on it, since I am generally a lurker of AARs and the only part of the Forums where I post regularly is the OT.
First things first, Helmold uses 300 quotes. This is a great plus for me, since I am a huge fan, but it is also entertaining for people who are not fans of 300. Add to this quotes of Star Trek and references to several obscure books, films and series (maybe not all that obscure, but they certainly are for me) and you get an AAR everyone can relate to.
The style of writing is to an excellent standard, something we, readers of AARland, have grown accustomed to, but it is still imperative to mention.


See what I’m talking about?

Constant references to the Dual-Monarchy, propaganda of the time, obscure films/books/series and Bolshevik “pig-dogs” make this AAR very, VERY entertaining.

“Alright, it’s funny, well-written and enjoyable, but what else is there to it, to make me use my precious time reading it, when there’s thousands of other AARs out there?” Well, if all that isn’t enough… then I guess… I must tell you about the outstanding pictures, propaganda posters, etc. Helmold has managed to find in the depths of the Internet. Not only do they give the historic feeling all Paradoxians love, most also make you curious about certain aspects of the war and others are simply so funny that you actually LOL (laugh out loud).
I will now conclude this review with a few examples, but seriously, check it out, you won’t regret it: http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...d.php?t=365021

[canonized]

México Lindo y Querido…
By Capibara

México lindo y querido, si muero lejos de ti, que digan que estoy dormido y que me traigan aquí…¹ That’s the way a popular Mexican song goes and that’s the way most Mexicans feel about their country: they love her. And what a better month to talk about Mexico that September, when we Mexicans celebrate our independence day on the sixteenth.

But first of all, some history, we must know how Mexico became what it is now. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the land that is now known as Mexico was populated by nations known as “prehispanic civilizations”, like the Olmecs, Teotihuacan, the Mayas, Tarascans and the Aztec Empire among others. At the arrival of the Spanish, the dominant power of the region was the Aztec Empire, along the already decadent Maya civilization in the Yucatán peninsula and the Tarascans in western Mexico. Their capital, Tenochtitlan, was among the biggest cities in the world in it’s time of greatest splendor. However, the arrival of Hernán Cortés and his conquistadores during the first decades of the XVI century caused the downfall of the Empire in a short period of time, thanks to the technological superiority in warfare and the diseases brought with them, which decimated the native population.

After the fall of the Aztec Empire and the conquest of the tribes around them, a new period starts in Mexico, known as La Colonia (Colony), which lasts for three hundred years, from the fall of Tenochtitlan in 1521, to the proclamation of independence in 1821. The independence movement started in 1810, inspired on the Illustration ideas and the American Revolution. The dawn of the sixteen of September, after the conspiracy was discovered, father Miguel Hidalgo gave the famous Grito de Dolores in his church in Dolores, Guanajuato, starting the revolt against Spanish rule. Thousands of peasants joined Hidalgo’s cause. Despite of the initial success and the arrival of Hidalgo’s army to the gates of Mexico City, the differences between the insurgent leaders, Hidalgo and Allende, caused a string of defeats that ended in the capture and execution of the main insurgent leaders. Another priest, José María Morelos continued the fight, heading a smaller, but more professional army, managing to control a large portion of southern Mexico, until he was captured and executed as well.

The death of Morelos almost ended with the independence movement, but Vicente Guerrero continued the fight in the mountains of the south, with a guerilla warfare style. Finally, after eleven years of fight, Agustín de Iturbide decided to made peace with Guerrero and consummate the independence, which was accepted by the last viceroy of New Spain, Juan de O’Donoju in the Treaties of Córdoba. During the following decades, Mexico lived a period of instability, plagued with civil wars between liberals and conservatives. Mexico also suffered the loss of half of its territory after the war with the United States in 1847 and the French intervention in 1862 and the installation of Maximilian of Habsburg as Emperor of Mexico. With the arrival of Porfirio Díaz to the presidency in 1877, the country was pacified and foreign inversion was attracted. Mexico lived a period of progress, but only for a few, elite groups, which ended in the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and ten more years on instability, after the end of the revolution, a new elite emerged, represented in the Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI), which ruled the country for 71 years, until in was defeated by Vicente Fox in the 2000 elections.

All these events forged the Mexican identity, which is reflected in its vast culture, which makes Mexico such an interesting country to visit. From the deserts of Sonora to the jungles of Chiapas and from the zebra donkeys of Tijuana to the beautiful beaches of Cancún, Mexico has can offer you almost everything you want. So let’s make a quick tour through the thirty one states of the Republic.

Aguascalientes
A small state north of Jalisco, in western Mexico, its name comes from the thermal waters that exist in the valley where the state lays. Aguascalientes is best known for the yearly festival known as Feria de San Marcos, which lasts for ten days and includes rooster fights, bullfighting, music all night, dances and celebrations. It’s a complete party for those ten days. Each year there is a different guest country.

Baja California
The northern most state of Mexico, Baja California, has been a popular destination for American tourists since the starts of the XX century, when Americans would come Tijuana to buy alcoholic drinks and gamble at the casinos, nowadays, Rosarito is frequented every year by springbreakers. Baja California is also known by its natural attractions, which go from deserts to forests. The Tijuana-San Diego border is the most crossed border in the world, both from Mexico to the US and from the US to Mexico.

Baja California Sur
The southern portion of the Baja California Peninsula, BCS is also visited by tourists from all around the world, who are looking for relax and beautiful beaches, exactly what Los Cabos offers them.

Campeche
Located in southeastern Mexico, Campeche offers the visitor an interesting colonial city, which still keeps its walls and fortifications, once used against pirates and ruins of the once great Maya civilization.

Coahuila
Another border state, Coahuila is famous all across Mexico and the world for its sarapes.

Colima
A small state in southwestern Mexico, Colima has a great variety of natural attractions, including beaches, mountains, volcanoes, swamps, among others, making it a good place to visit for ecotourism.

Chiapas
If I said Campeche had some Maya heritage in its territory, Chiapas surpasses it by far, having some of the most important urban centers of the Mayan world, including Palenque and Yaxchilán, making this places and incredible view: lost ruins of an ancient civilization between the jungle.

Chihuahua
The biggest state of Mexico, Chihuahua, as many of the northern states of Mexico, has as its main attractions natural views, being the most famous the Sierra Tarahumara and the Cobre Canyon, which is even bigger than the Great Colorado Canyon.

Durango
Home of Pancho Villa, Durango, known during the colony as Nueva Viscaya, has been a preferred location by American and European movie directors for their western movies, due to the geography of the region.

Guanajuato
One of the most important states of Mexico, Guanajuato, located in the zone known as El Bajío, grew under the colony thanks to the silver mines found in its territory and the city of the same name, Guanajuato, is one of the most beautiful colonial cities of Mexico, with narrow alleys, baroque churches and colonial buildings, making a preferred destination among tourists both in Mexico and abroad. Other important cities of Guanajuato are León, famous for its leather and Irapuato, known for the strawberries produced there.

Guerrero
Named after the Mexican independence hero Vicente Guerrero, this state has one of the most visited beaches in Mexico, Acapulco, especially among the habitants of Mexico City, due to its closeness to the capital.

Hidalgo
Bearing the name of the country’s founding father, Hidalgo is a state which main attraction are the Toltec ruins, located in the town of Tula, well known for the famous atlantes, big statues of stone depicting Toltec warriors.

Jalisco
Mexico owns its international image to Jalisco: Both the tequila and the mariachi originated in Jalisco and became Mexico’s image in the world during the 1930’s thanks to the movies made about the charros and all the thematic revolving around them. Guadalajara, known as La Perla de Occidente (The Pearl of the West) is one of Mexico’s most beautiful cities and also has Mexico’s most beautiful girls. Jalisco also have some well known beaches as Puerto Vallarta and Barra de Navidad.

Mexico
Located in the very heart of Mexico, the state of Mexico is deeply related to Mexico City, but has its own stuff to offer, like the volcano Popocatépetl and the ruins of the magnificent city of Teotihuacan which contains both the pyramid of the Sun and of the Moon, which rival with the pyramids of Egypt.

Michoacán
Michoacán is a state located in western Mexico which offers to the visitor a great colonial city as Morelia is, just as other states in central Mexico, as well as a natural sight, being the place where the Monarch butterflies arrive during spring.

Morelos
Known for its amazing weather, the city of Cuernavaca, capital of the state, has been a popular rest spot for different rulers of Mexico, from the Aztec Emperors, to Maximilian, who made the city his retreat for summers. The archeological sites of interest are Xochicalco and Teopanzolco.

Nayarit
A small state, Nayarit has a place you should really visit if you want to relax and spend a good time with your friends, this is the Santa María del Oro lagoon, which is located in the bottom of a valley and it’s perfect for camping and rest.

Nuevo León
The most industrialized state of Mexico, Nuevo León is one of the Mexican states with the higher life standard and this is demonstrated in Monterrey, its capital, which has one of the most prestigious universities in the country and several big industries, like the beer factory Moctezuma.

Oaxaca
Each year, the festival of Guelaguetza is celebrated in Oaxaca, showing Mexico the multicultural region that this state is mixing both Spanish and native traditions, as seen in Oaxaca, a colonial city with a very pretty cathedral and Monte Álban, one of the most important preshispanic centers.

Puebla
Site of the famous Batalla de Puebla, when the Mexican army lead by Ignacio Zaragoza defeated the French army, Puebla is a state of deep catholic traditions, being one of Mexico’s most rich city architectonically speaking, having churches from different styles like gothic, neoclassic, baroque, etc.

Querétaro
Querétaro is one of Mexico’s most rich states, speaking on terms of art, with churches, palaces, houses, convents and an aqueduct, which worked just as a Roman aqueduct for many years and nowadays is one of the city’s symbols.

Quintana Roo
Here we find the most beautiful beaches of Mexico. Bathed by the Caribbean waters, the beaches of Quintana Roo, specially Cancún are visited by tourists from all across the world, as well as the ruins of Tulum.

San Luis Potosí
One of the most important mining centers of the country, San Luis Potosí is one of the most colonial states of Mexico thanks to this, most of the cities being founded thanks to the mining activity, being the most famous Real del Catoce, which survives now thanks to tourism.

Sinaloa
The state of Sinaloa resisted for long time the Spanish penetration and this can be seen in its cities, which are not as colonial as the one in central Mexico. However, Sinaloa has beaches like Mazatlán and Mochis, which are excellent for sport fishing.

Sonora
Sonora is best known for the excellent meat produced there as well as some traditions as the Danza del Venado (Dance of the Deer), very popular in Mexico’s folklore, which depicts the hunt of a deer.

Tabasco
This small state in southeastern Mexico main attraction is its ruins, mainly from the so called mother culture, the Olmecs, the first Mesoamerican civilization and its giant stone heads.

Tamaulipas
If you talk about Tamaulipas, you talk about oil, which was one of the factors that cities like Tampico grew. The agricultural and cattle fair in Nuevo Laredo each September is very frequented by Americans.

Tlaxcala
The smallest state of Mexico, Tlaxcala was home to the bellicose Tlaxcalans, who never submitted to the Aztec rule. The Santuario of Ocotlán is located in Tlaxcala and is considered one of the most beautiful churches of Mexico.

Veracruz
Sólo Veracruz es bello (just Veracruz is beautiful) the saying goes, showing the great beauty of Veracruz, state in the Atlantic coast and location of Veracruz, first city of Mexico. Veracruz offers the visitor a walk through the malecón, a good swim in the ocean or visit to the ruins of El Tajín, Veracruz is one of the must visit states of Mexico.

Yucatán
Always a rebellious state, Yucatán of profound Maya heritage is a state with beaches, as many Mexican states, but also with one of the most amazing ruins of the Maya world: Chichen Itzá, visited every year by hundreds of tourists that want to see the famous snake “descending” from the pyramid.

Zacatecas
Zacatecas is the other state that is product of mining and as a consequence of this, it gives us another beautiful colonial city, Zacatecas, located in the skirts of the Bufa Mountain, from where you can get an excellent view of the city.

And so our tour of the Mexican states finishes, I know it’s very little for each state, but it would take a lot more space to talk completely about each one, even an article for each one, so this was just a little tour. I’m also missing Mexico City, but it’s not a state and needs to be explained thoroughly, so maybe some other day I’ll devout an entire article to it. But for now, raise your caballito of tequila with me and shout: “¡Viva México cabrones!”

Capibara is the author of Italy: Tales of Friendship, Treason, Love and Death

[canonized]

Moscow Never Sleeps
Degeme

“From Russia with love” those words were everywhere in Russia itself, from the big and crowded Moscow city to the small and traditional Sergiev Posad Town.

This time I'm going to talk to you a little about Russia and their cities, at least the ones I visited, because you see, every city in Russia has it special and different qualities that distinguish each from the other.

We travel between seven cities around Russia, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Suzdal, Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Sergiev Posad and Vladimir.

Moscow has the typical appearance of a big and capital city, big buildings, that shows the remains of the soviet era, a lot of traffic and very important historical constructions.

The red plaza is really impressive, the Saint Basilio church looks a lot like a big piece of cake, full of colors, full of live and full of people, no wonder it was considered to be a seventh wonder nominee, from the inside you can see all the red plaza way and beyond the next block, although you cant get any further from the first floor, the altars from inside are very beautiful and if you are lucky, you will see the religious singers, theres something you don't wanna miss.

Right in the middle of the Plaza its the Lenin Mausoleum, a very modern construction, kind of abstract, I didn't get the chance to enter this important place, it closes at 1 pm and by that time we were doing another tours.

And at the very end is something like an enormous castle, it seems it was a kind of entrance to the red plaza, because we never found out what it was it real purpose but it was very breath taking.

On one of the last days in Moscow we had the chance to see a high school graduation in the very red plaza itself, it was closed to make the party of the students, as you can imagine we saw a lot of elegant teenagers and as good Mexicans we are we, all the guys, started to whistle and make funny noises to the girls, they were all embarrassed.

Moscow has it beauty itself also in the big public spaces, right next to the Red Plaza its a big park, where the flame of the unknown soldier is, also it is there a sparkling parade of fountains and an immense green area, the funny thing was that here in Mexico we are used to sit in the grass or even sleep in it, but there we weren't able to do that, at the first intent we gain a lot of Russian screams from the police.

Museums will be the places that we saw the most, from abstract art to historical museums, there are to all the different tastes and not so expensive to visit, the great thing its that you are able to take pictures, at least in this museums, to all the paintings, having a notable collection of Picasso, Monet, Rousseau and others.

Finally a curious fact, Russia has it own white nights in summer, when the sunset its at 8 or 9 pm and the sunrising at 3 or 4 am, so as you can see we didn't sleep a lot, but they were beautiful nights.

As one song truly says “Moscow Never Sleeps”.

Degeme is a contributor and a new writer.