AARland.
We all know the name; we all enjoy the community. Indeed, it is a term unique to the Paradox boards, with a quick Google search indicating that no other 'AARland' exists on the Internet, aside from a few Norwegian Facebook users with such a last name.
At its most simple level, AARland is a place for showing off our own writing talents and encouraging and enjoying others'. I have enjoyed doing such for around eight months now – though it feels like longer. Of course, there are other elements – countless 'philosophical' AARlander articles exist on the subject – though I will save those for the main body of this history.
Being a part of this community is an immersive experience, and one which can be very full-on at times. Between writing and other commitments, commenting on the work of others can - especially on particularly busy days - take up a sizeable chunk of time. I feel like I have been here for more than eight months, such is the investment and depth of my involvement here that being a part of an online community has done something I never thought it would. Being an AARlander has become a main part of my life.
Yet, at the same time, I feel as if I have hardly seen any of our community, and am in fact just a relative speck in its history. It is easy to forget, perhaps - for I cannot claim any first-hand experience - that AARland has existed for over a decade. When you look back on its history, you find a rich catalogue of camaraderie, enthusiastic members and - arguably above all - wonderful, wonderful writing.
But this is a history that largely remains unknown - especially to the large numbers of newer members who are often, through no fault of their own (if indeed, fault is the right word.) It hardly seems fitting that such a history is left to gather dust in the deepest depths of the EU1 forums.
When the idea of a comprehensive history was raised, therefore, I was immediately enthusiastic. AARland has a proud and rich history - it seems paradoxical that it is not more widely known. Hopefully this series will do something to combat that.
Over the next few months, I will be writing this and publishing it in the AARlander. I aim to be as comprehensive as is possible, and must express my sincere thanks to those who have been kind enough to offer help. I shall do acknowledgements once this series is over, but, for now, I must express thanks to
Derahan, for being so enthusiastic with regards to publishing this, and to
Tanzhang (譚張), for sparking the idea that spawned this hideous beast.
Any corrections or extra pieces of information can be sent to me via PM.
DensleyBlair
For all AARlanders.
Pre-AARland and EU1 - 2000-2001
The Beta AARs
Europa Universalis was first released in Belgium, on the 14th March 2000. It was released next in Germany – over seven months later. When the game was released, therefore, only a limited section of the community were actually able to play it. These people unable to access the game needed a means of sating their need to see actual gameplay footage.
A few months prior to this, a beta version of the game had been released to a closed group of testers. As is often required of a tester in a closed beta, those with access to the game noted down their experiences, as well as any faults with the AI. Naturally, with the Paradox community still relatively small, these two groups met – on one side, the privileged few with access to a fiercely anticipated game, on the other, those clamouring for a peek. When testers posted their findings and notes taken during gameplay, people took interest – commenting and asking questions. A nascent AARland had appeared.
Of course, these were by no mean the first AARs – Julius Caesar, for one, wrote his
Commentarii de Bello Gallico some time around 50BCE – yet this marked the first occasion on which the medium had been introduced to the Paradox fora. And the medium spread like an enjoyable case of the plague. By the end of the year 2000, 163 AARs had been at least started — with most 'completed,' owing to the earlier AARs' very nature.
AARland-proper's history began on the tenth of April, 2000. The first AAR? Sapura's
Well folks, its [sic] up!, in which the author documents a testing session as Sweden. Or so I have gleaned from subsequent comments, for the AAR itself - posted outside of the forums, is no longer accessible. Sapura was the webmaster of the Europa Universails section on a website called Sidgames, which would seem a likely location for the AAR – though it would seem this website also no longer exists. The author has also since been banned in circumstances unknown, leaving the AAR and its contents lost to the winds of time.
What then is the first AAR to have been posted in AARland? Seeing as most of the very early threads were moved from the EU1 General Discussion forum, this is a hard question to answer.
Posted mere hours after
Well folks, its up!, Graham Dodge's
1492 Campaign - Turkey is a possible contender. Though it was moved from the General Discussion forums – where its first part still resides, having been split into two threads – the subsequent parts were posted natively. The piece is also notable for having amassed nearly seven thousand views in its time – its time being one in which circa 500 was doing well.[1]
We need to look at the next AAR, then, to get our answer.
Posted on AARland's second day of existence,
The Mellow Game (England Grand Campaign) by gbraley sees the author guide England through the eighty or so years between 1492 and 1576.[2] Hardly a grand campaign, it could be argued. A valid point – the author himself evens mentions such in the thread with this post:
I guess we haven't created a 'standard' to follow - I am going to post part 2 of this AAR in a new thread; if I get yelled at by the audience I promise not to do it again
Indeed, these AARs were often no more than single post breakdowns of gameplay, with very few literary embellishments. Arguably the first AAR to break the mould, however, was revolutionary.
Oranje's
Oranje's Dutch AAR spanned eleven pages, with many citing the work as their reason for buying the game. Warspite summed up the AAR's importance thusly:
Truely [sic] a classic im sure we can all appreciate from the early days. Before there was Ariel and Lord Durham and all the great writers we see today, there were the pioneers of this forum such as Oranje who made these AARs the envy of the gaming world.
Whether or not Oranje's AAR was responsible for the larger change in the styles of AARs around this time is debatable, though the work was certainly influential in terms of game advertisement. And as soon as the game was released to everyone, the AARs came on even greater numbers, with people experimenting with style and structure in – at the time – radical ways.
[1] As an aside, the thread is also notable for the fact that its most recent reply was posted on the 16th April 2011 – 11 years after the discussion had finished.
[2] According to Estonianzulu's
AAR Classics thread, this was actually the first AAR in AARland.
Next Month: EU1 - The End of the Testers' Hegemony (2001)