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Derahan

Ever doubtful
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Oct 30, 2009
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Greetings there reader! I welcome you to yet another astounding issue of the new AARlander which you will hopefully find very interesting. So as usual I want to give my gratitude to those people who made this new AARlander possible. First and foremost, my thanks goes to Canonized and the others, who along him, worked on the first AARlander and made this one possible with their work there, otherwise this AARlander would not be here (most likely). Secondly I want to thanks the moderators who made it possible for me to do this and came up with the idea to revive the AARlander for a second round. Thirdly I want to thank Gen. Marshall, the one who has made the graphics and also is spreading the word about the AARlander on the forums and last but not the least all of those who has contributed to this number of the AARlander, a many thanks to you all who in the end makes this possible with your articles.

And yet, a final thank you to you readers who when you read this, makes us others who work with the AARlander filled with the spirit to continune our work here! Thank you!

And as usual the feedback thread! Critique on!

Code:
[SIZE=3][URL="http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?753304-The-AARlander-Edition-15&p=16832697&viewfull=1#post16832697"]Avindian's AAR Academy[/URL]

[URL="http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?753304-The-AARlander-Edition-15&p=16832700&viewfull=1#post16832700"]All Alone: A Lithuanian AAR - GreatÜberGeek[/URL]

[URL="http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?753304-The-AARlander-Edition-15&p=16832705&viewfull=1#post16832705"]Twelve Questions with Tanzhang[/URL]

[URL="http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?753304-The-AARlander-Edition-15&p=16832716&viewfull=1#post16832716"]EUIV Review - Seelmeister[/URL]

[URL="http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?753304-The-AARlander-Edition-15&p=16832725&viewfull=1#post16832725"]WritAAR Introduction - Belgiumruler[/URL]

[URL="http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?753304-The-AARlander-Edition-15&p=16832727&viewfull=1#post16832727"]Gameplay: Voice of the Author - Gela1212[/URL]

[URL="http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?753304-The-AARlander-Edition-15&p=16832730&viewfull=1#post16832730"]Editor's Note[/URL][/SIZE]
 
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Since I feel bad for not sharing my wisdom (?) with you for the last couple of editions, I hereby present to you two – count ‘em, two – editions in one.

The First Post

I’m a busy guy. I’m sure many of you are also busy guys, apart from those who are, in fact, busy gals. There are only so many hours in the day I can devote to reading AARs. That’s what makes your very post – not your very first update, which I will cover later – so important. Especially if it’s your very first AAR, it’s not a bad idea to properly introduce yourself, how you got involved with Paradox games, etc., although it isn’t mandatory.

What you do need to setup is, very clearly, what version of the game you intend to use and what your objective is in writing the AAR. If you’re using house rules, it’s important to have them there. Some people who write narratives use the first post as a kind of prologue. Personally, I don’t do that, but some really terrific AARs have done that (MondoPotato’s recent AAR on Cromwell and the English Civil War springs to mind).

If you have the graphical talent, a banner is a great idea to begin the AAR. You could also include a table of contents, although I prefer to save that for the second post. Speaking of which, while 99% of AARs these days include a TOC, if you’re part of the 1% who doesn’t, you should go back and add one. The table of contents is what will help new readers get acquainted once your AAR starts to grow.

Think of your first post this way. The title is what will get people to open the AAR. Later on, once you’re established, the author’s name alone will get clicks. If PrawnStar did an entire AAR on decorative gravel, for example, I’d click on it because he wrote it. But once they open the AAR, you need the first post to suck them in. What makes your Germany AAR in HOI3 different from the eleventy billion that came before? I don’t remember the author’s name, sadly, but there was an excellent German AAR that I normally would have skipped, if the author hadn’t established why, in particular, he was writing one: namely, to test how effective a mostly submarine based fleet would be. Rensslaer’s AAR, Kriegsgefahr, actually kind of had a boring title, but his reputation got me to click, and his first post kept me in. Very rewarding AAR.

So, to recap, it is absolutely essential that you include the following:

The name of the game, including mods, expansions, or DLCs, as well as version number
What country/character you’re playing and why
Any special house rules
Anything else that makes your AAR stand out!

The first update

Your first post is done, your table of contents is structured but blank, full of possibilities. Now what? Well, obviously, you need to make your first update! Before I dive into that, though, there’s a more interesting question: when you should you make the first update?

There is an argument that you should wait at least a day or so to build up interest before you post the first update. Update pacing is important – do it too frequently and people will be overwhelmed, do it too rarely and people will lose interest – but none more than the very first. In general, I think a brief delay could be very beneficial. The reason is that you want to see how people react. Maybe they don’t like or don’t understand a house rule for a reason you haven’t thought of; this will give you a chance to explain why you chose it or perhaps even change your mind. In any case, I would recommend about 24 to 48 hours between first post and first update, normally.

So, what should your first update contain? In narratives, a prologue is very popular and practical. You want to set up where your point of divergence is, after all. Even if you aren’t diverging from history, you can introduce your main character(s) and their motivations. Include your first pictures here (which will be the topic of part two of this jam-packed edition), if you didn’t include them in your first post.

If the title gets people to click and the first post gets people to read the first update, the first update will get you the sub, more often than not, and the comments which many writers desperately need to justify continued writing. I recommend leaving a cliffhanger, if it’s a narrative, to get people to “tune in” next week or the next day or whatever, but don’t rely too heavily on cliffhangers on the whole, which is a common novice mistake. I often write AARs in “threads”, or to use a pro wrestling term, “angles”, in which an episode may stretch for an update or three, with some sort of payoff at the end. If it’s just one cliffhanger after another, with no resolution, it can get irritating.

Now, if you have a gameplay AAR, the very best use of your first update is to set up your pre-pause world. Share your short-term goals, your early preparations, and what you intend to do with your opening moves. Introduce the readers to the world around you, which in a gameplay AAR is the “main character”, so to speak. This is especially important if you’re using some sort of mod, but even if you play vanilla, you can’t expect your readers will have familiarity with the game world. In fact, I’ve probably sold quite a few copies of Paradox games, as people have read my AARs before playing or buying the game. (I expect my check is in the mail, Johan.)

Part Two: A thousand words is worth one picture

As you are you doubtless aware, there is a hard limit of 20 screenshots/images per update on the forums, to keep bandwidth reasonable. At the same time, if you have no pictures, it will be incredibly difficult to attract readers. The important thing, in AARs as in life in general, is balance.

When I was first writing AARs, I used one paragraph of text (that is to say, five to six sentences) per picture as my guideline. That’s not a bad rule of thumb, but it’s not always ideal. Sometimes you have to write more. I said in the first part that I write AARs in “threads”, and I love to use a screenshot as the payoff. I even end updates with little more than a screenshot. It’s a great trick, because the audience has to parse what it’s seeing and will inevitably guess what happens next (or try).

The very best screenshot, for my money, is a regional map. This is true for narratives or gameplay AARs. It will prompt good questions and that prompts good discussions, which make a very good AAR into a great one, in particular as you feed off those good discussions to improve the AAR. Second best are events, particularly important ones. Battles are a great tool too, especially in narratives, but only if used sparingly.

So when should you not use screenshots? First, if something is only tangential to your overall story, it’s probably best to use a sentence or two to describe what’s happening. If a character gains or loses a trait in Crusader Kings II, for example, I almost never use a screenshot unless it’s a weird trait or it’s critical to the story in some way. Minor battles and revolts are also, generally, not screenshot worthy, in my view.

Even if you’re graphically challenged like me, you should at the very least crop your pictures. There’s no need to include the entire screen, most of the time, and by making your images smaller, they’re easy to see and load faster. Not everybody who goes to the forums uses a broadband connection, so it’s a great idea to take that into account when you use pictures. I also resize my world map images when I do use them.

That’s it for the February edition of the AARlander! The next topic will be comments and act as a general wrap-up to the series; after that, we’ll have a special post on writing in English and English grammar to conclude my series. I hope you’ll all join me!
 
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First, I must start off with some bad news. Misterbean will no longer be writing Hearts of Iron reviews. Fortunately (or unfortunately however you look at it) I am here to fill the void! But, before that, a moment of silence for misterbean, please.

Thank you.

Now on to the AARs! I recently had the pleasure of reading All Alone: A Lithuanian AAR, by Ilaarum. He states right in the beginning that he will be trying to make this as historical as possible, a worthy goal in HOI3. He also has used the resistance features.

Ilaarum starts with a small 1st-person history of Lithuania, and manages to use a great deal of historical photos. This is a recurring part of the AAR; no matter the time/place, there is a semi-historical photo! He also zealously uses the battle plans introduced in TFH, if I’m not mistaken. Adding to the realism is many political cartoons and even one YouTube video. Rarely, if ever, do you see a gameplay screenshot.

Of course, when you play with a Baltic nation there is the inevitable danger of the Soviets issuing the Baltic Ultimatum. In this timeline, they do it sometime around 1940, and Lithuania prepares to fight with a well-made battle plan! Ilaarum plays it as cool as possible, and prepares for the last showdown.
Even if he does get annexed, Ilaarum still manages to have some ‘adventures’. (Read the AAR to find out!)

Now, time to talk about the writing. Ilaarum manages to pull off the escapades of a young military officer and makes it quite personal. As it goes on, the tone gets less narrative and more historical. It makes for a good read, and reads well too. The writing is sometimes choppy, and it doesn’t always flow. The sentences blend together occasionally, but overall a great AAR. Thanks for making it, Ilaarum!

GüG
 
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After a somewhat lengthy absence, tonight your humble AARlander interviewer returns to interview Seelmeister, a familiar face around AARland known for his work as author, reader and as a AARland moderator. Despite writing his first AAR almost a decade ago, Seel only came into prominence as an author in the dying days of 2012 with his MEIOU EUIII Ottoman AAR, The Triumph of the Near East, before following with a quick-fire double for March of the Eagles: the appropriately titled Diving Right In and In the Shadow of Greatness – arguably his most popular AAR to date. His most recent AAR, set in his native Scotland, is Your Wee Bit Hill and Glen, for EUIV.

1. It must have been some many years ago now, but can you still remember the first AAR you read?

I can! The first AAR I read is actually a bit of an outlier – I hardly visited the AAR forums for much of the time I’ve been a member here. The first I read was the excellent German Risk AAR by Rustican – a hilarious AAR which I’d recommend to anyone. Unfortunately the author vanished as it drew to a close, with the last post coming on 30thDecember 2004 (and a promised epilogue unfortunately never materialised). Yet the AAR was still getting comments as recently as last year! I don’t know why I didn’t delve deeper into AARland at this point, but regrettably I didn’t and it would be years later I became active in the community.

2. Even the most prolific of AARland authors or mods has to have started from someplace. If you can still recall, what exactly was it that first drew you to AARland as a community in the first place and ultimately, encouraged you to write your first AAR?

I had a go at an AAR many years ago, on Victoria with the excellent VIP mod, but it was a fairly amateurish affair. However, the German Risk AAR left my highly impressed with two things; the ability of the author to entertain so many, and how receptive the community was to it. I always wanted to have a go myself, and it remained in the back of my mind for several years. One thing or another always seemed to get in the way, either I’d let the game lapse without finishing the campaign, or just not feel the game was interesting enough to warrant an AAR. Finally, towards the end of 2012 I had the time and inclination to finally do something about it, and I decided just to give it a go and stop putting off. And so far, I haven’t looked back!

3. Now, I'm not sure if you're aware of this Seel (of course you are) but you're actually the first Gameplay-oriented AAR author I've ever had the privilege to interview. If you would care to explain to an ignorant novice of the style like myself, what exactly is it about the gameplay style of AAR which captivates you as both a prolific reader and an author of Gameplay AARs?

As a reader, I find gameplay AARs more accessible. You can dip in and out as a busy schedule allows, and very quickly understand what is going on. With a narrative, missing even one chapter can leave you feeling lost, and if you are struggling for time you can soon find yourself so far behind in the AAR that you actually need to devote a fair bit of time to catching up, especially if you would like to comment constructively.

Initially I was drawn to them as a way of understanding how to play the games ‘better’ – I’ve learned a vast number of tips, tricks and shortcuts through reading them. They tend to feature more screenshots, which can make them easier to follow. For me personally, much of my time on the forums is restricted to viewing on my phone – and these AARs tend to be easier to follow on the small screen.
As a writer, I’ve similarly found them to be more accessible. Putting together a good gameplay AAR allows you, I feel, to get straight into the meat of it. Attempting another genre requires far more research and planning – all you need for a gameplay is an interesting game. This is not to say that I view them as being ‘lesser’ in anyway, but I am very impressed at the amount of planning that must go into some of the narrative AARs.

The flip side of this is that the bar is set higher in terms of recording the game progress. However you choose to do it, whether it’s written notes, an abundance of screenshots or examining logs – if you are writing a gameplay AAR you need to spend more time analysing the game and tracking events. In some respects, you are writing almost a guide – so you need to make sure you note all the factors which have motivated you to take an in game action. You’ve attacked Muscovy? The reader needs to know that is because you’ve got a good CB, because you’ve seen them lose recently to Sweden, because you spotted those rebels in Ingermanland… I think this is contrasted with narrative games, which do not necessarily require the meticulous note taking. The game gives a higher level overview, providing the inspiration for key events and the overall direction of travel in terms of the geo-politics. Some successful narrative AARs barely mention the game behind them – I have Densley’s 'There's Nowt As Queer As Norfolk' in mind when I say this.

So I think the biggest differences are in the planning of the AAR, and then in the ongoing relationship with the game. Conceivably, you could write an excellent narrative after playing through the game is one or two sittings, while a gameplay play through tends to be a lot more ‘bitty’. I’m sure, however, there are many exceptions to the above – but you have asked me to generalise and so I shall. :D


4. There is perhaps a perception amongst the AARland community at large that of the four base styles of AAR (gameplay, narrative, historybook and comedy) gameplay is typically - from a purely literary point of view - the least captivating and engaging and most dull and monotonous of the four. As a gameplay author yourself, how important do you feel it is for gameplay authors to try to build a story or narrative (or, in AARlander alumnus Gela's words, to create "conflict and tension") within their AARs in order to captivate and engage their readers?

I think this is probably a fair comment. Generally, I’ve found myself attributing in game events to some kind of narrative when playing. I may have decided in 1450 that Venice grabbing Cyprus was an insult, and it may have taken 100 years but I’ll be on the lookout for an opportunity to grab it from them and settle the score. Otherwise, all we have is the expansion of one IA country, and a seemingly unrelated war decades later.

There is of course a risk that a gameplay AAR is just a list of dates and decisions, with little bridging them. But then, there is equally a risk that a history book AAR appears flat, that a narrative in unengaging or that a comedy just isn’t funny. So the challenge of a gameplay AAR is taking these events and battles, and presenting them as something other than just a timeline – achieving the tension that you suggest is so important.

The most successful gameplay AARs tend to be ones which achieve something noteworthy – a recent example would be DDRjake's excellent ‘Three Mountains’ in the EUIV forums, where he conquered the world with lowly Ryukyu and became the first to unlock the achievement. The tension came from his epic struggles against rebels, and the constant worry that time was running out – sure he was steamrolling the AI, but would he get far enough, fast enough to complete the WC?

I’ve also enjoyed one or two very entertaining multiplayer AARs. These tend to be gameplay focused, but the tension remains as you have a more precarious balance of power. Hearing how the game panned out from more than one perspective is very interesting indeed.

Tension, as Gels has suggested, is key. You want to be playing a game where you are weighing decisions, where you still feel your freedom of action is restricted, and this is true of gameplay AARs. Where the audience can clearly see you on a track to domination, it is not necessarily all that engaging. However, interesting writing can keep drawing you back even in these cases, and if you have watched someone expand in the first 150 years of a game, there will be that curiosity which keeps you wondering where they will end up. Just as a game will become uninteresting if the challenge is missing, so too will a gameplay AAR. This is something I feel has happened in my own EUIII effort; my Ottoman Empire has grown so large that there is pretty much no challenge remaining. I’ve attempted to liven things up by declaring war on all my neighbours simultaneously, and writing up a kind of ‘final war’ update (which I have not yet finished).


5. Looking back on the year that was in AARland, If I had to name the single biggest change which has affected (some may say afflicted) AARland in the past year from that which preceded it, It would have to be the massive growth of Video-based AARs (or "Let's Plays") which went from being a niche genre practiced by a mere few (Saithis in particular stands out as a pioneer of the form) to being the single most prolific (detractors may well say endemic) AAR form on the fora practically overnight - a status hitherto held by traditional gameplay AARs. Given the massive growth we've seen in both the production of video AARs and their popularity, and the similarities in style between them and the traditional gameplay AAR, do you, as a predominately traditional Gameplay AAR author feel a little threatened by them? What effect - positive or negative - do you feel that "let's plays" have had on AARland as a whole, and do you think that their coming could spell the decline and ultimately, the demise of the traditional gameplay AAR?

Well, first things first I don’t see Let’s Plays as a threat. It’s excellent to see more contributors to AARland, and I firmly believe that if you aren’t changing you are stagnating. I don’t feel they are a threat to traditional gameplay, as there are differences between them. Many gameplay AARs, as you note in your previous question, dabble into other forms of writing. It is not obvious to me how a Let’s Play can really achieve this, at least to the same degree. You are also restricted in terms of the players view – some excellent gameplay authors take stock of the wider situation, which I have always found requires you to load the game purely with the purpose of browsing the ledger, scrolling round the world and checking other states diplomacy – not impossible in a Let’s Play, but probably not what the core audience want. However, it is by default a far more graphic style of AAR – and some will appreciate this. From the point of view of a gameplay AAR, if you are trying to show others how to play the game it is perhaps a better medium than a text and image based AAR – the viewer will not miss anything that you to in getting from A to B.

Now, I have viewed one or two Let’s Plays, but I don’t particularly enjoy them. This is not a slur on the authors in the slightest; in fact it’s my own personal weakness that keeps me from enjoying them. I like things at my own pace – dipping in and out of an AAR, perhaps speed reading through a section of an update. A Let’s Play makes me go at someone else’s pace – something I cannot stand. (this is true in all aspects of my life I feel!) It also makes me listen as well as view – I am terrible at doing just one task at once, and it is rare that I’ll be reading or writing without a programme or documentary on in the background, or at very least my own music.

I imagine that you could probably produce a Let’s Play quicker than a gameplay AAR – I mean you are essentially doing so simultaneously while playing – but I’m also sure that some Let’s Play authors spend a huge amount of time planning and editing before submission. You need to think about things that gameplay authors do not – how will you keep the session to a sensible time limit, without an arbitrary end on 30/ 45 mins, how will you make sure you are not interrupted during your playthrough and so on. I’m sure the list is far longer, but as I have not attempted myself I am just speculating.

So, I don’t feel there is a threat from them at all, we should really welcome variety. New formats will introduce new ideas into the community, who is to say we won’t witness an intriguing crossover or an ambitious narrative Let’s Play? I don’t feel that they will ‘squeeze’ out the more traditional gameplay AARs, as I think there will be some like me who would prefer to read a gameplay AAR – just as there are some who prefer a paper book to a kindle. So I don’t see gameplay AARs going anywhere, anytime soon.


6. Alternatively, have you ever considered trying your hand at the genre yourself? Can we expect to see a Seelmeister "Let's Play" sometime in the not-too-distant future?

I think my previous answer will already have made this answer seem obvious, but no, it’s not something I plan to do. Much as I’m sure you’d all love to hear my deep and manly intonation as a voice-over, it won’t be happening.

7. Now, if I may move from AARs in general to your own, specific works, I noticed while browsing your inkwell that you've left a spot vacant for Victoria II AARs - one therefore assumes that you have a future project in mind for the game. If you don't mind my asking, what exactly would this project entail? How would it be similar/dissimilar to your previous works?

Victoria II is possibly my favourite game. The only two that come anywhere close are The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (the original N64 classic) and Victoria I! Industrialisation and the Concert of Europe period have also been my favourite area of history to study, and so Victoria II has always been in my thoughts for an AAR.

I’ll admit, at the time of writing the Inkwell entry I assumed it would be my next project, and yet I’ve found that March of the Eagles and EUIV have beaten it to my attention. I’ve very keen to finish my currently unfinished works, and so Victoria II will have to wait a while longer.

In terms of what I’m planning, there are two ideas which may come to nothing. One of which involves Prussia, and I’ve actually started playing the game and recording the evidence. I’m minded to approach it somewhat differently to my previous works, however, and this may become my first attempt at a history-book AAR. It looks as though the next few months may offer the opportunity to get to work on this, so I’m really hoping that I might be able to make a start by April.


8. One thing that does strike me about your current MoTE AAR In the Shadow of Greatness is it's unique focus on a particular character, in this case a general, as opposed to an entire nation. One perhaps expects that for a game like Crusader Kings II but not for MoTE! It comes as no surprise to me how such a literary device would be a perfect fit for a Hearts of Iron AAR, but much to my surprise you're yet to write one! Given that Paradox has only days ago announced the release of Hearts of Iron IV, would a Shadow of Greatness-style AAR for that game be a project you'd like to write in future?

That is an excellent suggestion, but one I confess that I had not considered. Hearts of Iron would certainly offer the opportunity to write in a similar fashion with it’s restricted timescale and the opportunity to follow one general/ field marshall. I feel I’ve learned a huge amount since I began following Etienne across Europe, and so I’d been keen to have another go. Yes, very tempted to look into this! I’ve not played much HoI III recently though, and so it is likely to be a project for when the new game arrives.

9. It's a rarity to see a new AAR written for one of the "second-tier" Paradox releases (if I may use such a term to describe them) like MoTE, and you must be one of the few authors out there to have written not only one AAR for the game, but two! Just what is it about MoTE which keeps you coming back to the game and what about it do you think helps make for a compelling AAR?

MotE has a very different scope to the main Paradox titles; if I remember rightly it retailed for just £15 when it launched, and I’ve spent far less time with it than any other Paradox title. That said, I’ve had more than my monies worth, last time I checked I’d clocked around 50 hours with the title – far more than most (non Paradox) games will ever get of my time!
The deeper battle system and the large number of flavour units are great; I feel it can be a quite immersive title (despite not having all that many events). The short game span is also something of a novelty for a Paradox title, and sometimes it is quite nice to play through an entire campaign in 6 hours!

There are a couple of other influences that drew me to it as a writer – firstly I’d just become a demi-moderator in the MotE forums, so I was trying to play a fair bit of the game in order to offer help on the boards. This naturally led into the first AAR I wrote, a strictly gameplay affair when I tried to avoid France as Prussia.

The decision to write my second AAR was motivated by two factors, firstly how much I had enjoyed writing the first AAR (and obviously, a shorter game meant a short AAR – it was great to properly finish one!), and secondly, I’d had the idea to write differently and try to focus just on one general, in charge of one army.

In general, it is a bit of the shame that activity in the MotE forum has dwindled so much – but it’s inevitable I suppose. The same appears to have happened in Sengoku and Rome, and ultimately I cannot blame authors for wanting to write in a forum where they will receive four or five comments per update, rather than just one or two, or even none. The one plus side of this is that when an author does come along and write something for one of the less popular titles, such as Lofman with his excellent ‘Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place’, I thoroughly enjoy reading it and becoming reacquainted with a game I’ve likely not played for months or even years.


10. For the past month or so you've been an emphatic promoter for the Paradox EUIV Historical Fiction Short Story Contest, and as I understand, an entrant also. Without giving too much away, what can you tell us about your entry?

Sure, I think the competition is a fantastic opportunity. I haven’t written much fiction – really only what you see on the forums, but I’ve always been an avid reader and as mentioned earlier always hoped to have a go at writing something one day.

The short story format is appealing, and although I know there are some formidable authors entering I wanted to push myself to get involved, and stop planning to write – and actually write! Learning by doing and all that…

So, I picked an era of history that I studied in some depth not too long ago; Ireland during the Revolutionary Wars. As I had a fairly firm base on knowledge of the period, as well as some excellent characters to work with, I thought this would be ideal.

As you note, I’ve been a bit of an advocate of the competition, as I think it’s a great opportunity for us all. Of course, the winners will be taken care of by Paradox Books, but it would be a great shame if those authors who don’t win then don’t get any feedback on their work. So, I’m hoping to organise some kind of group preview/ compilation of those stories which are not selected for the official anthology. Please feel free to contact me if this sounds interesting! I’ve had a few thoughts as to how we might go about doing this, perhaps an AARlander feature, or if there is enough interest, a special Guess the Author edition, but I’m open to hear from anyone who has some suggestions, or even just to express an interest in doing something. We should be notified as to whether we have won or not by the end of February, so this could be something we look at in March.


11. As we come to the end of this interview, I think now would be as good a time as any to ask about the Seel behind the screen. What can you tell us about "the real Seel?"

Well, I first discovered Paradox games around age 15, and registered on the forums just over 10 years ago. Prior to that I was a Nintendo fan – but I rarely play games consoles now, and haven’t owned one for almost three years. I’ve played and enjoyed all the main Paradox titles, but my clear favourites have been the Victoria series.
Outside of gaming I’ve completed two degrees, an undergraduate in History-Politics and a postgraduate in European Union Law. Since then I’ve worked as a political speech writer and now as a financial regulator.

In terms of history, I’ve always been fascinated by the transition from early modern to the modern world – the long nineteenth century has been my favoured area of study. Paul Kennedy, Niall Ferguson and Eric Hobsbawm are among my favourite historical authors, and in terms of fiction I’m a big fan of Bernard Cornwell. I still enjoy reading history texts when I get the opportunity, and I love travelling and visiting the sights which I’ve read about. Scottish and British history has always been an interest, and WW1 in particular is an area I’ve studied quite extensively. I’ve also been on tours of the battlefields on two occasions.
As well as PC gaming, I’m a keen runner. This year I’ll be running my second marathon, and my 12th*half marathon – with the ambition of trying a triathlon within the next two years. I’m also a football fan – for my sins I’ve been to most of Scotland’s home games in the last five years, and have just renewed my membership for another two.


12. And finally, the immortal final question: which of your own works is your personal favourite and why?

I think that the one I’m happiest about has been In the Shadow of Greatness. Mainly as I feel it’s the most original AAR I’ve written, and the one which has challenged me the most, and allowed me to put together some elements of a narrative, although I think on balance it is essentially a gameplay AAR. I wouldn’t say I was entirely satisfied with it though, and I feel there are big opportunities to improve my writing. I’d definitely like to try something more ambitious soon though, and stretch myself.

Thank you very much Seel for your time.
 
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An EUIV Review – Milan – An Adventure in Italian Politics (1450) by Tnick0225

The first thing to note about Tnick0225’s narrative as Milan is that he has opted for the 1450 start date, rather than the more conventional 1444 Grand Campaign. Before we burn the heretic, however, it’s fair to say he has some solid reasons for the decision – to capture the rise of a mercenary captain to the helm of the Duchy. His name? Sfroza, Silvio Berlusc… ahem Francesco Sforza.

Milan is a very interesting choice of setting, offering us access not only to the turbulent world of Italian politics, but also the shifting rivalries of the Holy Roman Empire. Sandwiched awkwardly between Savoy and Venice, with the Papacy and Florence to the south, and the emerging threats of Austria and France further to the east and west, Milan does not start in a position of strength.

Tnick0225 throws us straight into this precarious balance of power as the new ruling Sforza dynasty establish themselves in a challenging position. Milan has not prospered in recent history, and the new dynasty will face a wealth of challenges.

The blending of gameplay and narrative is something which I believe this AAR has accomplished very successfully. In game events do form the basis for some of the action, and when they do they are embellished to such a degree that they flow perfectly with the narrative. The author states at the start that events will only be discussed where relevant, and the freedom this offers Tnick0225 to craft his story is apparent, and very effective.

At the time of writing, the AAR has proceeded to the third Duke of Milan. Our first, Francesco the mercenary captain, is a very interesting character. Elected by the population of the city, he is a considerate ruler who brings stability and growth to the Duchy still smarting from the loss of territory to the Venetians. The first part of his reign is devoted to maintaining a balance of power across northern Italy – through careful marriage and alliances. His cool and assertive response to the crisis of Florentine succession, and thoughtful consideration of the various threats the Duchy faces shows him to be an astute and capable ruler. It is not until the fifth update of the AAR that war comes to Milan, but I almost did not notice its absence, such was the effectiveness of Tnick0225’s description of intrigue and politics.

The contrast could not have been greater with his son and successor, Galeazzo, a spoilt, petulant and dangerous man. Initially, he seems little worthy of his father’s inheritance, and yet there is more steel to the new Duke than it first seems. The shift in personality of the ruler is accomplished effectively, with the reader unable to resist comparing son with father, and not favourably.

Something I would have liked to see a little more of, however, is the development of the heirs. Galeazzo is present at the coronation of his father Francesco in the first chapter, and in successive updates we here that the Duke takes a keen interest in the education of his son, ensuring he is well versed in the art of state craft. It would have been great to hear a little more of Giovanni’s personality develop, perhaps indicating the sharp contrast between him and his father, at least at the outset of his reign.

Tnick0225 uses a good number of well edited in game images. Events are displayed with their relevant effects, although infrequently. I feel this is a good balance – too much would detract from the narrative, dragging us back into the gameplay side of things. I would have, however, liked to see more non-game imagery. Renaissance Italy is rich with paintings, drawings and beautiful maps, and I feel perhaps these could be taken advantage of to move away from just in game shots. This is a matter of personal taste, however, and overall the choice of images are excellent – the visual evidence is there when you require it but is used sparingly, not swamping the reader.

Tnick0225 has handled two successions very well so far, and I look forward to following the internal and external developments of the Duchy of Milan. Milan - An Adventure in Italian Politics is an engaging, beautifully written account of the heart of Northern Italy – and is highly recommended. Check it out!

Other works by Tnick0225:
The Return of the Werfs (CKII) (Reviewed in AARlander edition 13 by gela1212)
 
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A new Hearts of Iron III writAAR has entered AARland. Just like Ikarases, he is playing underdogs, and just like Ikar, he is playing the HPP mod. So here I present, Trench Rifleman!

You tend to play doomed nations. Yugoslavia and Belgium particular, while Bulgaria isn’t exactly doomed. Are you planning of moving to the somewhat bigger nations (you seem to do with Bulgaria)? Or are you planning of taking up nations like the Netherlands and Norway?

I can say this: I won’t play a Great Power anytime soon. I might do a France AAR, but that's definitely not in the near future. About my next AAR, I don't know. I like to think about my next AAR, while my ongoing one is near the end. The Bulgarian AAR hasn't even reached 1938, so I don't have much planned for my next AAR. I'll probably do what I wanted to do for a long time and make a Guangxi China AAR. But time will tell, what I'll be actually doing.


For now, you seem like staying with Hearts of Iron III, do you have any ideas for AAR’s with other Paradox games?

At this time, no. There was a time, when I wanted to make a Russian AAR in Victoria II, but that plan was dead quite quickly. Now I don't really know, if I would like to make a AAR with another Paradox title, but I might make a Darkest Hour AAR in the near future.

You’ve currently made two finished AAR’s (gameplay), and one ongoing AAR(narrative), which genre do you prefer? And are you planning of exploring other genres ?

Both gameplay and narrative are pretty good genres, but in the end narrative it the better one. With gameplay, you don't have to think very much. You don't have to search for legit explanations for ahistorical events. You just bring it up, and that's it. It's like making a let's play video. But, just like making a let's play, gameplay AAR's have to be entertaining. With narrative it is much harder, as I have come to experience. It takes much more time to make it more realistic, you have to know history much better, and it takes up much more time. But there is one major difference - when you make a nice narrative AAR, it feels much more rewarding.

I never saw you commenting on AAR’s outside the HoI3 Forum, are you going to visit the other AAR sections in the future?

Though I don't really go out of the HoI3 forum, I like to visit the Victoria II forum time to time. I rarely comment there because Victoria II is almost like alien terrain to me, and I don't support saying "Nice Update", without knowing anything else. So for now, I'm mostly going to stay in the HoI3 forum.

And last but not least, what’s your favorite AAR written by your own hand?

За величието на България! I experimented with narrative, and it worked out. Though I had fun with the Belgian AAR, it now feels like average task, I didn't bother that much with it. With the Bulgarian AAR, it is fun to write the narrative, and the game itself is very fun. Bulgaria in itself is a very fun country, which gets overlooked cause of its placement between more powerful nations.

As Always, I give some advice

Pick Belgium up another time, and lead them to VICTORY!

TrenchRifleman’s Inkwell
The effort to survive (and make a empire on the way) - A Belgium HPP AAR
The Bear from the South:A Yugoslavia HPP AAR
To Destroy The Burden of Shame!: A France HPP AAR
За величието на България!: A Bulgarian HPP AAR
 
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Welcome back to Gela's possibly-series of gameplay articles, where we discuss basically everything that has to do with the mechanics of gameplay AARs. Today we're talking about something that is often overlooked, but is actually hugely important to how a gameplay AAR will feel to the reader. That concept is the voice of the author. In other words, the way that the information is put across to the reader.

In a gameplay AAR, you will (almost) always be writing from the viewpoint of yourself. That doesn't necessarily mean that every viewpoint is the same, however. For example, compare Junuxx's fantastic work The Last Greek Empire*to*my own*EU3 AAR For Beginners. Despite the fact that both are comedy focused gameplay AARs, there's a huge difference in how the reader perceives them, due to changes in the voice. Junuxx favors a style that lists events with commentary on them, making the game the focus. My guide, on the other hand, focuses more on the jokes and information presented and has the events of the game as sort of a backdrop and structure behind that. It is due to smaller things like these that separate authors writing the same style of gameplay AAR can feel completely different.

So what types of voices are there? Of course, this isn't something that can so easily be broken into categories. There are likely as many types of voices as there are authors. That doesn't mean that there aren't certain mechanics of voices that are common to all of them. The way these mechanics interact and change is what often differentiates a gameplay writer's style from another's.

The first and possibly most subtle of these major mechanics is the way that the writer talks to his reader. For the most part, this question comes down to: do they directly engage the reader, include them in a first person plural, or not talk to them at all? Take a look at the following sentence.

“Aragon declares war on France.”

A fairly straightforward way of saying things, right? It's a pretty simple statement of an event. So how would this look in the different styles of talking to the reader? If I chose to talk to the reader directly, I would likely say something like “As you may have noticed, Aragon has declared war on France!” If I was using a first person plural, this sounds more like “We take a look at the southwest of the map, and it seems Aragon has declared war on France!”. The example itself is a good showcase of not including the reader.

By changing how you narrate the events of your game in such a simple way, you change the degree to which the reader identifies with you. It should be noted that having them identify with you is not always the right choice. Having the narrator be the focus of the story may not be your aim – instead, it may be better in your case to put the reader's focus on the gameplay. This is especially true for writers doing a serious AAR as opposed to a comedic one.

Another way of changing the voice applies specifically to comedies. How exactly are you telling jokes? You might have this really awesome Assam pun, but the writing will feel completely different depending on how you deliver it. Do you sneak it in subtly? Do you directly call attention to it? Another type of joke might require you to choose between having the narrator be directly aware that it is a joke, or have them be oblivious to that fact.

These kinds of things change the pacing of your writing. For example, when you directly call attention to a joke, you stop whatever you were talking about before, introduce a new concept (your joke), and then move on. On the other hand, being more subtle will work the joke into whatever you were already talking about, making it smoother. This principle holds true for things that aren't jokes as well. Pacing can be dictated by the writer in how they talk (or write, I suppose) even if it's contrary to the events of the game. One may find it a little difficult to create the feeling of a high speed chase when in actuality you're watching administration points accumulate, but in less extreme cases it can be a great tool to have.

We could continue talking about specifics like these, but many are not quite as obvious. However, using these two as examples, hopefully you can pay more attention to*how you are telling your story, making your jokes, or teaching your lessons, rather than just those things themselves. It's incredible how much of a difference these small things will make in the feeling that the reader gets from the writing.

When you read two books, is the only difference the plot line? Likely not. In a similar manner, two accounts of the same event could come across entirely differently. Let's take the previous example of Aragon declaring war on France. Depending on how emotionally connected you have made the reader to one nation or the other via word choice, time spent focusing on one, or even directly supporting one of the two, the reader could be rooting for either country. The war could seem tense or one-sided, depending on pacing and word choice. This war could even change from being important to completely insignificant!

So do me a favor. Next time you're writing, once you're done checking for typos, formatting, and accuracy, put yourself in the shoes of the reader to examine the voice of your narrator. By ensuring that the story is told how you want it to be told, you can make your writing even better than it already is.
 
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Well here it is again folks, another issue of the AARlander is up and I can say that I am more than glad to announce that the new AARlander has run into its fourth year of exitance, well, the first number entered the records in 2011 so it is the fourth year we are operating but we have only been putting out editions for some 3 years and 3 months to the day (first edition got up 02-12-2011). I am really glad that we managed to stick around for these 3 (and almost a half) years and I am greatly thankful for the support and encouragement our readers have given us and I am more than greateful for all the moderators who helped along the way but most of all I want to thank our writers for producing nice new material every month! That is a feat in itself!

The past week(s) we have gotten the information that there are some new games comming up from Paradox. Runemaster, HoI4, dlcs for CK2 and EUIV and this year EAST vs West wíll be realeased. This is going to be an eventfull year for paradox and it in turn will make sure that things will happen in the AARlander as well!

To perfect is to change often – Winston Churchill

Thanks for reading.
D.
 
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