Okay, final words from a judge on the top-ranked AARs (on my ballot). I'd left feedback for other AARs in an earlier post. These are just the top 4, which I've not commented upon before.
Again, as I've mentioned before, I tend to be frank and critical when I judge AARs. You won't see much of that here, which is why these were my top-rated AARs. But I mention it again to emphasize that when I tell you I really liked the story, and when I heap effusive praise, it is not without temper and due consideration -- it comes from the heart!
Naggy's Ottoman Empire, ranked 4th, slightly ahead of Bukkhara and a little ways under the big three. This was truly a joy to read, not just because the story was well told and the screenshots well chosen, but also because it read like a strategy instructional manual -- something I appreciate as writer of the Strategy Guides, and which I've tried to do with my last 3 AARs. Again, I learned some things from Naggy's strategic analysis and/or understanding of the finer points of game mechanics -- things which will often tell the difference between a successful player and one who just gets by. My notes: "Good understanding of strategic situation at start, good use of understated humor, good strategic choices, a little gamey (just from long experience, though - not really a fault in this case)." I remember really enjoying the craft employed in executing wars against Russia, etc. I liked the inventive things he came up with to explain why alliances, etc., came and went the way they did. One final note -- this is an almost "archaic" style of AAR -- one you will see alot of in the old HOI 1 and EU 1 AARs, but not alot of in later years. A REAL gameplay AAR, not a "descriptive gameplay" like mine where I tell you in full paragraphs what happened at a particular point. This one's day by day, and while I actually don't like the style a whole lot, Naggy made me like his. A really well done AAR, deserving of the highest praise (just with some other really, really stiff competition in the upper ranks!).
Tanzhang's Netherlands Onze Plaats in de Zon, ranked 3rd. I thought I knew what to expect when this started, but it turned out entirely differently. It started out with a really well done historical intro to set things up pre-1836, and then continued into a well written narrative account which turns out to explain the feud between the Dutch and Belgians -- one which is (I think -- correct me if I'm wrong) an alternative history, which means he did a good job inventing a setup that would support his gameplay goals. It turns into a sort of family history, almost like my Fire Warms, and Tanzhang masterfully wends his way between the three main AAR styles (narrative, gameplay and historybook) as they seem useful for his needs. It also turns into an instructional AAR, but focused mainly on strategy (well played), not game mechanics. The screenshots and other graphics were well chosen, and very much add to the enjoyable nature of the AAR. Real history gets woven in, where appropriate, and he sometimes describes grand strategy while at other times focusing on minute points which are not granular, but instead add rich flavor to the tapestry he's crafting. Lastly, from my notes: "Impressive storytelling and gameplay. Good use of fiction elements. Good research - very well told." Great work, Tanzhang!
Alerias' Legend of the Marble Emperor, I ranked it 2nd. I wouldn't have placed it ahead of Tanzhang's except that every time I thought, "this guy's quality is as good as Tanzhang's" I was forced to wonder if maybe it was better. And I don't know if I ever decided for sure, except that I had a vague feeling that Alerias' was "cleaner" -- that it was less distracting, and more coherent, which is actually a very important point. Kind of like a liquor that goes down smooth, rather than a little rough -- more refined. I liked his gameplay goals, and his willingness to be patient, while at the same time never letting one wonder if he would drop his goal. At times he succeeded better than expected, and that was great too. My notes: "Impressively done! Research is obvious, good job explaining odd game events in terms of real history. Nice mixing of real history into story." A grand piece of work, really. I'll enjoy the finish of this and look forward to other projects from him.
Finally, my top-ranked AAR on my ballot,
Communitarian's Letters from an Unquiet August. First, I have to admit, anyone who introduces an AAR with a photograph from the Boxer Rebellion has caught my rapt attention. At first, looking at the picture, I saw the Japanese flag, and blithely concluded the architecture looked vaguely Japanese, and so wondered why a Japanese photo would start a Middle Kingdom AAR. Then I saw the French flag, and realized exactly what I was looking at, and my heart thrilled. The Boxer Rebellion is one of the most fascinating incidents in all history, to my mind. I was also encouraged -- I won't say shocked, but impressed -- to find Communitarian a very good, talented fiction writer. Many who try their hand at fiction have talents shining through mediocre performance, and others just have no talent at all. Communitarian is neither of these -- a practiced, or at least solidly competent writer. I apologize if this has been proved in other works I've not seen -- this is the first time I've seen Communitarian's fiction, and I sense immediate quality and refinement. Btw, someone else mentioned the character Mei Ling, and maybe I didn't have quite the shock others might have at learning she was a girl -- I immediately assumed she was, because of her name, and was merely confused at first that she seemed to be presented as a guy (initially I thought this was a minor error on the author's part, but alas this was part of the plan too). I found the interactions between characters realistic and the clash between cultures -- both internal to Chinese culture and Chinese-to-European clashes -- well presented. This seems like it will be a long-term AAR, so I'm looking forward to seeing it develop over time. Great work, Communitarian!
As a closing note, I should mention that all three of the top three AARs initially had scores of 90 or above until I was forced to "ration" my points to arrive at a total of no more than 800. This demonstrates how highly I held each of the top three. Furthermore, it illustrates how deserving the OTHER AARs were, throughout this contest, as I did not want to penalize the middle-rank AARs and not rate them with a decent number of points, for they were also of high quality.
Thanks again, Alex, for allowing me to participate in this exciting adventure!
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