The 2023 Historybook AAR of the Year is...

[coz1]

We now come to our third style category and 31 different AARs were given nomination and across a fairly wide spectrum of the games. There was a bit of a scrum to see who rounded out our podium, but your first and second place were pretty clear from the start. It should surprise no one that our winner and the 2023 Historybook AAR of the Year is:

Echoes of A New Tomorrow: Life after Revolution in the Commonwealth of Britain by @DensleyBlair (Vic2)​

While updates can be few and far between, when Denss does get around to it each post is an AAR unto themselves. Many congratulations!! Thus our silver cup goes to...

The Butterfly Effect: A British AAR by @El Pip (HoI2)​

Slower than real time and still a favorite. Well done! Finally, our hard fought third place goes to...

Epirus Ascendant, Part 1 by @HistoryDude (Imperator:Rome)​

An excellent set of works! Of course, the following were also given very deserved nomination and they are in order of the vote:

En la sombra de Morazán: A Central American AAR by @Zeogludon (Vic2)

The Leicesters: History of England under the House of Dudley-Tudor by @ageofadelina (EU4)

Wings of Faith, Wings of Fury - A Slavic Pagan Revival AAR by @Superstorm (CK2)

Tomorrow Belongs To Me - A 'Democratic' Germany AAR by @TheButterflyComposer (HoI4)

Poles Apart – an HOI4 Ahistory by @Bullfilter (HoI4)

Der Adler, der Wolf, und die Sonne: Die Geschichte des Stahlpakts by @Wraith11B (HoI3)

The German Century (Kaiserreich AAR) by @Basileus2 (HoI4)

The Rise of Russia by @HistoryDude (Vic2)

Here Dwells God - A Jewish Poland AAR, Part Four by @Tommy4ever (Darkest Hour)

The Fourth Age by @Uriel Blackwing (AoW4)

The Lions of Olomouc: a CKIII Ironman AAR (Duchy of Moravia, 867) by @Revan86 (CK3)

The Presidents: America and the Cold War (1966-1991) by @Nathan Madien (HoI2)

Pax Britannica – A Great Britain AAR by @Koweth (CK3)

Dreams of Frisian Freedom by @Bullfilter (EU4)

Sundered Nation by @The Kingmaker (Vic3)

Die Wacht Im Raum - A Kaiserreich Stellaris AAR by @Side (Stellaris)

Lamentations for a Lost Homeland: Nova Anglia by @Darumaka (CK3)

Confessing Their Apostasies (A Mildly Interactive AAR) by @HistoryDude (CK3)

Road of Queens - CKII India AAR by @Eurasia (CK2)

Italian Ambitions: A Florence AAR by @JerseyGiants88 (EU4)

CK2AGOT - Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons by @Thaiga (CK2)

From Pendragon to Prominence by @Olden Weiss (CK3)

Shining Stars - A United States Coming of Age Saga by @Rensslaer (Vic2)

The Dragons Realm, A House Targaryen AAR, by @streaker77 (CK2)

Song of the Karlings: Karloman's Legacy by @LPDK 356 (CK2)

Lost Seasons of the Danes - A Viking AAR by @Chac1 (CK2)

Victoria II - Japan - AAR @Eurasia (Vic2)

The life and death of Fugandulu Characters by @IsaacCAT (Imperator:Rome)

Children of Dacia by @IliciMan (EU4)​

And there you have it! Trust me, these lists get longer. And I love to see it. Many congratulations to each and every one that found a nomination and thank you so much to the many voters that really did try to look in every place AARland offers. Well done to our winner and now the thread is open for your own congrats, thanks and discussion of the work if you so wish.

Look for our Narrative awAARd soon.

 

[Tommy4ever]

Congratulations to the illustrious @DensleyBlair and all the other winners in my personal favourite category.

 

[Nikolai]

Congratulations to all the wonderful writAARs out there, great to have you getting recognition!

Especially heartfelt congratulations to @DensleyBlair !

 

[Chac1]

Congratulations to @DensleyBlair , @El Pip & @HistoryDude ! Congrats to all who were nominated too. Well done!

 

[jak7139]

Congratulations @DensleyBlair , @El Pip , and @HistoryDude for getting the top three spots! And great job to all the nominees for their hard work this past year!

 

[Bullfilter]

Big congratulations to @DensleyBlair - very thoroughly deserved. Also to @El Pip and @HistoryDude for those podium finishes in such a competitive field. Same goes to all nominees: and thanks for those who nominated a couple of my AARs for the topic. While it may not be my primary focus in AARs, there are elements of crossover (like for many of us) so thanks for the recognition of that here. Hat doffed once more to @coz1 for all the effort in running this big undertaking.

 

[The Kingmaker]

Congratulations to @DensleyBlair, @El Pip, and @HistoryDude! All three are talented and prolific authAARs as well as loyal and supportive readers. Very well deserved, each of you!

 

[Macavity116]

Many congratulations to @DensleyBlair, @El Pip, and @HistoryDude! And an extended round of warm words to everyone who contributed to the category this year.

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

Excellent wins again.

 

[Idhrendur]

Congrats @DensleyBlair and to everyone else nominated!

 

[Midnite Duke]

Congratulations to @DensleyBlair, @El Pip, @HistoryDude and everyone else who received a nomination. Thank you to everyone who published.

 

[Rensslaer]

Gosh this is a lot of really quality stuff in this category also! Congratulations @DensleyBlair for the win for Echoes!

And congratulations @HistoryDude and @El Pip also! Congratulations to everyone here.

Thank you for the support for Shining Stars! It's advertised as Gameplay, but I stray into Historybook style out of habit. lol

Rensslaer

 

[El Pip]

Intensely gritted teeth - Congratulations to @DensleyBlair on another win, very well deserved. Congratulations to the other nominees. I am of course entirely the normal amount of pleased at coming second. Again.


Right with that over and done with I can get to the important stuff. Last year DB one it with two (2) updates, this year it was just one. In a year. One. Yet somehow I am the one who gets accused of being majestically paced in my writing. My only consolation is that I have lost to a fellow practitioner of slower-than-real-time, a year to cover barely 3 months of story shows great promise.

 

[Eurasia]

Congrats to the winners, voters, readers, and authors! And the history nerds!

 

[HistoryDude]

Congrats to @DensleyBlair, @El Pip, and all of our other historybook writAARs!

I appreciate everyone who voted for Epirus Ascendant, Rise of Russia, and Confessing Their Apostasies!

Epirus Ascendant should reach CK3 this year.

 

[Tom D.]

My congratulations to all the winAARs and nominees!

 

[DensleyBlair]

Well. First of all, massive thanks to all who decided that Echoes’s sole 2023 update was worthy of a vote this year. As Pip has already so eloquently alluded to, last year I was shocked enough to win the gold cup with only two chapters. To be so rewarded again for half the output is a fine and arguably undeserved prize, so thank you all who continue to support the work. I’d be writing it (when I can) regardless, but to continue to have an audience 5 years in is a very special thing and I do not take it for granted.

On that point, I note with equal parts amusement and fascination that this year’s gold and silver cup winners have a combined age of about 23 years. Obviously the vast majority of that lies with Pip’s work, but it’s still interesting to me that this seems to be a category that rewards “slow burn” success.

Many congratulations to all other winners and nominees! To @El Pip and @HistoryDude: I cannot think of two histAARians I’d rather share the podium with. The History Book being my personal favourite form of AAR, I am very very pleased to see the genre so well represented this year. More of the same in 2024, please!

 

[Rensslaer]

@DensleyBlair Are you kidding?

That one update was the size of some folks whole AARs!

Rensslaer

 

[Wraith11B]

@El Pip: they won with one, and somehow I made the list with the same, so I'm absolutely blown away by people and their continued support!

Great job, @DensleyBlair , sorry we didn't get to talk more during the meet-up, soon I'm sure!

 

[Superstorm]

I’m very late to this but congrats to the winners and all who got votes.

A big thank you to all who voted for Wings of Faith also!