Q1 2023 ACAs

Nikolai · Apr 15, 2023

An awAARd never comes too early, nor does it come too late! It is time for celebrating the works of our writAARs once again!

Yes. It is now time for the Q1 2023 ACAs!

The ACAs are as before hosted under the supervision of me, your friendly AAR fan Nikolai.

This time around you can vote for any AAR that had an update between January 1st, 2023 and March 31st,, 2023 (inclusive). In other words, this ACA will cover Q1 2023.

Voting will start now and end in about four weeks, at 20.00 CET Sunday May 14th, 2023.

You may nominate up to four AARs for each of the following games:

Crusader Kings II
Crusader Kings III
Europa Universalis IV
Victoria II
Victoria 3
Hearts of Iron IV
Stellaris

and up to four additional games in the "Other" category, which includes all other Paradox Development Studio games not mentioned above.

Kindly use the following format:

[Name of game/"other"]
1. AAR name, author, URL
2. AAR name, author, URL
3. AAR name, author, URL
4. AAR name, author, URL

If an URL has already been posted once, there is no need to put it up again.

The deadline for voting is 20.00 CET Sunday May 14th, 2023.

With that said, it is now time for the voting to begin!

- Nikolai, host of the ACAs

Idhrendur · Apr 15, 2023

Macavity116 · Apr 19, 2023

The Quarterlies are here again!

Stellaris

Crusader Kings 2

Avon Las Observes by @Midnite Duke

Revan86 · Apr 22, 2023

Alright, I'm just here to put in a couple of my votes. These will be augmented as I get back up to speed.

Crusader Kings II
1.) Avon las Observes by @Midnite Duke - still in awe of humorous works; wish I could do them this well
2.)
3.)
4.)

Crusader Kings III
1.) A Kingdom at the Crossroads: an Armenian AAR by @Darumaka
2.) The Breton Chronicles by @Werther - good to see you back with another one, dude! Vikings are always a good time. And with the GFX quality we've all come to love.
3.) Jewish Alps - a Paradox Megacampaign AAR - Part 1 by @Bfc kfc - history-book AARing at a high level of consistent quality
4.)

Europa Universalis IV
1.) In the Shadow of the Ancients: an Assyrian AAR, Part 2 by @Tommy4ever
2.) The Wars of the Roses by @coz1 - venerable institution of AARland's EU4 province!
3.)
4.)

Victoria II
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)

Victoria 3
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)

Hearts of Iron IV
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)

Stellaris
1.) Shattered Glass: a Narrative Stellaris AAR by @Von Acturus. EASIEST VOTE TO MAKE HERE, hands-down. That finale--whew. Ride on the edge of your seat to the very end. Brilliant work throughout, but that last bit deserves great honour.
2.)
3.)
4.)

Macavity116 · Apr 22, 2023

Revan86 said:
Shattered Glass: a Narrative Stellaris AAR by @Von Acturus. EASIEST VOTE TO MAKE HERE, hands-down. That finale--whew. Ride on the edge of your seat to the very end. Brilliant work throughout, but that last bit deserves great honour.

Damn right.

Nikolai · Apr 26, 2023

Eleven days and two voters - we can do better, surely! Please consider plugging the ACAs in your AARs folks.

JSB217118 · Apr 28, 2023

Crusader Kings II
1.) Avon las Observes by @Midnite Duke

coz1 · May 3, 2023

I'm going to vote, @Nikolai , I promise. Just need a day and the proper mind to do it. And when I do, it will be a full ballot.

Bullfilter · May 3, 2023

Same here. I’ll also puts some ‘ads’ in my AARs.

Nikolai · May 3, 2023

Thanks, guys.

coz1 · May 7, 2023

So I said I was going to complete a full ballot and have done so, not only for Nikolai's well being (running these things are not easy so it is great to see participation) but so too for our very many writAARs. In many categories, there is no lack of talent and choices, so it was not easy. Yet herewith are my votes (all AARs listed in alpha order by author.)

Crusader Kings II

Pirates of Sartosa by @Austregisel
Blood and Empire: A Clash of Civilisations by @Bullfilter
Road of Queens - CKII India AAR by @Eurasia
Avon Las Observes by @Midnite Duke

Crusader Kings III

Jewish Alps- A Paradox Megacampaign AAR- Part1 - Crusader Kings 3 by @Bfc kfc
The Lions of Olomouc: a CKIII Ironman AAR (Duchy of Moravia, 867) by @Revan86
Crowns of the Levant by @Werther
The Breton Chronicles by @Werther

[NB - I do not usually vote for a writAAR twice, but these two are too good. One ended and one began.]

Europa Universalis IV

The Absolute GAUL of Some People! by @firezatswill9
A Tale as Old as Time: Book II: The Dual Monarchy - A Paradox Mega-Campaign AAR by @ibicko
The Thin Wedge of Europe by @Revan86
In the Shadow of the Ancients - An Assyrian AAR, Part Two by @Tommy4ever

Victoria II

Victoria II - Japan - AAR by @Eurasia
The Rise of Russia by @HistoryDude
The Hohenzollern Empire 5: Holy Phoenix - An Empire of Jerusalem Megacampaign in New World Order by @zenphoenix
En la sombra de Morazán: A Central American AAR by @Zeogludon

Victoria 3

Dreams of an Honest World - a Mexico V3 AAR by @Chilango2
An Empire Where the Sun Always Rises- A Japan V3 AAR by @hjarg
Plus Ultra - Gallispania in the Long Nineteenth Century (Sequel to an EU4 AAR) by @SibCDC
The Cairo News - An Egypt to Arabia V3 AAR by @witchveil

Hearts of Iron IV

The German Century (Kaiserreich AAR) by @Basileus2
Poles Apart – an HOI4 Ahistory by @Bullfilter
The Empire Strikes Back - Part 4 by @Idhrendur
Tomorrow Belongs To Me - A 'Democratic' Germany AAR by @TheButterflyComposer

Stellaris

Stellaris Wars: A Nemesis Ironman Saga II - Rebellion: The Imperium at War by @Arithmetician
The Stars are Ours by @JohnnyMacintosh
I Have A Dream - The Tale of the Sol Republic by @Nikolai
Shattered Glass: A Narrative Stellaris AAR by @Von Acturus

Other

Talking Turkey: Alternate History from 1936 (HoI3) by @Bullfilter
The Butterfly Effect: A British AAR (HoI2) by @El Pip
Epirus Ascendant, Part 1 (I:R) by @HistoryDude

[NB - I said a full ballot, but I just cannot see too many others here. Even Pip's is pushing it for this last quarter. I wanted to vote for some others that have been longstanding, but the work done in the last 3 months...not much if at all.]

All told, I am proud of these votes. I stand by them. I hope others will do the same to honor these works and writAARs that have put so much effort into their AARs. Thanks again @Nikolai for running these and keeping up the tradition and rewards certainly earned by our awesome members.

Rensslaer · May 9, 2023

Apologies, after years of little activity I'm slowly getting back to reading AARs.

EU IV

1. The Wars of the Roses by @coz1

Victoria II

1. Victoria II - Japan - AAR by @Eurasia

Victoria 3

1. Brazilian Watched - A Watcher and Creature AAR by @Nikolai
2. Dreams of an Honest World - A Mexico V3 AAR by @Chilango2

Stellaris

1. I Have A Dream - The Tale of the Sol Republic by @Nikolai
2. Grand Theft Stellaris by @Macavity116
3. Rise and fall of the Imperium of Nova Terra, a story of war, triumph, decadence and collapse - a Stellaris AAR by @Falhxer
4. Thousands are Sailing by @Von Acturus

Other

1. Talking Turkey: Alternate History from 1936 by @Bullfilter (HOI3)

Eurasia · May 10, 2023

Tulum

Crusader Kings II
1. The Sunset from the West - Ireland AAR by @best75 https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...om-the-west-ireland-aar.1557962/post-28628235 (Should be Mayans...would fit the time period. But Medieval 2 - Total War ALSO have the Aztec....I wonder who took from who? Also I visited the Mayan city of Tulum once and think the people are cool. They ARE still aroud you know. Our tour guide was Mayan! Still interesting AAR as the players is now a Vassal of the Aztec Empire.)
2. CK2AGOT - Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons by @Thaiga https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...s-and-mother-of-dragons.1468096/post-27444910 (You can never have too many dragons!)
3. Avon Las Observes by @Midnite Duke (Duh!)

Europa Universalis IV
1. The War of the Roses by @coz1 (Funny enough in 2015, while visiting my Mom, I found The War of the Roses by Robin Neillands among her books and read it from cover to cover. It was a great book in that it helped me understand the very complexed series of event that brought about the war)

Stellaris
1. Life2.0 - a Broken Stackles Narrative by @CBR JGWRR https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...ckles-narrative-started.1568541/post-28769089 (Interesting idea to start a AAR with)

Other
1. Talking Turkey: Alternate History from 1936 by @Bullfilter (Funny enough no talking turkeys. Now, the AAR is coming to an end but that means you can read it from the start and not worry about the author posting faster than you can read.)
2. Blame Canda! - the current state of HPP by @Slan https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...he-current-state-of-hpp.1580619/post-28909590 (It is a AAR testing out the HPP mode. Just started so you can watch it as the story unfolds.)

That's about it. Many of the AARs I like have not been active lately and I can't vote for them.

Rensslaer · May 10, 2023

Hmm... I will take a look at Blame Canada, as I'm a big fan of the HPP mod (I used it for at least 2 AARs I think, maybe more). But I don't think it qualifies for this round of the ACAs, since it was started in May.

Rensslaer

Eurasia · May 10, 2023

Rensslaer said:
Hmm... I will take a look at Blame Canada, as I'm a big fan of the HPP mod (I used it for at least 2 AARs I think, maybe more). But I don't think it qualifies for this round of the ACAs, since it was started in May.

Rensslaer

Oops! Sorry about that....

Nikolai · May 10, 2023

Eurasia said:
Oops! Sorry about that....

Yep, that is too late.

JackGoose · May 10, 2023

Ooof I have been so busy I have barely had time to work my way through as many stories as I would have liked, but I have started a few and I want to get some votes in before the deadline... It'd likely be bad form to vote for myself, so here are the ones I am reading through now.

All Stellaris based ones too.

1. Grand Theft Stellaris, @Macavity116, https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/grand-theft-stellaris.1571377/
2. Shattered Glass, @Von Acturus , https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/shattered-glass-a-narrative-stellaris-aar.1509298/
3. Thousands are Sailing, @Von Acturus , https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/thousands-are-sailing.1575927/
4. I Have A Dream - The Tale of the Sol Republic, @Nikolai, https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/i-have-a-dream-the-tale-of-the-sol-republic.1568454/

Midnite Duke · May 11, 2023

Thank you to every AARwriter. If you have brought a moment of joy to even one reader, you have made the world a better place. (A note to @JackGoose, please link your signature and AAR so that people can follow your comments to your AAR and increase your readership.)

CK2:

1. Road of Queens by @Eurasia. I wonder when one factors length of time covered by the game and his frequent updates, if his pace is not even slower than the legendary @El Pip's.

2. CK22AGOT - Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons by @Thaiga. Does anyone cover more of the map and post character screenshots? The artwork is worth the price of admission with his observational skills and pithy wit a delightful bonus,

3. Siberian Prosperity by @Sanvone. Attention to detail and tremendous knowledge of game.

4. Suryavamsavali by @KiratRawr. Semi-interactive and still has room for new readers/characters.

CK3:

1. The Lions of Olomouc by @Revan86. I am suffering withdrawal with the impending end though I know an excellent EU4 awaits Me.

2. When Murder Solves Everything by @Tom D. Dutch rule, at least until someone awakes the neighbor to the East.

3. Crowns of the Levant by @Werther. Beautiful. His writing at level in his second language is better than most in their native language.

4. Cradle of God by @SongOfHorrors57. A present after technical problems halted his AGoT.

EU4:

1. New Era, Old Gods by @Bergil. Norse Germanics! Happy Thor's Day!

2. A Time as Old as Time by @ibicko. Another classic with end in sight.

3. The Wars of the Roses by @coz1. Fancy is truly not a bad person just horribly miscast as Queen of England and wife of Henry (Henry VI was miscast as well).

4. The Nation of the Tagalogs by @Black Watch. A non-European EU!

Vicky2:

1. The Rise of Russia by @HistoryDude. Completed history of Russia

2. In the Shadow of the Ancients by @Tommy4ever. Mega campaign reaches Vicky.

3. Echoes of A New Tomorrow by @DensleyBlair. I think that post #1594 is an update

HoI4:

1. Poles Apart by @Bullfilter. Random WW2 is great.

2. The Dawn is Near by @Khanconette. White Russians

Stellaris:

1. Thousands are Sailing by @Von Acturus. Wonderful start. The beginning alone is worth the read.

2. Grand Theft Stellaris by @Macavity116. Short, romance. New genres for Mac.

3. Shattered Glass by @Von Acturus. Great characters!

4. The Last Heroes by @Macavity116. Lifetime achievement!

Other:

1. Epirus Ascendant by @HistoryDude. Epirus Rules! The Progonovics await you.

2. Talking Turkey by @Bullfilter. A classic coming to end. (maybe)

3. The Butterfly Effect by @El Pip. Conflict coming before the decade ends? British/Italian police action and Spanish proxies do not count.

Authors who I have read but did not list, I am sorry but I did not have room and @Nikolai does not allow me to take my missing slots to full categories. @Nikolai, thank you very much for taking the time to do while your health is not the greatest. Thank you very much, sir.

Macavity116 · May 11, 2023

@Midnite Duke, you seem to have voted for me twice in the Stellaris section. While flattering, I need to point out that The Last Heroes ended on December 31, 2022 and has missed the eligibility window by a single day.

@Nikolai, would you be willing to issue a ruling on the issue?

Nikolai · May 11, 2023

Macavity116 said:
@Midnite Duke, you seem to have voted for me twice in the Stellaris section. While flattering, I need to point out that The Last Heroes ended on December 31, 2022 and has missed the eligibility window by a single day.

@Nikolai, would you be willing to issue a ruling on the issue?

Yeah, it is unfortunately not elegible. @Midnite Duke please replace it.

Q1 2023 ACAs

Basileus Romaion

Keeper of the Converters

Metacavity, Destroyer of the Fourth Wall

Prodigal Knight

Metacavity, Destroyer of the Fourth Wall

Basileus Romaion

Major

GunslingAAR

Old Boardgame Grognard

Basileus Romaion

GunslingAAR

Strategy GuidAAR

HoI3 AI ExperimentAAR

Strategy GuidAAR

HoI3 AI ExperimentAAR

Basileus Romaion

Sergeant

Field Marshal

Metacavity, Destroyer of the Fourth Wall

Basileus Romaion