AAR Tips?

[Mettaray]

Howdy,

I've been reading AARs on and off for quite some time now so recently I've gotten back into reading some decided I want to try creating my own narrative style AAR. That being said I haven't really had that much experience with narrative writing but I mainly want to do this for fun and just try this out.

I'm still new to the site and idk how some of the stuff works on here but any tips or help would be appreciated. Here are a few details on how I want to structure everything:

1. I've seen some AARs use screenshots and others just use plain text and I want to try finding a middle ground between the two. (I don't want to overdo everything with screenshots).

2. I will be playing EU4 and most likely play Castile but I am also afraid that playing a powerful nation may just lead to a boring game were I win every war ect. (That being said I'm not the best at the game). I may try to include more of a role playing factor by making decisions based on the monarch stats (so if my leader has a 5 in military I would choose the militaristic options in different events) just to vary the game.

3. When I tell the narrative I want to try getting multiple perspectives from different characters, so I may have a chapter dedicated to telling the perspective of the heir to the throne or even like an administrative adviser.

4. I am still not sure how long each part of the AAR would be but I want to try playing out the game a little further than the story in order to gain a better view of how the events played out and then post the parts in smaller chapters hopefully.

I'd like to hear constructive criticism, tips, ideas, help, ect. I'm open to ideas and suggestions.
Thanks ahead of time for everyone's help.

 

[loup99]

Hi and welcome! Always good to see some new authors. I haven't written any AARs, but will try to answer your points anyway. Based on those:

1. The importance is that you pick something that you think fits for your story. What you mentioned is however the style I personally prefer.

2. You could roleplay as you mention. If you intend on buying the next expansion for the game (Rights of Man), maybe the trait system could be a good way of roleplaying? As for a boring game, you don't have to mention every single war, or just share some facts from the game. If you don't intend to have a gameplay aspect and want to focus on the narrative story it doesn't matter how it exactly plays out in game. Another alternative could be that you try to attack challenging countries or test a new strategy that you are not as familiar with as your usual playstyle.

3. I think that can give variety to the AAR, and allow for more insight in the country.

4. It does give a perspective, and allows for more planning in terms of writing. The disadvantage is that user feedback won't necessarily reach you in time, but as with the other points it's important that you find something that you are satisfied.

 

[Mettaray]

Thanks for the feedback!

I did think about waiting until Rights of Man but I am still not 100% sure if I am going to buy it yet and I'm just really excited to start writing so I might just jump into it though. The trait system is kinda tempting and would be really helpful in a role playing aspect but eh I'll see.

I do like the ideas of both challenging myself against the AI (maybe even change the difficulty, because I've never tried that before), and leaving boring game play out for the benefit of the narrative so I'll probably use those concepts.

With the last point, I think getting user feedback is important and I guess that's the downside of trying a narrative AAR so I might try playing a little bit ahead but not too much, again I'll try to find the middle ground there. All being said since I'm a noobish writer idk if that many people will view my story (at least from the start) so I might not get a ton of feedback. But then again I could be wrong, and all feedback is useful feedback at this point.

I will create a new thread for my AAR but would there be by any chance be a specific thread I should post my AAR link to in order to like spread the word about it? I've also seen where authors just have links to their AArs under their posts and such so I was wondering how that is done too.

And again, thank you so much for the advice, I really appreciate it.

 

[loup99]

I will create a new thread for my AAR but would there be by any chance be a specific thread I should post my AAR link to in order to like spread the word about it? I've also seen where authors just have links to their AArs under their posts and such so I was wondering how that is done too.

There are three options used by authAARs here on the forum:

• Inkwell - a thread for advertising AARs
• Signature - forum feature that appears beneath your posts where you can share links to your AARs (as long as it remains within the rules)
• LibrAARy - place used to record AARs (separate place per game, the link is to the EU4 thread)

 

[Mettaray]

Ah ok thank you so much. Your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Mr. Capiatlist]

If you are interested specifically in pointers on the art/craft of writing before taking the leap into posting here, there is a public writer's thread in the OT and a private writer's group in the group section.

Outside of my day job I am a (hack) writer, and my wife is about to shift to writing full time so if you have questions, I lurk around those places providing thoughts and critique.

 

[Mr. Capiatlist]

1. I've seen some AARs use screenshots and others just use plain text and I want to try finding a middle ground between the two. (I don't want to overdo everything with screenshots).

Some images are useful for a myriad of reasons. First you break up giant walls of text, which is nice; second it helps scanners like me who can't always commit to reading but want to stay up to date; and third it can easily convey information that could be confusing to write, like a map. Now I used "image" instead of "screen shot" because especially with narrative-styled AARs, posting screen shots with the whole screen (i.e. it has your income, adm points, &c displayed) can distract from the narrative and start gameplay-based conversations.

2. I will be playing EU4 and most likely play Castile but I am also afraid that playing a powerful nation may just lead to a boring game were I win every war ect. (That being said I'm not the best at the game). I may try to include more of a role playing factor by making decisions based on the monarch stats (so if my leader has a 5 in military I would choose the militaristic options in different events) just to vary the game.

This is always a problem, role playing might be the best way. Other options - choosing a slightly more difficult nation or a specific goal that requires a different or more difficult style of play then you are used to.

3. When I tell the narrative I want to try getting multiple perspectives from different characters, so I may have a chapter dedicated to telling the perspective of the heir to the throne or even like an administrative adviser.

That's not unheard of, in fact that is more or less how I wrote my "magnum opus" here on the forums and the current style of my novels.

4. I am still not sure how long each part of the AAR would be but I want to try playing out the game a little further than the story in order to gain a better view of how the events played out and then post the parts in smaller chapters hopefully.

"As long as you need". I've stressed this a lot in the OT thread but you can't "bake" a book. What I mean by that is you can bake a cake; add ingredients like the recipe says and then stick in the oven and ta-da you made a cake. There are rules to writing but the most important rule of all is all rules are guidelines. Chapters should be as long or as short as you need.

I highly recommend playing the game to completion before writing a narrative AAR. That's because you'll want to add foreshadowing and keep a consistent theme plus it quells gameplay conversation. It's also critical to finish the game before writing History book styled AARs as well. Another thing to consider is that the game isn't the writer, you are. Feel free to smooth over some of the AIs bad decisions or the weirdness that often arises in a Paradox game. If it is weird that Denmark owns a single province in Italy due to a weird inheritance; get rid of it. Never happened. We as the readers won't question it. That's the power of a narrative story. Sure it is harder to build and write, but it also affords the writer much, much more creative control.

 

[Nuada Airgetlám]

As a fairly new AAR writer myself, my €0.02.

1. I've seen some AARs use screenshots and others just use plain text and I want to try finding a middle ground between the two. (I don't want to overdo everything with screenshots).

This really depends on your style. For example, my current AAR is very image heavy but others favour more text or even all text. There's no right or wrong way to do it, so long as the result is comprehensible (and preferably enjoyable to read ).

2. I will be playing EU4 and most likely play Castile but I am also afraid that playing a powerful nation may just lead to a boring game were I win every war ect. (That being said I'm not the best at the game). I may try to include more of a role playing factor by making decisions based on the monarch stats (so if my leader has a 5 in military I would choose the militaristic options in different events) just to vary the game.

I suggest looking for goals that aren't necessarily solved by straight conquest. Do you want to promote a particular religion? Secure the position of allies? What do the leaders of your state want or fear, if you're roleplaying?

3. When I tell the narrative I want to try getting multiple perspectives from different characters, so I may have a chapter dedicated to telling the perspective of the heir to the throne or even like an administrative adviser.

Very doable. Not every perspective has to be from an omniscient narrator or the leaders point of view.

4. I am still not sure how long each part of the AAR would be but I want to try playing out the game a little further than the story in order to gain a better view of how the events played out and then post the parts in smaller chapters hopefully.

I definitely recommend playing ahead. My original plan for my current AAR was to be two leaders ahead at least. I may increase that.

I'd like to hear constructive criticism, tips, ideas, help, ect. I'm open to ideas and suggestions.

The best way to get better at writing is to write. Constructive criticism is great but you get more of it once you have something to show.

Write what you want to write about. If you don't enjoy the focus of the AAR, it will show.

 

[Mettaray]

If you are interested specifically in pointers on the art/craft of writing before taking the leap into posting here, there is a public writer's thread in the OT and a private writer's group in the group section.

Thanks for the suggestions! I actually did join the private writer's group so I want to see if I can pick up some things from that group as well. I know that group shares some fictional stories but do you know if I would be able to share my AAR with them?

I highly recommend playing the game to completion before writing a narrative AAR. That's because you'll want to add foreshadowing and keep a consistent theme plus it quells gameplay conversation.

I do agree with this point, however I think the main problems for me are that:

1. I am not entirely sure what the goals of my campaign will be, and they would be changing constantly due to the fact that I want to grab multiple perspectives from different characters. If the current king is more diplomatic and prefers peace and colonizing, and then dies giving the throne to his/her war hungry heir, then the goals for peaceful expansion would change.

2. Usually I don't play through an entire EU4 campaign and I'm afraid that I would get bored playing half way through. Although I'm not expecting too many readers to read to my AAR and give a lot of support, I feel like even if one person reads the AAR and enjoys it, I will be more committed to continue for their sake.

That being said, I have decided that I will go with the plan of playing much farther ahead than the story because I realize that it can strengthen my writing. I probably won't go to playing through the entire campaign however.

I definitely recommend playing ahead. My original plan for my current AAR was to be two leaders ahead at least. I may increase that.

I will try going for something like this and see how it plays out. If I enjoy structuring it somewhat like this then I'll keep it, but if the story just seems a bit off to me I may just play for longer sessions just to solidify everything.

The best way to get better at writing is to write.

3. My last point is that I haven't actually delved into the world of writing all too much. Frankly I am not a huge fan of reading either (excepting some AARs) so I am sure my writing will improve over time, but to start with I'd rather write about a couple decades of the game at a time than try playing the game to completion first and then write out everything

Though I do realize the benefit in playing through the whole campaign first, I want to try and find a middle ground between playing, posting, and writing.

Thanks all for the tips and support!

I also feel like I can benefit by playing the game with the Random New World setting on. I haven't considered turning off lucky nations and I feel like the benefit of having lucky nations of is that anything can happen, but then again sometimes having lucky nations off can lead to some arbitrary positions. This being said I do have the power to leave some things out or fix some weird things the AI does to keep the narrative going as Mr.Capitalist has stated earlier.

 

[Mr. Capiatlist]

I know that group shares some fictional stories but do you know if I would be able to share my AAR with them?

Anything to improve your craft.

1. I am not entirely sure what the goals of my campaign will be, and they would be changing constantly due to the fact that I want to grab multiple perspectives from different characters. If the current king is more diplomatic and prefers peace and colonizing, and then dies giving the throne to his/her war hungry heir, then the goals for peaceful expansion would change.

That's fine. Generally the story is built around the game, so it should still be brought to a conclusion first. That way you'll know how many characters you'll go through and can then assign them personalities, that'll prevent characters from blurring together (a major problem with my mega campaign). I strongly believe that completing the game will only make your work better. Remember you can ignore what happens in the game to improve the story.

2. Usually I don't play through an entire EU4 campaign and I'm afraid that I would get bored playing half way through. Although I'm not expecting too many readers to read to my AAR and give a lot of support, I feel like even if one person reads the AAR and enjoys it, I will be more committed to continue for their sake.

Another pro-tip from a long game writer: you don't even need to play to get a story out. You can have goals in mind and write stories from that alone. I was notorious for this; I wanted to tell stories but the game is just a game. The hard part is figuring what is worth keeping and sharing, what needs to be tweaked, and what needs to be invented wholesale.

3. My last point is that I haven't actually delved into the world of writing all too much. Frankly I am not a huge fan of reading either (excepting some AARs) so I am sure my writing will improve over time, but to start with I'd rather write about a couple decades of the game at a time than try playing the game to completion first and then write out everything

Unfortunately, and I can attest to this, reading a major component of improving as a writer. Can you write without reading? Yes. But reading of any level helps build technique - like a painter studying other painters to learn the hows of painting. They don't need to copy, but it adds to their arsenal.

 

[Nuada Airgetlám]

3. My last point is that I haven't actually delved into the world of writing all too much. Frankly I am not a huge fan of reading either (excepting some AARs) so I am sure my writing will improve over time, but to start with I'd rather write about a couple decades of the game at a time than try playing the game to completion first and then write out everything

Though I do realize the benefit in playing through the whole campaign first, I want to try and find a middle ground between playing, posting, and writing.

What got me interested in writing an AAR was reading AARs. A lot of them. I also got ideas for what I liked and wanted to see in an AAR, even if improvement is still very much possible.

 

[Mettaray]

Another pro-tip from a long game writer: you don't even need to play to get a story out. You can have goals in mind and write stories from that alone. I was notorious for this; I wanted to tell stories but the game is just a game. The hard part is figuring what is worth keeping and sharing, what needs to be tweaked, and what needs to be invented wholesale.

Writing based on goals rather than strictly on the game is something I've never really thought about, though it makes a lot of sense. I was going in assuming that the game would really dictate what happens but you helped me realize that the author has a lot power in creating the story itself. That's not to say the game isn't important at all but I am seeing a new way of going about writing this AAR and I thank you for that.

Unfortunately, and I can attest to this, reading a major component of improving as a writer. Can you write without reading? Yes. But reading of any level helps build technique - like a painter studying other painters to learn the hows of painting. They don't need to copy, but it adds to their arsenal.

As much as I don't like reading, I wholeheartedly agree, and I've been trying recently to read through AARs in my free time since that is the area I want to improve in. I realize I won't be an amazing writer in like a week but reading others' work will probably help me see what seems to work and what doesn't.

 

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Writing based on goals rather than strictly on the game is something I've never really thought about, though it makes a lot of sense. I was going in assuming that the game would really dictate what happens but you helped me realize that the author has a lot power in creating the story itself. That's not to say the game isn't important at all but I am seeing a new way of going about writing this AAR and I thank you for that.

As much as I don't like reading, I wholeheartedly agree, and I've been trying recently to read through AARs in my free time since that is the area I want to improve in. I realize I won't be an amazing writer in like a week but reading others' work will probably help me see what seems to work and what doesn't.

I strongly, strongly, STRONGLY recommend you read General_BT's Rome AARisen for probably the best example of what can be done with a narrative AAR.

 

[Mettaray]

I strongly, strongly, STRONGLY recommend you read General_BT's Rome AARisen for probably the best example of what can be done with a narrative AAR.

Ok thanks, I'll go check it out! If there are any other AARs you would suggest I go read I'd be glad to read some more.

 

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Ok thanks, I'll go check it out! If there are any other AARs you would suggest I go read I'd be glad to read some more.

Check out coz's anthology threads (usually pinned at the top of the specific, older game forums). Those are generally considered the best of the best of that specific game, but we only do it for older games.

You can also buy me dinner by reading my wife's books... er... I mean..

 

[vyshan]

I strongly, strongly, STRONGLY recommend you read General_BT's Rome AARisen for probably the best example of what can be done with a narrative AAR.

That is amazing. I am doing a mix historical and narrative and that is rather helpful to me. It is giving me ideas on how to improve my own narrative portions of my AAR greatly. So thanks for the link.

 

[Tom D.]

I don't think I can advise you much on your questions, as I'm still a fairly new writer myself, but what I do want to tell you is to just do it. It took me half an hour to begin my first AAR just because I feared nobody would be interested . And besides some things which I now think: how did I possibly write that, I am glad I accepted the challenge.

Reading many other AAR's will definitely help too, and if it's not for learning it's for entertainment.

 

[coz1]

First, welcome to AARland! Come on in. The water is fine.

As to any advice, I think others have said pretty much anything and everything I might add. Read other works (and comment in them) and just go ahead and start writing. Nothing can teach you how to write better than that. This place is a great avenue in helping someone improve that craft because of the instant feedback. And if you don't get much in the way of comments at first, just keep going. They will come. You may want to look at the fAARq as there are quite a lot of linked threads embedded within with further advice.

All I can say is find a game that you enjoy and want to tell others about, find a style that works best for you and just commit to it and have fun. Good luck!