EUII OscAAR Redux - Nominations for Best Completed AAR, Sept. - Dec. 2003

[stnylan]

The Heirs of Caesar: Hapsburg AAR by nalivayko

This AAR has already been nominated, and it is easy to see why. A wonderfully written historybook AAR, it flows easily across the 400 years. Usefully there is a coherent thread and overall policy from start to finish, as set out in what nalivayko wanted to do in this game. What he achieves is somewhat beyond this, and though he ends victorious it is not achieved without a fair degree of effort, incident, and frequent defeat. Well placed and chosen screenies, which are still extant, aid the telling and provide useful information.

In case you didn't guess from the title this is an Austrian AAR. It is based primarily around the monarchs - though some monarchs take several updates - and it lasts five pages (comments continue onto the sixth page). It is rather nice to be cheering the BWB on, and nalivayko does a commendable job of merging the twin strategies of diplomacy and conquest. Great AAR.

 

[stnylan]

The Heirs of Lothair: 400 Years of Burgundian History by DanielMcCollum

This is a highly readable and thoughtful historybook AAR. It creeps onto eight pages, making it I think the longest AAR I have reviewed so far. A good sign though is that, compared to the others, it did not drag. The overall story is simple enough, being a history of Brandenberg throughout the entire game span. The history is very much seen from the point of view of the Burgundian monarchs, and some of these are real characters. There are some great little episodes where DanielMcCollum fills in details left empty by the game.

What I like best about this AAR though is that, now and then, it breaks from its main task of telling us what is happening to Brandenberg to cover events of another country which seem significant. Also, even in the Brandenbery updates there is plenty of information provided about the context Brandenberg is in. The game itself is interesting too, not being a simple conquest spree, but with well thought out motives and acquisitions. Top notch work.

 

[stnylan]

The Knights of the Hospital of St Mary: Two Views on the Russian Crusades by Paranoid Tsar

This is a very interesting AAR by Paranoid Tsar playing the Teutonic Order. It gets its title from the fact that every update has portions of two histories. One of these is always from a work by historian Erick Cjeland, clearly something of a popular historian writing at the turn of the recent millenium. The other is a more contemporary or near contemporary account of the times described. There are two chronicles, one religious history, one book which I am tempted to describe as political science, and the final one is probably best described as romantic nationalist history. What is most fun are the differing opinions and points of view between the modern and historical commentators.

What all this means is that this is a historybook AAR covering the entire 400 years, with a small epilogue at the end. It runs to five pages, and is clearly written. Screenies still seem to work, though there are not that many of them. All in all a good read, and a very interesting concept.

 

[stnylan]

The Rise of Wallachia 1419-1810 by The Impaler

This is a very short (just 2 pages) historybook AAR as Wallachia. Being so short, and very nearly covering the whole 400 years, it does not go into anything in great detail. Instead you get the wide sweep of history, quickly told. Unsurprisingly the first few decades are the most details, everything else rushes by. It is so brief however, and feels so brief more to the point, that you feel you have finished before you've really started.

 

[stnylan]

To Live by the Sword by Judas Maccabeus

This AAR is a nice relaxing tale, told on a cart-ride to Constantinople. Most of the time it reads like a historybook, but there are moments when it is something. It is short - another two-pager - but is remarkable all the same. And this is because it is a failed Ottoman AAR. Failed AARs are quite rare beasties, but this one is a little gem. The story is told simply, concisely, and well.

 

[stnylan]

UNN: Universalis News Network by Arilou

One of the pleasures of AAR reading is that you encounter so many different concepts, and this AAR is a good example. For what we have here are news bulletins, complete with soundbites and short interviews, as we hastily charge through all 400 years. The nation being played is England, and the majority of the news is from there, but there are plenty of pieces from elsewhere in the world as well. The AAR reads quite quickly, despite lasting 8 pages (with comments onto the ninth), mostly as there are quite a large number of comments and the updates themselves tend to be quite short. You very much get the feeling of reading about the game almost solely from headlines. Serious enough in its own way, there is also plenty of humour. Unfortunately all the screenies seemed to have gone the way of the dodo and dinosaur, though many of the various pictures are still in situ. Great read.

 

[coz1]

As a reminder, the nominations period for this session ends on the 31st. If you wish to nominate an AAR to contend for the OscAAR, make sure your voice is heard now. Feel free to second, third, etc. one that has already been nominated.

And you will notice (hopefully) that the nominations round for the next Ye Olde OscAARs has now started so head to that thread and speak your mind there as well.

 

[stnylan]

Having read them all, and given myself a few days to digest, I really can say that nominating a single one is really quite difficult. However, in the end I must go for Paranoid Tsar's Knights of the Hospital of St Mary: Two views of the Russian crusades. I just loved his double history, and well, you can never go wrong with a mediaeval chronicle in my book