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Duke of Wellington

Khan
8 Badges
Sep 4, 2005
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Welcome to the first Europa Universalis Short AAR Contest.

This is a contest open to all interested in writing a short standalone AAR, in which ever style they prefer, based upon the Europa Universalis I, II or III games. The contest will be run over a month long period with each AAR being submitted to the forum in up to three instalments. AARs will be posted anonymously (this is an AAR contest, we don't want you simply voting for your favourite forumite) at the conclusion of the postings a poll will be run that will be open to all to vote. The AAR receiving the most votes shall be declared the winner and the author shall bask in the warm glow of having won such a prestigious event. To prevent things descending into some sort of chaotic maelstrom of AARs, comments and worthless spam there will be a few ground rules.



How can I enter?
As mentioned above this will be a strictly anonymous contest. So to enter the contest you must first send me a PM. Entries will be limited to ten contestants, chosen on a first come first serve basis and further restricted to AARs based upon the Europa Universalis I, II and III games. If you are uncertain about whether you will be able to complete the contest due to time constraints or any other reason please do not enter. Any AAR that fails to be completed will not be eligible for entry in the poll.

But why the limitations? What have you got against HoI AARs?
Entries will be restricted to ten in order to allow readers to actually check out all the AARs on offer and not simply read the ones with the flashiest graphics. The restriction to Europa Universalis I, II and III is on the grounds of allowing for easier comparison between AARs. It will be hard enough comparing the different styles let alone having to compare completely different games. Furthermore by restricting it to one game series all the authors begin on an even footing. The Europa Universalis series was chosen on the grounds that it has the broadest base of readers and writers across the forum.

What kind of AAR should I write?
What ever you like. History book, comedy, narrative, they're all welcome. The only caveat is that the AAR should be complete and standalone. That means it shouldn't be an introduction to your upcoming masterpiece of AAR writing nor a side story based on a character in your current work. Screenshots, videos and any original artwork, if you’re the creative type are encouraged. The AAR might cover one day in the game or it might cover several hundred years. However it must be based in some tangible way on the game. Not simply set in the game period, this is after all an AAR not story contest. Of course originality, interest and wit are all very much appreciated. If you’re not sure on an idea you have for an AAR then feel free to run it by me.

How long can the AAR be?
The AARs will be posted weekly over a three week period. That's three posts total in case maths isn't your strong subject. There won't be strict rules on how long each post can be but please exercise that precious resource common sense. Don't write a nine part AAR and tack together three chapters in one post. Not only is it dishonest it will no doubt harm your chances of taking home the glory because readers, who decide the winner, are expecting a short AAR. If your AAR is to be less than three posts in length then you can either decide to spread it over three or run it for only one or two weeks. Both are acceptable, which is preferable will depend on the AAR.

Cool, I'm entered how do I post my AAR?
The way you don't do it is post the AAR yourself in the contest thread. The way you do do it is send your chapter to me via PM and I post it in the contest thread. This maintains that all important element of anonymity. See the list of dates at the bottom of this post for when you need to have your chapter to me.

Where will the AARs be posted?
A designated thread here in the AAR general forums.

When will they be posted?
See the list of dates at the bottom of this post.

Those are some cool AARs, how do I let the world know that I like them?
To keep the AAR thread free of spam and other such undesirable things a separate thread will be created where you may discuss the latest entries to your heart’s content.

How do I vote?
A poll will be run in the AAR thread following the completion of the stories. This will be open to all.

But, [above mentioned idea] is dumb. You should do it like this.........
This is the first time such a contest has been run. It will no doubt prove to be a learning experience with changes made for any subsequent contests. All suggestions are welcome in either this thread or via PM.

I don't like EU will this idea be carried out for my favourite game?
It is quite possible. If this goes well there is no reason that it couldn't be transferred or expanded to include other games.

It's meant to be anonymous but that AAR is so obviously written by X
That may well happen and if it does it is unfortunately unavoidable. But please if you do recognise a writer’s work keep it to yourself and try not to let everyone else know that you know in the comments thread.

But, why?
To entertain hopefully. The calibre of writers on this forum is high. No doubt some very good AARs can be turned out that will prove to be well worth spending a little time reading. It also allows writers to experiment and try out ideas they mightn't have felt like trying in a full AAR. It might also get some new authors out of the woodwork who haven't wished to commit to writing a long AAR yet.

But you still haven’t answered my question about......
That’s what this thread is for. Ask away.

Important dates

November 9th - All contestants to have entered via PM to myself by this date.
November 14th - All AARs first chapters to me via PM
November 15th - First instalments of AARs posted.
November 21st - All AARs second chapters to me via PM
November 22nd - Second instalments of AARs posted.
November 28th - All AARs third chapters to me via PM
November 29th - Third instalments of AARs posted.
November 29th - Poll open for voting.
December 5th - Poll closed and winner declared.

All entries on the given dates close at 9pm CET / 8pm GMT / 3pm EST
 
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This is what I have been looking for duke! :eek:

I always have weird AAR ideas floating in my head, writing a few words, and taking a few screenshots, and now I actually can unleash them on the world :D

I can't wait to see how this first month's turns out.
 
Cool idea, Duke. I'm glad to see you got this started! Looking forward to what the members come up with. :)
 
I think this is a great idea. Thanks for running it by us.
 
Uhm...just under FOUR days to sign up, right Duke? :looking at first post:
 
ComradeOm said:
A thought strikes me though, isn't it a week or two a bit short notice? AARs, even short ones, take time to plan and play...
That could well be. Certainly it will be something to ask those that contributed and see what their thoughts are after. For now though the dates will stay the same.


Still a couple of spots left for any interested.
 
This looks to be cool
 
Read them all. I love the last two!
 
I stickied the AAR thread, Duke. Let me know if you'd rather it rise and fall. I figured that it would see more eyes if it was at the top and feared it might fall too quickly if only posting the entries.