January 1st, 2023 and March 31st,, 2023
It turns out this specifically is bloody difficult. And I really need to get back into reading CK2 and CK3 stuff, because this past year has flown by and I feel like I've betrayed my roots by not boosting or really reading any crusader Kings stuff at all.
Oh well.
The ballot -
Ck3
Born to Breed - Peter ebsen's Bible of fifth makes the cut by the skin of its teeth. But it deserves it for fully embracing (amongst other actions) the ribalrdy of CK3 in a way not seen since Jabberjock's incest saga in CK2.
Pax Brittanica by Koweth - deserves some love for the absurdly ambitious mission statement of covering the british Isles from 400AD to the mid 20th century in a mega campaign surely doomed to...I mean, prove those cynical readers wrong. It's a very good history book AAR, and I'm always partial to a good England history book.
When Murder solves everything - is of course, excellent advice in general, and esepcially for CK3. Doesn't quite beat out the golden rule of Money Fixes Everything, but the tutorial itself spells that one out for you.
EUIV
The War of the Roses - not much to say about this one that I didn't recently say in the weekly awards. I pray for the health of the king, the death of the queen, and for the arrival of the one true Henry (the seventh).
Other/miscellaneous
The Butterfly Effect - under protest, as this AAR is clearly designed to be technically acceptable under the update limit for every Q vote for the past few years. This time was a double feature, which is good.
Talking Turkey - the best AAR of the past decade, as we all know.
Victoria 2
The Rise of Russia - want to see Russia continually crash and burn, only to briefly unite, crush everyone else in Europe, and fall apart again? Step this way!
HOI4
The Empire Strikes Back Part 4 - which involves all sorts of craziness as a good few years of reader contributions have led to a very strange Byzantine Empire, in one of its decline periods. And also the Orthodx Church, which continues being in its millenia long golden age.
Make Italy Roman Again by defensedefumer - basically Imperial Cheese played straight, which is horrifying if you think about it.
Poles Apart - Poland somehow becomes the most helpful ally in the world, Trotsky is am extremely out of character pacifist, and everyone else is determined to kill themselves burning China to the ground. For years. Now the amercians have attacked everyone, purely to be contrarian.