Q3 & Q4 ACAs for 2016

[loup99]

Great to see many votes coming in and that there is plenty of interest for the ACAs! Continue reading AARs and filling your ballots according to your preferences.

As a reminder to anyone who hasn't voted yet, the deadline is February 5th, two weeks from now on, so you still have plenty of time.

 

[Tom D.]

And what about you @loup99 , are you going to vote or do you want to stay neutral as a moderator for the ACAs?

 

[loup99]

And what about you @loup99 , are you going to vote or do you want to stay neutral as a moderator for the ACAs?

I'm indeed staying neutral, will no longer vote myself for as long as I remain in charge of the ACAs.

 

[stnylan]

For better or for worse here is my ballot. Mea maxima culpa I have yet to re-venture into VictoriAARland, so my slate there is blank and I honestly do not think I will be able to rectify that by the time nominations close. If I do however I will edit this. For the rest I've kept the fourth spot open in case I come across any other eligible AARs I want to add in the time remaining.

Europa Universalis IV
North Sea Empire: A Knýtling AAR by ShinWalks
The House of Solomon - a Ethiopia AAR (Rights of Man) by macd21
The Hosokawa Hootenanny by Ykcin81

Crusader Kings II
The Rightful King by coz1
Meh, I Can Take 'Em - Hohenzollern HIP AAR by Crushric
The Last With Pagan Blood by RhaegarTelcontarTargaryen

Stellaris
New and Improved Hauteville Empire by hjarg
Space: The Fungal Frontier by Farquharson
The Galactic Times - My First Attempt at an AAR by SuperGeek89

Hearts of Iron IV
Brazil Conquest of America - A Gameplay AAR by firefoxfree
Hindsight 20/20: a Dutch narrative AAR by J_Master
A Different Way - Germany 1936 by texasjoshua

 

[Macke11]

I'm not very active in AARland (or the rest of the forum), but I have tried to make a ballot of the AARs I hope to read fully some day.

Europa Universalis IV:

HAIDA 1.18 North American natives WC on very hard mode AAR, by @atwix
Empire of the Mediterranean: An Interactive Aragon AAR, by @Michaelangelo
The Decline and Fall of Roman Civilization, by @volksmarschall
Hanseatic Chronicles - An Interactive Campaign, by @delpiero1234

Crusader Kings II:

The Rightful King, by @coz1
The Empire of Albion, @TheButterflyComposer

Other (HOI3):

Inevitable Defeat - Slovakia '44, by @El Pip
Invincible and Legendary - The history of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriottic War, by @sebas379
Doppelgänger: the Untold Story of the Third Reich, by @Uriah
Panzer, MaaAARsch ! An (almost) historical AAR, by @Nicegil

 

[RossN]

[Hopeful] Has the deadline been extended by any chance? [/Hopeful]

I really meant to read around more for this but real life events kind of took over recently.

 

[loup99]

Deadline has not been extended, unfortunately. However the voting for Q1 2017 will be soon, so don't worry if you didn't get everything this time around.

I'm currently compiling the results, encountered some unexpected matters which delayed it.

 

[loup99]

Voting closed Monday, and now after a short delay it is time for the results for the Q3 & Q4 ACAs for 2016! Thank you all again for participating in this vote, it both allows to give some recognition to all the authors present on this board and to keep this general discussions section alive with activity.

Moving on, here are the results:

Starting by Europa Universalis IV, the latest title in what has been considered as the flagship series of Paradox Development Studio, a total of 15 different AARs were nominated. The winners are the following:

1st: HAIDA 1.18 North American natives WC on very hard mode AAR, by @atwix with 7 votes
2nd: North Sea Empire: A Knytling AAR, by @ShinWalks with 4 votes
Joint 3rd: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by @volksmarschall and The Hosokawa Hootenanny, by @Ykcin81 with 2 votes
All other nominees had one vote each and thus ended up on a joint fourth place!

Moving on to Crusader Kings II, a game which is known for the stories it has been providing us since launch, 14 different AARs were nominated. The winners are the following:

1st: The Rightful King, by @coz1 with 7 votes
Joint 2nd: The Wolves of Westseaxna-a tale of Wessex, by @Asantahene and The Empire of Albion, by @TheButterflyComposer with 3 votes
3rd: Meh, I Can Take 'Em - Hohenzollern HIP AAR, by @Crushric with 2 votes
For this category too, all other nominees received one vote each and consequently ended up on a joint fourth place!

The third category is the one of Victoria 2, an older game no longer in development but which still has an active and thriving AAR community, as evidenced by the 7 different AARs who were nominated. The winners are the following:

Joint 1st: L'Empereur est mort: A French AAR, by @RossN and La Serenissima - A Venetian Divergences AAR, by @vyshan with 2 votes
For this game all other contenders were with one vote each, so they all ended up on a joint second place!

Continuing on to Hearts of Iron IV, the most recent of the games which still attracted a lot of interest, with as many as 7 different AARs being nominated. The winners are the following:

1st: Lads on War - A UK HOI4 AAR, by @stanonwheels with 6 votes
Joint 2nd: Bastion of Democracy - A Belgium AAR, by @Tom D. and Hindsight 20/20: A Dutch narative AAR, by @J_Master with 3 votes
Joint 3rd: The Sun and the Lion: A Fascist Iran AAR, by @Henry v. Keiper and Imperial Hearts (Pt. 4 Austrian Image Heavy Mega campaign), by @dragoon9105 with 2 votes
The two remaining AARs both received one vote and ended up on a joint fourth place!

The next game is Stellaris, of which the science-fiction theme has inspired many stories during these two quarters, amongst which 10 different AARs were nominated. The winners are the following:

1st: New and Improved Hauteville Empire, by @hjarg with 3 votes
Joint 2nd: Pax Humanitas, by @stnylan , The Stars are Ours, by @JohnnyMacintosh and The Light Speed Lombards, by @RedTemplar with 2 votes
All other nominees in this category having received 1 vote, they also share a joint third place!

Finally the last category in the AARland Choice Awards for these quarters, the one aptly named Other covering all other Paradox Development Studio games, of which 7 different AARs from both Darkest Hour and Hearts of Iron III were nominated. The winners are the following:

1st: Inevitable Defeat - Slovakia '44, by @El Pip with 2 votes
Having all received one vote each, all other nominees ended up on a joint second place!

With that said, this round of the ACAs has been wrapped up. It has been a pleasure so far and I look forward to seeing you next time when it will be time for the Choice Awards for Q1 2017. Furthermore I want to congratulate everyone who was nominated as all nominees also ended up on a winning position!

- Loup, new host of the ACAs

EDIT: Feel free to share any feedback or make suggestions to improve the ACAs if you have thoughts

 

[The Number 9]

Thanks @loup99 for hosting this and congrats to all the winners !

 

[Macke11]

Congratulations to all winners, and thank you for leading the ACAs @loup99!

 

[coz1]

Firstly, I would like to echo @The Number 9 and @Macke11 in saying a great Thank You to @loup99 for picking up the slack and allowing us to run these awards once again. I have a somewhat complicated history with the ACAs due to my time on the forum. I remember when it was initially proposed by @anonymous4401 over a decade ago. I was suspect only in the sense that I did not want it to distract from what I always considered a pretty important award - the Best Completed AAR for any of the given games. However, I was surely game to give it a shot as it covered a niche that was not quite part of our structure.

We have weeklies that give exposure to ongoing AARs (and gain them more views and comments, I still hope) and at one time we kept up the tradition of the year end OscAARs, Vickie's Cross, etc. (And may still, as I am led to believe.) This one has always bridged that gap in giving ongoing work a quarterly reward that may have as much to do with popularity than quality, but still hopefully allows for an expanded reading list for anyone paying attention. I have run this award myself in the past (and have been accused of hating it, and trying to destroy it...during that same quarter, surprisingly) and by that time I accepted it as a desired and welcomed project. That it continues today is a testament to its staying power and frankly, to you readers out there wanting to get involved more than just looking at this interesting AAR or that one over there.

I would say next...if I have received the votes enough to come in first for CK is a greater testament to my readers far more than it is to me. If I am giving them something they really enjoy enough to come over here and place a vote for my AAR, I am more than pleased. Make no mistake. I do my best to value each and every comment I receive and there is no doubt I have written a mammoth amount of words since this work began in October of last year. It has been such a great pleasure to have been accepted once more by the great readAARs of this forum and there is no doubt that their appreciation of the work is more often than not the reason I continue it. I thank you as always!

I would also apologize to those other games I myself was unable to give a vote. I just don't read like I used to, at least on the forum. I know good work is being done, and I am so pleased to see that it continues. Right now, I am placing my focus on CKII. And speaking on that, I must give many kudos to both @Asantahene and @TheButterflyComposer , as well as to @Crushric - I have read all three of those works and enjoy them immensely. There were apparently 10 other works that received at least a vote and guess what folks? They were just as deserving as anyone else.

I joined this forum in 2002, got very involved in 2004, became a moderator in 2006 and retired as such in 2011. I took some time off and really only starting getting back involved in 2013. I never really though I would write another AAR but decided to do so this past year in 2016. In all of that time, I have seen so many writers come and go...come back...go again...and new ones join every day. I have said in the past, I do not lament the "good old days" because those days are always ahead. This forum may change, but our work here (as long as we have a space in which to do so) will continue. I thank all those that gave me a vote of confidence, I congratulate all those that also gained votes in all of our games, and appreciate you all for keeping this place growing, moving forward and a haven for those of us that wish to tell a story, no matter how (or why) we wish to do so.

 

[Crushric]

1st: The Rightful King, by coz1 with 7 votes
Joint 2nd: The Wolves of Westseaxna-a tale of Wessex, by Asantahene and The Empire of Albion, by TheButterflyComposer with 3 votes
3rd: Meh, I Can Take 'Em - Hohenzollern HIP AAR, by @Crushric with 3 votes
For this category too, all other nominees received one vote each and consequently ended up on a joint fourth place!

2nd place got 3 votes
3rd place (me) got 3 votes.

I know I might be awful at math, but that seems kinda funny. I should have shilled my thread hard for more votes!

I jest, I jest. I actually had no idea these awards were even going on, and despite not knowing, people still voted for me. That's awfully cool, and I'm mighty touched. Thanks to those two people, whoever you are!

I would also apologize to those other games I myself was unable to give a vote. I just don't read like I used to, at least on the forum. I know good work is being done, and I am so pleased to see that it continues. Right now, I am placing my focus on CKII. And speaking on that, I must give many kudos to [...] to @Crushric - I have read all three of those works and enjoy them immensely. There were apparently 10 other works that received at least a vote and guess what folks? They were just as deserving as anyone else.

I might be a total whore for comments and feedback, but that fact that anyone out there is even thinking of a wee little thing I put out there for fun is touching enough. So don't apologize, since we all got real lives. Just post comments in my thread! I only hope to keep folks laughing and having a good time. <3 u, Coz1.

 

[loup99]

2nd place got 3 votes
3rd place (me) got 3 votes.

I know I might be awful at math, but that seems kinda funny. I should have shilled my thread hard for more votes!

Thank you for mentioning this! The post has been edited so that it lists the correct number of votes. Sorry that this mistake crept into the post, but with the help of your attentive it has been resolved.

 

[Crushric]

Thank you for mentioning this! The post has been edited so that it lists the correct number of votes. Sorry that this mistake crept into the post, but with the help of your attentive it has been resolved.

Curses, down to two votes. Shoulda stayed quiet

Cheers all the same to those two folks who cast votes my way.

 

[coz1]

I might be a total ***** for comments and feedback, but that fact that anyone out there is even thinking of a wee little thing I put out there for fun is touching enough. So don't apologize, since we all got real lives. Just post comments in my thread! I only hope to keep folks laughing and having a good time. <3 u, Coz1.

I heart you back, buddy. I WILL apologize because I got really behind on my reading in the last couple of months and don't want to comment until I have the whole thing in mind. There is no doubt I love what you are doing and your votes on this (no matter how many) are a testament to that.

I may also be a bit of a prostitute for comments. We all want them. When I get the chance, I will, rest assured. (And by the way, when did another name for ladies of the night become a curse word? )

 

[stnylan]

Very many thanks to @loup99 for organising this. A hearty congratulations to you.

And many thanks to everyone who voted (especially those who voted for me )

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

Huh...this came out of nowhere. Cheers to everyone who voted, on anything I guess.
I have to admit I completely missed this.

 

[Qorten]

Well done, @loup99 ! Congrats for organizing these ACAs, it is much appreciated!

Also many congratulations to the winners, runners-up and basically any writAAR whose AAR received votes. Last but certainly not least I'd like to thank all those who voted in this edition of the ACAs.

 

[atwix]

thanks for hosting this @loup99

 

[Tom D.]

My congratulations to all the winners, all the voters (especially those who voted for me , it's enormously appreciated!) and of course @loup99 for hosting the ACAs.