The 2017 WritAAR of the Year is coz1

[stnylan]

So my good friend asked me to present this awAARd, I believe out of a sudden fit of bashfullness finding himself the winner of one of the categories. Well, in this at least I have no such concerns. So let me say congratulations to @coz1 for being the 2017 WritAAR of the Year. His House of Wessex Tale (comprising of The Rightful King, The Bold Prince, and now The Heavy Crown) has been one of the pillars of AARland throughout the year. I know my friend would love to find the time to read more than he does, but at least he can know he has brought pleasure to many of us with his own writing, and inspired quite a few of us as well.

The other nominations were as follows:

@Bullfilter
@stnylan
@JabberJock14
@TheButterflyComposer
@El Pip
@Asantahene
@Eurasia
@markkur
@Henry v. Keiper
@RossN
@Nathan Madien
@roverS3
@volksmarschall
@George_VI
@Centurial
@JerseyGiants88
@EmpireofOne
@cookfl
@hjarg
@tpmcinty
@fabiolundiense
@ThaHoward
@firezatswill9
@lifehole
@LudoOttavio
@mackwolfe
@Andrzej I
@LTPugh
​

Suffice to say that this was a category with very many nominations - no less than 29 in total. Which I think says something of the vitality still of our little community of storytellers. These are writAARs from all over the subfora that we call home. Many congratulations to them all as well, and many thanks to all those who took the time to vote.

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

So my good friend asked me to present his awAARd, I believe out of a sudden fit of bashfullness finding himself the winner of the of the categories.

Heh, ah yes...its the old 'I name this city, after MEEEEEE!'

A well deserved award for someone who keeps the awards and community interaction going AND finds time to write a trilogy of CKII AARS of excellent quality and characters (but horrible in-universe choices and rotten luck). Coz1 stands as one of the finer members of this part of the forum and I think everyone here would attest to that. He is everywhere in AARland from HOI to CKII (and because he's that old, CKI) and fully deserves this award, as well as every other accolade he's won over the past two years since I've joined (which are many).

But mention must also go to Bullfilter, stnylan and JabberJock14 for also contributing so much to the AAR writing and reading community. As we've seen throughout the awards, Bullfilter has written three great pieces that have done something new and compelling in each. Stnylan has not only written an excellent introduction to Victoria II (which may well be the most astonishing achievement on this list) but as seen above been heavily involved in AARland and the community in general. As for JabberJock, a near cleansweep of the awards should demonstrate their skill perfectly well in composing narrative, characters, plot and intrigue. He's also everywhere on the CKII subforum and is beginning to crop up elsewhere as a very steady commentator (which takes up more time than you might think). All three of these members deserves a great deal of kudos for their work this year on the forums, as well as the winner Coz1.

I would go thank El Pip and Asantahene here too but then I'd end up thanking the whole list and I WANT TO BE FIRST COMMENT!

Oh, and thanks to everyone who voted across the board. It wasn't a simple thing to do (beyond me as it turns out but so has everything else this past few months) but thanks regardless. Happy Reading!

 

[coz1]

Indeed it was bashfulness and a sense of oddity that caused me to seek out the good favor of @stnylan as I knew that his probity could not be questioned if he presented this. Having witnessed the voting and seen how a certain member did very well () I assumed that the same may hold true for this category. When I counted the figures at the end, it was to my great surprise that I somehow ended up at the top and felt very weird presenting such a thing to myself.

I wish to say a massive thank you to all of those that placed my name among all of the rest of these great writAARs and while I was humorously intrigued throughout the process of which one of my works some might choose, it was every time an honor that one of them might be singled out. I truly appreciate the following that I have found for Eadgar's tale, and then Uhtræd's...and now Eadward's...but in the spirit of hosting this, I really want to talk about all of you!!

@Bullfilter - Several works nominated here and Talking Turkey listed among all four of the genres! While an "old grognard" as you suggest under your name, your presence here this past year is deeply felt as both writAAR and contributor. We are most happy to have you here among us and every comment you make is as honored as the work you do within your AARs!

@stnylan - You, sir, remain one of my finest friends and your assistance over this past year has been invaluable. Further to that, I look to the work that you have accomplished in 2017 and give great praise. Three different AARs and then the most recent one to allow you the freedom that we discussed. It is so fine to see you back practicing the written word and I am positive that we all are thankful for your presence as commenter!

@JabberJock14 - Hah! The House of Wessex gets some satisfaction! Truly, your run this year is a thing of beauty and one that I am proud to have witnessed! I would always trade an award to see someone new come into our ranks and become a member of this area known as AARland and we have found a true gem in you, sir!

@TheButterflyComposer - Your words above mean quite a lot to me because you have been rather harsh at times questioning my characters. That said, I have enjoyed every moment of not just that but so too your own work over the past year from the depths of your Albion AAR to the forays into narrative with The Little Dux. I truly hope to see more of both works because there is a great talent there that we all see.

@El Pip - You old so and so! I say that though you may not be that old but I have known you as part of not just this forum but AARland for well over a decade! Your work has always been exemplary and so it was no surprise to me to see you take up Butterfly Effect once more (in HoI2 as well!) and gain a following once again. And then you follow it with a comedy at the same time? It is so good to see you back among us and we are all thankful for that!

@Asantahene - No disrespect given to anyone above, but it was my great pleasure to see your name rise so high in this voting. While there might have been some 2nd and 3rd place showings throughout, that you land so high on this list is a great testament to your efforts over this last year. We have similar works going and I must admit that I always look to yours to see if I am doing it right. Your sense of verisimilitude is unparalleled and I congratulate you for the excellent words presented in 2017! Every one of them has been a motivation to me.


I cannot keep going with this because I may be here all night but I wish to say to each person named in the list above, well done indeed! I was pleased to see @Eurasia gain some much deserved recognition during this round and having recently become good close friends with @markkur to see his work so roundly elevated! I've known @Henry v. Keiper for many years (and remember, sir, when you went off to SCAD so many years ago!) so it is wonderful to see him still here with us and contributing as well as @RossN who joined us nearly 15 years ago and remains a stalwart! I cannot mention every one of you, though I might wish to, but I would be remiss not to single out @volksmarschall who is a great friend and himself had numerous works listed within this last year. It makes me smile to see so many listed as someone's writAAR of the year and if I am among you, I am truly honored and blessed!

Thank you once more (and thanks once again to @stnylan for doing me this favor) - and now we have just one more to present! AAR of the Year beckons tomorrow. Where will you put your money?

 

[Asantahene]

A fantastic award and to a richly deserving authAAR. Very well done.

I will also echo @TheButterflyComposer’s fine words and say a great nod to the 3 he mentions and also to him for his 2 excellent works and his tireless contributing as a reader

 

[Idhrendur]

Congratulations! I have greatly enjoyed your writing, and you definitely earned this award.

And the rest of the nominees certainly deserve their nominations, as well.

 

[Asantahene]

@Asantahene - No disrespect given to anyone above, but it was my great pleasure to see your name rise so high in this voting. While there might have been some 2nd and 3rd place showings throughout, that you land so high on this list is a great testament to your efforts over this last year. We have similar works going and I must admit that I always look to yours to see if I am doing it right. Your sense of verisimilitude is unparalleled and I congratulate you for the excellent words presented in 2017! Every one of them has been a motivation to me.

Thank you so much my friend. Your encouragement and indeed your writing have been a great spur to me all year. Long may it continue sir!

 

[Wraith11B]

Great job, @coz1. Perhaps in your great magnanimity, you might deign to journey to my realm?

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

@TheButterflyComposer - Your words above mean quite a lot to me because you have been rather harsh at times questioning my characters. That said, I have enjoyed every moment of not just that but so too your own work over the past year from the depths of your Albion AAR to the forays into narrative with The Little Dux. I truly hope to see more of both works because there is a great talent there that we all see

They are very human and frail compared to most of the rulers and side characters we get on the forum, that is true. I wasn't joking when I said it was compelling to watch them fail because it was in their natures to do so for being too kind, too honourable and so on. When they evtuskly snap and either fall into despair or get nasty, then it gets even more interesting. Whilst Cosma's story and game in The Little Dux was over and played out before then, the next ruler was rather inlayed by this concept (and it must be said, Jabberjock's characters) to be extremely morally ambiguous and, perhaps more critically, far more fallible than my other characters have been before. As more of a fan of the Enlightenment than Romanticism (it has its moments but some of that stuff...) it was a change to try to play a tragic Byronic hero than a scholar and a gentlman like Cosma ended up being (I suppose the next ruler will be a modernist take on authority and control. Although Cosma himself is rather postmodern in a way, especially later on...anyway)

I think CKII is currently atthe high water mark of AARs which has been slowly building over the past few years. Certain recent DLC make life hard to have characters have arcs and stories when they drop dead or randomly seduce the pope but it remains the premier place to pick up narrative ideas and stories for AARs. But these awards have made it very clear that there a lot of life in the other forums as well and a great deal of good stuff there also (I'm amazed we got some let's play nominations tbh). What is certainly clear is that soon we're going to have to think of something better than 'other' for the older games because HOI on its own has two/three games there by itself that are a source of new AARs. Still, that's a good sign too in many ways,

A fantastic award and to a richly deserving authAAR. Very well done.

I will also echo @TheButterflyComposer’s fine words and say a great nod to the 3 he mentions and also to him for his 2 excellent works and his tireless contributing as a reader

Everyone on the main AAR page by now (and certinaly veryone who voted on this) is a steady reader, I think. It's an important role for lots of reasons, chief among which is that no one here really would write as much without the feedback and no one here would read as much without following friends and random comment or links into other AARs every so often. One of the reasons why CKII and HOI3 have so many AARs (especially longer and contually updating ones [sorry!]) is how many groups of writers/readers there are that do the rounds between a cycle of their works. You earn your audience of course but when there is a huge stream of traffic nearby it makes it easier to catch some attention, right?

Happy reading everyone (and writing too, of course).

 

[Bullfilter]

Congratulations indeed @coz1. If ever there was a magnum opus, it is the House of Wessex Tale. Not to mention everything else you do for the community. My 'grognard' status I put down to my old days of playing those SPI hex-based wargames (and a fair bit of old-school pencil and paper D&D, I don't mind admitting) back in the 70s. This last year and a bit in AARland have been like a spiritual homecoming!

Thanks also to @stnylan for stepping in to host this presentation and for some very kind words too. And for picking up third place! Recognition I think not just for your own AARs, but for all the writing you do on so many others' works. We all appreciate that so much.

@JabberJock14, your great work has also been deservedly recognised (thoroughly ) in these annual awards, congratulations on your placing here too.

Congratulations too to someone I certainly think of as a good forum friend and a great supporter of my and many others' works: @TheButterflyComposer. Thank you for those very nice things said above. I echo Coz's wish that, when time and tide are right, you will find your way back to writing in Albion and Little Dux. But in the meantime, your comprehensive, detailed, interesting and often saucily robust and humorous comments are always a highlight. I think your writing there, as well as of your own AARs, must have contributed to your placing here.

It was also wonderful to see prominent placings for @El Pip, @Asantahene, @Eurasia, @markkur and @roverS3. We've shared much time on each others' AARs over the last year and it is wonderful to see you recognised in this list. Stay strong markkur, my friend - you are a treasure on these forums. Also to @volksmarschall and @JerseyGiants88, both of whose work I am reading or have read and enjoyed over the last year.

To everyone else who also made the list but with whose work I am not familiar (only so many AARs and forums one can watch while also writing a fair bit ) I also offer my heartfelt congratulations to you: at least one, some or many thought you were the best writers of the last year, so I think all mentions in this list are something special.

Finally to everyone who may have given me the benefit of your vote, thank you so much! Two of my three AARs are still going strong (the ones that were eligible for this year's awards)and I think still have a good way to run, while the third 'Quick and Dirty' one lived up to its name (it started after the period of these awards cut off and was completed three days ago). Your readership and support are wonderful to have.

This is a great little community we have here - long may it reign!

 

[loup99]

Congratulations, @coz1 ! I have a lot of reading to catch-up on, but in a way, that is also an integral part of the charm of the AARland in that I know that there will always be even more tales and stories to look forward to and enjoy, thanks to the countless writAARs that frequent this sub-forum. One never runs out of AARs to read, and given all the praise your works have received throughout the year, this awAARd is certainly well-deserved. Congratulations to all other nominees as well, who all have put down so much time and effort in producing these amazing AARs, free for us to enjoy.

 

[JabberJock14]

A much deserved victory for @coz1 and probably not coincidental this is one of the awards where you were not made to compete against yourself as well as everyone else!

As I've said before, The Rightful King is what inspired me to give AAR writing a go. It colored my style in Before Plantagenet and helped provide it with one of the work's memorable characters in the French king Philippe. It takes incredible commitment to fashion a tale as in depth and thought out as the House of Wessex trilogy, and do so on a routine and quick update schedule! The characters are memorable, their plights relate-able, their decision making emotional - which goes for both their rationale and our responses upon seeing their choices. There are plenty of times I have wished to reach into the text and smack them around for their foolishness, which speaks to coz's ability to draw us in to connect with his characters and invest us in their lives.

So once more a great effort and a deserving victory to coz - and a great thanks to putting all of this together. And also a nice introduction and commentary by @stnylan , who is, without a doubt, the commentator of the year. I do not know how you find the time to read so many stories and add meaningful commentary, but I appreciate that you do!

Thanks to everyone who voted for me in this category and congrats to all the other deserving nominees.

 

[markkur]

My hearty Congratulations to each writer. The overall quality of effort from this band o' brothers is truly inspirational and in many directions. I wish each of you success & joy in all you do in Life. Huzzah

Way to go @coz1 Your having so many characters that we all enjoyed, is the bedrock for this Award and recognition. Well done man and again...well done ALL.

Make it Great!

 

[El Pip]

Congratulations @coz1, a very well deserved win. I can't help but wonder what else you may have picked up had your votes not been split between your two epic works. There is nothing I can say that others have already expressed, so I'll keep it simple;

Also congratulations to everyone else on the list of honour at the start, there are some excellent writers at the moment so just making it to that list is an achievement. I say everyone, I do in fact mean everyone except for @TheButterflyComposer obviously, the cheeky bugger stopped his thanks just when he got to me so I am explicitly not congratulating him on anything. ( )

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

Congratulations @coz1, a very well deserved win. I can't help but wonder what else you may have picked up had your votes not been split between your two epic works. There is nothing I can say that others have already expressed, so I'll keep it simple;

Also congratulations to everyone else on the list of honour at the start, there are some excellent writers at the moment so just making it to that list is an achievement. I say everyone, I do in fact mean everyone except for @TheButterflyComposer obviously, the cheeky bugger stopped his thanks just when he got to me so I am explicitly not congratulating him on anything. ( )

What's that? I can't hear you from down there

 

[RossN]

Oh very well done and well deserved @coz1 and congrutulations all the other nominees!

 

[AtlanticFriend]

There should be a Best AARland Denizen Award, and @coz1 would get it everytime!

 

[coz1]

Great job, @coz1. Perhaps in your great magnanimity, you might deign to journey to my realm?

I may hope to do so, yet as @stnylan suggests above I have great wishes and desires but the reality is that I don't get around as much as I used to. Your work was roundly praised this time around and even if coming after the period of eligibility, I hope that it is remembered for future rounds (and the ACAs!) I will do my best.

Everyone on the main AAR page by now (and certinaly veryone who voted on this) is a steady reader, I think. It's an important role for lots of reasons, chief among which is that no one here really would write as much without the feedback and no one here would read as much without following friends and random comment or links into other AARs every so often. One of the reasons why CKII and HOI3 have so many AARs (especially longer and contually updating ones [sorry!]) is how many groups of writers/readers there are that do the rounds between a cycle of their works. You earn your audience of course but when there is a huge stream of traffic nearby it makes it easier to catch some attention, right?

Happy reading everyone (and writing too, of course).

To all reading this - @TheButterflyComposer speaks true above. It is a symbiotic and synergistic relationship that we have here. There is no way for readers to have a work to read without the writAAR and little way for the writAAR to keep moving in the work at this place without our mutual agreement. Every comment made is one to spur the writAAR and for anyone wishing to write here - there will be someone to follow. 15 plus years has taught me that!

My 'grognard' status I put down to my old days of playing those SPI hex-based wargames (and a fair bit of old-school pencil and paper D&D, I don't mind admitting) back in the 70s. This last year and a bit in AARland have been like a spiritual homecoming!

...

This is a great little community we have here - long may it reign!

I am an old Axis and Allies player myself so I can understand. It matters not how you get into it but once here, it is very hard to move away!

It is a great little community and I will say again how happy I was to see you place 2nd in this particular vote! Well done.

A much deserved victory for @coz1 and probably not coincidental this is one of the awards where you were not made to compete against yourself as well as everyone else!

As I've said before, The Rightful King is what inspired me to give AAR writing a go. It colored my style in Before Plantagenet and helped provide it with one of the work's memorable characters in the French king Philippe. It takes incredible commitment to fashion a tale as in depth and thought out as the House of Wessex trilogy, and do so on a routine and quick update schedule! The characters are memorable, their plights relate-able, their decision making emotional - which goes for both their rationale and our responses upon seeing their choices. There are plenty of times I have wished to reach into the text and smack them around for their foolishness, which speaks to coz's ability to draw us in to connect with his characters and invest us in their lives.

It has been my great pleasure to see your year in all of its many facets and as I have said before (as have many before me) it is a true honer to have pulled someone in to try their own hand at this thing that we do. There is no greater compliment, in my mind, and to see a writAAR blossom is amazing (and Paradox - see what we do here? There is great worth in every written word and this area is just as important as the game forums or OT! )

so I'll keep it simple;

A tip of the cap right back to you, sir! We've been through the trenches and here we still are. I've already mentioned it but your veteran presence is deeply felt and those of us that remember are thankful and those that are new...well, your work speaks for itself. Well done!

There should be a Best AARland Denizen Award, and @coz1 would get it everytime!

Another old hat, and a fine one at that. I have spoken many times on my influences here, but if I am considered as you suggest above then I know that I have learned my lessons well. I truly love this place and people like @Lord Durham and @MrT and @Warspite - if I am half the men they were back in the day, then I am at the very least holding down the fort and at the most, hoping to see more come around in the future. I won't deny that this is a major awAARd for me (because it is!) but in the end, I wish to see AARland thrive. It was a home that I found for myself way back in 2002 and I cannot leave it no matter what and will do what I am able for it.


So many thanks to all of you and now...turn to your ACAs!

 

[Nikolai]

Congratulations my friend! You are an institution in these forums, and a well worthy recipient of this prestigeous awAARd!

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

"To all reading this - @TheButterflyComposer speaks true above." -Coz1, 2018

Hmm...that's going on my signature.

 

[coz1]

Hmm...that's going on my signature.

It's a small sample size (and a small c in the name) but fair enough.