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Raj sounds fun. :)

Working on it now, reached 1946. Also, sorry about my unannounced hiatus. I still don't consider this one abandoned currently. Just might be a bit before I get back to it.

Unlike my Stellaris one, I intend to complete the whole game and then start working on the AAR.
 
Glad to hear it, I've been enjoying this one quite a bit

Always glad to hear. However, bear in mind that my planned HOI4 AAR is going to have some significant stylistic differences, mostly because inaccuracies in a space opera sort of story can be worked with more easily as accidents can be made into a part of the character more easily. However, mischaracterizing a historical figure can understandably be very offensive if you come into it with a more serious approach. It just wouldn't be appropriate to characterize Tojo as a peace-loving man, nor FDR as a tyrant. These are obvious ofc because they are well known. But a lot of the people portrayed are unfamiliar to me, and I am not confident enough as a researcher to really characterize them the same way as I do Glorious Leader Darmug or Empress Yndana, since they are my own creations.

However, to give you a snippet of what I do intend to do, I hope to characterize major battles and try to bring out what it might be like to be involved in some of them, and of course the overview aspect should be fairly similar. I hope you will enjoy this one as well when it is ready! :D

Btw, I know it has been a long wait, but I hope to at least update the previous chapter if not add another one within the next few days, if not today. No guarantees, but hopefully.
 
The death of a hero and The fate of a collaborator completed. Sorry to keep everyone waiting.

As it may be apparent, it is getting hard for me to continue. Although my original plan was to go until 2500, my next chapter will be my last. I plan on extrapolating the years I have not actually played.

Thank you everyone for your kind words, and everyone that has read and enjoyed this AAR. There is still one more chapter to go, and I plan on doing this tomorrow. I hope you enjoy my HOI4 AAR when it is ready, but that will be a one-shot, all day project that will not be nearly as drawn out.

As always, I love to hear what others think, improvements I can make, things that are liked, or neutral points about how it makes you feel or what it makes you think.
 
Yes, completing the whole game is the way to go. This way, there would be no unexpected changes for you to adapt to, and if the game goes out wrongly, you can just start another. I still enjoyed the story of the realm, especially this reformist daughter of the first emperor.
 
Yes, completing the whole game is the way to go. This way, there would be no unexpected changes for you to adapt to, and if the game goes out wrongly, you can just start another. I still enjoyed the story of the realm, especially this reformist daughter of the first emperor.

Still one last chapter I plan on doing to wrap things up. When... well hard to say. With any luck, Friday.
 
The Aftermath
As rebellion ripped through Obaeshoth Prime, new revolts popped up not only in Gul, but across the galaxy. Tensions between spiritualists and materialists, individualists and collectivists, and all the various groups would find themselves sucked into the Great Revolt, forming a coalition with one side or the other. Any that wished to remain neutral found it no longer possible as a great war of populace against government, government versus government, and government versus itself tore the galaxy apart, many governments already been weakened by the war against the Ugarlek, the Ugarlek themselves nearly capitulating from internal strife as the populace started to cannibalize itself. Agents of the Cynn government, long believed to be an honorable people, were caught in actions previously unthinkable for them as they funded and manipulated the rebellion across the galaxy to enhance their own prestige, a plan that backfired greatly.

Almost simultaneously, it was discovered that the subdermal stimulant variant for humans harmed the immune system of many of them far more than expected due to the diverse genetic makeup of the population. A virus spread with great speed through the population, and became the first virus to mutate into a form that could infect every species in the galaxy. Although the exact cost of the virus is both controversial and the plague is ongoing, none doubt that the social impact has been immense, adding on to the costs of the rebellion.


As for the rebellion, the outcome is still not decided, and many have questioned its methods, as well as what its end goal must be. Those thought to be unshakable have been shaken, and all that is known has been irreversibly transformed. Is it worth it? Only you, the reader, can decide that for yourself.
 
Author's notes and commentary
Wow, that was a long journey. Thank you, those of you that have stayed with me. I apologize that it has taken so long, but the burnout was intense. After the burnout came certain events that I am both honored and disturbed mirrored my AAR so closely. I suppose the saying goes that history may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme. Well, the chord was eerie enough to spook me. I wish everyone the utmost safety and healing in these trying times.


At this point I consider my AAR complete, albeit much like my inspiration, B5, the ending was a bit jarred by unexpected events. I hope my AAR can have a real impact, and feel free to post comments and questions at any time. I will be editing this post as I think of things to add.

As I think I mentioned earlier, much of the structure is inspired by Babylon 5.

The Gulk-Furki themselves are heavily inspired by the Nausicans and Orion Syndicate from Star Trek, with a fair dose of my own ideas thrown into the mix.

I would like to go over my inspiration for various species and characters here. My inspiration for Emperor Darmug was actually based fairly heavily on Ghengis Khan, but as this is a work of fiction I used a combination of his mythos and historical reality, as well as a dash of personality characteristics that I felt would just make the story more interesting as they came up. Though at points, I felt perhaps he was behaving a bit more like Joseph Stalin. But, I played fast an loose with it.


With Empress Yndana, I noticed she had the trait currently called "Eye for talent" (that has to have been renamed, I was sure it was called something else in the version I played?). As I started to think about what insights would come to her, being empathetic stood out, and I could quickly see how she could make a very effective foil in many regards to her father. Things came pretty naturally after that, but I did want to balance that with her being a strong leader and an engaging character.

The GER fell very easily into the tropes of Cardassians and Klingons, kindof alternating elements of each as it seemed most appropriate.
 
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I like the way the AAR ended. Reading the last two installments, War & Chaos and The Aftermath, back to back was the best way for me to get the full effect. After witnessing the rise and ascendancy of the Gulk-Furki, and it feels appropriate to end the story with their downfall. I also liked that final sentence, leaving the implications of the rebellion and virus up to the reader. It reminded me strongly of my favorite comment by @stnylan:

It never ends. The story always goes on, even if certain people fall out of it.

Characters like Princess Yndana and Limithar might be left far behind, and empires like the Gulk-Furki may fall and vanish, but the Galaxy will continue to spin on. In games like Stellaris, an open ending like this works well.
 
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Nice to see it brought to an ending.

I can't take any real credit for that comment @Macavity116 - a certain J R R Tolkien said it far better than me, with Sam and Frodo discussing the great tales whilst they sheltered high above the Morgul Vale attempting the pass of Cirith Ungol. :)
 
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Concerning endings, I think I should paraphrase Voltaire: the quickest way to ruin a story is to complete it! Having it open-ended and reader interpretation adds to the fun!

More importantly, if you were happy with the ending; satisfied, at least, in completing the AAR, then that's what matters most.
Cheers!
 
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