The MrT Memorial AAR Veterans Showcase

[Rensslaer]

I have received permission from the Mods to start a new showcase feature.

The title is intentionally and ingeniously vague , meant to symbolize that this Showcase is intended to feature OLDER AARs ("veteran" AARs) which don't get a lot of attention anymore, but certainly deserve attention due to the talent of writing, etc. The double entendre is that I expect most of the posts will also be from veteran Forumites (merely because they're the folks most likely to remember these AARs, right?).

Nevertheless, anyone of any "Forum age" is welcome to do a Showcase -- we veteran writAARs would all be thrilled to see a youngster or newcomer who's current enough on the older AARs or who is starting through older AARs for fun to post in this thread.

New Showcases may be made once per week, but there is no requirement that a new Showcase be made every week.

The whole idea is to shine new light on old, dusty volumes. Anyone who's been around awhile recognizes that there is and always has been a tremendous amount of talent expressed in a great many AARs. Amazon's top 100 fiction book list has nothing on the writing quality of some of these AARs!

The rule for which AARs are eligible to be showcased is that they may not have had an actual AAR UPDATE (i.e. ignore comments - when did the author last update the AAR, or is it perhaps complete?) in the past 3 years. So these will be older AARs that aren't being updated anymore, even if they may have received more recent comments.

Please carefully note! --> This is NOT license to begin posting comments in old AARs (i.e. thread necromancy). Unless the author has posted within the last 6 months the thread is considered dormant and no one but the author is allowed to post new comments (if the author did, the thread comes alive again).

Comments, praise, discussion of the AARs, etc. in THIS thread are, of course, welcomed and encouraged, even if the AAR in question was featured in the past and is not the current showcase (why stifle discussion on a technicality?).

The other differences of this one from the other showcase threads is that anyone is allowed to post a new AAR feature so long as a week has passed since the last such post (so the featured AAR gets a week to bask in the glory) and that there is no requirement that the award be passed on or that any schedule be adhered to other than the aforementioned week.

This is going to be a very unofficial, low-maintenance thread meant primarily to just highlight some of the many gems that might get overlooked because they're not currently at the top of the forum (or even in a forum people look at anymore).

I will maintain a running log of which AARs have been featured. I'm not around all that much anymore but I can do occasional updates.

That said, I intend to post the first Veteran AAR Showcase shortly....

Light the torches and prepare to descend into the catacombs of the Great Library of AARLand !

Rensslaer




THE SHOWCASE HONOR BOARD

7 Feb 2015: A War Hero and the US Presidential Election of 1948 (by Therev)

13 Feb 2015: Ireland, Awake! (by DemokraticKid)

21 Feb 2015: Resurrection: Rebirth of the United States (by @CatKnight)

28 Feb 2015: The Ebony Cross and the Sacred Eagle (Era I) (by @RcDuggan)

8 Mar 2015: The Noble Lives: A Chronicle of the Kingdom of Castille (by @Secret Master)

15 Mar 2015: Secrets of the AARk (by Anonymous4401)

22 Mar 2015: Rome AARisen - a Byzantine AAR (by General BT)

29 Mar 2015: Cyprus - The Last Crusade (by Bismarck)

5 Apr 2015: The New Jerusalem: Moskva 1337 (by Paranoid Tsar)

12 Apr 2015: My Son's Holstein Game (by @Jwolf)

1 May 2015: The Great Game Redux (by @Prufrock451)

8 May 2015: P is for Portugal (by @Farquharson)

30 Aug 2016: Vive l'Empereur! Glory of the Eagles (by @TriezeV)

9 Sep 2016: Kingdom of Jerusalem - A Modern Crusade (by Judge)

16 Sep 2016: Cum Deo Et Victuribus Armis - Der Deutsche Orden (by Judge)

23 Sep 2016: Byzantine's Khan (by Amric)

30 Sep 2016: Sweet, Just, Boyish Masters: The Liberal Empire of the Americans (by M. ShawPyle)

11 Oct 2016: Knud Knytling, Prince of Denmark (and other assorted tales) (by phargle)

23 Oct 2016: The Machiavellian Adventures of Princess Eleanor (by Frogbeastegg)

31 Oct 2016: Haus Wettin - Before the Storm (by DoS)

15 Nov 2016: The Trees of Autumn (by Judas Maccabeus)

26 Nov 2016: l'Eminence Grise (by MrT)

9 Dec 2016: Here To Stay - An Ottoman AAR! (by Wannabe Tatar)

16 Dec 2016: To Stand Against the Night (by @Prufrock451)

7 Jan 2017: The de Lusignan Dream - Cyprus 1337 (by ComradeOm)

30 Jan 2017: In Memory of France (by @stnylan)

12 Feb 2017: The United States: 'Advantages without Obligations' (by @Mettermrck) (link to Mett's PDF with images, helpfully provided by @Turin the Mad)

20 Feb 2017: The Shahs of Persia: The struggle for an Empire (by Wannabe Tatar)

25 Feb 2017: Arthur's Tale (by Rex Angliae)

3 Mar 2017: 54-40 or... (by @Machiavellian)

12 Mar 2017: The Eagle and the Lion - A History of the German Empire in the Revolutionary Wars (by @The Yogi)

20 Mar 2017: An English AAR (GC 1.08). Something a little different..? (by Ariel)

28 Mar 2017: Burgundy: Origin of the Free Company: Book One (by @Lord Durham)

16 Apr 2017: Furor Normannicus (by @The_Guiscard)

30 Apr 2017: History Park: Who Wants To Be Napoleon! and History Park: Here There Be Dragons (by @Director)

7 May 2017: The German RISK AAR (by @Rustican)

14 May 2017: Theodoros - The Little Republic That Could (by @Duke of Wellington)

21 May 2017: The true history of the house von Habsburg (by @Veldmaarschalk)

30 May 2017: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden: County of Agder (by @Jestor)

6 June 2017: Battleships for Bhutan - An AAR (by Steele)

21 June 2017: Timurid Scientists (by @Peter Ebbesen)

1 July 2017: Give Unto Caesar What is Caesar's - German Kingdom AAR (by @nalivayko)

27 July 2017: Into the West (by @coz1)

14 Aug 2017: (this was a Youtube Lets Play for CKII) (by Zone12 aka Pewpewchewchew on Youtube)

3 Sep 2017: Tales from Faereyar and Away (by @Veldmaarschalk)

25 Sep 2017: Cymbru am byth Wales Forever (by @Veldmaarschalk)

2 Oct 2017: The Adventures of Leif O'Brien - Part Deux - Leif Harder (by @Norgesvenn)

26 Oct 2017: A History of the English King-Emperors, 1066-1415 (by EdT)

9 Nov 2017: Path of the Sun (by Isca)

8 Dec 2017: Eastern Ambition: An Antioch AAR (by @RossN)

18 Dec 2017: Crossfires (by AtlanticFriend)

29 Dec 2017: Sins of the Fathers - A Social History of the Rise and Fall of Papal Italy (by @ComradeOm)

7 Jan 2018: Three Countries One Goal (by @Storey)

19 Jan 2018: Heaven on Earth Part One and Heaven on Earth Part Two (by asd21593)

3 Apr 2018: For King and Country (by Draco Rexus - HOI 2)

8 Apr 2018: The Great Patriotic War (by @loki100)

18 Apr 2018: Rebels Without a Pause (by @PrawnStar)

21 May 2018: WAAR of the Worlds (by @Prufrock451)

1 July 2018: Portugal or Bust: The Director's Cut - Rated 'R' (by @Lord Durham)

26 Aug 2018: The Shortest Road to Damascus (by @aldriq)

6 Feb 2019: Under the Rising Sun - A V2 Review AAR (by Singleton Mosby - Victoria 2)

10 May 2020: The Horthy Maddening (Hungary 1936) (by @HungaryForBlood)

24 May 2020: The Presidents: Hoover to Dewey (by @Nathan Madien)

6 Dec 2020: Fire Warms the Northern Lands -- A Prussian AAR (by @Rensslaer - Victoria 1)

6 Jul 2021: In the Shadow of Certain, Painful Doom: Abyssinia (by @Philo32b)

13 Feb 2024: On Azure Wings - An Apocalypse AAR (by @RossN - Stellaris)

25 Feb 2024 World Conquest for Dummies (by @Peter Ebbesen - EU 2)

15 Mar 2024: The United State: Advantages Without Obligations (by @Mettermrck - HOI 1)

.

 

[Rensslaer]

A War Hero and the US Presidential Election of 1948

Long ago I fell in love with a relatively obscure HOI 2 narrative story by TheRev called A War Hero and the US Presidential Election of 1948.

The writing was very good, he took the time to develop a deep and complicated plot, and the story was at times gripping.

The reason this AAR came to mind this week is because of an article I read -- a rather humorous tale involving Queen Elizabeth II and the recently departed King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

And the tie-in with the AAR is that TheRev included the young princess, later to become Queen Elizabeth II, in this story. She was, as I recall, a driver and/or mechanic during WWII as a young woman. TheRev's characterization of her is charming and endearing.

I hope you'll take time to read some or all of this (unfortunately incomplete) tale!

Thank you

Rensslaer

 

[DensleyBlair]

I must say, Renss, this is another great idea. I certainly have a few AARs in mind I'd like to showcase in the future, so it won't be entirely you veterans running the show.

Congratulations to TheRev for having the honour of the inaugural showcase!

 

[Tommy4ever]

An interesting idea, I'd certainly love recommendations of historic AARs and may well chip in with some nominations of my own down the line! (I have been here since 2008 ).

Will give the Rev's idea I wee look in the now .

 

[coz1]

Great initiative, Renss. I recall that AAR though I did not read it entirely. I will have to give it a longer look see.

Always nice to see some love for those "dusty tomes" as not many get to see the light of day after completion. Page 3 always beckons.

 

[Rensslaer]

Thanks, Coz! (and the rest of you -- good to be hanging out with old friends again!)

I was thinking it might be a nice complement to your Anthology series, which I'm also enjoying.

Having become self-published within the past year, I've been spending a fair amount of time with other self-published authors on Facebook and reading their works, in many cases.

To be honest, some of the work we've seen here is far superior to the writing of most self-published novels out there. Not to mention a good share of those fiction works that have gone through traditional publishers!

And yes, Tommy4Ever, I do hope we don't get stuck in the narrative realm for this series. There've been some remarkable historical AARs done over the years too. So many great memories of well-crafted AARs to reminisce over!

Renss

 

[Nikolai]

This is a great idea!

 

[Tommy4ever]

Its now been a week since Rensslaer set this up, so following on from the rules in the OP I will take my chance to pass on the Veteran AAR Showcase award to a new winner!

demokratickid was one of my favourite WritAARs of all time, and was around during my first days in AARland around 2008-2011ish. Sadly its been some time since we've seen him round here, but he left some great AARs.

My favourite by a longshot was Ireland, Awake! which follows an independent Ireland in Victoria 1.

It stands as one of the greatest History Book AARs this forum has ever seen and having briefly checked it seems all the images are still active! Whatsmore it was actually completed, and demokratickid wrote a HoI2 sequel, so unlike so many fine old AARs you'll actually be able to read it all the way to its conclusion.

I hope it gets a few more views from being included here, it surely deserves them .

 

[Nikolai]

Ah yes! I remember that AAR fondly. I remembered it as quite recent though, a forum age thing I guess.

 

[Rensslaer]

Thanks, Tommy4Ever, for keeping this going!

I don't guess I ever really read Ireland, Awake! I was probably more interested in narratives at that time.

But looking at it, it does seem like a very interesting AAR.

Thanks! Who's next?

Renss

 

[DensleyBlair]

If I might offer a new laureate, I should very much like to honour an AAR that I would easily consider as being one of the greatest of great classic pieces of work. One of the few real narratives I've happily had both the time and pleasure to read in all of its full glory during the past few years, I first read this work in a matter of days at the end of August in 2013 and so may naturally be biased towards it owing to its ability to evoke a sunny period laden with free time, where GCSEs were yet to be of any real consequence, yet it more than stands up out of this context. The writing and story are excellent and frequently gripping, and the AAR is rightly held up by many as a true gem.

It therefore seems highly appropriate, somewhat redundant and patently obvious that the next great work to be showcased should be this, CatKnight's magnificent octopus: Resurrection: Rebirth of the United States.

If anyone hasn't already and has the time available, I would highly recommend they give it a read – even if only in part. Resurrection truly is one of the finest examples of the narrative genre on this site, and I cannot endorse it highly enough.

 

[coz1]

I can only applaud the last two stories highlighted. Especially with Cat's as it was one I started reading when he started the tale to its final denouement. I highly agree, Denss - it is an exemplar of the narrative form.

 

[Qorten]

Its now been a week since Rensslaer set this up, so following on from the rules in the OP I will take my chance to pass on the Veteran AAR Showcase award to a new winner!

demokratickid was one of my favourite WritAARs of all time, and was around during my first days in AARland around 2008-2011ish. Sadly its been some time since we've seen him round here, but he left some great AARs.

My favourite by a longshot was Ireland, Awake! which follows an independent Ireland in Victoria 1.

It stands as one of the greatest History Book AARs this forum has ever seen and having briefly checked it seems all the images are still active! Whatsmore it was actually completed, and demokratickid wrote a HoI2 sequel, so unlike so many fine old AARs you'll actually be able to read it all the way to its conclusion.

I hope it gets a few more views from being included here, it surely deserves them .

Ah, yes, I remember that one! I've never been much interested in Vicky, to be honest, and din't follow a lot of Vicky AARs, but I did follow that one. A very good read, indeed.

 

[Rensslaer]

Thanks, Densley! Resurrection and Rebirth is one of the very AARs I had in mind when I started this thread.

I'm embarrassed to say I've never actually finished it. I started reading it way back when it was current, only got half way, went back later and started from the beginning and got 2/3 of the way... Still on my list to finish!

Amazing writing, great characters. His means of working a dark undercurrent into "the history we thought we knew" is great.

CK is still around - I'll drop him a line in his new AAR to mention this to him.

Renss

 

[Nikolai]

Ah, yes. That AAR is one of the few I've never completed, but really wanted to. I came in so late and never got around to finish it...

 

[Qorten]

Well, it's been a week since DensleyBlair's nomination for CatKnight's grand masterpiece Resurrection: Rebirth of the United States. I knew at once when I learned of this initiative which AAR I wanted to showcase.

One of the first well done and long-lived history book AARs of the vanilla EU III era, The Ebony Cross and the Sacred Eagle (Era I) was the chief AAR that got me to participate in AARland. It recounts the history of the Teutonic Order from it's early beginnings and the start of EU III up until 1563. Too bad it was never finished. The author, rcduggan, vanished from the forum after posting the latest update. Nevertheless, I'll always remember it as a splendid AAR, more then worthy of the one ACA it received.

Most, if not all of the pictures are still there, so go ahead and take a peek at some early EU III AARland history!

 

[Woody Man]

I'll echo Qorten here, this was one of my early AAR reads, a really solid read and inspirational for the History book genre. I hope rcduggan is ok.

EDIT - Sneakily skimming through at work, really nice to see my AARland peers there.

 

[Rensslaer]

Thanks, Qorten!

I haven't read the whole thing, but I remember reading a lot of it while looking for AARLand Choice candidates, and I remember Ebony Cross earned my vote more than once. Very well done.

Renss

 

[Enewald]

Well, it's been a week since DensleyBlair's nomination for CatKnight's grand masterpiece Resurrection: Rebirth of the United States. I knew at once when I learned of this initiative which AAR I wanted to showcase.

One of the first well done and long-lived history book AARs of the vanilla EU III era, The Ebony Cross and the Sacred Eagle (Era I) was the chief AAR that got me to participate in AARland. It recounts the history of the Teutonic Order from it's early beginnings and the start of EU III up until 1563. Too bad it was never finished. The author, rcduggan, vanished from the forum after posting the latest update. Nevertheless, I'll always remember it as a splendid AAR, more then worthy of the one ACA it received.

Most, if not all of the pictures are still there, so go ahead and take a peek at some early EU III AARland history!

Back in 2008 I was pissed that the AAR never finished.
Now in 2015 I remember how pissed I was, and so I am pissed again.

pls rcduggan, come back!

 

[Zorro]

Like the idea!