An AAR is almost anything a writer wants it to be. One of the most frequent beginnings of an AAR goes along the lines of "I was playing as xyz country, and suddenly abc happened, and I had to tell other people about it." But there is a whole gamut. Some AARs are conquest stories (including the unforgettable
World Conquest for Dummies, while others have specific (and often quite ridiculous goals) such as
Battleships for Bhutan. Others yet provide a sense of mystery with countries becoming characters as in
Who Killed Cologne?, while in others the game provides a background to a full-length novel stories such as
Into the West. Then there are those that pretend to be chronicles of bygone age as ably demonstrated by
Arthur's Tale, while others take, dare I say it, a more academic approach along the lines of
Selected Essays: Builing a Better Bremen. Of course, not everything is so high-brow, and one can lower the tone very quickly by dipping into something along the lines of
Portugal or Bust - The Director's Cut or
Knud Knytling Prince of Denmark (and other assorted tales). Many AARs are based on various mods the community has created. Many AARs like
Fire Warms the Northern Lands - a Prussian AAR try to encompass the whole game, but others like
A War Hero and the US Presidential Election of 1948 are more tightly focused. Fancy a little horror and one can always turn to the
The Third Empire - An Imperial France AAR. Certain players take nations that have the odds stacked against them and navigate tricky countries to greatness as shown by
Resistance Might be Futile: A Czechoslovakian 1938 DD AAR. And then there are
the great collaborative efforts of the Free Company.
In short what I am trying to convey is the great variety of AARs that are on offer. There is, albeith within the fairly modest restrictions of the forum rules, AARs to suit every taste.
As regards comments, the single most often repeated question I have seen in my years reading AARs goes long the lines of "how can I get more comments". They are the lifeblood of these forums, what keeps many writers going. Almost necessarily they are largely affirming - we are mutually supportive network. That said, comments broadly - very broadly - can be broken down into four 'types'.
The first is the generic 'well done', 'good post' and what have you. Short and sweet, and generally appreciated for all that. It's good to know some people are taking some enjoyment in what we do. The second, only relevant to more game-orientated AARs, is the game-advice comment. Sometimes this will be in answer to a direct question, sometimes not. The third, and more relevant to more narrative-style AARs is plot/character speculation. Indirectly, these can tell you a very great deal about the story you are telling. Fourthly there are indeed the more serious, direct comments. These are rare - in part because they actually take a lot more time and effort to write. People do not always have the time to spend 30+ minutes writing a serious critique on a post or portion of a post.
Generally asking for comments is ineffective, rather instead focus your question if you want to get feedback about something specific. Although you might not get back a real in-depth critique, you will get a variety of views that will generally address the areas in which you want feedback.
In the matter of comments it is vital to remember that these boards are inhabited by a very disparate group of people, in terms of geography, language, and age. Though an English forum there are many present for whom English is only a second-language. It is always wise to be aware of the chance of being misunderstood, and the chance that you are misunderstanding. These little problems of communciation occur often between the various dialects of English as well as between English and non-English (I remember one quite amusing misunderstanding of the word torch not so long ago). That said people are almost always willing to explain any confusion, and sort out any problems. If in doubt, ask.
But ultimately, the best way to learn about AARs is to take up your quill (or keyboard, as the case may be) and have a bash. Do not be concerned if you think others than better than you - quite simply we all started off thinking like that. Practice makes perfect.
And above all, have fun.
