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Whiskey in the jAAR - Part Deux-twa

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GangsterSynod said:
"If you're looking for recommendations once you get a new computer, I think Romania in 1961 is maybe the most interesting country in the game. It's a country that punches well above its weight and there are expansion opportunities for sure, but everyone wants your stuff and your borders will change all the time unless you are very smart about your opportunities or very lucky."
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– Hmm, interesting. I do have an urge to play some 'straight' Cold War games after the madcap fun of the Echoesverse... I will bear Romania in mind.

Cora Giantkiller said:
"I confess that I find Victoria II terribly intimidating, and I've never been able to wrap my mind around it. The current run of Victoria II AARs is convincing me to give it another shot, however. The closely observed parliamentary maneuvers of Tommy4ever's Here Dwells God section is the best part of his megacampaign, to my mind.

"If only I had any idea how to play the damn thing."
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DB launches themself into this new conversation with no grace whatsoever.

– Closely-observed parliamentary manoeuvers were what made me fall in love with Vicky. Frankly, I only have the faintest idea how the game actually works beneath what I'm doing, but I have spent enough time RPing with it that I've sort of ended up with a working game knowledge through sheer bloodymindedness.

– But please don't let my questionable methods put you off. Always eager to see new faces in the Vicky forum!
 
DensleyBlair said:
– Hmm, interesting. I do have an urge to play some 'straight' Cold War games after the madcap fun of the Echoesverse... I will bear Romania in mind.
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I actually meant to say 1861 since you had talked about a straight 19th-century game! I'm sure 1961 is fun too, though. Darn typos...
 
Cora Giantkiller said:
"I confess that I find Victoria II terribly intimidating, and I've never been able to wrap my mind around it. The current run of Victoria II AARs is convincing me to give it another shot, however. The closely observed parliamentary maneuvers of Tommy4ever's Here Dwells God section is the best part of his megacampaign, to my mind.

"If only I had any idea how to play the damn thing."
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"WIth Vicky, I've found that it plays pretty simply by Paradox standards, but there really does seem to be quite a lot going on under the hood that I really only have an intuitive understanding of rather than an actual understanding. I suppose that's the nice bit about it. You can devote a normal amount of management to it like I do, or you can be insane and ensure that you have the exact right national focuses, make sure you have a perfect, intuitive factory setup with no waste whatsoever, make sure your pops can all get their luxury needs fulfilled, figure out the army composition to best serve your needs... I've never really seen a game that lets two radically different kinds of players have the same crazy amount of fun."
 
GangsterSynod said:
I actually meant to say 1861 since you had talked about a straight 19th-century game! I'm sure 1961 is fun too, though. Darn typos...
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– I was, I admit, about to ask which particular mod gave you a 1961 start… My last 19th century game was a wildly successful run as Bavaria which I may yet turn into an AAR. I think my drafts for that one actually survived The Event…
 
DensleyBlair said:
DB launches themself into this new conversation with no grace whatsoever.

– Closely-observed parliamentary manoeuvers were what made me fall in love with Vicky. Frankly, I only have the faintest idea how the game actually works beneath what I'm doing, but I have spent enough time RPing with it that I've sort of ended up with a working game knowledge through sheer bloodymindedness.

– But please don't let my questionable methods put you off. Always eager to see new faces in the Vicky forum!
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"That sounds remarkably like how I learned to play EU4, to be honest. I just kept playing games and after four hundred some hours I suppose I managed to learn a little something."
 
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Cora Giantkiller said:
"That sounds remarkably like how I learned to play EU4, to be honest. I just kept playing games and after four hundred some hours I suppose I managed to learn a little something."
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"I've only played one game of EUiV and I wrote a blog on it using a forum system that now no longer exists...anyway, it was the tutorial and in many ways was actually a prototype Ged's Existential Nightmare when I think about it...I basically used Portugal to create colonies for me and then I'd farm them off them. Allowed me to focus purely on military and empire stability tech. Took over most of europe whilst my little feeder nations took over the rest of the world for me."
 
Piping up from the customary armchair, DB says:

– I used to be able to play EUIV a teensie bit back when it was first released. Had a very nasty shock when I fired it up for the first time in years during lockdown and suddenly found I had to deal with things like “zones of control”…
 
DensleyBlair said:
Piping up from the customary armchair, DB says:

– I used to be able to play EUIV a teensie bit back when it was first released. Had a very nasty shock when I fired it up for the first time in years during lockdown and suddenly found I had to deal with things like “zones of control”…
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"Yeah, there is no way I know how to play it now, and I guarantee the tutorial has not kept up with expansions. In a few years I'm going to have to redo the CK3 tutorial and probably tear it to shreds for being exactly the same...what was once a great intro to over half the game mechanics you'll use in every game will have become grossly outdated."
 
"That's so funny to hear. My assumption was that the AAR crowd were all big experts on the whole Paradox lineup, it honestly never occurred to me that I might have more EU4 experience than some of y'all."

She paused for a second.

"I guess I'm dropping the cod-British affection I was doing before? Hmmm."
 
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– I really think it depends. The HOI lot seem to have a very good grasp of the game, but then role-playing is maybe less fashionable over there. Vicky meanwhile is just about all role-playing these days, so I suppose you get less of an idea about how someone’s doing in game terms. Maybe.

– EUIV is where I’m always most impressed. I like watching people doing challenge runs. @WolframS67 in particular is very good.
 
"Oh, I agree. The old atwix world conquest runs as Naxos or Haida were some of the first AARs that grabbed my attention."
 
"Well I think it depends. I don't know about CK3 yet but CK2 is very much an area of expertise for me. Picked up aar role-playing in the first place to make the game harder. As for CK3, it's a learning process. Testing the game, figuring out the limitations of what you can get away with. It is certainly no longer the case that an up and coming nation will curb stomp established regional powers, let alone the superpowers. The game will get much easier over time however, especially if they add the tributary system back into place. Then you can genuinely be a minor state, build tall, and dominate the map as well."
 
"I notice the Character Writer of the Week award has been stalled for a couple of weeks, stuck on an open nomination. There are many excellent writers on the board right now but all the ones I can think of have either won it too recently or are not actually writing narrative/character works. That said there are doubtless a plethora of deserving candidates who I just haven't read yet, so would someone mind popping over to the thread and nominating a worthy winner?"
 
El Pip said:
"I notice the Character Writer of the Week award has been stalled for a couple of weeks, stuck on an open nomination. There are many excellent writers on the board right now but all the ones I can think of have either won it too recently or are not actually writing narrative/character works. That said there are doubtless a plethora of deserving candidates who I just haven't read yet, so would someone mind popping over to the thread and nominating a worthy winner?"
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Give me a second. I'm following many AARs, and some of them are actually narrative...

And done.
 
Happily ensconced in their usual armchair, waking from some dream or other about Modernist social housing, say, or perhaps the British Free Cinema, DB's vision comes to focus on an ornate gold coin, resting on their side-table on top of a half-finished copy of Talking Turkey.

– My word, DB says to themself, is it really time to redeem this already? It's barely been nine years!

DB picked up the coin and examined it in the soft firelight. There was no mistaking it: this was a 10,000th-post celebration token – valid for one use only!

– Well then, DB announced with all due festivity: Next round is on me! Cheers to a very happy 10,000 – and here's to 10,000 more!
 
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Cora smiles brightly.

Congratulations! A thing like that. And of course I approve of any celebration in which I get to drink for free.
 
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– I reckon we should take all of the excuses we get for celebration, however completely fabricated they may be. Indeed—

DB reaches into their pocket for a scrap of paper and a very well-worn pencil, exaggeratedly scribbling out a quick calculation.

– Why, ‘tis but a trifling 9,600-odd posts till you can redeem your own token, Cora. Better get those glasses ready, everyone!
 
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The bartender stirs from a football-induced daze, hearing the many, many requests for free drinks. She sighs - fine, but it's coming pre-mixed, except yours @DensleyBlair - what are you drinking?

And more importantly, is there interest in another cocktail hour? I've already heard from a few folks in private.
 
DB thinks for a second in answer to the bartender's question.

– Sidecar for me, please.

The bartender mixes the drink and slides it across to DB, who retrieves it and takes a welcome sip.

– Marvellous. And in answer to your second question, another cocktail hour would be very good fun.
 
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