The 2017 Yearly AARland Year-end AwAARds

[coz1]

The 2017 Yearly AARland Year-end AwAARds
​

There is a great tradition in this part of our forum. It is to honor work done and in doing so to encourage more of the same. In the past, we have held many contests to look at the best works within most games – weekly nods, quarterly favorites and looks to completed works. While I think that all of these remain valid goals, we have seen another project started that may continue to give the same encouragement. A few years back our good friend @Avindian wished to start a new tradition...a contest to pick a year end reward regardless of completion.

I applaud his efforts and while I would still wish to see completed works honored, I think this a very worthy cause. There is nothing like gaining some recognition for your hard labor over time even if you are not yet done, and to know that others may follow it...nay, even put it on a pedestal...that is part of the lifeblood of our area. Comments are sacrosanct, but a nice nod? That works too!

There was some discussion late in this past year of a way to bring these back (we missed the works of 2016) and I followed it closely. I thought there were some great ideas offered. In my thinking of this, I have not followed all of them but in consultation with moderators and borrowing from some of the more popular and well considered suggestions from that thread, I believe I have come up with a way to move us along and get this started once again.

Thus I give you...the Yearly AARland Year-end AwAARds. Otherwise known as the YAYA’s. So get yer yaya’s out!

Where in the past there were separate threads, this one will be all in one. Where in the past, there was a nomination period and then a poll, this will be done within one full round. There will be a group of awards to be given and in this nomination, you may choose from any of the games for each and every one of the categories. By my count, there are 12 of them in total and you may choose up to 6 works/authors for each. My hope is to give it a weighted voting such that if you choose one as #1, it will gain more value than one you may choose for #6. That will cause you to think, and may also cause you to consider where you place them.

While I would like to keep this anonymous so no feelings are hurt, I also wish the thread to remain active during the voting period (giving a vote is always fun, but your comment remains even better.) That requires a constant presence to stay near the top and get as many eyes as possible. I will be sure to put this out there to the various subforums, but I hope that you may encourage those within your own works to participate and participate yourself heavily within the voting thread.

In all, I will offer a follow on post that you may copy and paste into your own to give your votes. All works either started or updated between December 1 of 2016 through November 30 of 2017 are eligible and the voting period will be from this day until March 31st. [EDIT - deadline has been extended to March 31st.] I begin the eligibility to allow for subsequent years to run these in December to provide for a true “year end” voting period. As we got started a bit late due to planning, that will cause the Dec. 2017 works to wait for a year but it does allow us to pull in just a bit from 2016 so that is no bad thing. And I am allowing a bit more than a full month for the voting itself so folks have plenty of time to gather their ballot together.

At the deadline - March 31st at 8pm my time (+1 GMT) - I will tabulate these to present our winners in a separate post each that will follow along in intervals. There you may offer congratulations, and I hope the word of these works gains them more views. After all...that is the worth of these awards. Find something new...and then comment. There is nothing better, reward or no.

* * *

The voting ended on March 31st and below are the announced winners for this year -​

The 2017 Comedy AAR of the Year: “U-boats for Uruguay” a short TFH farce (HoI3) by @markkur

The 2017 Gameplay AAR of the Year: A VictoriAARn Education - Learning Victoria II with Sweden (Vic2) by @stnylan

The 2017 Historybook AAR of the Year: L'Empereur est mort: A French AAR (Vic2) by @RossN

The 2017 Narrative AAR of the Year: Before Plantagenet – A House d’Anjou AAR (CKII) by @JabberJock14

The 2017 Megacampaign AAR of the Year: The Eastern Vikings - Baltic Megacampaign Part 1 (CKII) by @RedTemplar

The 2017 Multiplayer/Interactive AAR of the Year: We Must Feed Our Sea: Multiplayer megacampaign (CKII) begun by @King of Men and including others

The 2017 Let's Play/Video AAR of the Year: Last Greatest German Game? w/BICE 8.6, TRE, GGA & UTR mods (HoI3) by @Gamer_1745

The 2017 Graphics/AARtist of the Year: @JerseyGiants88 for Italian Ambitions: A Florence AAR (EUIV)

The 2017 Character of the Year: Duke Foulques in Before Plantagenet – A House d’Anjou AAR (CKII) by @JabberJock14

The 2017 Newcomer of the Year: @JabberJock14

The 2017 WritAAR of the Year: @coz1

The 2017 AAR of the Year: Before Plantagenet – A House d’Anjou AAR (CKII) by @JabberJock14


[Edited April 13, 2018 to include all winners - note that category links will take you to the announcement threads]

 

[coz1]

The Ballot – Below are the 12 categories we will be voting on. You may vote for any of the games within each category. You need not choose 6 slots for every one, but with so much great work done here, it can surely be accomplished. And please remember that these votes will be weighted. What you choose for #1 will gain a greater value in the tabulation than what you choose for #6 (I do so to avoid ties, mainly.) I would love to ask you to lock your vote in once you have given it (for my sanity in the tabulation), but if changes must be made, feel free. The only thing that I would ask is that you not look to the vote and try to “game it” in any way. A tall order here at this forum I know given what we do here, but please keep it honest as I know that you will do.

Just pick your favorites and in the end, we will have our winners for 2017. It was a long year full of great work so put your memory hats on and get to it, AARland!

The Categories:​

- Comedy AAR of the Year:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.


- Gameplay AAR of the Year:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.


- Historybook AAR of the Year:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.


- Narrative AAR of the Year:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.


- Megacampaign AAR of the Year:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.


- Multiplayer/Interactive AAR of the Year:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.


- Let's Play/Video AAR of the Year:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.


- Graphics/AARtist of the Year:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.


- Character of the Year:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.


- Newcomer of the Year:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.


- Writer of the Year:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.


- AAR of the Year
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.


Please feel free to copy and paste this into your own post for ease of voting. If you would, please offer a link to the work (if it has not already been given by another) with AAR name included, the author’s name, and the game it belongs to. I thank you and...

Happy Voting!

 

[coz1]

Finally, I wanted to include an add on post to head off a few questions at the pass:

1. From the planning thread, there was a question of what constitutes a Megacampaign – for these purposes, any work that has stated outright that it is so or has moved from any one game to another in such fashion should be considered such and is thus eligible.

2. There was a suggestion of a “Hybrid” category which I understood and tried to work in here and the very reasonably last and possibly greatest of these – AAR of the Year is the result of that thinking. Any work of any genre from any game is eligible.

3. There was a suggestion regarding breaking up some of the more traditional categories into first or third person narrative or history vs. alt history, etc, but I found it somewhat cumbersome. There was, however, a great idea within to look at Characters. Thus that category and this would be for any person presented within a work, whether it be narrative or otherwise, that you think deserves such a nod. We have that weekly for a reason. (In your voting here – please make sure to name The Character rather than it simply be for “the characters” within a work.)

4. Obviously, for Newcomer and WritAAR you are choosing a person rather than an AAR. You need not name their work if there are more than one though feel free if you wish. These two awards could be for just one work or many as long as they were written during the time period for eligibility. And for newcomer, it does not mean simply their join date but rather may be dated from the moment of their first AAR.

I think that the rest of the categories are fairly self explanatory, but please do not hesitate to ask question either here or via PM. I hope this voting runs smoothly (and actively) so I would wish us all to vote with full knowledge of what we are doing. Once we see what happens this year, it can do nothing but educate us for what might be better tweaked, changed completely or kept going forward. A grand experiment!

 

[Asantahene]

A grand competition my friends! Better get my thinking cap on

Reserved!

 

[coz1]

It's great to see some early views and encouragement for this endeavor. I hope all are of similar thought with @Asantahene and find some excitement. I don't know about you, but I am already working to build my ballot!

 

[loup99]

Thank you @coz1 for taking the time to relaunch this, it is much appreciated! Reserving this post for now.

- Comedy AAR of the Year:
1. The Ebbesen Mandate, by @Peter Ebbesen with Stellaris

- Gameplay AAR of the Year:
1. A VictoriAARn Education - Learning Victoria II with Sweden, by @stnylan with Victoria 2

- Historybook AAR of the Year:
1. L'Empereur est mort: A French AAR, by @RossN with Victoria 2
2. Europa: In the Age of the Fourth Race of Kings, by @volksmarschall with Europa Universalis IV
3. Empire for Liberty: America in the Long Nineteenth Century, by @volksmarschall with Victoria 2
4. Pax Humanitas, by @stnylan with Stellaris
5. Forza Italia!, by @Jape with Victoria 2
6. God Willing - An Islamic Sicily AAR, by @Tommy4ever with Crusader Kings 2

- Narrative of the Year:
1. Before Plantagenet – A House d’Anjou AAR, by @JabberJock14 with Crusader Kings 2
2. The Rightful King [Book the First on the House of Wessex], by @coz1 with Crusader Kings 2

- Megacampaign AAR of the Year:
1. North Sea Empire: A Knýtling AAR, by @ShinWalks with Crusader Kings 2 and Europa Universalis 4

- Multiplayer/Interactive AAR of the Year:
1. Revolution and Reaction - A (very) French Victoria II Interactive AAR, by @99KingHigh with Victoria 2

- Graphics/AARtist of the Year:
1. Long Live the Permament Revolution! - a Trotskyist Soviet AAR., by @ThaHoward with Hearts of Iron 4

- Newcomer of the Year:
1. @JabberJock14
2. @Bullfilter

- Writer of the Year:
1. @stnylan
2. @coz1

EDIT: Based upon awAARds received and a glance at some chapters I will also nominate works I haven't fully read.

 

[Macke11]

Thank you indeed! I will also reserve a post for myself for now. You're not the only one @coz1, I have also done some humble beginnings to my ballot.

To every AARlander who sees this thread and does not follow the Fan of the Week thread, I'll present a brief summary of what I said over there:

When working on your ballot, always try to live yourself into the role of the authors you nominate and feel their appreciation for being recognised. This way I believe the Yaya can become even more joyful and beneficial for readers and authors alike, thus ultimately for AARland as a whole!

 

[Nuada Airgetlám]

*pops head in*

I shall chew over my choices, and post.

*pops back out*

 

[coz1]

Wonderful to see some more eyes and names within the thread!

I have to say that as I began to build the spreadsheet to help me tabulate these votes, I started to think that I took on more than I may chew. However, it was not until I started really trying to find the works to honor that I realized how difficult this may be. Such a long year and so many works to look at across so many different games! As a guide, I might offer a suggestion (it has helped me) - create a document that lists each of the categories and then simply start filling them in from your own recollection, and then maybe from past ACA votes and then perhaps a general perusal of each forum. It does take time, but I believe it worth it. Once you have a list. then just pare it down as best you can. That is my plan.

I would also say two things - you do not need to necessarily vote for every category (though it is wished and there is plenty of material to choose from); as well - there is nothing wrong with filling out your ballot piecemeal. I have an accounting background (somehow) so worry not that it won't be tabulated correctly. Vote for what you can (hopefully all of them) and in the end, we will see how it works. As I suggested - a grand experiment!

Again - Happy Voting.

[EDIT - I would also say that while we may not wish to see any sort of campaigning going on, there is nothing wrong with recommendations. In the past, the nominations period gave us the works to look at and then the poll determined the winners. We are skipping a step here and I hope it works, but if not, we can always fix it.]

 

[coz1]

As am I working on this today, I will go ahead and throw some preliminary votes out there. As I said before, I reserve the right to change them as we go forward prior to the deadline.

Comedy of the Year:
1. “U-boats for Uruguay” a short TFH farce (HoI3) by @markkur
2. Meh, I Can Take 'Em — Hohenzollern HIP DisastAAR (CKII) by @Crushric
3. The Führer Goes Nuts! (again) (HoI4) by @Lordban
4. Inevitable Defeat - Slovakia '44 (HoI3) by @El Pip
5. The Ebbesen Mandate (Stellaris) by @Peter Ebbesen
6. Suenik Reloaded (CKII) by @iain_a_wilson


Gameplay of the Year:
1. Talking Turkey: Alternate History from 1936 (HoI3) by @Bullfilter
2. “UK Motorway” a Blitzkrieg-Scenario AAR (HoI3) by @markkur
3. A VictoriAARn Education - Learning Victoria II with Sweden (Vic2) by @stnylan
4. Advance Britannia! - A Kaiserreich Restored United Kingdom AAR (HoI4) by @George_VI
5. «From Augustus the Caesar…» — The Tale of the Tsars (EUIV) by @Khanconette
6. Republic of Sol (Stellaris) by @Nikolai


Historybook of the Year:
1. Empire for Liberty: America in the Long Nineteenth Century (Vic2) by @volksmarschall
2. The Empire of Albion (CKII) by @TheButterflyComposer
3. Pax Humanitas (Stellaris) by @stnylan
4. Italian Ambitions: A Florence AAR (EUIV) by @JerseyGiants88
5. L'Empereur est mort: A French AAR (Vic2) by @RossN
6. Road of Queens - CKII India AAR (CKII) by @Eurasia


Narrative of the Year:
1. Before Plantagenet – A House d’Anjou AAR (CKII) by @JabberJock14
2. Entering the First Court: Kanem Bornu (EUIV) by @stnylan
3. The Wolves of Westseaxna-a tale of Wessex (CKII) by @Asantahene
4. Res Gestae Gentis Lartiae - a Roman Restoration AAR (CKII) by @LudoOttavio
5. The Songs of Sheeran - A CKII AGOT Narrative AAR (CKII) by @EmpireofOne
6. The Thoughts of a (Hive) Mind (Stellaris) by @lifehole


Megacampaign of the Year:
1. Baltic Lightning: a Grand Campaign AAR (Vic2) by @Centurial
2. Atlasii Steel and Blood (Vic2) by @TheCreator901
3. The Empire Strikes Back - Part 3 (Vic2) by @Idhrendur
4. The Eastern Vikings - Baltic Megacampaign Part 1 (CKII) by @RedTemplar
5. The Hohenzollern Empire 5: Fallen Phoenix - A Roman Reich Megacampaign in New World Order (Vic2) by @zenphoenix


Multiplayer/Interactive AAR of the Year: (by posting host and including others)
1. ANSGAAR Reborn: A Divine Influence Succession Game (CKII) by @Andre Massena
2. Death and Rebirth -- a CKII interactive AAR (CKII) by @Avindian
3. The Empire Strikes Back - Part 3 (Vic2) by @Idhrendur
4. We Must Feed Our Sea: Multiplayer megacampaign (CKII) by @King of Men
5. Empire of the Mediterranean: An Interactive Aragon AAR (EUIV) by @Michaelangelo
6. The Manifold Stampede: The Ones Who Would Roam Across the Galaxy - a Semi-Interactive/Democratic AAR (Stellaris) by @Yenzen


Let's Play/Video AAR of the Year:
(work in progress)


Graphics/AARtist of the Year:
1. Italian Ambitions: A Florence AAR (EUIV) by @JerseyGiants88
2. Long Live the Permament Revolution! - a Trotskyist Soviet AAR. (HoI4) by @ThaHoward
3. The Liberty Bell Rings: The Story of The Free American Commonwealth (Vic2) by @trekfan
4. «From Augustus the Caesar…» — The Tale of the Tsars (EUIV) by @Khanconette
5. Valyrian Steel: A Game of Thrones Mod AAR (CKII) by @Henry v. Keiper
6. Millennium's Eve - A CK2+ Ireland AAR (CKII) by @Nuada Airgetlám


Character of the Year:
1. Queen Wulfryth in The Wolves of Westseaxna-a tale of Wessex (CKII) by @Asantahene
2. Duke Foulques in Before Plantagenet – A House d’Anjou AAR (CKII) by @JabberJock14
3. Lisan la Metemes in Entering the First Court: Kanem Bornu (EUIV) by @stnylan
4. Cosma in The Little Dux (CKII) by @TheButterflyComposer
5. Rhaena Targaryen in Valyrian Steel: A Game of Thrones Mod AAR (CKII) by @Henry v. Keiper
6. Alice Midfield in The Devils of Jersey - an After the End AAR (CKII) by @shalmelo


Newcomer of the Year:
1. @JabberJock14
2. @Bullfilter
3. @LudoOttavio
4. @Russiaruler
5. @tpmcinty
6. @jasondroth24


Writer of the Year:
1. @stnylan
2. @JabberJock14
3. @Asantahene
4. @TheButterflyComposer
5. @Bullfilter
6. @Centurial


AAR of the Year
1. Before Plantagenet – A House d’Anjou AAR (CKII) by @JabberJock14
2. Entering the First Court: Kanem Bornu (EUIV) by @stnylan
3. The Wolves of Westseaxna-a tale of Wessex (CKII) by @Asantahene
4. Empire for Liberty: America in the Long Nineteenth Century (Vic2) by @volksmarschall
5. The Empire of Albion (CKII) by @TheButterflyComposer
6. Baltic Lightning: a Grand Campaign AAR (Vic2) by @Centurial (for all three)




I will fill out more as I gain them. And I will say...this was hard!

[EDIT - added some more and I have to say...narrative was the hardest category yet! I had 10 to pull down to 6. Ooof!]

[EDIT II - Got most of them down but still working on Let's Plays. It does take some time. ]

 

[Narwhal]

Does anyone has the archive for the previous years winner by the way, just like we have in the OOC forum for "Post of the month" / year

 

[loup99]

Does anyone has the archive for the previous years winner by the way, just like we have in the OOC forum for "Post of the month" / year

While there is an old ACA archive I'm not aware of any for this awAARd, although @coz1 might be able to correct me on that given that he compiles the fAARq.

 

[Crushric]

Wait wow I won an award?

Did not see this coming! Man I really need to get back into doing something that isn't training for police academy. I got internet cookies to earn! XD

 

[coz1]

Does anyone has the archive for the previous years winner by the way, just like we have in the OOC forum for "Post of the month" / year

While there is an old ACA archive I'm not aware of any for this awAARd, although @coz1 might be able to correct me on that given that he compiles the fAARq.

@loup99 is correct, there is no central repository for these awards. One, they are relatively new and have been run in some different fashions. Two, this round is especially new so there would be no past to archive. However, one can always scroll back through the general discussion area to find the past years content (just set you threads viewed to forever at the bottom of the page.)

Wait wow I won an award?

Did not see this coming! Man I really need to get back into doing something that isn't training for police academy. I got internet cookies to earn! XD

Not yet, but maybe. Keep training and it may work out that way. And check the first post.

 

[Crushric]

Not yet, but maybe. Keep training and it may work out that way. And check the first post.

Apparently literacy is far from my strongest point. Excuse me while I go promote priests to solve this issue of mine.

 

[coz1]

Apparently literacy is far from my strongest point. Excuse me while I go promote priests to solve this issue of mine.

No worries, sir. I hope that you and perhaps your priests might take chance to offer your votes in this contest.

 

[coz1]

I've been slowly adding to my vote but I am hoping to see some others because I need some help. Especially on Megacampaigns and Interactive works and truly with Video/LP's. Really looking forward to some suggestions of things to look at so don't feel shy at slowly building your own. I know it's a tall order, but one piece at a time. Isn't that how Johnny Cash stole a car?

 

[Nikolai]

I'm going to vote, but I have not the time to do it properly right now. So I'll leave this post to hopefully remember, and to thank for the votes so far. Much appriciated!

 

[Tom D.]

I'm in the same situation as Nikolai, at least people now know I'm aware of this thread and I hope I can get a decent ballot out before the end date.

 

[coz1]

Good to hear, gents. Still a full month to put a ballot together as of today. I know (now more than before) that it looks to be a tall order, but once you start going, it moves pretty swiftly, but it does take time. I look forward to your voices (and all others!)