The 2020 CharactAAR of the Year is...

[coz1]

We are now down to our last 3 awAARds of the season. Usually, newcomer would be one of the last but as of the last few years I've found that this post is the toughest to build. I think it is an important category (if perhaps narrative heavy, though I'd dare you to pinpoint how many other types of works find voice here...it's a lot) and so I wanted to give it the time needed to put it together properly. I think it is an important category because this is what writing is really all about. Whether a tragic figure in a grand narrative work, the most villainous of villains, the humor that gives a comedy or gameplay (or history and/or narrative) that elevates the work or just a damn fine rendering of a fully realized character that keeps someone coming back for more. This year, we saw 31 different characters given nomination. Across many games and as stated, across many genres. And now we have a winner.

The 2020 CharactAAR of the Year is...

Ged from Ged's Existential Nightmare by @TheButterflyComposer​

Our top 3 characters came within 0.3 points of one another. Ged finds victory with 0.2 points. That is how tight this vote was. From the comedy winning AAR, yet another excellent win by @TheButterflyComposer !

2nd place then goes to...

Albert from The Thorn of the Rose by @stnylan​

Now a second time runner up in these awAARds, our very own fan of the many years sees a top result. It was close! Finally, the bronze goes to...

The Machine Intelligence from No Love, No Comfort by @Methone​

As I counted up the votes, this was nearly always mentioned and why the vote was so close. By 0.1 of the vote, this character gained a strong nomination!

And then so many others found a champion. They were:

Perse from Talking Turkey: Alternate History from 1936 by @Bullfilter

Stanfield from A Never Ending Struggle by @crisrko

Lady Macbeth from Lady Macbeth II - An Earldom of Buchan 1066 AAR by @Fiftypence

Emperor Niphon from Road of Queens - CKII India AAR by @Eurasia

King Haakon VII from For King Haakon and the Fjords! by @El Pip

Marguerite de Anjou nee Poitou from Before Plantagenet – A House d’Anjou AAR by @JabberJock14

King Arthur of England from The Song of Wessex by @coz1

Geoffrey II from Before Plantagenet – A House d’Anjou AAR by @JabberJock14

HM Edward VIII from A Royal Prerogative - A UK AAR by @Le Jones

Denton Sinclair from Jihad on the Savannah: A Vic2 Serious Sokoto AAR by @mad orc

Elfwine from Lancaster: The King in the North by @TheButterflyComposer

King Erziya "the Bold" of Merya from The People of the Forest by @Dunaden

Cardinal Giulio Felicetti from Annuntio Vobis: A Papal History of Italy by @slothinator

Lord Bertrand Dawson from A Royal Prerogative - A UK AAR by @Le Jones

Tiso and Tuka from Inevitable Defeat - Slovakia '44 by @El Pip

Auriel from War of the Stars: The Shroud Phantom Awakens by @Sinister2202

Arnulf of Heristal from The Carolingian Renaissance by @The Kingmaker

Count Eberhard from The Right Hand of the Karlings by @alscon

Odinatsat from 'Odin' and Stalin's Secret Committee by @roverS3

Redadder from Echoes of A New Tomorrow: Life After Revolution in the Commonwealth of Britain by @DensleyBlair

Demetrius from A Narrative History of Byzantium by @HistoryDude

Duchess Aelfrida from The Legacy of Uthred by @Dunaden

Pope Innocent XIV, born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti from Annuntio Vobis: A Papal History of Italy by @slothinator

Chen Zhen from The Azure Dragon Soars Again by @vyshan

Chairman Oswald Mosley from Echoes of A New Tomorrow: Life After Revolution in the Commonwealth of Britain by @DensleyBlair

Anastasia from Rise of Eagles from A Dream of White Russian Victory Mod AAR by @Henry v. Keiper

The hat from "A wehraboo and a hat in charge of Italy" A story AAR by @Farsky

Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin from A Royal Prerogative - A UK AAR by @Le Jones​

It really is astounding how so many find nomination here! Every single one of you that found nomination here means that someone or someones found this character indelible as they read your work. THAT is success!!

(If your AAR title is not quite exact, as in all of these nominations, blame your voters. ) In all seriousness, I have tried to get it exact, but the accounting does take some time and I took some shortcuts to get a post like this out there in a timely fashion. In many ways, if they have a shortcut to refer to your work, it means it is working.

Building this post is a labor of love, as is my entire desire to run these awAARds. To see your creation bring someone pleasure, anger, frustration or love...and any other emotion...is something that each and every one of you should find some pride. It means that they are memorable. THAT is why this is an important category. Many, many congrats to each and every one of you that found nomination here and most especially to our top 3! It was a stiff competition and any one of them could have come out ahead. For my part, I am simply proud to be mentioned among you! Well done, AARland!

Now come one and all to offer your own congrats and thanks. We are down to the last 2 categories and they will be revealed soon.

 

[Idhrendur]

Ged never does get to rest, does he? Congratulations, @TheButterflyComposer! And to everyone else!

 

[HistoryDude]

Congrats to all the winners, and especially to @TheButterflyComposer, @stnylan, and @Methone!

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

Our top 3 characters came within 0.3 points of one another. Ged finds victory with 0.2 points. That is how tight this vote was. From the comedy winning AAR, yet another excellent win by @TheButterflyComposer !

2nd place then goes to...

Albert from The Thorn of the Rose by @stnylan​

My goodness, I did not expect to get on the list, let alone beat a stnylan character (very narrowly) to the top...with the ck3 tutorial butt monkey character with a made up name. I guess people really, really liked watching Ged suffer.

Some of his escapdes include:

• Getting into a wrestling match with the white stag and winning, saving his drunkard of a vassal's life.
• Getting into a wrestling match with his heir (he was 60 at the time) and winning, to stop his heir beating everybody else up.
• Having sex with a ghost in the middle of a battlefield.
• Unifying Ireland so he could wear a gigantic golden hat in bed.
• Getting tainted by a stick.
• Starting a dynasty that ended up being elected dictators of Europe by mistake.

Ged now spends most of his time dead, and haunting the Paradox offices.

 

[DensleyBlair]

Excellent list. I'm flattered to have two characters on it myself. (Well… one character and his satirical double…) Many congratulations all round, and in particular to @Methone, @stnylan and @TheButterflyComposer!

 

[Macavity116]

I guess people really, really liked watching Ged suffer.

You underestimate your readers, friend. You've made Ged into the new posterchild of Schadenfreude. Congrats on a very well-deserved win!

And mad respect to everyone else who made the list. A well-made character can carry your story far!

 

[Methone]

Oh, thanks again for the award! I honestly don't even know about the existence of these sort of contests, so this just takes me as a pleasant surprise.

 

[Wraith11B]

First, a hearty congratulations to the winners! Your memorable characters and their escapades make for intriguing reading that brings the board back and back and back for more!

I do find that I need to note a passing: that this is the last year that such offerings as our dear Ged and even more ancient offerings such as Tiso and Tuka on one hand and in his other King Haakon from @El Pip because of their AARs demise, erm, well, "ending."

 

[Nikolai]

Well, well what a strong turnout of memorable characters! Well done, all who got a character nominated! Ans especially congrats to PTM @TheButterflyComposer !

 

[Eurasia]

Congrats to the winners and all who took part and all who voted!

I am sure Emperor Niphon of the House Dysnomia would be happy to be on the list if he wasn't dead.

 

[El Pip]

I do find that I need to note a passing: that this is the last year that such offerings as our dear Ged and even more ancient offerings such as Tiso and Tuka on one hand and in his other King Haakon from @El Pip because of their AARs demise, erm, well, "ending."

I'd bring King Haakon back for the widely not-demanded sequel, "Pining for the Fjords, A Norwegian Government in Exile AAR", but I think we both know he is a bit too niche to trouble the leader boards of this competition.

Congratulations to our worthy winners, memorable and well drawn characters all.