Well thank you everyone for your kind words, and especially
Vincent Julien for this entirely undeserved nomination!
In many ways 'The Patriot's Sword' is not a very typical AAR for me - it's mostly serious, heavily expositional (originally anyway, it's become quite narrative these days) and about a real country in the not too distant past, with many 'real' (albeit heavily fictionalised) people. It is also (in gamist terms) my
least successful AAR, with Canada still a lowly 4th rank power (not that starting in 1882 is very helpful...
)
'The Patriot's Sword' was originally going to be about creating a sort of Ireland in exile - by giving Canada Irish as a sole culture I wanted to see if I could get a majority Irish population by 1920. Hence choosing the Fenian Raid as my starting point. However very early on the idea occured to me that since I'd already involved Napoleon III in the exposition, and given that families electoral credentials it might be fun to see a Napoleon win an election and take the Canadian throne.
Had I had this idea before I had already posted I might have started as Quebec in 1836 - with the
original Napoleon involved...
So I went back and changed the main culture to Franco-Canadian (to end up with a francophone Canada) and the rest is alternate history...
One of the things I discovered about a Victorian AAR (besides the fact that elections are incredibly entertaining to write about) is the different areas historical people can end up in, with people as distinct from each other as John Devoy, the Prince Imperial and Robert Borden ending up in congress with each other. I also seem to have created one or two villains.
And what story is complete without a beautiful princess or two? I have the glimmer of an ending planned, but it's far too soon to tell if it will pan out yet.
So other than plug 'The Patriot's Sword: the Movie!', staring Liam Neeson as Parnell, The Rock as the Comte du Halifax and Kirsten Dunst as Princess Victoria-Beatrice and hitting cinemas everywhere in Summer 2006, I have relatively little else to say, other than thank you, keep reading and keep commenting.
