WargamingAddict | 30 Oct 2013 2:31 a.m. PST |
Something a little different. 5 tips for writing AARs and making them more accessible to readers. link |
Caliban | 30 Oct 2013 3:17 a.m. PST |
I like your idea about making the narrative and maps/photos clear enough to be used by someone else as a scenario. I've done this with some I found on the web, although not for a while now (I think it may have been from the Napnuts of Singapore group). If you think someone could do this with your report, then it works. |
WargamingAddict | 30 Oct 2013 4:20 a.m. PST |
I think its nice if you have created a scenario yourself (obviously you have to be a little careful with published ones) to share it with others and let them have a go and give you feedback on what you have created. It also lets you see new ways of tackling the same tactical situation. |
billclo | 30 Oct 2013 5:08 a.m. PST |
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Maxshadow | 30 Oct 2013 5:08 a.m. PST |
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Joes Shop | 30 Oct 2013 7:11 a.m. PST |
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drummer | 30 Oct 2013 7:32 a.m. PST |
Thanks for posting a good article. |
WargamingAddict | 30 Oct 2013 9:18 a.m. PST |
Thanks for the comments – much appreciated |
PHGamer | 30 Oct 2013 9:58 a.m. PST |
Good article. I wrote one 6 months ago on writing battle reports if anyone is interested: link |
Darkoath | 30 Oct 2013 10:09 a.m. PST |
Well done WargamingAddict. Your article was very useful and had some very good ideas! |
WargamingAddict | 30 Oct 2013 11:32 a.m. PST |
Thanks PHGamer – I like your SEO musings in your article – very relevant and stuff that underused in our hobby. |
Joep123 | 30 Oct 2013 7:12 p.m. PST |
Many thanks to Wagaming Addict and PHGamer for the articles. I post a lot of Facebook AAR/Photo Albums on my Facebook page, they are viewed by gaming and non-gaming friends. I am going to use your ideas in my next AAR. Good Gaming; Joe |
Cincinnatus | 31 Oct 2013 8:16 p.m. PST |
You had me at #1. Biggest problem I have with some AARs is that they seem to be about showing close ups of the troops instead of helping us understand what is going on in the game. Nothing wrong with showing off your figures but that's not what an AAR should be focused on. |
Idler203 | 01 Nov 2013 2:51 a.m. PST |
This needed saying. Thanks so much for doing so |
PHGamer | 01 Nov 2013 5:39 a.m. PST |
I probably don't overview the battle as well as I could. I go for the close ups because anything more than 4 feet away doesn't show any detail. Is that my green cammo tank, or his? I do try to identify which is the "north", "south", "east", and "west" of the board and where the dominant pieces of terrain are. Then try to keep consistent with those references through out the AAR. Even if that makes things repetitious. After all, most people are probably skimming the AAR. The fact that the town is on the "north" side of the board may get the first time around, and all other forces described as moving "north" may lose their relevantcey if that point is not caught. As far as heightening my figures in the close ups? While all my figures are painted and I regard unpainted figures uncharitably, none of my paint jobs are really worthy of highlighting. As I mentioned in one AAR when the camera was not available, "So there won't be any of those embarrassing photos of burning vehicles, tanks with bent barrels, shabby camo patterns, the fact that the M-10's don't have any decals, or that the 2iC's tank, and I'm not mentioning any names here, hasn't had a barrel since we hit Normandy, or that one shabby Sherman with the 105mm barrel that gets placed here and there." |
Cincinnatus | 01 Nov 2013 5:00 p.m. PST |
I like to see one big shot of the board to help orient the rest of the report. |
Xintao | 02 Nov 2013 10:59 a.m. PST |
Great tips. One thing I do is always try to take pics from the same perspective or side of the table. To me, that helps keep the reader oriented to follow the action. Xin |
flooglestreet | 02 Nov 2013 12:42 p.m. PST |
Thank you for thought provoking articles on a topic that is very important to me. |
Temporary like Achilles | 24 Nov 2013 4:24 a.m. PST |
Just to provide a contrary view, I completely disagree with the idea that any 'shoulds' or 'shouldn'ts' need be associated with game reports on blogs. Every reader is entitled to his or her own preferences of course, but so is every writer. I like fresh approaches, I like different takes, and I do not support any attempt to prescribe content or approach. We won't know if we will like something until we read it, and some of the most engaging reports I've read have been entirely original and have certainly not followed any set of rules about what and what not to include. As I say, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but there are many different approaches out there and if we try to stifle that creativity then we will all be worse off. Just my opinion, of course! More here: link Cheers, Aaron |
WargamingAddict | 25 Nov 2013 4:08 a.m. PST |
Hi Aaron, Thanks for your comments – and I do appreciate your take on things. Yes, originality is very important. However, my article is not attempting to lay down the 10 commandments of AAR writing – I think you may have misinterpreted that. Rather I offered my own personal insights and "tips" – hence the title – on how I like to do them. Everyone is different and everyone enjoys different things. We're not straight-jacketing. Just saying what works for us. I like to read AARs to get a feel for the system and the tactics that work in the game. I can't do that without things like full maps and full descriptions. But it's all different strokes for different folks. I liked your blog post too. Like you, I too read almost every AAR I stumble across. Some I like, some I don't. Some I stop reading after a paragraph. But my article was – like yours – tips and opinion. Not a dictat from the wargaming police :) |
WargamingAddict | 25 Nov 2013 4:09 a.m. PST |
Actually – I really like the comic formats that are becoming popular – reminds me of my childhood when I read Warlord! |
Mitch K | 25 Nov 2013 3:28 p.m. PST |
Great stuff – thanks for sharing! |
Temporary like Achilles | 25 Nov 2013 7:33 p.m. PST |
Fair enough, WargamingAddict. Perhaps I did not take your post in quite the spirit that it was intended. My apologies if that is the case! Cheers, Aaron |