History Main / AfterActionReport

The "after action" aspect is less emphasized these days; often such accounts are begun [[LetsPlay while the game is still in progress]] and often with a degree of reader participation. For instance, some authors will allow their audience to provide suggestions for or vote on their next course of action.

* ''Story [=AARs=]'', on the other hand, simply use the game as a source of inspiration for their own narrative. Gameplay events serve as a sort of framework in which the story itself is set. The player is little more than an invisible hand guiding one of the factions in the game; his actions may shape the world in which the characters live, but very rarely is his presence made explicit. In brief, the game scenario is treated as if it were an actual Universe in which the characters exist as real people. (Well, real ''fictional'' people, at any rate.) Games which cover larger timeframes may instead get the "historical narrative" treatment, where the author tells the story of his faction as if recounting the history of an actual nation, sometimes using {{Fictional Document}}s as sources within the story.

* [[{{ptitledfp3bc3h}} Holding Out For A Hero: Gustav Stresemann Survives]]

* [[http://www.bluecasket.co.uk/ The Blue Casket]], another blog which collects [=AAR=]s from across the Web. It also hosts a few itself (including one for [=~Mirror's Edge~=]). Sadly, it hasn't updated since late 2009.

* [=SomethingAwful.com's=] [=~Let's Play~=] accounts are essentially a variation of this.

* [[http://www.bluecasket.co.uk/ The Blue Casket]], another blog which collects [=AAR=]s from across the Web. It also hosts a few itself (including one for [=~Mirror's Edge~=]).

* This is done for ''FootballManager'', with stories being written around the player's career, with occasional stories actually having a whole plot written around it. The developer's forum even has a section to place them in.

* [[AngloAmericanNaziWar The Anglo/American-Nazi War]]

* [=~Holding Out For A Hero: Gustav Stresemann Survives~=]

An [=AAR=] occupies a sort of odd place in FanFiction; since the media they're based on often feature few or no named characters and little concrete characterization, the author generally has to resort to creating his own characters within the setting. This tends to have the effect of having them resemble original fiction more than actual FanFiction.

* [[http://www.forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum Paradox Interactive Forums]] features literally ''thousands'' of [=AARs=] and sustains its own subculture of [=AAR=] writers, complete with their own archives, quarterly awards, and even a serial newsletter... all maintained by the fanbase.

* [[http://www.europa-universalis.com/forum/ Paradox Interactive Forums]] features literally ''thousands'' of [=AARs=] and sustains its own subculture of [=AAR=] writers, complete with their own archives, quarterly awards, and even a serial newsletter... all maintained by the fanbase.

After Action Reports with their own pages on This Very Wiki:

* HoldingOutForAHeroGustavStresemannSurvives

* ''Story [=AARs=]'', on the other hand, simply use the game as a source of inspiration for their own narrative. Gameplay events serve as a sort of framework in which the story itself is set. The player is little more than an invisible hand guiding one of the factions in the game; his actions may shape the world in which the characters live, but very rarely is his presence made explicit. In brief, the game scenario is treated as if it were an actual Universe in which the characters exist as real people. (Well, real ''fictional'' people, at any rate.) Games which cover larger timeframes may instead get the "historical narrative" treatment, where the author tells the story of his faction as if recounting the history of an actual nation.

!![[ThereIsNoSuchThingAsNotability Notable]] After Action Reports and / or websites devoted to them include:

* [[http://www.europa-universalis.com/forum/ Paradox Interactive Forums]] features literally ''thousands'' of [=AARs=] and sustains its own subculture of [=AAR=] writers, complete with their own archives, quarterly awards, and even a serial newsletter... all maintained by the fanbase.
** YnglingaSaga, a multi-player AAR covering four separate games, twice, with a total of 2000 years of ingame history.

* RumorsOfWar is an example of a Story AAR inspired by DungeonsAndDragons and loosely based on several RealLife campaigns. Worthy of note, an early chapter features an AfterActionReport of one character's information-gathering, represented by their journal.

Compare LetsPlay, which is a play-by-play video of a non-strategy game. The NuzlockeChallenge is a subtype specific to {{Pokemon}}.

Compare LetsPlay, which is a play-by-play video of a non-strategy game.

** There's [[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=195920 a second AAR]] where the same player tries to win via peaceful methods. 650 billion die along the way. ([[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=198344&site=pcg Part two]] is here; link on the page is messed up]].)

Not to be confused with a sportscaster analysis, where they analyze the play-by-play and deliver a verdict on [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech why Team A lost]].

Originally, an "after action report" ([=AAR=]) referred to a blow-by-blow account of an engagement prepared by a military official. These reports were typically prepared for military analysts who would read them in order to deduce the enemy's strategy and refine their own. As many early strategy games were essentially tactical combat simulators, it was only natural that fans of these games wishing to share their own stories and compare strategies adopted the format for their own use.

* Dedicated players of the roguelike NetHack often write these up as "Yet Another Ascension Post." Which kind of AAR you get indicates which kind of player the writer is, with players who roleplay their characters during the game usually writing the more "literary" [=AARs=]. "Yet Another Stupid Death" posts may contain elements of this as well, if the character had particularly heroic or interesting exploits before getting nibbled to death by a newt.

Compare LetsPlay, which is a play-by-play video.

The "after action" aspect is less emphasized these days; often such accounts are begun while the game is still in progress and often with a degree of reader participation. For instance, some authors will allow their audience to provide suggestions for or vote on their next course of action.

** There's [[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=195920 a second AAR]] where the same player tries to win via peaceful methods. 650 billion die along the way.

*** Is there another link to the second half of the second blog? The links on the site don't seem to work, and I can't find another route to it on the site itself, which is frustrating after having read the first half.
**** They merely forgot to include the www. prefix. [[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=198344&site=pcg Here you go.]]