History Main / AfterActionReport

* ''Literature/RecordOfLodossWar'' is a curious example; it began as a report on Ryo Mizuno's ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign, which he published as a series of novels; it was eventually adapted to its own tabletop game system after Creator/{{TSR}} passed on buying the campaign. In terms of actual ''structure and content'', though, [[https://archive.org/details/record-of-lodoss-war-comptiq-magazine-english-translation the articles themselves]] actually straddle the line between an AAR and being the forerunner of ActualPlay shows and series.

* ''Literature/RecordOfLodossWar'' began as an after-action report on Ryo Mizuno's ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign, which he published as a series of novels; it was eventually adapted to its own tabletop game system after Creator/{{TSR}} passed on buying the campaign.

* ''Literature/RecordOfLodossWar'' began as an after-action report on Ryo Mizuno's ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign; it was eventually adapted to a series of novels, and later into its own tabletop game system after Creator/{{TSR}} passed on buying the campaign.

* ''Roleplay/RecordOfLodossWar'' began as an after-action report on Ryo Mizuno's ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign; it was eventually adapted to its own tabletop game system after Creator/{{TSR}} passed on buying the campaign.

* ''LetsPlay/ThisIsMadnessStoryOfTheCrumblingEurope'' ([[VideoGame/CrusaderKings Crusader Kings II]], [[VideoGame/EuropaUniversalis Europa Universalis IV]])

* ''LetsPlay/ChildrenOfTheFatherland'' (VideoGame/CrusaderKings, VideoGame/EuropaUniversalis, Victoria 2 and VideoGame/HeartsOfIron)

* ''Fanfic/WhiteshirtsOfEngland'' ([[VideoGame/CrusaderKings Crusader Kings II]])

* ''Literature/YnglingaSaga'' (VideoGame/CrusaderKings, VideoGame/EuropaUniversalis, VideoGame/VictoriaAnEmpireUnderTheSun and VideoGame/HeartsOfIron)

* ''Fanfic/BloodInTheBosphorus'' (VideoGame/CrusaderKings, VideoGame/EuropaUniversalis, VideoGame/VictoriaAnEmpireUnderTheSun and VideoGame/HeartsOfIron)

* ''Roleplay/RiseOfTheBlackRose'' ([[TabletopGame/StarWarsRoleplayingGame Edge of the Empire]])

* ''Roleplay/AgeOfTheTroubleshooters'' ([[TabletopGame/StarWarsRoleplayingGame Age of Rebellion]])

* Ubiquitous in ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' fandom, including the official forums, where players often post short-form accounts of the (usually absurd) goings-on in their forts, sometimes with FanArt. They tend toward BlackComedy and frequently end in DisasterDominoes scenarios. Some players have recounted the entire history of their fortresses, including one game that has been running for [[UpToEleven over 400 years of in-game time]].

* ''Fanfic/DragonKin'' ([[VideoGame/CrusaderKings Crusader Kings II]], ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'')

* ''FanFic/BeforePlantagenet'' ([[VideoGame/CrusaderKings Crusader Kings II]])

* ''FanFic/DragonKin'' ([[VideoGame/CrusaderKings Crusader Kings II]])
* ''FanFic/FireWarmsTheNorthernLands'' (VideoGame/VictoriaAnEmpireUnderTheSun)
* ''FanFic/ForKingAndCountry'' ([[VideoGame/HeartsOfIron Hearts of Iron II]])
* ''FanFic/TheCrownAtomic'' ([[VideoGame/HeartsOfIron Hearts of Iron II]], VideoGame/KaiserreichLegacyOfTheWeltkrieg)
* ''FanFic/TheGermanRiskAAR'' (VideoGame/HeartsOfIron)

* ''Fanfic/DragonKin'' (''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'')

* ''FanFic/BloodInTheBosphorus'' (VideoGame/CrusaderKings, VideoGame/EuropaUniversalis, VideoGame/VictoriaAnEmpireUnderTheSun and VideoGame/HeartsOfIron)
* ''FanFic/WhiteshirtsOfEngland'' ([[VideoGame/CrusaderKings Crusader Kings II]])

* ''FanFic/LandOfTheAryans'' (VideoGame/TotalWar)
* ''FanFic/TheMostHatedManInTheSouthernStates'' (VideoGame/RailroadTycoon III)

* ''FanFic/IAmSkantarios'' (VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar)
** ''FanFic/PaganVengeance''

* Battle reports are a long-standing feature of the ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' community, and tend to come in either or both varieties, depending on the writer. Gameplay reports are mainly used to solicit feedback and advice on strategy, troop selection, and sometimes commiseration.
** Battle reports are also a regular feature of ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'' for all of the Creator/GamesWorkshop games -- not just ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', but also ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', ''TabletopGame/LordOfTheRings'', and even, in its day, various {{Gaiden Game}}s like ''TabletopGame/{{Mordheim}}'', ''TabletopGame/{{Necromunda}}'', ''TabletopGame/{{Gorkamorka}}'', ''TabletopGame/{{Inquisitor}}'' and ''TabletopGame/BloodBowl''. They're mostly written as type A, but type Bs were used for for both 40K and Warhammer Fantasy for an extended run in the late-200s, and the reports for the more "narrative themed" games like Mordheim, Inquisitor, etc were usually portrayed as type Bs, or as type As with "fluff bites".

* ''Gameplay (or Analytical) [=AARs=]'' most resemble the original format. The events of the game are typically presented in a straightforward fashion, with game mechanics being explicitly mentioned in the narrative. The author may also outline his goals and discuss his strategies. Any "characters" who appear are typically mentioned as exactly what they are: Game-generated pawns for the player to manipulate in pursuit of his goals. This is an account of a gameplay session, plain and simple.
* ''Story (or Literary) [=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 [[ScrapbookStory as sources within the story]].

* ''FanFic/WhiteshirtsofEngland'' ([[VideoGame/CrusaderKings Crusader Kings II]])

* ''FanFic/DragonKin'' ([[VideoGame/CrusaderKings Crusader Kings II]]

* ''FanFic/BeforePlantagenet"" ([[VideoGame/CrusaderKings Crusader Kings II]])

* ''FanFic/DragonKin"" ([[VideoGame/CrusaderKings Crusader Kings II]]

* ''FanFic/TheAlienInvasion'' (VideoGame/HeartsOfIron)

Originally, an "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_action_report 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 [[TurnBasedStrategy Strategy]] [[{{RTS}} 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.

Also related to sportscaster analysis, where they analyze the play-by-play and deliver a verdict on [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech why Team A lost]].

* ''FanFic/TheMostHatedManInTheSouthernStates'' (VideoGame/RailroadTycoon III)

* ''FanFic/TheMostHatedManInTheSouthernStates'' (VideoGame/RailroadTycoon III)