The History of MAARC

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

The old rules

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Rules

Rules for the Monthly After Action Report Competitions

Rules

Eligiblity:

• 2 updates in the given month.

• People who ended up in the first three should not compete in next months MAARC.

• Only one AAR per person.

Nomination deadline: the last day of the month.

Min. limit: if there are less than 10 nominated AARs, the nomination deadline shall be prolonged for another month.

Vote: after the monthly nomination period, a 1-week multi-poll vote will be held (on the first week of each month) to decide the winners.

Point system & Awards

Points: For each contest points will be awarded as follows:
4 points for the winner
3 points for the runner-up
2 points for the third one
1 point for a Tale of the Week win

Awards: the winners qualify for the AAR Competition Medal. The medal will be awarded according to the following schedule:
6 points - bronze medal
12 points - silver medal
24 points - golden medal





Points are registered in the Hall of Fame Leaderboard.

Rules for Tale of The Week.

Rules for the Tale of The Week Contests are here.

Advertisement Rules

Advertising is allowed in the official advertising board and in AAR threads. Any other kind of direct advertising to advocate nominees is prohibited. Those who breach this rule shall be disqualified for 3 months.

Asking for votes is not allowed and will result in an immediate disqualification and ban of 3 months from the MAARC forum.

The competition manager will take whatever steps necessary to insure the integrity of the competition.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this sub-forum?
This forum was created by the CVRIA to hold regular and organized competitions for the AARs posted on TWC.
There are three kinds of contests: a monthly contest for RTW AARs, a monthly contest for M2TW AARs, and a weekly contest called "Tale of the Week".
On each of these the contestans can earn points to qualify for the medals.

What is an AAR?
After Action Report. It is a form of fan fiction, a story based on one's game.

What kind of AARs can compete?
Any kind of AARs, but we host competitions mainly for TW based reports, fictions, or stories based on community games (like YATS, TFT, GSTK).

Why does it have to be a competition?
It doesn't. It's for pure fun. Don't take it too seriously. Seriously.

I am not an author, but I know a good AAR. Can I nominate it here?
Yes, you can. Moreover it is encouraged! Though you need to get the author's permission to do so.

Does the nominated AAR have to be complete?
No, but completed AARs tend to win.

Can I nominate an older AAR?
Yes, if it's updated twice in the current month (or published for the first time on TWC).

Who is allowed to vote in the MAARC?
Every one is allowed to vote in the competition, this is and will stay a community competition accessible to every one.

Can I update my AAR in the voting period?
You can update, edit and do anything you'd like to do with your AAR whenever you like.

I'd like to compete, but I don't know how to write an AAR.
Visit my AAR Catalogue, and check out the threads listed under the title "How to write an AAR".
You can also join the AARtist Social Group, and ask your questions, the members will reply in a friendly and helpful manner.

Where can I ask more questions?
Use the questions & suggestions thread.
Or PM any of the following persons:
Forum manager: Hesus de bodemloze
Local mods: molls & Musthavename
ToTW manager: molls & Mega Tortas de Bodemloze


Links

For general discussion about AAR writing, post in the following thread:
The AARtist Social Group Thread

For nominating AARs to the monthly competitions (and voting for them) go to the respective subforum and look for the sticked nomination and voting threads:
Total War Eras : After Action Reports
Medieval II: Total War After Action Reports
Empires: Total War After Action Reports
Non-TW AARs

For advertising your AAR use the following thread:
Advertising Board

To view the results of the competitions, look for the sticked threads in the subfora, browse the Archive or simply view the Hall of Fame.

For questions and suggestions use this thread.

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

Blog

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Yes, I'm a graphomaniac.

0. The Birth of a new sub-forum

2008 April 08. Tweety starts a discussion thread about revamping the AAR forums (including a poll) in the M2TW AAR section: Giving the AAR Board a 'Structure'.

OK, so at the mo, this board is a bit messy, all the help threads are messed up all over the place, the 'Post Your Empire' threads keep popping up when I think, in my neat ordered little mind it would be nice to have a structure.

2008 April 29. Tweety develops the idea (with several contributors), and starts a new thread in the Q&S forum: AAR Boards - Ideas.

• Make a 'library' (a depository for all AAR's with links and descriptions) Work beginning with The Fuzz and Tweety, while Power Wizard has the start of one for Stainless Steel AARs
• Make the important non-AAR threads stickied (Post Your Empire, potentially AAR Tips)
• Possibly an 'AAR of the Week' competition, this works on another forum I frequent quite well.
• Merger of all AAR boards into one.

Several members (The Sundance Kid, zznɟ ǝɥʇ, Gaius Baltar, PowerWizard) support, discuss and elaborate the ideas.

2008 June 05. Gaius Baltar takes up the case, and starts a thread in the Prothalamos: Decision - AAR Forum. The Proposal:

1. Create a Main Index forum for AAR's, in the TW general discussion and resource center.
2. Establish a monthly AAR competition.

Supporters: The Sundance Kid, Scar Face, Chimaeira, Trax. After a week of discussion the decision is moved to vote

2008 June 22. The Decision is passed - 24:8:2.

2008 July 02. The AAR Competitions sub-forum is finally created, and local mods (Gaius Baltar, Tweety, Aradan and PowerWizard) are appointed. Gaius Baltar creates the first (and main) thread: Welcome to the AAR Forum.


1. The Very First Competition

2008 July 03. The first monthly competitions begin in the RTW AAR of the Month Nominations and I. M2TW AAR of the Month Nominations threads.
Gaius Baltar starts the first AAR thread in the forum, SPQR - A Terrae Expugnandae 5.0 AAR.

2008 July 04. Jingle Bombs makes the first entry to the competition.

Woo! first entry.

2008 July 08. We hit the front-page, the first time in a PoTW announcement.

Proud to annouce we are teaming up with the new AAR Forum.

The monthly competitions have started so enter your best AAR for Glory and Honour!

2008 July 10. Already 15 RTW AARs and 13 M2TW AARs are nominated. More and more AAR threads are created within this forum.

2008 July 11. Gaius Baltar makes a proposal about the medals in the Prothalamos. Amendment - AAR Competition Medal.

2008 July 21. Tweety starts a new discussion thread for AARtists, and creates a new social group. The AARtist Social Group.

2008 July 23. The last nomination is made. 38 AARs are running for the awards!

2008 July 25. The voting starts. We hit the front-page the second time. AAR Monthly Competition: The Vote is On!

2008 July 27. SeniorBatavianHorse proposes to launch a bi-monthly competition with a theme. After the discussion and the theme vote the Themed AAR Competition begins.

2008 July 31. The first Tale of the Week Contest starts.

2008 August 04. We have our first winners who are remembered in the Hall of Fame.

I. RTW AAR of the Month - The Winners
I. M2TW AAR of the Month - The Winners

On the same day, the II. Monthly Competitions are launched.

2008 August 06. The forum goes front-page the third time to announce the winners. 15-20 visitors view the forum regularly.

2008 August 11. The CVRIA agrees to to initiate the medal system as proposed. [Amendment] [PASSED 23:6:2 10/08/08]AAR Competition Medal. The Medal Design Contest starts.

2008 August 14. The public unanimously agrees that a multi-poll vote should be applied the next time as proposed by Juvenal.

2008 August 19. 30 AARs are nominated to the monthly competitions. We reach the thread count 50. Tale of the Week Contests are runned smoothly by Confederate Jeb.
"AAR Competitions" is featured no.1. on Google.

2008 August 20. New categories are introduced to the monthly races. Adjudicators are assigned.



2. Becoming "official

2008 August 31. The official medal series are introduced to the TWC Awards List. Bronze medals are assigned to the winners of the first competition.

2008 September 1. Category victories of the first competition are announced in the winners thread. The members of the jury are revealed.

2008 September 3. For better structure and perspicuity subfora are created within the forum:
Rome: Total War After Action Reports, Medieval II: Total War After Action Reports, Tale of the Week, Archive






To get more voters

• a front-page news announces the medals and urges members to come and vote for the AARs of the II. competition
• thread are created (and stickied) to advertise the competitions forum in all AAR subfora of TWC

2008. September 11. The winners of the II. AAR competition are announced.

2008 September 16. Series of scandals shake the community: the PoTW 113 and ToTW 4-5 contests are ruined by PM campaigns. Moderators take immediate measures and the renown of the competitions are restored with disqualifications and repeated votes.

2008. September 17. The proposal to create an United AAR Board has been made in the Q&S forum. The proposal meets no opposition, but wholehearted support. Link to the proposal

2008. September 18. B. Ward has presented the proposal to the CVRIA, [Decision] United AAR Board

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

Blog

2008. September 26. [Decision] [PASSED 29:5:4 26/09/08] United AAR Forum
The work starts with the notification of mod leaders and community game leaders. AAR subfora are merged with the main RTW or M2TW AAR subfora. New community games appear on the scene, and the older ones are boosted with the rising activity level (15-25 regular viewers). The elite of the gaming community is united!

2008. November 1. The forum reaches its current popularity record: 39 viewers, twice as more viewers as the Mudpit, 2 days before the US presidential elections.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

2008. November 09. The amendment, which "legalizes" ToTW and category points and lowers the winner points, is passed.

2008. November 12. First Silver Medal Recipient: Juvenal.