MAARC XXXIV - Nominations

[Hesus de bodemloze]

This is the submission/nomination thread for MAARC XXXIV.

Eligibility

- The nominated AAR must have at least two updates in January.

Eligibility

- The winner of the previous competition cannot compete in this current MAARC (This is a new rule: the second and third place AARs/writers are now allowed to compete again)
- Only one AAR per person
- Nomination deadline: the last day of the month
- The competition is open for a month, followed by a one week, multi-poll vote.
- If there are less than 5 nominations, the competition is extended for another month.
- Usually authors nominate their own work. If you would like to nominate somebody else's work, please ask for the author's approval first (or encourage the author to nominate the AAR)!

Information to provide

- Title and link to the original AAR thread
- Author
- Game and (if applicable) mod
- Faction
- Short description / teaser

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 Competition forums.

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

Awards

4 points for the Winner
3 points for Second Place
2 points for Third Place

Points are accumulated towards the awarding of the AAR Competition Medals.

Please see the Writer's Study Information and FAQ Thread for more details.

[Robin de Bodemloze]

AAR information

Takeda - a Shogun 2 AAR

Author: robinzx
Game: S2TW
Mod: Radious diplomacy V1
Faction: Takeda

Teaser

“My brothers, today we are gathered because the peace we now enjoy is at an end. Thanks to all of you we built Suruga from the fallow wasteland we found to the thriving province it is today. As we speak, the Imagawa see fit to come and take from us the fruits of our labour. They seek to spill the blood of good Takeda folk for no more than a title that gives them little glory. For that they must be stopped – and utterly vanquished!

The Imagawa are but a mob of undisciplined, inexperienced ashigaru, and no match for the fierce warriors of the Kanto. The sight of you fills me with much confidence, and reminds me of the great honour bestowed upon me to be your daimyo. If I inspire any bravery in you then remember this: our ancestors fought for centuries to protect our homelands, and today you will add your names to our eternal glory. I do not expect victory to come easily, but I do expect us to prevail. This is the beginning of a long, hard struggle against these treacherous Imagawa dogs, but also the beginning of our most glorious of triumphs.

Go forth with pride, fight hard, and let the world fear the Takeda!”

“EI-EI-OHHH!!”

[Oxode]

Arnor: An Empire Reborn
link: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=513863
Author:Oxode (Me )
Game: Medieval II Total War Kingdoms
Mod: Third Age Total War Link: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=500418
Faction: Free Peoples of Eriador / Kingdom of Arnor


Teaser.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Long have the peoples of Middle Earth suffered the Evils of the East, War has been forced upon the Free peoples of Middle-Earth. The Kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor are under siege, Arnor long gone after civil war and economic decline.


The Cities of Eriador have formed a Confederacy, they hope that the union between the cities will match the union between Barad-Dûr and Orthanc. Many heroes gather, only one side can win, good or evil? In Middle Earth, the possibilities are endless, the Orcish Hordes scour the lands, the scourge have killed many.


Victory is there for the taking.....


Many shall die.......


But in the end there will be only one victor, one kingdom, one ring to rule them all.....

[Grimecraft]

Una república en Dios: A Tropico 3 AAR


link: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=492950
Author: Grimecraft (myself)
Game: Tropico 3

Teaser:

The year is 1950, the place is the small Caribbean island of Los Santos Paraíso (in English The Saints Paradise) the nation upon this small and seemingly insignificant island is that of Tropico.
The August Revolution of 1949 was to be Dallante's moment of triumph

It's been five years since that night and now we join Santa Dallante, President of Tropico as he balances internal strife, civil war, a failing economy and warring factions in his quest for total power and economic success

[chaplain118]

The Kingdom of Ionia

Throwing my hat once more into the fray, I bring to you: the Kingdom of Ionia!

Author: Chaplain118

Game: RTW

Mod: RS2.1

Faction: Romans


Fun fact: Old readers will find a slight format change. New readers will find a rather unconventional way of storytelling that pays homage to SeniorBatavianHorse's The Nowhere Legion's introduction.

Preview:

It is remarkable that the Kingdom of Ionia had survived for as long as it did. A brief twenty years of violent and often times quite bloody history exists only in rumors and hearsay. Little archeological evidence supports the existence of such a kingdom. However, the presence of three newly unearthed coins inscribed with Rex S. Pap. Cra dating back to this period seem to suggest that at one point or another, something of this Kingdom of Ionia must have existed.

What we know, we know very little of. However, there exist several broken Greek documentations to an uncertain date around the first century BC to mid first century AD. It spoke of a campaign by several Roman excursions and the establishment of a 'faithless kingdom, full of corruption and lascivious decadence that even the gods grew distasteful of.' One individual in particular that has been mentioned multiple times had been the eponymous Decimus the Coward, more commonly referred to in these documentations as the Coward King.



It has been mentioned that Decimus the Coward King held the Kingship to this fragile kingdom for nearly seven years, with the first two years being held by his father, Numerius Sulpicius Camerinus, whom sources say very little about but the Greek documentations claimed to have carved out a series of kingdom across all of Ionia, from Assos to Ephesos. However, renewed attacks by Greeks soon shrank this kingdom to just the lands around Ephesos.

However, when we turned to Greece itself, we found certain documentations of the long-established family of power in Athens that spoke of one of their sons, Numerius Aebutius Drusus, who was sent to Ionia on a Pilgrimage in order to restitute familial obligations--typically an euphemism by the Romans to denote seeking forgiveness for sins. Based on these two scant pieces of evidence, we begin our intrepid attempt at deciphering the histories of this elusive Kingdom. It was a central portion of the Eastern world. Its presence amongst a number of religiously significant structures cannot be ignored. Yet despite these factors, this Kingdom remains unspoken of in academic circles.

The excavations performed around the Ionian coast, particularly near the Temple of Artemis, revealed a number of clues that further support the notion that this Kingdom of Ionia truly was a Holy Kingdom and that the wars fought in its brief existence were religiously based in nature. The Kingdom of Ionia, for all intents and purposes, found itself beleaguered on all sides, its back pressed against the Aegean, its front facing a porous border that the Greeks could simply pour through at a moment’s notice.

Excerpt from “Forgotten History of the Ionian Coast” by C. Krieger Ph.D and J. Connelly Ph.D

[Radzeer]

Title: Primus Inter Pares - The Kievan Rus
Author: Radzeer
Game: MTW2
Mod: Stainless Steel 6.3
Faction: Kiev
Description: The rise of the Kievan Rus through the adventures of commoner and noble characters between Novgorod and the Holy Land. Bonus: the Grand Duchy of Azaq fights the Golden Horde. One last chapter remains with the threat of civil war.

[Scottish King]

To Conquer the World for Islam



Author: Scottish King
Mod: Vanilla/(SS6.3 for custom battles)
Faction: Moors
Description: This AAR tells of the rise of the Moorish Empire from near annihilation by the Christian factions of Europe and the Mediterranean to becoming the dominant power of Iberia, Africa and Sicily. Though the empire stands strong there are certain elements without and within that want nothing more than to see it destroyed. Now under the leadership of Imperial Sultan Norreddine, the Empire will now either stand firm and become a legend or fall and disappear beneath the tides of time.

[knin]

AAR Information

Title: A City of Shadows (Link)
Author: Knin
Game: M2TW
Mod: The Medieval World: A Kingdoms Mod (Alpha 1.01A)
Faction: Basileía tôn Rhomaíon (The Roman Empire)
Description: As Aléxios Komnenós takes the reigns of the empire following a coup on April 1, 1081, he must deal with his overbearing mother, a jilted lover, an unhappy young queen, a host of rival nations, and a colorful cast of cunning courtesans all fighting for influence over him. If Aléxios is to survive the turmoil, he must expertly navigate the cutthroat realm of court politics while simultaneously defending his empire from outside invasions from east and west.

From Chapter 4, "The Breaking"

Preview

From Chapter 1, A Conversation in the Garden

Anna looked as if María had just slapped her across the face. “María, if Aléxios is in danger, he must be warned! I am sure Aléxios could be persuaded to benefit the Doúkai even more generously if you agreed to send on your valuable information about the Latínoi attack to him. And besides, even if you oppose my son’s rule, it is not in your best interests to undermine the empire as a whole, for I do not believe the rebellious borderlands could be convinced to stay under Roman rule if another weak emperor is crowned on the heels of a disaster.”

María shook her head, the corners of her mouth curling upward in an ever-growing grin of mirth and mischief. “No, Anna. No more ‘influence.’ No more ‘negotiation.’ My contacts with the Latínoi assured me: once Aléxios is out of the way and a Doúkas is on the throne once more, the Latínoi will end their campaign and return to fighting the Muslims in Sikélia. I will not be undermining the rule of the empire; I’ll be saving it from further destruction. The choice is rather simple, Anna: agree to my terms and save your son, or forfeit your right to rule and watch your family’s power disintegrate.”

María was absolutely sure of her victory; she knew that Anna was cornered and would agree with her terms, no matter how steep. She watched amusedly the faint contortions on Anna’s face as the woman’s mind turned quickly, running through scenario after scenario, trying to find another door, another way out of the desperate situation. Obviously finding none suitable, she turned away and muttered a quick prayer, in the vain hope that what she was about to do would not haunt her forever.

“As you wish, María. We’ll do this your way. What are your terms?”

María stood and walked towards the fountain, reaching her hand gently into the pool to feel the cool water wash over her fingers. “Konstantínos and I will be allowed to move back to the Méga Palátion, and Aléxios will consent to our presence at all official state functions. Léon and Nikefóros Diogénes will move here, to Mángana, and will not be allowed to any special titles upon coming of age.”

Anna was not pleased, but nodded her head in assent. “If that is all then—”

María cut her off. “I’m not finished. When Aléxios returns, you will inform him that you are no longer fit to advise him and will retire from a position of power at court, bestowing your title of Augústa upon me as your closest and most loyal confidant. Then you shall live out the remainder of your days in peace, renouncing your life of political intrigue for the more quiet and peaceful life of a nun. As you said yourself, you can hardly find a moment’s rest at court anymore, correct?”

Anna’s face drained of color. She stood up indignantly, shaking with anger. “If you think I would ever consent to such a ridiculous demand, you are clearly mistaken. You may think you have outwitted me, María, but do not pretend for even a moment that just because he calls you Augústa and allows you to live in the Méga Palátion that Aléxios will listen to anything you have to say. He knows your style, and he’s already suspicious enough of your family as it is. If I suddenly retired, do you not think he would realize something was amiss? As much as he might resent my advice, he is more loyal to me than he would ever be to you, make no mistake of that.”

María's smile turned to a glare, and the words dripped from her mouth like poison. “If you do not consent, know that Aléxios faces certain death. And should that happen, I can promise you won’t be far behind.”

Anna snorted. “Empty threats mean almost as much as empty words, dear María. Killing me will get you nowhere in court, especially if your connection with the Latínoi were ever revealed. Just imagine the rumors! People will talk, and the Doúkai will be at the top of the list of suspicion. I will get word to Aléxios of your treachery, and then you’ll be wishing you had the comforts of Mángana to keep you safe.”

“If you try to send a message out of the city, it will not reach Aléxios, let me assure you of that. If you wish to gamble with his life, you will have to do so alone. 20,000 Komnenoi mercenaries against 60,000 Latínoi warriors? You do the math, Anna.”

Anna tossed her head dismissively and gathered herself to leave. “Mark my words, María, you will regret this. Once Aléxios returns, the plots of your family will be exposed, and you will not be safe from his wrath. Farewell, dearest María.”

[Maltacus]

Title: I Hate Late Era Bodyguards! - A Battle AAR
Author: Maltacus
Game: Medieval II Total War
Mod: Stainless Steel with RR/RC submod and my own modifications.
Faction: The Kingdom of France, against The Republics of Genova and Pisa

Description: Gaston the apparently Chivalrous French looter and commander of a mercenary army lands near Pisa to complete his conquest of Northwestern Italy by destroying the armies of The Republics of Genova and Pisa. He fails to reach the city in time and must fight in the field against the Pisan field army and garrison together with the exiled Genoese army. With only two companies of knights Gaston finds himself forced to - shudder - resort to the unchivalrous and petty tactics of infantry armies, most unworthy of a French knight.