Lesson 1

**Radzeer** · August 21, 2012, 06:22 AM

Lesson 1: Starting out: the dilemmas of AAR writing

Basic choices to make

Basic choices to make

Emphasis on plot or gameplay?
The first choice one has to make when writing an AAR is to decide the driving force behind it - the game, or a plot line that has been decided upon. This comes partly from whether you are a gamer or writer at heart, and will have consequences for how you deal with unexpected setbacks and events in the game. Typically choosing a game-first approach is easier, as the plot is somewhat predetermined for you, but the tendency of games to throw up unexpected events makes for sometimes awkward plot turns which are harder to circumvent when you pledge not to reload and such. Choosing a plot-first approach requires more experience and thought before one moves his quill or army, but offers more flexibility to deviate from the game somewhat should things go somewhat against plan.
Gameplay oriented AARs typically have more pictures of various aspects of the game, and use more in-game elements to give readers information. Plot/text oriented AARs typically are the opposite, and imagery is relied upon as support/highlight rather than a core part of the story.

Background (game, faction, period)
Typically the choice of game will determine this for you, but even the scope of a single game there is much to be decided. A faction must be decided upon, and this will provide you with the cultural and social backdrop for your story. For a story to be immersive the world presented should be as close to realistic as possible, so it's more advisable usually to write about a faction that one is passionate about and at least somewhat knowledgeable in. A familiarity with the native language is helpful but not essential - a general grasp of certain mannerisms and common phrases is often enough. Salve!
Word of caution: given the cosmopolitan nature of the interwebs, a great many people will be unfamiliar with certain cultures, periods and backgrounds. If you choose a more familiar period (medieval England, the Roman republic) you may be able to cut down on introductions of the background and social structure, amongst other things. The reverse is true for more exotic locales (Sengoku-period Japan, Latin Greece, you name it...)

Character decisions
Do you write with a single character at the core of your story? A king perhaps, a knight, or a mere pauper who rises through the ranks? Do you write about a family, a band of brothers, the royal court of your faction? The number of characters in a story - particularly the number present simultaneously at any one moment - will define how complicated your story is both to write and read. It is often advisable to start with relatively few important characters and introduce more as the story progresses. It's easier to write and your reader gets a gentler learning curve getting into the story.

Perspective
First-person or third-person, that is the question. First person narrative makes inner feelings and mental fluctuations easier to describe in some ways, but at the same time the focus on a single character may make it harder to give well rounded accounts of everyone else. Immersion is achievable in both, but possibly easier with the former as your narrative can be more personal and brings your readers closer that character, especially if your main character is the one experiencing plenty of mental strife.

Themes
A good story has multiple themes running through it. Each main character will have a set of themes that apply to them - in terms of personality, mission, fears, likes, etc. This helps readers identify with the characters and follow the story. Vengeance, ambition, the search for a loved one - these could each be a theme a character, several characters as a group or your story as a whole follow. It is important to avoid clichéd storylines, so be creative with what you have your characters do. It is often good to think a few chapters ahead when you are planning your story - so you can introduce new characters ahead of time, introduce new concepts, hint at future developments, etc. The more experienced a writer is the easier it becomes, so don't worry if you find it difficult to think too far ahead of your story/gameplay.

Technical information
Just like there are different writers of AARs there are many different types of readers. Some will prefer a more narrative based story while others will demand to know what's going on in the campaign. How much technical information - maps, unit cards, diplomatic relations, treasury - will be determined to a large extent by how gameplay-based you've made your story. Be mindful of the style of your own AAR, and cater to the audience it's likely to attract.

Prologue

Prologue
In fiction writing, prologues are used for various reasons, including triggering the plot, providing some background for the setting and introducing the main character(s). Prologues can be (and in fact mostly are) detached from the main story, most commonly from the story time but occasionally from the story location. With this the writer can recount events and scenes that will be important to understand the plot or character development later on. A good example may be Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth which opens with an execution scene, seemingly unrelated to the plot until many pages later. The prologue is the first chapter the readers see, therefore it has to be well-written and exciting to generate interest in the plot and the characters - the rest of the story.

In AARs, prologues only make sense if you plan to write a plot-driven story. If the AAR is more like a game walkthrough where you don't plan to have story characters or actions that are beyond the game, prologues would not stand separate from the rest of the narrative and therefore should be avoided. Do not confuse a prologue with an introductory chapter where you let the reader know about the faction, difficulty, initial family tree, character traits etc. Prologues only deal with the plot and usually do not have information about the technical aspects of the game. Examples of how a prologue could jump start the story include introducing the main character (fictional or game-provided) in the middle of action, telling the story of an old battle that put the ruling family in place or using a narrative in which somebody remembers back to the times that will be told in the AAR. If you want to write a plot-heavy AAR, prologues could work exactly as in fiction writing: you can open with a scene which has nothing to do with the game, but may be very important for your background story.

AARs have been using various approaches to prologues. There is no right approach that would fit any writer. The usefulness of the prologue is determined by the type of AAR somebody wants to write. This is a very flexibility element of writing, and you can use it in various ways to set up your story. Some of your reading assignments give you examples for this.

Outside readings

Assignment

**Tar-Elendil** · August 21, 2012, 06:26 AM

I am excited for this first assignment. Just a quick question to clarify--by not including any "technical details" or starting a game you mean you simply want us to choose all of that on our own, but not make it a part of the prologue?

**♔The Black Knight♔** · August 21, 2012, 06:29 AM

Ok, ill get started as soon as possible since school starts tomorrow.

Also do you want us to post our stuff in this thread or pm it to you guys?

**Radzeer** · August 21, 2012, 06:48 AM

Originally Posted by Tar-Elendil

I am excited for this first assignment. Just a quick question to clarify--by not including any "technical details" or starting a game you mean you simply want us to choose all of that on our own, but not make it a part of the prologue?

What we mean is that we are not really interested in the technical details, like difficulty, faction etc. Focus the prologue on the plot and story setup. You don't have to start a campaign just for this, you can write it up as a fiction writer would do it. The purpose of the assignment is to introduce your story. You can make all the choices and even start a sample campaign if you think that helps, but we will be interested in the narrative part.

Originally Posted by ♔The Black Knight♔

Ok, ill get started as soon as possible since school starts tomorrow.

Also do you want us to post our stuff in this thread or pm it to you guys?

Assignments have to be PMed to us.

---

I posted some general guidelines in the feedback thread, hopefully that clarifies a few things too.

**Derpy Hooves** · August 22, 2012, 12:03 AM

Can I make my prologue public? Like could I add it to my creative writing thread after the course ends?

Also, I assume that this hypothetical AAR could be a BAAR?

**Radzeer** · August 22, 2012, 08:17 AM

Yes, you can publicize it once the course is over. It is your intellectual product after all.
While you will be required to write certain pieces of an imaginary AAR, those by themselves will not come together as a complete product. You can of course use them later for any competition you see fit.

**Confederate Jeb** · August 28, 2012, 09:46 PM

Apologies guys; real life (school and unforeseen issues) and other writing projects have kept me business. I'll try to send in my work for this by tomorrow.