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Thread: The Critic's Quill: Issue 11

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    Default The Critic's Quill: Issue 11


    Letter from the Editor
    It has been a while since our last issue; an impromptu holiday caused by my severe case of the sniffles and then a freshers week, which those who have been through one can tell you is very hard on one's constitution. But we are back, with issue 11.

    For Issue 11 we say goodbye to [user]Selifator[/user], a good and loyal writer, who sadly leaves us because of the pressure, both academic and time, of returning to full time education. In his place I am happy to welcome [user]Kallum[/user] to our little team. He has, for his first contribution, shared with us his thoughts on the rise of the Timurid AARs. [user]Juvenal[/user] also gives us several tips on how to write better AARs, an article I urge you to read, since it is coming from one of the most successful AAR writers on the forum. There are also the regular staple of AAR reviews, with a few gems picked out, which I am sure you'll enjoy reading.

    That is all for now, so I hope you enjoy our latest offering.

    Thanks
    [user]Junius[/user]



    Table of Contents





    Alexander Reborn Review
    I personally was unsure if any new AARs were coming through to replace the gaping hole left by the absence of The Eastern Eagle, Ishtar Gate to Alexandria and Hannibal Avenger of Dido, amongst others. Although the last 2 will be resurrected and Antiochos VII has moved on to write Ultimus Romanorum, I was sure that the task of upholding the RTW AAR community would collapse.


    We start with the basics. Alexander Reborn focuses on the fallout of Alexander the Great's splinter kingdoms - a firm favourite for RTW AARtists. However, rather than depicting the Ptolemies or the Seleucids, Lysimachus has chosen to show the story from the Macedonian viewpoint. The story's chapters are broken into sections according to the reign of the Macedonian Kings, who are trying to restore Makedonia to the glory of Alexander. Simple, yes... but simpler is ALWAYS better. This also gives a very convenient structure to the AAR, allowing for easy roaming through it from the contents at the front of the thread as well - an ingenious little idea which I believe will pay big dividends.

    Such measures suggest an intelligent and meticulous writer - and I wasn't wrong. His writing is strong and vivid, mixing sentences and vocabulary all sealed with solid grammar that makes his prologue and indeed his campaign description easy to read. But here's the most discerning point about this AAR: the compromises.

    Now, compromising on an AAR are a bad thing. You end up with no/few pictures, little/bad quality text and therefore a poorly fiinished product that few would read if their lives depended upon it. Lysimachus fought the law... but the law lost. Lysimachus in my opinion has proved that an AAR can be well and truly balanced. Never have I seen an AAR with such a perfect mixture. Some would claim that they want a polarised AAR and I agree, but on the other hand it is obvious to me also that to create such a thing as Alexander Reborn would require so much skill that he is in danger of skill overload - which, thankfully is impossible.

    His characterisation follows this - he doesn't tell us their life story, but we know a bit of personality and get a good feel for them too. He knows how to take a good screenshot too:



    No UI, good angles, but not edited like some POTW superstar... absolutely wonderful. The captions are spot on - For example, the phalanx picture was captioned with this :


    The fighting is slowly degenerating into a melee. The morale of the Ptolemies is starting to crack.
    , and the other.
    Demetrius personally leading the charge just how Alexander would have

    They're good for the tide of battle, but not flowery and over-lingering. Lovely stuff. So waht more could you want from an AAR?

    Well, unfortunately I know this AAR will not be for everyone. Lysimachus will sit and scratch his head. He thinks, 'I have done everything they want... but they don't like it? What the f/&! do you mean!', and rightly so. What I mean is that some people will want to see an AAR which has pictures that make your eyes melt, or text that's like having sex (well, not quite that good, but pretty bloody excellent anyway) - they don't want to see a guy who does very good everything - they want excellence, not all rounders.

    But it's hard to tell who will and who won't - so I urge people to look at this AAR and decide - is this right for you? If you want a style of the author, that's there. You have lovely pics,plot,style,characters... the list goes on and on. So then... the all rounder.

    It might just suprise you

    [user]SonofAlexander[/user]

    In the Footsteps of the Great Belisarius Review
    A Kingdoms AAR...
    Written by the gifted
    Master412160
    In the Footsteps of the Great Belisarius
    AAR Review

    Master412160 is somewhat a well known member in TWCenter, seen anywhere in the Q&S forums and in the AAR fora, and here he comes with a new AAR following the Byzantine Empire in M2TW: Kingdoms...

    Overview
    This AAR starts off pretty nicely, the prologue is well written, giving you a lot of background information about the characters and brings up characters for you to 'fall for' and others for you to hate, it is well written... But sadly, it's the only part.

    Writing Style
    The writing style Master starts with is pretty nice and promising, I expected much from the AAR once I read the prologue, but as I continued on... All I could do was shake my head.

    The dialogues are superficial and I don't see myself, or any other reader, falling for them or really liking them...
    Lufus Sefti: A candidate has present himself to be adopted to Prince Stefanos. Constantine Dalassena is a loyal and expierienced general. He has many good traits.
    Florus Delve: Prince Stefanos he is noble,religious, and smart. Also a good commander. I think you should accept him to become your stepson.
    Prince Stefanons: Yes he can be a excellent general, accept!
    Pastor Zeno: My emperor, we have constructed the following buildings:
    -3 dirt roads, and 3 chapels.
    Emperor Manuel: Good to hear that, now I want farms and brothels to be constructed. Our economy needs to grow, also build mines.
    What I did like though, is the fact that Master used a purple font for the dialogue and speech and a regular font for narration, it makes the AAR far easier to read indeed.

    Pictures
    This AAR is heavily reliant on pictures, only telling a very shallow story behind the pictures and nothing more, however those pictures are pretty nicely edited - A bright spot in a dark tunnel.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Grammar
    It is understandable that Master's grammar is not the best, but it can sometimes really confuse the reader and really take away from the AAR

    I do not dare to say all of his wordings and grammar are bad, they are not, but many of them are and it makes a confusing reading experience. It's not the end of the world, but it is annoying.

    Critique
    Master's style is not for me, I think he can improve this easily enough to produce a better and more captivating AAR.Also, I think he can improve his writing by reducing his picture reliance and in improving his grammar/wordings.

    My main issue with this AAR is that it is incredibly shallow, providing no depth to the reading experience and makes the reading experience boring at best. The characters must develop more, instead of just making unsatisfying dialogues, make believable and character based dialogues, I mean, let the words of the character be affected by the way he/she generally behaves.

    Conclusion
    Master tries very hard and I must say I am impressed at his attempts, he has improved greatly since the last time I saw him write, but he still has a long way to go, all I can say is good luck - And don't rely on pictures too much.

    By
    Nazgűl Killer.
    Crenellations: A Tragical Chronicle Review AAR Review : "Crenellations": A Tragical Chronicle
    By Thomas Hospitaller

    I’m back with another M2 : TW AAR review, this time I’ll be taking you trough the ups and down of "Crenellations": A Tragical Chronicle.
    This AAR about the Knight Templar’s is using Stainless Steel 6.1 ,with the Knight Templar mini-mod.
    Something I found very handy when seeing this AAR at first was that there was a complete Index of each update to show in which post and page you can find the updates.
    It would be even better if they would link you straight towards it but it’s helpful nonetheless.

    Now about the AAR itself, having read through the whole AAR in one go I must say it has taken a grip on me. It isn’t the best AAR I’ve ever read but it certainly up there with the very good ones. It goes deep into the history of the templar’s. You can clearly see that Thomas Hospitaller has a good knowledge of that past.
    The way the story is written also has a great deal into the reason I enjoyed the AAR so much. I can hear you think, “Well off course that has a lot to do with it as it is an AAR” but Thomas really succeeded in taking the readers into the story.

    Philip de Clermont stood still, feet firmly rooted to the lawn by elaborate and thick greaves. Those inimitable green eyes surveyed the scene unfolding before him. A great hole had been opened in the western wall astride the Turkish gate, and two score of men were grappling with time to bring water buckets and crude jugs across the patch of dead grass just in front of the Turkish gate. A small warehouse for the storage of crossbows and arquebuses had been demolished by a great shot, and conflagrations were breaking out in the Lower City. Massive fireworks were sparking dangerous flashes of light, and the rush for water was so desparate that a few lay brothers from one of the monasteries on Long Street had been recruited to the task.
    From the start you feel like you are standing aside the brave warrior from times long passed because of the great descriptions. Maybe the AAR could go a little deeper into the characters but it is good now as it is. But anything can always improve and with some more deepness this would be one of the most promising AAR to look to that I have seen from a mostly unknown AARtist.
    I did spot a few small spelling errors but nothing grave enough to break the story. It would be good if those little error could be avoided but I was still impressed by it.

    The great story is accompanied by great historical drawings and beautiful (in-game) pictures. Also pictures are provided going deeper into the history of the Templar’s. There isn’t really anything bad I can tell you about the pictures. They complete the story, are not overused, not even under-used. He found a great balance between writing and capturing the eye with striking illustrations.












    All in all I must say that I was deeply impressed by this AAR and am looking forward to future updates. The little flaws like a few minor spelling mistakes and that it perhaps could go a little deeper into the characters really fall into grace in the over-all view. With some minor improvement this could really grow into a magnificent AAR and I wish Thomas the best of luck with it.

    Ratbag

    Greek Cities Speed Run Review Greek Cities Speed Run

    An AAR by [user]Genius of the Restoration[/user]

    OK, this isn’t an AAR in the traditional sense, indeed it isn’t even posted in the AAR area. Nevertheless, it is a full description of an RTW vanilla Greek Cities campaign, and I think it is well worth the read, even for veterans of RTW such as myself.

    When I first started playing RTW (in 2004!) the first thing I did was to look for faction playing guides. The guide for Greek Cities advised the player to bribe his way to victory. This was justified by the fact that Greek units were outclassed by most of their rivals, while their economic potential was enormous once they controlled sea trade in the Aegean.

    This advice was subsequently made obsolete by the increase of bribery costs in later RTW patches, but I was left with a vague fondness for the old fashioned cavalry-poor Greek Cities faction. So you can imagine that when I came across this AAR from Genius of the Restoration, my interest was well and truly piqued.

    The author’s prose is clear, relaxed and friendly. Even though he is embarking on a speed run on VH/VH difficulty there is no hint of bragging, and as a reader, I felt included in the project and became quite attracted to the prospect of trying a speed-run myself.

    Genius of the Restoration begins by specifying his campaign parameters and house rules, and explaining the starting position of the Greek Cities, and why it is a good candidate for a speed run. He then launches into his turn-by-turn account of the campaign.

    The account explains the campaign movements and some of the battles. For important battles it includes the battle result statistics. The account is interspersed with lessons: descriptions of the various tricks that he uses to achieve a successful speed run. Some of these lessons differ from what you might do in a campaign. For example, only economic buildings are constructed. There is no point going up the military tech tree because you will only be recruiting from the rapidly advancing fringe of your empire.

    One thing that makes a speed run exciting is that you almost never have full stacks. Using smaller forces allows expansion in more directions and encourages AI garrisons to sally, thus allowing the capture of settlements without lengthy sieges, essential to the successful speed-runner.

    Extermination is the order of the day, allowing smaller garrisons for captured cities, and bringing in much-needed cash to buy mercenaries. Man-of-the-Hour is also an important part of the speed-run technique. Small stacks are more likely to win heroic victories, and the rapidly increasing region count brings adoptions in abundance.

    More lessons follow thick and fast: a V-shaped phalanx formation to frustrate charging cavalry, using the rally button to prevent your general being in the front rank when your bodyguard charges, methods for ensuring the enemy general is killed (important when the battle is outside a settlement and you want to take vacant possession the following turn).

    As each turn goes past, the pace increases with more and more activity as the boundaries of empire extend. Then, all too soon, victory comes. With one settlement remaining to be taken, the author resorts to selling most of the buildings in his empire to fund one last desperate bribery attempt... and it works!

    The whole account is a joy to read, if you are an experienced player then you may enjoy evaluating the worth of his tips and tricks. I would challenge anyone who reads this AAR not to feel the vague stirrings of a desire to emulate the speed-run. It seems to me that this feeling in itself is the greatest praise such a work can receive.

    So, what are you waiting for? Go read it now!

    Review by [user]Juvenal[/user]
    The Might of Wales Review A Kingdoms AAR...
    Written by the talented
    DaVegaNL...
    The Might of Wales
    AAR Review

    DaVega is a new member here in TWCenter and has written an AAR that is fun to read and really well detailed, with good wordings, grammar and storyline, this AAR makes a very nice read. In addition, for the picture lovers, there are plenty of pictures to this AAR.

    Writing Style
    DaVega's writing style isn't something extremely unique but it is somewhat rare at TWCenter, he supplies a solid storyline and many dialogues amongst his characters, supplying valid reasons for actions he took throughout his campaign and lets his imagination spreads its wings to something not short of mighty glory.

    Now, the Prologue is without a doubt unique, showing you the characters face out and setting all the cards on the table but in a very well written manner, in addition, supplies background in a form of writing of as-if you, as the reader, asked the questions and the character in the AAR provided the answer, but I'll continue on that later.
    My name is Duwalyn In Powyff, and I’ve been a member of the royal court of Wales for several years now’, the man explains to you, after you have asked him for his name.


    Now, in addition to doing that which I had already stated, DaVega makes life easy on the reader by making the character speech in a blue color and the narration in a gray color, this makes it far easier to read this AAR and a whole lot more fun - Easier to concentrate.

    The Prologue
    I simply must point out the prologue DaVega written, it is simply fun to read!
    The prologue sucks you into the whole experience, making you think you are the one asking the questions, and is very well written - A very good way of presenting a new AAR to a wide audience.
    While doing that, the prologue supplies some hefty background information, somewhat of a history lesson inside the AAR of sort (Historical accuracy aside), it can be hard to keep track of but it adds so much depth to the AAR that it simply does not matter, you can just flip back to the first few updates and read up on lost material.

    Pictures
    The pictures in this AAR come at good timing, after enough background material have been set for them and are quite nicely edited, the pictures of the battles, however, could be better if DaVega would've turned off the UI... But everyone makes their own choices.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Oh yes, but let us not forget the pictures of events that have been very well edited, almost making you forget about the game altogether, along with the great storyline.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    Exposure
    It is sad that this AAR has gotten as little exposure as it did, people rarely comment on it and the AAR only has one solid and steady reader... This is a real shame as this is a very good AAR that should not be easily passed upon, I have little bad to say about it, if anything.

    Critique
    With all the good being said, now it's time for the bad;
    Some phrases in this AAR are badly placed, as they just don't really fit. For example, the phrase of "The weather turned from good to worse" simply does not exist, instead you could say "From the good weather it was earlier, to now what appears to be very bad weather" - It sounds better, and does not look like a phrase when it shouldn't.

    Another thing that I must add, is that this AAR demands a lot of the reader, it demands to be kept in the storyline and remember many details, almost like a history essay. Whilst I may enjoy that part, it could be that others are deterred by that, it does indeed add depth to the AAR, but an AAR should also be sometimes a lighter read.

    Conclusion
    A fantastic AAR from an enthusiastic writer, which both have gotten far too little exposure, not an AAR to pass off on, it is an excellent AAR that supplies a very solid storyline and enjoyable imagery, it supplies with dialogues that will give you a sense of realism and also sometimes bring a smile to your face;
    To conclude? A wonderful AAR to read and one heck of a reading experience. Great work, DaVega!

    By Nazgűl Killer.

    A New Kind of AAR? by Kallum A new kind of AAR?

    I think we can all safely agree on the fact that the main AAR branches are: the interactive AAR, the role-play AAR, the comedy AAR and then last but not least the diary styled AAR, in which we closely follow the campaign as it is played without the addition of plots and deep characters. But I would like to introduce to you the latest fashion in the AAR world: The player versus a world occupied by the black horde also known as the Timurids, or Timurid AAR if you will. Even though this concept is still in it’s crib I think we are on the verge of something new.

    The concept is quite simple; the player takes a faction that will fight it’s legendary war against the dreaded Tims, he builds an empire to at least have a stronghold from where he can make a last stand and then push the Tims back. Patience is required as you need to wait until the Tims own at least half of the map before the story becomes interesting, so be prepared to wait till atleast turn 800 or so. Once your nation finally shares a border with the massive Timurid Empire and you’ve used the add_money 40000 several times to give you access to at least six stacks composed of only the strongest units, you can begin to write your epic tale about your nation’s heroic fight for freedom.

    The father of all this is of course Dunecat, who struck awe with his AAR, in which he described the tale of the Russians established in America launching an assault against a black Europe. Unfortunately his good yet short work was due to reasons unknown to us left behind unfinished. His AAR lay dormant for quite some time and after months without updates we all thought that the Timurid AARs would never return. But then Alzu came.

    In him I see the son who wants to complete the job that his father left him. Of course that’s not entirely fair towards Alzu but I can’t think of him other then that. Alzu revived the interest for the Timurid AAR and proved that we are dealing with something that we can’t simply ignore. With Alzu we can say that the Timurid AAR has finally outgrown the other experimental AARs(like Marxist’s AAR for example) and is now on it’s way to become a new branch of the Medieval II AAR forum.

    One could say that that the Timurid AAR is a form of the simple ahistorical role-play AAR, but I respectfully disagree, mainly because unlike many rp AARs the Timurid AAR’s focus lay mainly with the battles against the Tims and what’s more there are almost no deep characters with intrigues and plots other then the generals who fight the battles. And that is where I think where we are missing something.

    In my opinion Alzu’s AAR about the Danes is very shallow and repetitive. Although I initially reacted overjoyed when I saw what he was doing I now am a little bit weary. His idea is good but his average of 4 screenshots per one line text is to little to earn my love and respect. It could be because I’m spoiled with the novels of Theodotus, SonofAlexander and RedOctober but when I read an AAR I want to read a good story and not just battle after battle and I think, no I know, that I’m not the only one who feels like this. Dunecat however did got me thrilled, when I first read his AAR I thought damn, this is something to look in to and perhaps an idea for a future project!

    So will the legacy of Dunecat(one dead but very popular AAR)be the founding of a new type of AAR? Yes I think so. The readers love to see a seemingly endless struggle against a far more powerful foe, no matter in what way it is presented, even if it is played by the most hated faction of all. I also have to add though that uploading the save file to TWC has also paved the road for the new genre. By purpose or not, this is a very easy way to get to know the situation you are up against when fighting the Tims and it will be a good preparation as you learn tactics to defeat their blasted elephants in battle.

    So if you are a new person here and you want to make a name for yourself? Grab your Medieval II game, play with your favourite faction and wait for the Tims to come and let them build their empire. Is their empire of a respective size? Well then install fraps and post your new AAR, do it quickly as when more people start to write more people will be less interested in it, which is good for AARtists of the old guard like me and others.


    Kallum


    AAR Writing Tips by Junius AAR Writing Tips

    Introduction
    In this article I am going to talk about things I do to improve my AARs. It is not prescriptive, you can produce good work without doing all of the things I describe. Indeed my methods may not even suite your writing style. Nevertheless, I hope you will find some of these things helpful in your own work.


    Making Characters
    As I explained in a previous article, you will almost certainly need an interesting cast of characters for a successful AAR. Since it is an AAR, these characters will have to have some connection with the game-play. The easiest thing is to use the Faction leader and Royal Family, but I like to utilise ancillaries and agents as well in order to get different viewpoints of the action. I often make up characters who are tied to particular armies, such as a master of horse, or even a unit commander.

    Episodes
    AARs are written in episodes, just like serials in magazines. Since episodes are going to be read individually with substantial gaps between them, it is important that each one can stand alone. I believe that an episode should have a single main subject. There should be an introduction or setup, a main body and, most importantly, a conclusion of some kind. It is perfectly OK (and fun) to create cliff-hanger endings, which leave the reader desperate to learn the conclusion, but even these must still function as a valid ending to the arc of the episode.

    Supporting Material
    An AAR can consist solely of the text of the story. Personally I am perfectly happy with this, but the wider readership will be expecting battle pictures. I think that it is important for pictures to support the text. This requires the meaning of the picture within the context of that story to be clear. I have seen a lot of screen-shots in AARs where I just couldn't work out who was who or what part of the story was being depicted. My own system is to write battle narratives from the pictures, so hopefully I will always get a good match-up. Another trick is to put captions on the pictures. I try to make my captions act as comments on the action rather than just repeating the text. In this way they hopefully complement the story as well as tying the picture to the appropriate event within it. In exceptional cases I will even annotate a picture, writing commander's names and showing lines of march.

    Personally I like to add non-battle pictures to help add flavour to the story. In particular I have collected portraits to help bring my characters to life. I think that a portrait is a powerful factor in helping the reader identify with a character. If you can make them care about the character, then the events of the story will have a much greater impact.

    As an additional decoration, I put a quote at the start of each episode. I carefully select my quotes to be relevant to the story - indeed, sometimes I actually have to alter an episode to better fit the quote! My purpose with quotes is to provide the ultimate summary. If you have already read an episode, then the quote provides a cue to help you remember what it was about without having to read the whole thing through again.

    The Art of Writing Prose
    Everyone has their own style, but there are still some important points which I think are applicable to everyone's writing. Firstly, if you write an AAR consisting entirely of battle descriptions or campaign decisions, then readers are likely to tire of it. You need to have changes of pace. The contrast between calm and hectic passages enhances the special flavour of each. Secondly, think about tenses - yes I know it's boring, but random use of tenses will give the reader a vague sense of dissatisfaction which may prompt them to abandon your AAR entirely, putting it down to poor writing. Thirdly, it is good to spice up your narrative with contrasting viewpoints (unless it is first-person of course). Rather than having everything fully described, it is nice to introduce a little ambiguity by means of different characters having contrasting views of the action. Fourthly, it is difficult to tell a story entirely through dialogue without the reader getting bored. Given my own level of skill, I use dialogue sparingly with exposition setting the context and much of the dialogue merely implied from the description.

    Quality Assurance
    After you have written your latest masterpiece of sparkling wit and gut-wrenching action, don't post it straight away. Leave it awhile and then come back later and read it through carefully. The first thing you should look for is spelling mistakes and missing words. Even with a spelling checker, you can still easily use the wrong word (I constantly write Their instead of There and often forget to include connecting words between phrases). The second thing to look for is bad flow, something that sounded fine to the mind's ear while writing may turn out to be horribly awkward on second reading. Try reading the story out loud, flow problems should quickly become apparent, and they can usually be fixed quite easily with a bit of rearrangement and minor changes of wording.

    Afterword
    I am just an amateur writer, my tips and insights coming from experience, and a lot of reading. If you disagree with anything I've said, or think I've missed something important, then by all means please post your thoughts. I am always looking for ways to improve my writing, and I think that talking about it is one of the best methods for finding both weaknesses and new ideas. Happy writing everyone!

    [user]Juvenal[/user]

    From the Editor's Desk
    We continue onward to Issue 12. I am also looking for new writers for the CQ, so PM with your AAR experience and a sample of your writing.

    I want to thank all the contributors, including [user]Ratbag[/user], [user]Juvenal[/user], [user]SonofAlexander[/user], [user]Kallum[/user] and [user]Nazgul Killer[/user]. I would also like to thank the writers and visitors to the AAR boards , which make it a great place.

    See you next time .

    [user]Junius[/user]



    Last edited by Juvenal; March 31, 2010 at 08:12 AM. Reason: changed thread title
    Proud to be under the patronage of Calvin.
    Patron of Lysimachus

  2. #2

    Default Re: The Eagle Standard Presents: The Critic's Quill Volume I Edition XI

    Back in business, we are my young padawan!
    | "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it." |

    My Workshop |The Graphics Workshop| Critic's Quill |Imperium Graecorum

  3. #3
    Monarchist's Avatar Civitate
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    Default Re: The Eagle Standard Presents: The Critic's Quill Volume I Edition XI

    Thanks for the review, Ratbag. Also, thanks to Junius for continuing to create this excellent issue!
    "Pauci viri sapientiae student."
    Cicero

  4. #4

    Default Re: The Eagle Standard Presents: The Critic's Quill Volume I Edition XI

    Thanks, an other great volume! I see my AAR is bad, all I can do is try and improve. I know my character don't have a deep real character, its like a converastion about what is happening in the pic. Its not easy, and you are righ my friend its true, people have told me that to, its boring and so.

    But its an honour to have my AAR reviewed!
    One of the few to still have his first avatar in place here on TWC.
    I sometimes miss this place you know. This is where my journey began.


  5. #5
    Junius's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: The Eagle Standard Presents: The Critic's Quill Volume I Edition XI

    I have to really hand it to Master for his commitment and his willingness to listen to criticism. I know it is hard to have your AAR reviewed and it not come out completely positively. I have to thank all the writers, not just of the CQ, but of the AARs as well, because without them, where would we be?

    A little ed note just to finish this off. Thomas Hospitaller is also known as [user]Monarchist[/user], so apologies about that.
    Proud to be under the patronage of Calvin.
    Patron of Lysimachus

  6. #6

    Default Re: The Eagle Standard Presents: The Critic's Quill Volume I Edition XI

    Great job, guys! Some real winners being produced this time around.

    Game of the Fates
    Mod of the week on hold -- I've played nearly every RTW mod out there.
    BOYCOTT THE USE OF SMILEYS! (Okay, just once)
    Antiochos VII...last true scion of the Seleucid dynasty...rest in peace, son of Hellas.
    I've returned--please forgive my long absence.

  7. #7
    René Artois's Avatar Dux Limitis
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    Default Re: The Eagle Standard Presents: The Critic's Quill Volume I Edition XI

    Expect a new AAR from me any time soon...
    Bitter is the wind tonight,
    it stirs up the white-waved sea.
    I do not fear the coursing of the Irish sea
    by the fierce warriors of Lothlind.

  8. #8
    Nazgűl Killer's Avatar ✡At Your Service✡
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    Default Re: The Eagle Standard Presents: The Critic's Quill Volume I Edition XI

    Quote Originally Posted by master412160 View Post
    Thanks, an other great volume! I see my AAR is bad, all I can do is try and improve. I know my character don't have a deep real character, its like a converastion about what is happening in the pic. Its not easy, and you are righ my friend its true, people have told me that to, its boring and so.

    But its an honour to have my AAR reviewed!
    You sir, keep amazing me time after time.

    I thank you for your sportsman-like attitude and willingness to accept criticism and I admire the fact that you see that there is room for improvement and that you are willing to improve - And I have no doubt that you will.
    I do wish you good luck my friend, and I hope to read your AAR again
    Nazgul Killer's M2TW Guide
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    My view on the "Friend Zone"
    Good things come to those who wait... But better things come to those who never hesitate.

  9. #9
    SonOfAlexander's Avatar I want his bass!
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    Default Re: The Eagle Standard Presents: The Critic's Quill Volume I Edition XI

    The 11th issue is finally here, the boys are back in town, WOO!
    Great issue, solid contributions over the whole board.
    Please come see the BAARC
    Proud Member of the Critic's Quill & ES content staff
    Under the benificient and omniscient patronage of Carl Von Döbeln
    Bono: "Let me tell you something. I've had enough of Irish Americans who haven't been back to their country in 20 or 30 years, and tell me about the 'Resistance', the 'Revolution' 'back home'. The 'glory' of the revolution, and the 'glory' of dying for the revolution. F *** THE REVOLUTION!!!"
    Ariovistus Maximus: "Google supplieth all."
    [Multi-AAR] Caelus Morsus Luminius

  10. #10
    Lysimachus's Avatar Spirit Cleric
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    Default Re: The Eagle Standard Presents: The Critic's Quill Volume I Edition XI

    That was one heck of a flattering review I got

    Now if only i'd be bothered to update it ...

  11. #11

    Default Re: The Eagle Standard Presents: The Critic's Quill Volume I Edition XI

    awesome as always keep it up

  12. #12
    Saint Nicholas's Avatar No Avatar Specified
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    Default Re: The Eagle Standard Presents: The Critic's Quill Volume I Edition XI

    Great edition of the 'Quill, always enjoy reading it.
    "Muscovy", as its rulers have previously called it, is a sleeping giant, with age-old traditions and ways of doing things. Here, the feudal way of life has become so entrenched that the serfs are as tied to the land as cattle, and with almost as few rights. It is a vast, deeply conservative and religious country: Mother Russia and the Orthodox Church are the two pillars of national belief. The Tsar may be the father of his people, but by tradition and practice he is a stern parent. Ivan the Terrible was well named, and he has not been the only ruler with an iron will. Russia is the "Third Rome". The last bastion of Orthodox Christianity.

  13. #13
    Viking Prince's Avatar Horrible(ly cute)
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    Default Re: The Eagle Standard Presents: The Critic's Quill Volume I Edition XI

    This gets better and better with each issue. A great job done by all.
    Grandson of Silver Guard, son of Maverick, and father to Mr MM|Rebel6666|Beer Money |bastard stepfather to Ferrets54
    The Scriptorium is looking for great articles. Don't be bashful, we can help with the formatting and punctuation. I am only a pm away to you becoming a published author within the best archive of articles around.
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