After Action Reports vs Let’s Plays
I’ve been thinking about the term “Let’s Play” and the term “After Action Report”. I had considered them interchangeable, but I’ve decided there is a difference, and it’s in how the story is delivered. AARs are usually posted on a web page as a story without comment from the audience. Let’s Plays, on the other hand, are usually written up on a forum and often include a lot of reader interaction with the author.
With this handy and sensible definition I’m going to start using the terms on this blog with this distinction in mind.
“Matches & Matrimony” lets play a regency dating game!
Angie Gallant, her of the weird and funny Hatoful Boyfriend lets play has started another lets play for the game Matches & Matrimony, which is a dating game featuring Jane Austen protagonists! The lets play is a hoot and you can check the game out for yourself here.
Hatoful Boyfriend – psychotic pigeon dating game!
Ever been interested in dating games? How about dating games featuring pigeons? How about dating games featuring pigeons and a homicidal fat bird? Regardless of your answer you should be, because Angie Gallant’s AAR of pigeon dating game Hatoful Boyfriend is quite possibly the best AAR of 2011.
Seriously, go read this AAR right now. It’s funny as hell and yes, there really is a dating game about pigeons. Of course, it’s from Japan, which might explain some of the other very strange features I won’t spoil for you!
2011 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
London Olympic Stadium holds 80,000 people. This blog was viewed about 770,000 times in 2011. If it were competing at London Olympic Stadium, it would take about 10 sold-out events for that many people to see it.
Great big scaredy-gamer
Thanks to the Steam sale I’ve been playing The Ship again as friends pick up gifted copies. Playing again reminds me why I never played for a long the first time round: I am a great big scaredy-cat when it comes to certain types of gameplay! Am I alone?
Give me a gun and a hallway of aliens, zombies or dragons and I am just fine, but The Ship makes me terrified of going into cruise liner bathrooms least someone beat me to death with a pot or umbrella. I am not actually sure I can enjoy the game fully as I spend a lot of time finding high powered weaponry and then nervously blowing away anyone who gets in my personal space (which in The Ship is anywhere closer than 10m). I realized the other night that my favourite way to play is to sit in an armchair next to a security guard as this is not stressful. Walking around? Madness! A fur coat wearing, pool cue wielding maniac could be around any corner!
Don’t even get me started on proper horror games like Penumbra. I made it up to a wild dog (about 10 minutes in to the first game) and promptly never played again. Or how about Aliens vs Predator? I distinctly remember early in the Human campaign crawling trough some tunnel when a pipe drops that is shaped like a Alien’s head. I think I wet myself a little.
Sadly, I do love a good scary film or story. I guess there’s something about games with high personal threat and a low-power protagonist that just hits all the fight/flight centers in my brain.
Am I alone in this? Does anyone out there love game horror?
Artemis Bridge Simulator – Qt3 AAR
Some lucky people on the Qt3 forums played Artemis Bridge Simulator tonight, and fortunately for us, they live blogged their experiences on the Artemis thread there. It’s an amusing read and worth a look.
Mori Clan AAR: Summer 1555 – Summer 1558
With Shikoku pacified, Motonari turned his attention to fulfilling the Shogun’s wishes and weakening the Takeda. Takamoto reamined in Awa only long enough to repair battle-damage to the castle and recruit a small garrison to remind the population of their duty to the Daimyo.
As soon as he was ready, Takamoto’s army boarded ships and sailed east.
As he had advanced in years, Motonari had evidently discovered that his wife had also advanced in years, for his womanising ways had now reached the point that his frequent distractions now slowed his army on the march.
Mori Clan AAR: Autumn 1552 – Spring 1555
Mori Clan AAR: Summer 1550 – Summer 1552
Although Motonari did not want to sully his own honour by embarking upon a war against a clan with whom he had long enjoyed a positive trading relationship, he was nevertheless hopeful that he might be able to acquire the two provinces currently controlled by the Ouchi. To this end, he took the bulk of his army out of Hamada castle in Iwami, and had them hide in forests near the road. He hoped that the traders would inform the Ouchi of the minimal defences in Hamada castle, and that the Ouchi would seize the opportunity to attack.
Signs that conflict in central Honshu were leading to the consolidation of power by certain, unknown Daimyo were further heightened by news that the Hojo clan had been destroyed. Read more…
Mori Clan AAR: Winter 1549 – Spring 1550
The potential for conflict with the Ouchi weighed on Motonari’s mind. He began searching for alternative allies. The Shoni, who were allied to the Ouchi, and who had a daughter married into the Mori clan, could not be persuaded to formalise their strong relationship with the Mori into an alliance.
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