I don't know about other people out there in the wargame blogging world but one of the great pleasures for me in following other people's blogs is being able to see when they've posted a battle report, and then being able to read it.
I will read pretty much any battle report that I see. I'm not really much of a sci-fi man, but I'll even read sci-fi reports on occasion, which might give you some idea of how much I enjoy them and appreciate the effort that goes into making them.
I enjoy them for many reasons. It might be a good story, it might be lovely figures and / or terrain, it might be written in a style that grabs me, it might use a rules set I play or am interested in, it might explore a period I know, or a period that is new to me. It might be that I like the blogger personally (or as well as you can virtually) and am glad to see them writing; it could be for any number of other reasons I have not yet had occasion to think of.
But one thing that I do not like is any attempt to prescribe a format that battle reports must follow. There have been a couple of articles posted on various sites over the years - most recently on theminiaturespage.com* - about what the authors expect from a battle report and I must say that while I respect their right to a point of view I don't think that what one fellow likes needs to be turned into a list of commandments for others to follow.
It's hard enough to write a battle report as it is without someone creating a list of things that are supposed to be ticked off before a battle report can deserve the name. You put a bit of yourself into any report you write, and I think that needs to be appreciated and respected. It's all very well for someone with 100 followers and lots of mates down at the club to feel that they have a handle on what a report should be, but they don't have a mortgage on it, and everyone with 100 followers starts out at zero, and that can be a daunting place to be. Why make it harder?
Wargaming is a big hobby and there is room for all of us. I would not like to see the wonderful variety of individual approaches to after action reports being stilted by some kind of imaginary consensus on what makes a 'good' or 'bad' report.
So, write what you like, enjoy writing it, don't follow anyone else's idea of what a report should or should not be, and don't be afraid to share what you've written. If people don't like it they'll stop reading; if they do like it they'll carry on and, if you're lucky, leave a comment telling you so. Either way, all that really matters is that you've enjoyed yourself in the process.
*Edit: the chap on TMP has since said that he was not intending to lay down any hard and fast rules and was only saying what he likes to see in a report. I may therefore have been wrong in my impression he was being prescriptive.
Sounds good to me, Aaron!
ReplyDeleteCheers, Paul!
DeleteThe best writing is the writing you do for yourself. If you enjoy it, then you have at least one satisfied reader. If people make ocnstructive comments/criticisms take them on board. I can't stand turn by turn reports. They can be very dry. When I write I work from my memory and the photos. It makes the reports really subjective, and hopefully more personal.
ReplyDeleteHowever, at the end of the day, it isn't great art, is it?
Well, mine are certainly not great art! You however are just being modest ;-)
DeleteI love them too. It's especially helpful for systems I don't play or I'm thinking of playing. I need to find that post at TMP. And not get too bent up about it.
ReplyDeleteThe post in question was well-meaning and intended to be helpful, but I want to see more reports posted on TMP, not fewer!
DeleteI think your main point, write what you enjoy, is a good one. I'm with Trebian in that I don't really care for turn by turn reports, although I've written a few like that. The most recent "how to" on AAR's brought up some good points, but writing a novel length AAR is not for me. My preferred method these days is to do a comic book style. I am considering purchasing comic life as I spend an inordinate amount of time creating it in GIMP.
ReplyDeleteOh and as for tips from said article, I think avoiding jargon and acronyms is a good idea as well as describing the mechanics slightly for other gamers. I tend to preach to the choir/assume everyone knows what I'm talking about.
Comic style? Haven't seen any of those. I'll keep an eye on your blog then!
DeleteNicely said, Aaron. I really enjoy writing mine up and change the format each time. I don't know whether to go for game turn by game turn approach or just a narrative of the key actions. I have tried both! I like to include lots of pics to illustrate though I think I should start off with a map to give the reader a chance to understand the layout.
ReplyDeleteOne reason for my writing of the reports is for me to remember what I did in laying out the game and any rule changes made - so that I can incorporate the good bits again in future!
Many thanks for your kind comments on my blog by the way! :-)
Best wishes,
Jason (http://lightbobsandpaintblobs.blogspot.com/)
Hi Jason, funnily enough, the main reason I write reports is the same as yours - to record what happened so I can remember it! The brain cells don't function quite as well as they used to :) Thanks for dropping by! Cheers
DeleteWell said, Aaron! I agree with your assessment. Writing BatReps is hard work. Some I enjoy reading thoroughly; others I skim. To dictate style upon others who produce these hobby efforts is a bit much. We all have our likes and dislikes in reading and writing these battle accounts and, of course, everyone has their own opinion.
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic!
Thanks Jonathan, I used to see it a bit elsewhere too, mainly regarding board wargames, and used to have the same reaction. To be fair, the TMP chap has since said that he was merely giving his opinion and did not intend to dictate to anyone, so I may have misinterpreted him.
DeleteWell said and I totally agree with you. I haven't seen the TMP post so won't comment.
ReplyDeleteA reason I write reports is so I have a record of games I've played. I particularly like it when the game generate a narrative (which can be anything from a rule mechanism working well, a unit doing good - my Thracians - or just my opponents bad luck with the dice.)
Thanks Sun of York! I'm all for the record keeping aspect as well. It's nice to rediscover a game you played a couple of years ago and have the report to help you remember it by :)
DeleteInteresting post Aaron. Its very easy to spend rather a lot of time writing a report and I often wonder to what gain. Its therefore interesting, and a little amusing, to hear some people have a preferred format.
ReplyDeleteYes, if trying to write for an audience batreps can be a bit of a thankless task! My policy is to write for me and if others like it, great; if not, no problem :)
DeleteI always enjoy your reports, for what that's worth!
It all depends on what the battle report is for. A lot of mine are dry turn by turn reports but I only do that for the first game with a set of rules so that anyone can, in excruciating detail, see how the rules work. When I went out looking for these sort of battle reports I could not find any so wrote so myself.
ReplyDeleteBut for my other straight up battle reports, there is no turn by turn replay and quality varies from great to dull. for other people battle reports, I read them all. Most of them I read everything written, I like reading battle reports of all different styles. Sometime are narrative, some are not. Some art, some analytic. Like them all just as much. The ones I actually like the least are lots of pictures without too many words!
Good point, Shaun. If a report is to demonstrate how a game works it's going to be a different beast from one which is done more for entertainment value.
DeleteAll good points! The goal I set for my batreps is to make them readable and interesting. Although, I don't think I've achieved that with satisfaction. My biggest challenge in writing reports, is simply remembering the details of the game. While I'm playing, my mind is completely focused on the current turn. It could be many hours or days before I get a chance to sit down and write the report.
ReplyDeleteVery true, Holdfast. The 'I think this is what happened, am not 100% sure, but will write it anyway' then becomes gospel truth once it's posted! I wonder how often this happened with Plutarch, Livy, Dionysius and the rest...
DeleteCheers,
Aaron
Thanks for your comments all. The chap on TMP has since said that his idea was to present his ideas on what makes a good report, and was not intended to be prescriptive, so please bear that in mind!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Aaron
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ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with you, but read the TMP post in the optic seeing what the author personally liked in a battle report and why.
ReplyDeleteFor me the ideal is to find a way of EASILY creating an animated battle report. Animation is much clearer than a written account but a lot of work!