Horses for Courses, ask 100 people this and get 100 different replies.
All I would say is make sure you enjoy reading them once done.
If you like them the chances are someone else will, and if they don't at least you do!
Actually I will say more, make sure the images are not terrible.
Alrighty! Thanks for the advice!
I think a narrative story based approach is probably no bad thing if the actual game is a virtual one and you're not ranking up lots of minis to take photos of and have us drool! That said of course White Dwarf battle report photos were re-staged, so I guess if you physically have what's on the virtual tabletop you could do some illustrative photos. Personally I'm always quite fond of the maps in battle reports and I guess you're one up on those already if it's on the computer.
Narrative is usually my go to, so, makes sense. And it's not that hard to do photos for the models picture stuff for VTT. And I think I will show maps of the battlefields as well. Makes enough sense to do that. Kek.
Flow wise, I'm not sure I've played one game where something wasn't forgotten at some point, be that getting something out of order, or forgetting that something couldn't move and fire or that a cannon needed to cool down. It's one big advantage of either having old players who are happy to wing it because - well it's a bit of fun - or having a GM who can spin the narrative past the mistake. So I'd not get too hung up on getting it 100% right as long as you're having a good time!
Fair enough, will be definitely going with the flow of things then. But will also follow the rules as best as I can, mostly cause I like to at least keep some level of consistency.
We've a few members who have done (and continue to do) some lovely detailed battle reports, so you could take some inspiration from their work.
Practically speaking I'd probably break turns down into individual posts and have a first post outlining the game. We've a few bits of BB Code markup that are useful for reports - you can read about those here:
https://forum.oldhammer.org/threads/statlines-and-other-custom-markup-in-posts.35972/ there is a bit about using BB Code in
the guide. Personally I'd probably prepare my battle report first and then publish it one turn a day or so rather than in one huge dump. I think that's a bit more interesting and generates more conversation and interest.
Anyhow looking forward to seeing you what you produce, I'm curious to see how the old and new work together!
Thanks! Will do and thank you for your advice, much appreciated!
I think that if you want to double check that you are playing correctly, I think it would be best to do a post where you explain how your game played out (turn by turn, or maybe even phase by phase) and bring up all the rule interactions that came up and ask for help to clear up any misplays or misunderstandings. I think that form of mechanic-heavy text would not be a battle report per se, but more like describing an algorithm and asking the community for guidance to improving/correcting the way your game played out (as explained by your step-by-step guide).
Battle reports can of course be done in a lot of different ways and styles. Personally when it comes to battle reports I would say that there are some aspects that I enjoy and some that I don't (but each to their own). Since you will be playing mostly on TTS some of these points may not apply, but I will post them anyway.
Makes sense, keepin' it relatively simplistic to focusing on the story, while having minor explanations on the rules side of things, makes more sense. Although, as you and I think Eric made mention is going at it by one turn at a time, I think that works for me, since it'll at least give me a chance to properly describe what happened, what's goin' on, and give a proper story context.
Some things that I like:
- Pictures! Seeing a lot of close up pictures of the painted miniatures and terrain. This can be combined with more zoomed-out photos when describing the battlefield or movement of troops.
- Short format! Whether it be by video, photos, or another form of visual storytelling - highlights are what's important! I would rather watch/read a condensed version of a battle over the span of 10-20 minutes than 1,5 hours.
- Theme/Narrative! Is there a hobby story behind your army, unit, or model? Or why are these two armies fighting? Who is leading them? What are the odds? These things do not have to be longer than a couple of sentences, but for me it really adds some depth and fun. If one finds writing these things out fun I would say give it even more space than a few sentences! I often find a mix of describing the actions of the game with a narrative flavor to be a good combo. Like "Sven Ironaxe lead his kinsmen with a charge down the hill, slamming into the rear of the orc horde. He beheaded the orc champion in a duel with one swing of his mighty axe, and then his fellow dwarfs quickly dispatched enough orcs (without taking too many casualties in return) to route the greenskins who ran right into the nearby Wyldwood - which came alive and promptly smashed up a handfull of more orcs."
All seem to make sense personally. I will do what I can to roughly follow this suggested flow, though will try my best. Since I likely will mess up somewhere along the way. Kek.
Some things I personally am not a huge fan of when it comes to battle reports:
- Dice front and center! If half the battle report consists of filming down on a handful of dice in a tray I would say that my interest quickly diminishes. Of course there are some moments in the game that really comes down to an exciting dice roll, and by all means give it all the attention it deserves then, but I can bet that all the other dice rolls in the game are not exciting enough to warrant taking time away from looking at the painted models or hearing the players banter and having fun.
- Know everything or understand nothing! I think a good battle report should (for the most part) be enjoyable to watch without requiring a lot of pre-knowledge about the rules or the game system that is being used for the battle. It is not the mechanics, nor their interaction with each other, that is the most interesting thing for me that makes a game worth watching. Instead it is more about the presentation and passion from the one that came up with the battle report that shows through when they are delivering their story. Mostly reporting dice rolls, quoting loads of rules without giving any information or context, or just presenting the game like it was an obligatory school assignment does not make for such an enjoyable watch. Instead, whether someone knows the rules you are using or not, make them feel what you felt during that game! Was it happiness of seeing your newly painted character doing well? Was it watching your opponent's beautifully converted army advancing towards you across the battlefield? When everyone in the room came to see you roll that double 6 needed to win the game, how did the room explode with emotions when you rolled that double? A good benchmark could be that when someone has taken part of your battle report they felt that it was an enjoyable experience, whether they knew the rules or not. So remember that bystander perspective when crafting your battle report.
This one I think I'll not really do as you mentioned, it ain't somethin' I'm personally too fond of myself. So, likely won't be hitting these two issues too often I believe. But keyword is I believe. Cause I can fuck up somewhere down the line. But will keep these in mind.
Overall, thank you also for the advice, it is greatly appreciated, and I greatly will take these pieces of advice to heart as to how I will conduct my future battle reports. Thank you very much!
