Gongjin's Campaign Memorials
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Gongjin's Campaign Memorials

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII (Sangokushi 13 三國志13) is the 13th installment in Tecmo Koei's long-standing Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, following 2012's Romance of the Three Kingdoms XII. This installment celebrates the 30th anniversary of the series.

700 characters appear in the standard edition of this game, increased to 800 characters in the Fame and Strategy Expansion. Altogether there are also 50 legendary officers from other periods of China's history that the player can optionally add into the game at the beginning of each playthrough.

The English version was released on 5 July in the USA and 8 July in Europe.

Product description[]

Based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII has been developed in celebration of the franchise's 30th anniversary. The game uses the tale of a collapsing dynasty and the power-hungry emerging factions to set a complex chessboard on which players can follow and influence the fateful events leading to the unification of 2nd century China.

Fans of strategy games will find this exceptionally detailed title to be a challenging and rewarding blend of deep strategy and historically accurate warfare, regardless of their familiarity with the rich story of the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. Cities can be built and developed; alliances can be fostered or broken; armies can be mustered and deployed. Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII prides itself on offering a wide selection of options for conflict resolution, the most impressive of which are the armies. A wide variety of army units can be recruited and trained, including foot soldiers, cavalry, artillery, and navy, while special care has been taken to incorporate diplomacy and personal relationships, giving the player an extra incentive to build a stable and loyal network of friends and allies.

RTKXIII screenshot 01

Sun Quan versus Huang Zu

This comprehensive and exceptionally detailed strategy title features two compelling gameplay experiences: the Campaign mode, which stays true to the most profound of strategy games by allowing players the freedom to choose a starting year and customize the board to their liking before attempting to beat the game, and the Hero mode, which acts an in-depth tutorial, closely following historical events while teaching players all of the game's mechanics. In Hero mode, players familiar with characters from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series can also enjoy an alternative way to relive the exciting lives and adventures of those heroes before proceeding to leave their own mark on history!

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII players have near endless customization choices, as they can take on the mantle of one of 700 historical characters (including such fan- favorites as Zhao Yun, Liu Bei, Cao Cao and more), or create their own unique character and try to climb the proverbial leadership ladder.

Gameplay[]

The game features two playable modes: Hero Mode, and Main Mode.

RTKXIII screenshot 08

Hero Mode

Hero Mode[]

The Hero Mode tells the story of the Three Kingdoms through several short battles and events, with its first half serving as a tutorial. After that, the Hero Mode takes more of a fixed scenario/challenge approach. The object of Hero mode is to navigate a set stage of special events and battles within a set time limit: for example in the scenario Twin Tigers, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu are tasked with conquering all of Yang province beginning in the year 195 and must complete the objective before the year 200. In the standard edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII, Hero Mode begins with the player controlling Liu Bei before he entered military service and focuses on the formation of his friendship with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Standard edition Hero Mode ends after Cao Cao's victory at Guandu, with this stage acting to test the player on how much they have learned thus far through playing the tutorials. More scenarios for Hero Mode are included in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII Fame and Strategy Expansion Pack and through additional downloadable content. The scenarios after Guandu are designed to challenge the player, with the greatest challenge usually being the reduced time limits to complete the stages. The final scenario is a fantasy timeline following Jiang Wei in an alternate history route of his northern campaigns, ending with the defeat of Wei and restoration of the Han Dynasty.

Hero Mode Side Story[]

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII Fame and Strategy Expansion Pack incorporated a new mode known as Hero Mode Side Story, which included two new scenarios in which the player controls first Zhao Yun during his formative days before joining Gonsun Zan's service, followed by Dong Zhuo during his seizure of the government and short conflict with Ding Yuan. These scenarios serve as a tutorial to teach the player about new features that were added to the game in the Expansion Pack. Zhao Yun's scenario teaches the player about the newly included Prestige Titles and their various functions, as well as showing the player how to assemble a private army as a wandering force similar to previous entries in the game series. Dong Zhuo's scenario teaches the player about the importance of the many Villages and Key Points between each city, and the various Strongholds that can be erected at these key points to provide a defensive advantage in war. In addition, Dong Zhuo's scenario teaches the player how to use Battlefield Tactics, which are selected at the beginning of each battle and assigned to Tactical Points on the battlefield that must be controlled in order to use these special tactics.

Main Mode[]

The Main mode traditionally offers a set of scenarios which you can pick to play. The main aim of the game is to stabilize your territory, gain more officers, conquer more territory, and ultimately unify the land, under the flag of Han, Wei, Wu, Shu, Zhong, Jin, or another force. To achieve this, the game offers menu driven gameplay with several options and sub-options to increase your territory domestically and militarily. The game will end when there is only one force left on the map, regardless of whether or not that force controls all of China.

Main Governance[]

The Main Governance is the primary world space. This is where characters undertake missions both civic and strategic, travel between cities, choose to visit and interact with other officers, train their personal abilities, and much more. The Main Governance is only interrupted when the player character is in battle, participating in a Duel or Debate, or attending a council session. From the Main Governance screen, the play can zoom out to see the entire world map and observe the movement of armies.

Domestic Improvements[]

If you wish to improve your territory domestically, you can do so by appointing yourself or one of your officers to the tasks Commerce, Farming and Culture. Commerce raises the amount of gold that the city will produce each season, which can be used to pay your officers and deploy armies. Farming increases the amount of supplies that the city will produce each season, which are needed to deploy and maintain armies. Culture attracts people and raises the city population, which will in turn modify how much gold and supplies is generated every season. When a city reaches a certain level of civic development, the Governor of the city or the Ruler of the force that the city belong to can choose a new City Tech to apply to that city. City Techs come in several forms including providing permanent bonuses to the strength of the city gate during battle, increasing the maximum threshold for civic development (such as adding another 500 points to Farming), or allowing armies deployed from this city to use special siege weapons such as Catapults.

Military Improvements[]

To improve militarily, you can try to Hire new officers, Train the soldiers of your city to be more skilled at Spear, Horse, and Bow, and Patrol to increase the city's Fealty, which increase the number of new recruits that will join your army each season. When the troops of a city exceed 1000 proficiency with a single unit type, armies deployed from this city will be able to use Heavy troops. When the city troops exceed 2000 proficiency, they will be able to deploy as Elite Troops. And when the city troops reach the maximum of 3000 proficiency, armies deployed from this city will have a very high bonus to their battle stats and morale.

Battles[]

Battles in Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII are quite like those in its predecessor.

When your character encounters an enemy force you can choose to take control of the battle. If you decide not to, the AI will decide the outcome. If you choose to take control of the battle, you will leave the world map and enter a more detailed battle map. How it looks depends on where you encounter your opponent; on the outskirts, near a city, in a forest, on water, et cetera. Armies move along fixed roads in this game as opposed to traveling along a fully integrated world map, and as a result military campaigns are fairly linear and boil down to securing one position after another.

Battles diverge from previous Romance of the Three Kingdoms entries in that there is no time limit, meaning that an engagement can last for as long as the units in play have supplies, meaning that a single engagement could potentially last 200 days in-game or longer. However, time does not stop advancing in the Main Governance while the player is in battle, meaning that everything that would be happening in the rest of the world will still happen without the player able to observe are counteract it. In addition, battles can be extended by either force continually deploying more forces from the Main Governance as reinforcements, meaning that you could potentially engage the entire army of the opposing force in a single battle.

Battles Gallery[]

Scenarios[]

When Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII first released, the game only consisted of playable scenarios and historical events up until the aftermath of the Battle of Chibi. Further historical events and starting scenarios were added in through Downloadable Content and updates.

Note: "EX" Means that this scenario is included in the Fame and Strategy Expansion Pack

  • Yellow Turban Rebellion (184)
    • Zhang Jue raises an army to overthrow the Han Dynasty. The land is consumed by war.
  • Anti Dong Zhuo Coalition (190)
    • Cao Cao raises an army at Chenliu. Yuan Shao leads a coalition effort against Dong Zhuo.
  • Battle for the Han Court (193) (Fictional)
    • Emperor Xian is killed during Wang Yun and Lu Bu's coup. Warlords fight for the imperial throne.
  • Warlords (195)
    • Cao Cao attacks Tao Qian at Xu province. Liu Bei comes to Tao Qian's aid.
  • EX: Rise of the Little Conqueror (195)
    • Sun Ce gives Yuan Shu the Imperial Seal in exchange for his Independence and sets out for Yang province.
  • Campaign Against Lu Bu (198)
    • Lu Bu is at the center of all chaos, allied with Yuan Shu. Cao Cao and Liu Bei unite against Lu Bu.
  • The Battle of Guandu (200)
    • Cao Cao and Yuan Shao come into conflict to determine the greatest power in the land. Liu Bei regroups in Runan.
  • EX: The Tyrant Returns (200) (Fictional)
    • Dong Zhuo is revealed to still be alive and quickly raises an army to subjugate the land.
  • The Three Visits (207)
    • Liu Biao dies suddenly and Cao Cao attacks Jing province. Liu Bei seeks aid from Sun Quan.
  • The Battle of Chibi (208)
    • The allied forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan clash with Cao Cao's army at Chibi.
  • EX: The Huarong Road (208) (Fictional)
    • Cao Cao dies at Chibi. Wei is fractured by power struggles among Cao Cao's sons.
  • EX: The Battle of Tong Pass (211)
    • Ma Teng is assassinated by Cao Cao. Ma Chao leads the army of Xiliang to avenge his family.
  • Yi Subjugation (214)
    • Liu Bei enters the Bashu region. The land is divided into three parts.
  • The God of War Surrounded (219)
    • Sun Quan betrays Liu Bei and Guan Yu is killed in Jing province. Liu Bei marches to Jing in revenge.
  • EX: Chu Shi Biao, A Declaration of War (227)
    • Dying Zhugle Liang seeks to fulfill the dream of the late Liu Bei. Sima Yi moves to counter Shu.
  • Thirteen Heroes (251) (Fictional)
    • The greatest warlords of the Three Kingdoms assemble to battle for supremacy.
  • A Gathering of Heroes (251) (Fictional)
    • The many warlords of the Three Kingdoms cross time to battle for supremacy.

Trophies[]

Trophy/Achievement Trophy type Description
Master of the Three Kingdoms Platinum Achieved all records.
Opener of Ages Gold Cleared all scenarios of the main game.
Witness of History Gold Viewed all the history events.
Cleared Yellow Turban Rebellion Silver Cleared the scenario "Yellow Turban Rebellion."
Cleared Anti Dong Zhuo Coalition Silver Cleared the scenario "Anti Dong Zhuo Coalition."
Cleared Warlords Silver Cleared the scenario "Warlords."
Cleared the Battle of Guandu Silver Cleared the scenario "The Battle of Guandu."
Cleared the Three Visits Silver Cleared the scenario "The Three Visits."
Cleared Yi Subjugation Silver Cleared the scenario "Yi Subjugation."
Warriors Past and Present Silver Won 100 duels.
The Greatest Orator Silver Won 100 debates.
Masterpiece collector Silver Carry 50 Specialities in one turn of play.
The Path of the Conqueror Silver Cleared all stages of the Hero Mode.
The Way of Advancement Silver Advanced from a free officer to 1st Rank.
True Leadership Silver Achieved a Clan Mission at "Very Difficult" as a Ruler.
Competent Viceroy Silver Achieved a Province Mission at "Very Difficult" as a Viceroy.
Good Governor Silver Achieved a City Mission at "Very Difficult" as a Governor.
Scenario Cleared Bronze Cleared a scenario for the first time.
Testimony of a Warrior Bronze Won a Duel for the first time.
First Step to Debating Bronze Won a Debate for the first time.
The Path of the Warrior Bronze Cleared a stage in the Hero Mode for the first time.
Forged Bonds Bronze Created a Bond for the first time.
Testimony of Friendship Bronze Obtained an Invitation for the first time.
The First Assignment Bronze Completed a mission for the first time.
#1 Deeds Bronze Achieved the first place in deeds for the first time.
To Lead the Charge Bronze Achieved First Strike honors for the first time.
#1 Achievements Bronze Achieved highest honors for short term force merit for the first time.
Signs of Friendship Bronze Gave a Gift for the first time.
Absolute Trust Bronze Appointed as a Viceroy for the first time.
One Well Trusted Bronze Appointed as a Governor for the first time.
Testimony of Trust Bronze Appointed as a Minister for the first time.
An Offering of Thanks Bronze Induced another officer into the "Gratitude" state for the first time.
Making Friends Bronze Induced another officer into the "Interest" state for the first time.
To Treat with Awe Bronze Induced another officer into the "Respect" state for the first time.
Charmer Bronze Induced another officer into the "Charmed" state for the first time.
Matchless Strategist Bronze Successfully completed "Spy" mission as an agent for the first time.
Peerless Negotiator Bronze Successfully created "Alliance" as an agent for the first time.
Superior Negotiator Bronze Successfully completed "Placate" as an agent for the first time.
Negotiating Basics Bronze Successfully completed "Endorse" as an agent for the first time.
Officer Collection Bronze Collected over 50 people in the Officer List.
Witness to the Birth of Heroes Bronze Viewed the "Battle of Hulao Gate."
Witness to the Final Battle Bronze Viewed the "Deadlock at Guandu."
Witness to Chibi Bronze Viewed the "The Battle of Chibi."

Downloadable content[]

Fame and Strategy Expansion Pack[]

coming soon

List of specialties[]

View the complete list HERE.

Selection of character portraits[]

More portraits are stored HERE.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII re-uses many of the portraits used in Romance of the Three Kingdoms XII (which you can find here). Mainly the more prominent people were given new portraits. Some even have multiple portraits, for example Liu Bei, who has a portrait in which he appears young, another one in which he appears old, another one where he wears a mianguan (emperor's headwear), et cetera.

Screenshots[]

External links[]

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