Exclusive Look At The New Total War And Its Tyrannical Villain

Dong Zhou is a bad man. The 11 Playable Warlords of Total War: Three kingdoms are divided into categories when you start a campaign. Dong Zhou has a category all to himself called, simply, Tyrant.

- Tom Senior

The Three Kingdoms campaign is set in ancient China, 190 AD. The Han dynasty has collapsed, and Dong Zhou has captured the child emperor. Now the warlord lurks in the palace, bullying anyone who stands against him. Every cruel overlord needs a Darth Vader, so Dong Zhou convinces the greatest warrior in the land, Lü Bu, to slay his own foster father and become Dong’s enforcer and heir. The resulting family dynamic is… difficult.

At a glance, the Total War formula appears unchanged. On the turn-based campaign map you guide your faction’s research, upgrade settlements with new buildings, conduct diplomacy, and move armies around like pawns to capture enemy settlements. When armies clash, you can take charge of your forces in huge real-time battles set in gorgeous battlefields. However, after a few turns, I discover that there is a lot more to think about. How do I keep Lü Bu’s arrogance in check? How can I negotiate safe passage for my armies with a nearby warlord, so I can crush an uprising of the yellow turban rebellion? How do I hold off the remnants of the Han dynasty and their allies to the east and the south?

The alliances of the era are so tumultuous that Creative Assembly has had to rebuild Total War’s entire diplomacy and AI system almost from scratch. In addition to typical military alliances, you can form coalitions that don’t tie you into complete military co-operation. There are different flavors of vassalage too, and many new ways to undermine and betray other warlords. The diplomacy screen lets you trade goods, alliances, military access, and treasures in a detailed tit-for-tat exchange. For a few turns of my game, several warlords approached me about acquiring a lovely clay bear I managed to plunder. I gave it away for a series of regular payments and put the money into trebuchets.