Total War: THREE KINGDOMS – Eight Princes (DLC) Steam

Total War: THREE KINGDOMS – Eight Princes Chapter
Pack

• New campaign set 100 years after the Three Kingdoms period
  began
• Eight new playable princes with substantially different
  playstyles…
• Supported by unique buildings, assignments and court
  options
• New elite units: pummel your foe with mighty cataphracts!
• Shape your faction development with four new alignments:
  Wealth, Spirit, Might, and Mind
• Key public order and faction-rank changes to reflect this
  unique conflict

About this content

The year is 291 CE, and a generation has passed since the
tumultuous events of the Three Kingdoms period began. Despite the
tripartite division of power which brought the conflict to a
stalemate, and the brief unification of the kingdoms under the Jin
dynasty, civil war is no more than a heartbeat away.

For the Jin is a dynasty divided. Its many ruling princes
are hungry for greater power, each with ambitions – and methods –
of their own. Eight stand above all others… will they rally to
their emperor and empress? Or carve a legacy for themselves that
will echo through the ages?

The Eight Princes Chapter Pack is set 100 years after the events
of Total War: THREE KINGDOMS, and features a new cast of playable
factions led by the foremost princes of the Jin Dynasty. These
Eight Princes offer feature substantially different campaign
mechanics, focussing their playstyles in fascinating and unique
ways  

Playable princes

Each of the eight playable princes adhere to the five core
character classes of the base game, and have their own sets of
campaign mechanics which strongly focus their gameplay style.

Sima Yong: the shrewd defender

Class: Vanguard

Playstyle focus: defence and infrastructure

Unique units:

• Xianbei Horse Archers (harassers, high rate of fire and
  mobility)
• Xianbei Riders (shock cav, excellent charge bonuses)

Sima Yong has a particular focus on defence and infrastructure.
All garrisoned armies increase reserves and faction support, and
help to decrease construction costs in his settlements. His unique
Military Security building chain improves noble support, income
from all sources, boosts prestige and provides additional
garrisons. His unique Military Supervision assignment further
boosts income from all sources, but at the cost of noble
support.

Known for his talent at identifying capable people, Sima Yong
has an increased chance for Man Of The Hour events triggering after
battles.

Sima Jiong: the imperious regent

Class: Commander

Playstyle focus: centralised government

Unique units:

• Qi Guardsmen (polearm infantry, good vs cav, excellent
  armour) 
• Qi Crossbowmen (armoured crossbowmen, excellent vs armoured
  units)

Sima Jiong’s unique resource is Control, which increases noble
support and decreases corruption. Control is generated by the
faction leader, and through military successes, but is lost through
military losses and the assignment of ministers at court. To combat
the latter and increase control, Sima Jiong has a unique court
action enabling him to cast out powerful characters from
ministerial positions.

Sima Jiong’s unique administration building chain generates
further control while reducing corruption, and his commanderies
have access to a unique Micromanage Commandery assignment, boosting
income from all sources and reducing corruption, at the cost of
some control.

Sima Yue: the imperial overseer

Class: Sentinel

Playstyle focus: politics and internal government

Unique units:

• Xu Raiders (assault, shock infantry, good charge)
• Warriors of Xu (Frontline axe infantry, high health, good
  missile defence)

Sima Yue’s unique resource, Influence, decreases construction
costs and time and increases his faction’s research rate. It is
generated through special assignments in his commanderies, and lost
through military defeats. It also decays naturally over time.

His unique Labour economic building chain boosts population
growth and reduces construction costs. His court also features two
unique ministerial positions: the military emissary which reduces
recruitment costs and enables the Military Interference assignment,
and the Provincial Advisor, which reduces corruption and enables
the Provincial Inspection assignment.

Sima Ai: the principled administrator

Class: Champion

Playstyle focus: internal development

Unique units:

• Infantry of Jing (polearm infantry, anti-cav, good morale and
  armour)
• Archers of Jing (excellent ranged damage, high ammunition)

Sima Ai’s unique resource is Reformation, which improves trade
influence and research speed, while reducing corruption.
Reformation is generated by settlement development, as Sima Ai’s
unique Reformed Infrastructure trait means that buildings in
commandery capitals influence the increase – and decrease – of
Reformation.

To further enhance Reformation, Sima Ai’s faction also has
access to two unique commandery assignments. Restructure
Administration boosts Reformation gain and any Reformation gains
from commandery buildings, while Regulate Markets decreases
Reformation, but enhances income from commerce, silk and
spices.

Sima Ying: the beloved governor

Class: Strategist

Playstyle focus: characters

Unique units:

• Qiang Hunters (Horse archers, good skirmishers, good melee,
  fatigue immunity)
• Qiang Marauders (shock cavalry, flankers, fatigue immunity,
  poor defence vs missile)
• Qiang Raiders (melee cavalry, flankers, fatigue immunity, poor
  defence vs spears)

Sima Ying’s court differs from all others, as characters who are
assigned to any ministerial position grant factionwide effects – a
trait normally reserved only for the prime minister, heir and
faction leader. Assigning a smart combination of characters to Sima
Ying’s court can therefore have a powerful and wide-ranging
impact.

Sima Ying also has access to a stronger variant of the
Government Support agricultural building chain, which grants extra
bonuses to income from peasantry and food production from farms in
the same commandery.

Sima Lun: the usurper prince

Class: Commander

Playstyle focus: espionage and diplomacy

Unique units:

• Xiongnu Cavalry: (Shock cav, excellent charge)
• Xiongnu Cataphracts (assault, excellent charge, excellent
  armour)

Sima Lun’s unique faction resource is Subterfuge, and his
playstyle is heavily dependent on deception and espionage. Sima Lun
has extra spy slot available from the start of the campaign, and
generates his unique resource through the actions performed by his
spies. Subterfuge can be spent on inciting proxy wars, performing
diplomatic deceptions, and increasing the effectiveness of the
faction’s undercover network. Subterfuge is also generated Sima
Lun’s unique Judiciary administration building chain, which also
improves income from family estates.

Sima Liang: the rightful regent

Class: Champion

Playstyle focus: lawful rule

Unique units:

• Imperial Guards (frontline infantry, excellent defence)

Sima Liang’s faction has a unique government type called Domain,
which restricts the number of counties which can be governed
without incurring penalties. However, his faction also has access
to the unique resource of Jurisdiction, which increases his
faction’s maximum domain size, and greatly increases income from
the faction leader’s estates, replenishment, and the chance to
capture characters. The main source for Jurisdiction is factions
who submit to his leadership through a unique Cooperation vassalage
treaty. Jurisdiction is also generated through Judiciary
administration building chain, which also fights corruption.

Sima Wei: the tempestuous general

Class: Vanguard

Playstyle focus: aggressive expansion

Unique units:

• Chui Infantry (assault, strong VS infantry)
• Chu Spearmen (anti-cav, strong VS armoured cav)

Sima Wei’s unique faction resource is Fury, and is generated
through military victories and conquest options. Fury reduces unit
upkeep, increases replenishment, and impacts the diplomatic
attitudes of other factions towards Sima Wei. Fury decays over
time, so maintaining military momentum is the key to success with
Sima Wei. But he also has some tempting tools to release his Fury
and to show his generous side: he has two unique administration
assignments – Reward the Nobility, which boosts support from
nobles, and Rally Conscripts, which further enhances
replenishment.

Sima Wei also has a unique court action – Present Gift – which
improves the recipient character’s relationship with him.

Sima Wei’s Conscription military building chain brings higher
starting ranks for new recruits, a bonus to seasonal retinue
deployment, a boost to replenishment and a reduction in
redeployment costs.

Faction advancement

A prince’s faction ranks differ from those of the warlords of
the Three Kingdoms period, advancing from minor prince to grand
prince, then imperial prince.

You also now have the choice of whether to pursue the
emperorship for yourself, or preserve the existing emperor and rule
as his regent. Your choice between these two positions is based
very closely on the alignments paths you choose to follow
throughout the campaign.

Alignments

The alignments system grants new choices in how you shape your
faction over time. The four alignments – Wealth, Spirit, Might and
Mind – all grant different bonuses, and their adoption is driven by
a wealth of bespoke new events and dilemmas. As your association
with specific alignments grows, you’ll begin to encounter events
and dilemmas themed specifically around those alignments.

Your alignments also inform the dilemma you’ll face when you
capture the emperor. The outcome of this dilemma in turn defines
whether you ascend to the highest faction rank of Emperor or
Regent. 

Each alignment grants increasing bonuses to aspects of your
faction:

Wealth: Increasing your faction’s alignment
with this aspect offers rising bonuses to income, trade and
prestige. 

Spirit: Increasing your faction’s alignment
with this aspect grants rising bonuses to your faction’s food
production, diplomatic relations, noble support and prestige.

Might: Increasing your faction’s alignment with
Might brings factionwide bonuses to your armies’ campaign movement
range, mustering times, retinue upkeep and prestige.

Mind: Increasing your faction’s alignment with
the Mind boosts character experience gains, your faction’s research
rate, available administrator positions and prestige.

Noble Support

The war of the 8 Princes was largely a struggle for supremacy
among the nobility. To reflect this, public order is now known as
noble support. Low noble support will cause a rebellious noble-led
army to spawn.

However, the sources of positive and negative noble support
throughout your infrastructure are thematically very different to
public order, as the aristocracy’s needs and desires are different
to those of the people. Maintaining stability through noble support
will depend on different building choices to the Three Kingdoms
period. Likewise, unlike public order in the base game, growing
commandery populations do not have a negative impact on noble
support. 

System requirements

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