8 lessons from Romance of the Three Kingdoms III

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms III" (RTK3) is one of my all-time favorites. I remember starting out on this game more than 10 years ago. Believe you not, I am still playing this game now. It's not that I don't tire of the game. I do. Even though the game play is different each time, the game gets easier and easier for me the more times I play it. After a decade of plotting and warring, my intelligence would be questionable if I didn't get better. And when there is no more challenge, your interest wanes. It used to be that I needed to start out with the stronger characters and at least a few sittings to complete the game. Now, I can win with any player and within the same day. How's that for improvement? In fact you can post me any question on the game and I am quite confident of answering you. For those who need a copy of the game, you can download it free at http://www.the-underdogs.info/game.php?gameid=927 , courtesy of The Underdogs. It's a small DOS game but one that will fill your days with endless entertainment. :P So now, I like to share 8 lessons I have gleaned from my years of experience with this game. I trust they have real life implications. 1. A mentor is worth his weight in gold. Ever started with a character without any adviser? Then you might remember how helpless you felt when there was no one to give "predictions" on your recruitment or war campaigns. It's like traveling on the high seas on a raft, and blindfolded. Even a lousy adviser is better than none. But of course, once you find a good adviser (e.g. one with at least INT 90 so that you can give him a Sun Tzu manual to make him super smart), keep him close and make him loyal. 2. Trust is tough to build, but easy to destroy. You might have come across an occasional hardcore officer whose loyalty to you is a miserable 8 or 23. Even with CHA 100 and using gold, it takes many, many turns before you can brainwash him completely. Yet what happens when you *accidentally* revoke an alliance with another player whose hostility is less than 70? The loyalty of all your officers abruptly and rapidly tumbles like a canoe down Niagara Falls. If a player is smart enough to try recruiting your officers, they will all leave you without much thought. And if they happen to be city governors, be prepared to wave goodbye to all your sheep and turnips. 3. Make friends with your enemies. Let's face it: Some people will be your friends and some people will be your enemies. There are neutral parties - I call them the rocks and shrubs. Learn how to recognize potential winners and befriend them early. In the game, it is easier to secure alliances at the beginning. And once they are your allies, keep on requesting aid from them in Jul and Jan. By doing so, you strengthen yourself at their expense. When you target just 1 player, he gets weaker by 1 notch and you get stronger by 1 notch. The result is 2 notches between you. When you target 2 players, you become 3 notches above the nearest competitor. The formula is simple enough to understand. 4. United we stand, divided we fall. I have observed a common mistake made by computer players - they tend to overextend themselves. Their armies are typically split up among their various territories and when I attack them individually with my crack force, the cities they defend fall like zealous dominoes. In fact, one of my favorite strategies is to collapse all my starting territories (if more than 1) into just 1. So instead of a few weak states with little gold/food and a weak military, I create a super state with much gold/food and a strong military. 5. Sometimes, brain is more important than brawn. This is a strategy game that contains quite a fair bit of warring. Naturally, one would salivate when he manages to recruit a general of high war ability. But, is brawn all? Sure, I love it when he can draft many soldiers and beat his opponents in the occasional personal combats. But have you seen an adviser use "confuse" or "incite" tactics on the enemies? It is a home run when an enemy platoon gets snared. He is literally helpless as you gang up to obliterate his troops. (Click to enlarge screen shot and see animation.) 6. Don't just work hard, remember to eat too. This may sound funny but it is dead true in real life. I know of workaholics who forgo food just so that they can work more. How silly if you ask me - why would anyone want to work? But these people do it day in day out and end up wrecking their health. Money is good; food is better. In the game, I have sometimes won battles without losing a single soldier. Simply, I beat them with food. Obviously I don't throw sacks of grain at them - I merely starve them out. When I see that they have too little food relative to their troops, I play a game of cat and mouse with them. They can't catch me, they can't hit me, but they still keep eating food. And once it runs out, the battle is lost for them. If they have no way to run, I capture their city, including every soldier, coin and padi. That's how delicious. 7. If you have tools, use them. Remember the bows and crossbows you find from time to time? Well, if you can afford more, buy them. When you equip your soldiers with them, they can inflict damages without taking any loss. If you are waging a prolonged war campaign in one of the extreme corners of the map, you might recall how even with a lot of gold, recruiting more soldiers would be a problem. The city's population just isn't enough to back you up. Using these bows and crossbows would save you precious soldiers and time - you wouldn't want to turn back like a dog with its tail between its legs when you can finish off your enemy within one campaign. 8. Tangible assets are desirable, but not necessary. Ever smiled when your search turned up a precious Sword of the 7 stars or a Red Horse? Well, they are nice items to have in the game but more often than not, I find myself keeping them with the ruler - more to admire them like art pieces than anything. I could have given them to my officers and have their abilities raised by a few points. But what for since the improvement would not have made any huge or significant difference? Like these 8 lessons? Try applying them in real life! ;-)