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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   2494 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for August 9, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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I've been really enjoying Total War: Three Kingdoms, and naturally, it got me interested in the historical period. I'm even thinking about trying one of Koei's games. Are they worth playing?

Also, is the actual novel (Romance of the Three Kingdoms) worth reading? I'm a bit concerned it might feel too simplistic or one-sided by today's standards. I'm more interested in the politics, economics, culture, and social context than the actual events themselves.

Scott Alexander wrote a pretty good review of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, for what it's worth.

The Dynasty Warriors games are a perfectly fine entry point, easy to play and typically with big encyclopedias available so you can always dive into write-ups instead of following along the campaign modes. Don't get 9, just go straight for 8.

The actual RoTK games aren't actually ideal for getting to grips with the story, though the strategic aspects would naturally appeal if you're interested in politics, economics, culture, etc.

But in both cases, you are playing an adaptation of a fictional novel. While RoTK doesn't invent wholesale, it is very much a novel and not something good for those parts you are interested in. I can recommend it as a novel (I read the less accessible Brewitt Taylor translation) but it should be approached as fiction

Not a substantial comment but I did see a Romance of the Three Kingdoms meme the other day:

/images/1723354365737256.webp

That's simply brilliant!

This video goes through some of the available Three Kingdoms TV and film adaptations, which are probably the best entry point. As far as Koei goes, I've tried some of the Hyrule Warriors spin-off games, and there's a certain kind of mindless fun to be had there in limited doses. I'd probably stick to adaptations and not the novel itself if you want to get a sense for the cultural role of the Three Kingdoms setting in modern China and Japan, and then read an actual history book if you feel like you need more details about army composition or whatever.

Koei publishes both action games ("musou" is the name of their "slaughter hundreds of enemies at once" franchise, of which Hyrule Warriors is a spinoff), and historical simulation games of which the long-running series Romance of the Three Kingdoms is an example.

I used to play some of the older Romance of the Three Kingdoms games back in the day. They were kind of odd, because they assumed you were already familiar with the plot of the book and I... really wasn't. So I'd be playing it like it was this hardcore military strategy wargame, and suddenly a character would betray me for no reason because he was "supposed" to go to one of the other dynasties. It's a funny mix of like a strategy wargame and dating game/visual novel. I guess it was a good way to learn the plot and setting of the book, though.

My personal name for the Musou games is the stress relieving game. Tough day? Jump on slaughter 400 yellow turban rebels and 6 heros; feel much better about things.

I've read an abridged translation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, as well as a fair chunk of the Moss Roberts non-abridged translation. If you have any interest in the period at all I would give it a shot. The sheer number of adaptions it has received is testament enough to its enduring appeal. It's a historical epic so the main thing you should be concerned about is the litany of names and places.

I think of this particular passage quite often

Xuande and his companion Sun Qian seek shelter in a hunter’s home. The hunter is called Liu An, and he immediately offers to go and hunt for fresh meat for them to eat. To his distress, he cannot find any game. Desperate to keep his word, he kills his wife and serves up flesh from her body. When Xuande asks what meat they are eating, Liu An replies, ‘Wolf.’ It is only as they depart the next day that the two companions see the dead body of a young woman in the kitchen. The flesh from her arms has been cut away. This extraordinary action draws tears from Xuande when he realizes to what lengths Liu An has gone to keep his promise.

I hate to ask, but what is it with the Chinese and cannibalism? According to pixiv rankings it's tied and sometimes mixed with legs/feet for their national fetish.

Decisive Tang strategic victory.

Have you read Cannibalism with Chinese Characteristics ?

Wow, that's brutal.

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