Manual typed in a txt file by Steve Begin (tabac@altavista.net) --------------------------------------------------------------- ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS NES-IS-USA Instruction Manual Strategy Game Series KOEI INNER COVER ----------- (picture of the Official Nintendo Seal of quality) This official seal is your assurance that Nintendo(R) has reviewed this product and that is has met our standards for excellence in workmanship, reliability, and entertainment value. Always look for this seal when buying games and accessories to ensure complete compatibility with your Nintendo Entertainement System(R). This game is licensed by Nintendo(R) for play on the Nintendo Entertainment System(R). Nintendo and Nintendo Entertainment System are registered trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. (KOEI logo) (C) 1989 KOEI CORPORATION All Rights Reserved. PAGE 1 ------ INTRODUCTION Welcome to a new type of simulation game. KOEI'S Romance of The Three King- doms allows you to relive a past in which only the strong could survive and only those smart enough to plan ahead could spread their domain enough to ac- tually be considered a kingdom. You remake history by trying to become the leader of a world torn apart by civil war and rivalry between masters. From the beginning you must recruit men known throughout the country for their intelligence and strength in battle. Try to keep your smartest advisor with you at all times so you can have his advice before issuing orders. Keep your generals' and peasants' loyalty high by giving them gold and food. And don't forget to befriend your enemies when you are not prepared for battle. These are but some of the aspects you must take into account while you play this game. Please make sure to consult the submanual as to what generals to recruit and under which master they are currently employed. In KOEI simulation games, as in real life, things do not always go as you expect. If you don't do as well as you hoped for in the beginning- don't give up! The real enjoyment comes from learning how to play the game. Try to understand how each of your commands affects all the factors in the game and use this knowledge to plan ahead. There is no on single way to win the game. There are as many possibilities as there are different personalities. Eventually you will find your own way to play, whether it be aggressive, tactical or diplomatic, and maybe even find out a little about yourself in the process. So on with the game and may the best master triumph! PAGE 2 ------ TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction---------------------1 Final Check....................11 How to Play----------------------5 Main Display---------------------11 How to use the Controller......5 Country Data---------------------11 Displays.......................5 Master.........................12 Conditions for Victory.........6 Governor.......................12 Scenarios------------------------6 Gold...........................12 A Chaotic World................6 Rice...........................12 The Emergence of Cao Cao.......7 Price..........................13 The Opening of a New Age.......8 Castles........................13 The Battle of Red Wall.........8 Horses.........................13 The Age of the Three Kingdoms..9 Metal..........................13 Game Set Up---------------------10 Land Value.....................13 Game Preliminaries--------------10 Flood..........................13 New Game / Load Data..........10 Population.....................13 Selecting Scenario............10 Loyalty........................13 Selecting Number of Players...10 Generals.......................13 Selecting Master..............10 Men............................14 Setting Abilities.............10 Free Generals..................14 Selecting Sill Level..........10 Information on Generals----------14 Computer Personality..........10 Events---------------------------17 Viewing Other Battles.........11 Seasonal Events................17 Natural Disasters..............17 Rebellion......................17 PAGE 3 ------ Main Display Commands-----------18 Conditions for Victory.........25 Move..........................18 After the War..................25 War...........................18 Battlefield Commands-------------25 Send..........................19 Move...........................26 Recruit.......................19 Attack.........................26 View..........................19 Flee...........................26 Give..........................20 Pass...........................26 Develop.......................20 View...........................26 Train.........................20 Recon..........................26 Search........................20 The Story------------------------27 Diplomacy.....................20 The Romance....................27 Trade.........................21 ... of the Three Kingdoms......28 Appoint.......................21 First Blood: Ch'angan Bridge...28 Pass..........................22 The Country Divided: Red Wall..29 Quit..........................22 Death of a Master: Yiling......30 Other.........................22 The Final Battle: Wuchang Plain30 War!!!--------------------------22 Rise of the Chin Empire........31 Battle Display................22 Characters-----------------------31 Battlefield Report............23 The Kingdom of Wei Topographical Map.............23 Cao Cao........................31 Unit Markers..................24 Sima Yi........................32 Troop Deployment..............24 Xiahou Yuan....................32 War Expenses..................24 Gou Yu.........................32 PAGE 4 ------ Xu Zhu........................33 The Kingdom of Shu The Kingdom of Wu Liu Bei........................34 Sun Quan......................33 Zhuge Liang....................35 Lu Xun........................33 Zhao Yun.......................35 Zhou Yu.......................34 Pang Tong......................36 Gan Ning......................34 Guan Yu........................36 Taishi Ci.....................34 Zhang Fei......................36 SAFETY TIPS Before beginning ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS, please read the following precautions carefully: 1) Always turn the power off before inserting or removing the GAME PAK from your Nintendo Entertainment System. 2) This is a high precision game. It should not be stored in places that are very hot or cold. Never hit or drop it. 3) Avoid touching the terminal connectors. Keep them clean by inserting the GAME PAK in its protective storage case. 4) Never attempt to take your GAME PAK apart. 5) Use of cleaning agents can damage the GAME PAK. * In order to enjoy this game to its fullest please read the following manual thoroughly and then save the historical notes and map to look at later. PAGE 5 ------ HOW TO PLAY 1. How To Use the Controller The number of the controller you should be using will always appear on the lower right corner of the screen. a) Answering Yes or No Questions To answer a "Y/N" question press the Control Pad arrow pointing to the desired answer. b) Entering Numbers To select a number, press the UP arrow on your Control Pad to increase the number and DOWN to decrease it. If you wish to enter a number with more than one digit, press the RIGHT arrow after you have selected the first digit and proceed as before to select the next digit. Make sure that you don't press Button A until you have finished entering your number because the number that is shown will be entered. 2. Displays a) Main Display The present conditions in your country are shown in this mode. Any commands about running your country or about negotiating with other countries are also give in this mode. You have one turn for every month of the year. You may issue one order per state per month. b) Map Display The map display shows the 58 states of China. They are shown in colors cor- responding to the master who governs them, so you can tell the difference between your states and those of your enemies. c) Battle Display Whenever one of your states goes to war or is attacked, the battlefield of the state that has been invaded will be displayed. During war you may issue one command per unit per day. (See p. 22 WAR and p. 25 BATTLEFIELD COMMANDS). PAGE 6 ------ 3. Conditions for victory Your goal is to unify the 58 states of Second Century China. In levels 1 through 4, after you fulfill the requirements to complete that level, your next goal automatically becomes the unification of the entire country. See the following section for an explanation of these conditions for victory. (picture of persons inside a tent) SCENARIOS In ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS you can start at any one of five possible sce- narios. Each scenario is different, and they are all difficult. Remember, the stronger your master is when you begin, the better your chances of success are. Scenario 1: A Chaotic World Starting Date: 189 A.D. Historical Background In 189 A.D., Ho Chin, a relative of the Emperor, plotted to murder the palace eunuchs with the help of masters Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. However, the eunuchs heard of the plot and decided to defend themselves by murdering Ho Chin, which put the palace in chaos. A cruel general named Dong Zhuo took advantage of this chaos to appoint himself emperor and begin the tyrannical rule in which this scenario takes place. Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and a number of other masters were forced to flee for their lives, however they managed to gather later in the capital city of Loyang to overthrow Dong Zhuo. Aware of the danger around him, Dong Zhuo burnt Loyang to the ground and transferred the capital to Ch'angan. PAGE 7 ------ Conditions for Victory You must conquer 30 states or more, among those the capital cities of Loyang (state 20) or Ch'angan (state 21), and your master must be located in one of these states. Masters you can select Master Master's States Master Master's States --------- --------------- ---------- ------------------ Cao Cao #7 Yuan Shu #37, #38 Sun Jian #41 Liu Biao #39, #40 Liu Bei #14 Dong Zhuo #18, #19, #20, #21 Yuan Shao #4, #5 Liu Yan #47, #48, #49 Scenario 2: The Emergence of Cao Cao Starting Date: 195 A.D. Historical Background In 192 A.D., Governor Wang Yu convinced Emperor Dong Zhuo's right hand man, the treacherous Lu Bu, to assassinate Zhuo. After Zhuo's death, every master in the country fought to become emperor. In the battles that followed, many masters and generals were killed, among those Liu Biao, and Sun Jian, who was succeeded by his son, Sun Ce. Lu Bu himself was killed in 198 A.D. by Cao Cao. Conditions for Victory You must conquer 30 states or more, among those the capital cities of Loyang (state 20) or Ch'angan (state 21), and your master must be located in one of these states. Masters you can select Master Master's States Master Master's States --------- --------------- ---------- ----------------------- Cao Cao #13, #19, #20 Yuan Shu #29, #30, #37, #38 Sun Ce #28, #32 Liu Biao #39, #40, #41, #42 Liu Bei #10, #11 Liu Zhang #23, #47, #48, #49, #50 Yuan Shao #4, #5 Lu Bu #6, #7, PAGE 8 ------ Scenario 3: The Opening of a New Age Starting Date: 201 A.D. Historical Background In 199 A.D., Yuan Shao won an important battle against Gong Zan and extended his domains so far north that he was known as "the Wolf of the North". Of course, Cao Cao eyed these states greedily and fought constantly in order to get them. The whole empire was in a state of confusion. Liu Bei was wandering from state to state, taking shelter from his friends Yuan Shao and Liu Biao, who controlled great kingdoms. Sun Ce was assassinated at the age of 26, and succeeded by his brother Sun Quan. Conditions for Victory You must conquer more than 40 states on your way toward unifying the country. Masters you can select Master Master's States Master Master's States --------- -------------------------- ---------- ---------------------------- Cao Cao #6, #7, #12, #13, #19, #20 Liu Biao #38, #39, #40, #41, #42, Sun Quan #28, #31, #32, #33, #43, #44 Liu Bei #37 Liu Zhang #45, #46, #47, #48, #49, Yuan Shao #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #18 #50, #52 Ma Teng #24, #25, #26, #27 Scenario 4: The Battle of Red Wall Starting Date: 208 A.D. Historical Background Cao Cao took possession of the whole northern region by defeating Yuan Shao, "the Wolf of the North", and his successors. In 207 A.D., Liu Bei recruited Zhuge Liang, known as "the Sleeping Dragon", as a military advisor, and together they managed to establish themselves in the region of Jingzhou. By now Liu Zhang and Sun Quan dominated the South, so Liu Bei allied with Sun Quan and defeated Cao Cao in what is known as PAGE 9 ------ The Battle of Red Wall. Conditions for Victory You must rule more than 40 states. Masters you can select Master Master's States Master Master's States --------- --------------------------- ---------- ---------------------------- Cao Cao #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, Liu Bei #37, #38, #39, #40 #8, #9, #12, #13, #16, #18, Liu Zhang #46, #47, #48, #49, #50, #19, #20, #21 #51, #52, #53 Sun Quan #28, #31, #32, #33, #34, Ma Teng #24, #25, #26, #27 #35, #36 Scenario 5: The Age of the Three Kingdoms Starting Date: 215 A.D. Historical Background Sun Quan and Liu Bei won the battle of Red Wall and started to build their power bases. The country was split into three major parts: the Wei Kingdom of Cao Cao, the Wu Kingdom of Sun Quan, and the Shu Kingdom of Liu Bei. The field has been narrowed down to four masters and their generals. The only question is: Are you capable of conquering the other three masters to unify China? Goal Absolute victory by conquering the whole empire. Masters you can select Master Master's States Master Master's States --------- -------------------------- ---------- ---------------------------- Cao Cao #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, Sun Quan #28, #31, #32, #33, #34, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #35, #36, #39, #41, #43, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #55, #56, #57, #58 #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, Liu Bei #23, #38, #40, #42, #44, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #45, #46, #47, #48, #49, #29, #30, #37 #50, #51, #52 PAGE 10 ------- GAME SET UP 1. Make sure the power switch is OFF. 2. Insert your ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS GAME PAK as described in your NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM manual. 3. Turn the power switch ON. 4. After the opening screen has been displayed, press the start button to begin game preliminaries. GAME PREMILINARIES 1. New Game/Load Data If this is the first time you've played the game, or if you're starting a new game you should select new game. However, if you want to continue a game you saved earlier, you should select load data. 2. Selecting Scenario There are 5 different scenarios. Since conditions in each scenario are different you should see SCENARIOS on p. 6~9 before making your selection. 3. Selecting Number of Players Depending on the scenario, one to eight may play. If you choose 0, the computer will run a demonstration game. 4. Selecting Master Please choose the master that you would like to be. See CHARACTERS on p. 31 for a description of the most famous masters of the time. 5. Setting Master's Abilities Press A Button to set your abilities. The higher these numbers are, the better a master you will be. However, the value of these abilities will change during the game. 6. Selecting Skill Level This number will determine how difficult the game will be, if you select 1 it won't be as hard as if you select 10. 7. Selecting Computer Personality PAGE 11 ------- If the computer is set to warlike, it will attack often, even though it may lose. If it is set to rational, it will wait to attack until it sees an almost certain victory. 8. Viewing Battles Between Other States During the game computer controlled masters will often attack one another. If you enter Y, you may watch these battles on the battle display. 9. Final Check If everything is OK, you will continue on with the game, however if you enter N you will be given the chance to change the scenario, your master, or your abilities.