My Three Kingdoms RPG (2nd Session AAR) - sh.itjust.works
The Three Kingdoms era of Chinese History has long been a topic of fascination
for me and my brothers growing up. I’ve never really GMed my own content before,
but really wanted to set up a campaign for my brother, wife, and a few friends
who’ve been drawn unwittingly into my esoteric interests. Because nothing
existed to support my interests, I cobbled together a combination of Cortex
Prime, which is incredibly modular and perfect for the purpose, and Reign, a
fantasy RPG with rules for governing interactions between groups. For those who
may not know, the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history is a a massive, 80-year
civil war during which 1/4 of the entire world’s population. There are countless
factions that ultimately condensed down to three major factions: hence the Three
Kingdoms. My players have assumed the leadership of the fictional Hiahe City,
after the previous ruler died at the Battle of Hulao Pass. Dong Zhuo remains
ensconced in power in the new capital and rumors of a powerful sorceress
becoming his newly adopted daughter imply his power may still be rising. Hiahe
city has been economically devastated by banditry, it’s martial might a fraction
of its former self after the battle and internal strife from various political
families, many of whom have been courted by the envious Han Fu, a powerful but
short-sighted nearby governor. After spending their first season familiarizing
themselves with their problems and the setting at large, the players made shrewd
decisions to buy time with internal factions in order to focus on dealing with
the banditry. They located a group of Yellow Turbans (rebels from the civil war
just ten years prior) and offered them supplies and potential amnesty should
they help with the banditry. With some clever talking from the party’s Taoist
monk and some abundantly generous supplies and the former rebels agreed to aid
the players. In an unexpected turn of events, Gongsan Zan’s emissary, Zhao Yun,
arrives with an offer of aid due to the city’s former master having saved his
life at the battle of Hulao Pass. I fully expected my players to sit on this
marker and save it for the storms that ahead, but instead they called it in
immediately to arrange an overwhelming attack on the Black Mountain Bandits. The
result was an absolutely devastating battle in which two of our players rode out
and defeated the enemy commander, Zhang Yan, one of Gongsan Zan’s former
lieutenants. With his death and the overwhelming allied might, the bandits
routed almost immediately and their encampment was seized and their forces
totally dispersed. Even some of the less martial players were able to serve with
distinction and make a name for themselves. Zhao Yun, a legendary warrior from
this period, became close friends with the player who serves as the spymaster
and for this familiar with the setting, everyone hopes to lure him to serve
Hiahe. Some players were upset at “wasting” the marker from Gongsun Zan. He was
a powerful cavalry commander, think Rohan, who could have been a life saver in a
pinch or the hammer to their anvil. Time will tell, but building brotherhood
with Zhao Yun and completely dispersing the Black Mountain Bandits were
unexpected outcomes from my perspective as the GM. Other players felt that
employing former rebels to aid in the battle would come back to haunt them and
there are certainly powerful families within the city who will be very upset to
see former yellow turbans in the militia. That said, they’re flush with bandit
treasure, have firmly established themselves as the new sovereigns and have laid
the groundwork for renewed prosperity in the region. Still, unrest remains
within the city as various factions vie for influence and wealth. Han Fu’s reach
grows longer and Dong Zhuo threatens to extend his control beyond the capital
once more. Still further ahead men of virtue and ambition, such as Liu Bei, Yuan
Shao, and the infamous Cao Cao, all wait to make their move and build their
name.
