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Thursday, December 23, 2010

SGS Online: Registration Guide

Posted by Ricky Chua On 4:08 PM 61 comments
If you are not familiar with the Chinese Language, finding your way around the all-Chinese SGS website can be a nightmare!

In this short post, I'll guide you through how to register for your SGS Online account. With this account, you can then play SGS Online or the new SGS iPhone app.

By the way... you can access the SGS Online website at http://sanguosha.com.

Ready? Here we go!!


When you first arrive at the SGS Online website, you should be greeted by this landing page shown above. Look for the button that I have highlighted for you called "Register New Account".

SGS iPhone Quick Guide

Posted by Ricky Chua On 1:43 PM 6 comments
Hello! Hope all of you have been enjoying you Xmas holidays! :D

An anonymous reader left a comment on my previous "iPhone for SGS" post and requested some help with the application. So, here's a quick start guide to get you up and running with the game.

Note: This guide is not as thorough as I would like it to be, such as I did not cover the Menu buttons and various other details. The reason for this is (believe it or not) I don't have an iPhone, and I don't have access to this app!! Every image you see here comes courtesy of my friend and fellow SGS fanatic "JY Lek".

So... no more rambling! Let's go!!




The first thing you see when you launch the app is the Welcome screen... duh.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010


Literal Translation:
To kill with a borrowed knife


Tactical Classification:
Leverage


Historical Basis (Wikipedia):
Various sources. There are numerous examples of this in Chinese history. Wikipedia does not quote any specific examples.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Stratagem 2: Take a Hostage 围魏救赵

Posted by Ricky Chua On 10:56 PM 2 comments

Literal Translation:
Besiege the Kingdom of Wei so as to rescue the Kingdom of Zhao


Tactical Classification:
Distraction


Historical Basis (Wikipedia):
The origin of this proverb is from the Warring States Period 战国时代 (435 - 221 BC). The Kingdom of Wei 魏国 attacked the Kingdom of Zhao 赵国 and laid siege to its capital Han Dan 邯郸. Zhao turned to the Kingdom of Qí 齐国 for help, but the Qí general Sun Bin 孙膑 determined it would be unwise to meet the army of Wei head on, so he instead attacked their capital at Da Liang 大梁. The army of Wei retreated in haste, and the tired troops were ambushed and defeated at the Battle of Gui Ling 桂陵之战, with the Wei general Pang Juan 庞涓 slain on the field.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

SGS iPhone App Released!

Posted by Ricky Chua On 4:24 PM 4 comments
Dear readers,

You know this game is popular when its released on the iPhone. SanGuoSha goes onto iPhones!!

Check out this post on the Apple iTunes store.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Translation Cards ON SALE NOW!!!!

Posted by Ricky Chua On 1:47 PM 7 comments
Finally! The translation cards created for your playing reference! Introducing the beta trial version of the SGS English translation cards for characters.

All 8 characters (Front side) of the Woods Pack plus the 2 Demi-God characters.

A sample of the reverse side of one of the cards. 

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Introducing: SGS 36 Stratagems Series

Posted by Ricky Chua On 9:10 PM No comments
Dear readers,

Recently I've been reading the Historical Chinese "textbook" known as the 36 Stratagems (三十六计). It is a marvelous collection of tactics accumulated over 3000 years. Ever since I started playing SGS I have become quite a fan of Chinese history.

The book I'm reading. It is a modern day abridged version of 三十六计, complete with present day corporate world examples.
As I read the tactics, it suddenly dawned on me that some of these strategies apply in SGS very well. I'm no expert player but i thought it would be cool to write up about these strategies applied to SGS.

Please feel free to add in your comments and opinions to my posts!

Hope you will continue to visit this blog. I'll constantly update this to make this site the most complete SGS site on the net!

Have fun!! and 杀!
Decepticons: The literal versions of "The Open Feint"

Literal Translation: 
Deceiving the heavens to cross the ocean


Tactical Classification: 
Deception

Historical Basis (Wikipedia):
This stratagem references an episode in 643 AD, when Emperor Tang Tai Zong 唐太宗, baulked from crossing the sea to a campaign against Goguryeo (present day North Korea). His general Xue Ren Gui 薛仁贵 thought of a stratagem to get the emperor across and allay his fear of seasickness: on a clear day, the emperor was invited to meet a wise man. They entered through a dark tunnel into a hall where they feasted. After feasting several days, the Emperor heard the sound of waves and realised that he had been lured onto a ship! General Xue drew aside the curtains to reveal the ocean and confessed that they had already crossed the sea: Upon discovering this, the emperor decided to carry on and later completed the successful campaign.

Friday, December 3, 2010

New Category: "Unofficial 民间"

Posted by Ricky Chua On 9:00 PM No comments
Dear readers,

I have created a new category of cards labelled as "Unofficial 民间". This new category will contain as many unofficial cards as i know about. These will include

- Demon Characters 鬼牌
- Wraith Characters 妖牌
- Other unofficial characters that fall under Shu/Wei/Wu/Heroes
- Special Roles such as the "Soul 魂牌"
- Playing cards such as "+2 Elephant" and other strange stuff.

Yes this will probably keep me busy for a while... but your readership has kept me going! So, thank you!

Have fun! and 杀!

Demon Zhū Gě Liàng 鬼诸葛亮

Posted by Ricky Chua On 8:10 PM 6 comments
Translated Description:
"The Loyal Spirit at Wu Zhang Hills 五丈原忠魂 (wǔ zhàng yuán zhōng hún)"

(Note: Zhu Ge Liang died at Wu Zhang Hills before he could fulfill the wishes of the late Liu Bei 刘备)

(Double note: This description is probably the HARDEST to figure out. Seriously! Look at the simplified chinese characters listed above versus what is actually written on the right column of the card. Ridiculous!!)

Why is he a Demon:
Oh come on!!! How many damn versions of Zhu Ge Liang do we need in one game?! This is version number 4 already!! But at least all the other versions have nothing to do with his death.

Strangely, there is almost no supernatural mention of Zhu Ge Liang after his death. Given his superstar status, most would have thought the author would throw in some paranormal occurrence. With a come-back as dramatic as Guan Yu 关羽's ghost possessing Lu Meng 吕蒙, it would not have been far-fetched for Zhu Ge Liang's ghost to wreak havoc on earth. Yet, none of that happened. You kind of get that surreal sense of mourning after his passing, like the world will just never be the same without him.

So for some extra flavour, what kind of ridiculously powerful abilities would you give a supernatural Demon who was already omni-potent in life? Well... THE MOST RIDICULOUSLY POWERFUL ABILITY in the entire game!!!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

So... what can I get you?

Posted by Ricky Chua On 8:41 PM 7 comments
Dear readers,

I've been getting some questions lately about selling Unofficial Cards (such as the Demon Cards) as well as purchasing the Demi-God cards separately. I know it's tough getting the entire collection of Demi-Gods since there can be only 1 (or sometimes none!) per expansion pack.

Well i guess i might as well do a market survey! Do tell me what you would like to purchase from the SGS BlogShop in future. The poll is on the left column. Here are some pictures to help you out with your selection.

Demi-God Cards

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Demon Lǚ Bù 鬼吕布

Posted by Ricky Chua On 10:31 PM 4 comments
Translated Description:
"The Wraith of the White Gate 白门恶鬼 (bái mén è guǐ)"

Why is he a Demon:
The white gate was where Lu Bu ultimately might his death under the hands of Cao Cao 曹操. In all fairness, Demi-God Lu Bu is awesome enough and there really is no need for this watered-down version. I guess in this case he is demoted from Godly status down to a scary, but not lethal, ghost. It does not help that he looks like a purple cockroach dressed for a heavy metal concert. Yes you can probably tell that I seriously do not have the answer to this question of why he is a demon.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Demon Huà Xióng 鬼华雄

Posted by Ricky Chua On 10:16 PM No comments
Translated Description:
"The bitter soul over the cup of warm wine 温酒之恨 (wēn jiǔ zhī hèn)"

(Note: Hua Xiong was killed by Guan Yu 关羽 so quickly that before Guan Yu's wine turned cool, he returned with Hua Xiong's head.)

Why he is a Demon:
On one hand, Hua Xiong is an almost insignificant character in the entire story. You know he is not important by the speed at which he was killed by Guan Yu, no different from those nameless wrestlers who get trounced by the famous wrestling stars within 5 minutes.

On the other hand, Hua Xiong very nearly changed the entire course of history early in the Three Kingdoms period. The day before he was cut down by Guan Yu, Hua Xiong came very close to slaying Sun Jian 孙坚, and that could have distorted the future of Wu Kingdom 吴国.

In the story, Hua Xiong was credited as being a strong combatant, just shy of Lu Bu 吕布's abilities. I guess the need to let the heroes of the story (the 3 sworn brothers) took precedence and thus he appeared for a grand total of one miserable little chapter before his head was served on a platter. Wouldn't you be pissed if you were him?? Little wonder that he is one pissed off Demon!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Demon Guān Yǔ 鬼关羽

Posted by Ricky Chua On 11:02 PM 5 comments
Translated description:
"The Malice of Mai Cheng 麦城之恨 ("mài chéng zhī hèn")

(Note: The city of Mai Cheng was the location where Guan Yu was ultimately captured and executed)

Why is he a Demon:
It seems redundant to create yet another supernatural version of Guan Yu. Afterall, it would seem that Demi-God Guan Yu is already overkill. Yes, it does seem unnecessary and unjustified, but what the hell!! The more the merrier, right?

Based on the abilities written on the card, there does not seem to be much connection between the phantom of Guan Yu and this character, other than the translated description and the shamelessly ripped-off image.

Still, that does not mean I do not appreciate this character. His abilities can be pretty intense and gives him more killing time than most other characters. Those abilities are powerful enough to warrant him "cheat-character" status... "Demon"!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Changes to BlogShop! regions

Posted by Ricky Chua On 8:32 PM No comments
Dear readers,

Some changes have been made to the regions available in the BlogShop. Instead of specific countries, prices are now based on Zones around the world. There is little change in the price of the products as it has already been taken into account.

The reason for the change is to streamline the postage fees. Since the post-office groups the countries into Zones, I might as well follow suit. The only difference in prices in the Zones are due to the postage anyways.

You would also notice that currency has been unified into Singapore Dollar. This makes it more fair for everyone as the changes in currency fluctuation would be taken directly into account. A currency converter has been placed to help you calculate the value in your currency easily.

Thank you for your support thus far! Hope to be able to 杀 with you someday.

Till then... 杀杀杀!

3vs3 Character Selection Guide (Drafting)

Posted by Ricky Chua On 4:08 PM 4 comments
Dear readers,

It brings me great pleasure to present the first contributed article on SGS English! This article is a very thorough piece of work, written by OMGLOL.

Enjoy!!

Ricky

PS: If you would also like to contribute an article to this blog, please contact me at sg.rockstar@gmail.com



- By OMGLOL @ Server 6, Sanguosha Online
(Please direct all questions to SGS Forum: 3v3 Drafting Guide)

Overview:
Drafting is a very important aspect of 3vs3, many games are won and lost by the draft alone. You will have a pretty good idea how the game is going to turn out by the characters that you deploy. Being a good leader means you'll need a good understanding of all the characters and how they interact with each other in 3vs3.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

50,000 Page Views!!

Posted by Ricky Chua On 7:51 AM No comments
Dear readers,

I am still finding it hard to believe that this small little blog I started for a tiny little game would garner viewership. Thus i am thrilled to learn that there have been a total of 50,000 page views since this blog started 4 months ago!!


Yes of course it's no big deal. Any cam-whorish female with huge boobs and a deep cleavage garners this many readers within 5 minutes... such as Miss Virginluvtoxic (She better thank me for putting her cleavage on the screens of thousands of card gamers around the world).

Helloo...? Are you still reading this? Come back here after clicking on her blog link!!! GAHH!!!

Haha~! A Big thank you to all readers, subscribers and shoppers!! 杀!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Welcome! In this post, I shall be talking about Tournament-specific rules that are specially meant for 3vs3 format. Note that these rules are taken from the official Yoka site at http://www.yokagames.com/?action-viewnews-itemid-153. I have taken the liberty to simplify and clarify the contents, so what you will read here is not a simple direct-translate.

To apply these rules, you first need to familiarize yourself with the 3vs3 format of gameplay. Please click here to learn the 3vs3 format!



A word of warning, this post contains a lot of words and data that would appear as dry as a textbook about China-made slippers. It is not meant for easy reading but as a reference for the crazy bastards who let this game fry their minds so bad they want to play it in a tournament fashion.

Ok, ready? Here we go!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

The World's First SGS English Forum!!

Posted by Ricky Chua On 4:04 PM No comments
It seemed like the only logical thing to do, but i'm surprised nobody has started one. So i might as well do so!

Introducing...

... the San Guo Sha English Forum!!!

Alrighty then!!

Now everyone has a chance to chit-chat, ask questions, answer questions, boast, vent, yada-yada... to the rest of the SGS International community. Feel free to blast whatever questions you might want to ask in that forum.

To access the forum, click on the "Forum" button on the top right corner under the "Go to..." box!

I will be transplanting all the questions that have been asked so far on my blog unto that forum, so that others can add-on and comment there as well.

See ya on the forum!

Till then, have fun and 杀!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Auxiliary Rules Part 2: 3 vs 3 (Leisure play)

Posted by Ricky Chua On 11:11 PM 9 comments
*Please note that a major revision has been made to the "Sequence of Turns" section. My apologies for any inconveniences caused!

Welcome! One of the most exciting evolutions of this game is known as the "3 vs 3" format of play. Technically speaking, there is only one version of the 3vs3 rules, but i'm choosing to split it into the "Leisure" version (playing with friends) and the "Tournament" version. In this post, i shall be describing the Leisure version, just to familiarize you with the mechanism. Picking up the tournament version is easier from there on.



Alright, so here we go!!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Layout of Expansion Packs Pages Updated

Posted by Ricky Chua On 10:29 PM No comments
To my sheer horror, I realized that my compilation pages for the Expansion packs (left column, scroll down) were not at all organized!!

I have now sorted out the arrangements and can sleep in peace now~ (can't stand disorderly stuff!)

Coming up next, a write-up about the Tournament Format San Guo Sha known as the "3 VS 3" format. Be forewarned, this 3vs3 format is not a game for newbies and beginners! Expert players may probably enjoy this a fair bit... though that is also a sure sign that you have spent waaaaaay too many hours playing this game.

Till my next post! 杀!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The New BlogShop! (Version 2)

Posted by Ricky Chua On 1:11 AM 4 comments
Finally, the new BlogShop is open! The changes featured in this updated version include:

- Region-specific prices to factor in the differences in postage fees.
- Prices in local currency
- Updated product information
- Easier Browsing

Screenshot of BlogShop Version 2

Now with this BlogShop, Singaporean buyers enjoy huge savings due to proximity! There is even a self-collect option to save you even more money on postage!

Happy shopping!!

Friday, November 5, 2010

BlogShop: Version 2 in progress!

Posted by Ricky Chua On 11:27 PM No comments
A big thank you to the buyers and shoppers at my BlogShop! I must say that it is taking off faster than I expected!

I'm constantly improving the BlogShop so as to make it as user-friendly as i know how, therefore I hope to release the new BlogShop within the next few days.

Once again, thanks my valued shoppers!!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Seeking Contributors for Blog expansion!!

Posted by Ricky Chua On 12:31 AM 3 comments
Dear readers,

Thank you for your readership these past few months! As I strive to improve this blog further, I plan to increase the FAQ content in the hope of answering every ambiguity in this card game.

To do that, I need your help.

With the sheer volume of characters and cards in this game, the only way I can efficiently update all the FAQ section of every character and card is to gather a team of willing and voluntary contributors. Below are a list of contributor tasks that I am looking to gather:

1. Blog HTML designer - create a user-friendly design template that i can replicate for every card and character

2. Expert Players Council - To answer questions posed by readers whose answers are not found in FAQ

3. FAQ Raiders - Find frequently asked questions concerning a card/character that have already been answered by other experts. Note: These FAQ are usually in Chinese, so a strong command of Chinese is preferred.

4. SGS Online Contributors - Players who are very familiar with the SGS online game and can write an english guide for it on this blog.

5. ROTK History Buffs - Readers who are keen to contribute more to the historical significance of each character.

6. Expert Contributors - To post on auxiliary rules, unofficial characters and cards


Phew! What a long list!! I really do hope you can choose to help out if any of the above sounds interesting to you. All contributors will be credited accordingly in the contributed sections. If you have benefited from this blog, then I urge you to help others benefit even more from here!

Look forward to hearing from you! Till then... 杀!

Singaporean Buyers: Special Rates!!

Posted by Ricky Chua On 12:08 AM No comments
I am in the process of refining the BlogShop further. My fellow Singaporean readers, please do Email me directly at sg.rockstar@gmail.com for now for your purchases as we can arrange to meet up for the transaction. This way you enjoy far greater savings on mailing!!

Have fun and 杀!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Blog Shop is Up!!

Posted by Ricky Chua On 11:19 PM No comments
 I've got the first phase of the BlogShop up and running. In the first phase, the products will be the simple SGS game packs and Expansion packs. I will delivery them worldwide, so order away for Xmas!

My BlogShop can be found in the upper right header bar, beside "Demi-God Characters".



In phase 2 to come by the end of this week, I shall put up my Translation Cards on the shop. As mentioned in my comment, the translation cards will cost less than US$1.00 per card. Right now I only have the Woods Expansion Translations ready. The other characters will come very soon!

Thanks for supporting this blog! Hope that with this BlogShop, this blog can truly become a one-stop website for everything SGS English. :D

Have fun and 杀!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010



The first set of cards are finally ready!

These cards are made of PCV and will last you nearly forever. They are approximately the size of your credit card (and just as tough) and will fit nicely into a business card holder or album for neat storage.

Front side of the card depicts the avatar of the character for easy recognition, especially for those who don't know any chinese characters.

Rear side of the card shows "Allegiance, Health, Character name & Description", together with the ability name and description. Ruler characters will have the words spelled in gold fonts.

Order these cards in my blogshop!! Comments and suggestions welcome!!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Back from behind the Great Firewall

Posted by Ricky Chua On 9:07 PM 4 comments
OMG... 2 full weeks in China made me realise how cut-off I am from blogger!!

Despite receiving Email notifications about comments posted within these 2 days, i could do nothing but helplessly wait for the days to count down as the Great Firewall blocked my every attempt to access Blogger and post or comment. CURSES!!!

On the flip side, I now have the working model of the Character translation card. I'll put up the pictures shortly!

Also, my blogshop will be opening soon. You will be able to purchase SanGuoSha (Original Pack) and all the existing expansion packs, delivered worldwide and payable through Paypal.

Looking forward to it!! In the meantime... 杀!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Preview: SGS English Plugin

Posted by Ricky Chua On 3:25 PM 3 comments
Here's a preview of the improved Translation Plugin. It's going to be a card format printed on both sides that serves as a reference. The size is going to be identical to the character card size, so it will fit nicely with your other cards in the box. 

Front
Back

Feedback welcome!!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Disaster!!

Posted by Ricky Chua On 2:28 PM 6 comments
It's one thing to translate every card from Chinese to English, but it's quite another to want to squeeze all the long english words into 2cm x 4cm space and still be legible.

In a disastrous last minute crash-out, I found to my heart-wrenching horror that my english-plugins contain words that are too damn small to be readable! NOOOOOOOO!!!!! After all those hours of work!!!!!!

ROAR~~!!!!!!


No matter!! I shall find a way around it! I am determined to release this english plug-in for the benefit of all my readers!

I'll be back!!!! 他妈的我杀死你!!!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Auxiliary Rules Part 1: One Versus One game

Posted by Ricky Chua On 4:20 PM 8 comments
Welcome to the new mini-series on Auxiliary Rules! In this series, there will be a mix of official rules and some unorthodox suggestions. For those of you who are getting sick of the usual game style, here are a few interesting variations to this already very complex game.

So, are you ready? Here we go into Part 1!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Launching soon!!! A few more days!!

Posted by Ricky Chua On 12:47 PM 8 comments
Hi everyone, there have been a lack of posts recently because i have been busying myself with an original SGS-English product for the card game!

I'm incredibly excited about it and i cannot wait to show it to all you readers and make it available! It would take me a few more days of work, but trust me... ITS GOING TO BE WORTH IT!!

In the meantime, i'll do my best to put up the alternative rules and FAQ disambiguations. :)

Have fun and 杀!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

SGS in Australia: The Perth Mystery

Posted by Ricky Chua On 11:55 PM 6 comments
A big Hello to the readers from Australia! 

Something has been puzzling me since i began tracking readership. Australian readers are the 4th most active in reading this blog (behind USA, Singapore and Canada), and to my surprise, the location of these readers are exclusively from the Eastern half of Australia!


There's Sydney with the highest readership and Melbourne at second... but not a single reader from Perth?!

Isn't that where the highest density of Chinese are in Australia? Maybe they don't know about SGS yet??

Ok i'm just being curious for the sake of being curious. I do hope somebody can enlighten me... if you're bored enough. :)

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Guān Yǔ 关羽

Posted by Ricky Chua On 11:59 PM 7 comments
Translated description:
"Bearded Gentleman 美髯公 (měi rán gōng)"

Who is he:
He is a god. No kidding. The legend of Guan Yu and his strong sense of chivalry and brotherhood has transcended two millenia and is still widely revered today in Chinese culture. Mention his deity name "Guan Gong 关公" and most elder chinese would relate to you legendary stories of Guan Yu's strong sense fairness, justice and brotherhood. The 2nd eldest among the three sworn brothers, Liu Bei 刘备, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei 张飞, Guan Yu is usually the most rational. Of course, his combat ability is incredible and his weapon the "Green Dragon Crescent Blade 青龙偃月刀" has become the stuff of legends.


Character ability: "Warrior Saint 武圣 (wǔ shèng)"
You can use any card with a "heart" or "diamonds" suit as an ATTACK 杀 card.

Ability's relation to story:
Like most of Shu Han 蜀汉's "combat" characters in the San Guo Sha 三国杀 card game, there is only a superficial link between their character ability and the story. In the case of Guan Yu, the game makers decided to make it easy for Guan Yu to attack other players. Unlike Zhao Yun 赵云 who has an advantage in dodging, Guan Yu's advantage only lies in attack. Perhaps its the game makers' way of paying tribute to Guan Yu's courage and raw power.

Additional info based on story:
1. Most famous achievement - I'm putting my personal opinion into this one. Despite all the battles won by Guan Yu, I remember him best for his role in letting Cao Cao 曹操 escape. When nearly all hope was lost for Cao Cao after the huge loss at Battle of Red Cliffs 赤壁之战, he had the ill-fortune to be confronted by Guan Yu. Cao Cao knelt down before Guan Yu and said it was his fortune to die in the hands of the respected Guan Yu, rather than in the hands of some other unknown character. However Guan Yu let Cao Cao go because he was once indebted to Cao Cao, who spared his life in a reversal of fortunes many years before. The key thing to remember here is that Guan Yu is liable for punishment by death for this chivalrous act, yet he still let Cao Cao go. Now that is a classic example of chivalry indeed.

2. Cause of death - Guan Yu was captured by troops from the Kingdom of Sun Wu 孙吴 after his own men deserted him. Guan Yu had severely underestimated his enemies and left the city of Jing Zhou 荆州 poorly guarded. While he was away attacking Cao Ren 曹仁 at Fan Cheng 樊城, the troops of Lu Meng 吕蒙 moved in and captured Jing Zhou. Guan Yu's men, who were mostly from Jing Zhou, deserted him to return to the safety of their family. Guan Yu was then captured at Mai Cheng 麦城. He was executed together with his son Guan Ping 关平 since they refused to surrender.


Wikipedia link:



FAQ and Disambiguation:

Warrior Saint
1. Can Guan Yu use an equipped item that has a red suit as ATTACK?

Ans: Yes, with conditions. If the ATTACK to be used requires the item's ability or range, then it CANNOT be used. Eg: the target is distance 5 away from Guan Yu, then Guan Yu cannot use his equipped weapon (assuming red suited +5 distance) as ATTACK since that would mean the weapon's range is forfeited. 2nd Eg: Guan Yu equipped red-suited Zhu Ge Crossbow 诸葛连驽 and has already used an ATTACK card in that turn. He cannot use the Zhu Ge Crossbow card as an ATTACK since that would mean he is using 2 ATTACKS in a turn and he requires the Zhu Ge Crossbow to be equipped when he uses more ATTACK cards.


2. If Guan Yu uses a red-suited card (eg: PEACH) to ATTACK Cao Cao 曹操 and causes him damage, does Cao Cao keep the red-suited card that was used? (eg: In which case he gains a PEACH?)

Ans: Yes Cao Cao keeps the red-suited card.


3. With regards to a target equipped with Ren Wang Shield 仁王盾, is any red-suited card used as an ATTACK by Guan Yu considered a red-suited ATTACK card?

Ans: Yes. As long as the card is red-suited and used as ATTACK, they are considered red-suited ATTACK cards.

Zhào Yún 赵云

Posted by Ricky Chua On 12:05 AM 12 comments
Translated description:
"The young general 少年将军 (shào nián jiāng jūn)"

Who is he:
The hunk in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhao Yun is portrayed like the Antonio Banderas of ancient China, complete with sword wielding abilities equal to Zorro (or probably better?). Always the general of Shu Han 蜀汉 that appears to save the day when their need is crucial, Zhao Yun is arguably one of the most well-liked characters in the entire story. If you expect this character to have abilities to be feared in the card game, then you are right.

Character ability: "Dragon Heart 龙胆 (lóng dǎn)"
All your ATTACK 杀 and DODGE 闪 cards can be used interchangeably.

Ability's relation to story:
Scant relation to the story, really. We all know Zhao Yun is a really good fighter, so I guess it was natural to make his ability skewed towards attack. But the cool thing about Zhao Yun's "Dragon Heart" ability is he has a much stronger evasive ability than most players. Compared to Guan Yu 关羽 and Zhang Fei 张飞 who can heap loads of attack damage, Zhao Yun has an abnormal amount of ATTACK cards at his disposal but also has an incredible amount of DODGE as well! You kind of get the impression that the game makers want us to think that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are pure brute strength while Zhao Yun has more dexterity and flexibility.

Additional info based on story:
1. Most famous achievement - Zhao Yun's rescue of Liu Shan 刘禅 at the Battle of Chang Ban 长板. This story is the stuff of legends. Zhao Yun is separate from Liu Bei 刘备 in the chaos after Cao Cao 曹操 attacks. Liu Bei's generals reported seeing Zhao Yun dash in the direction of the enemy alone, inferring that Zhao Yun has deserted Liu Bei and joined the enemy. Liu Bei would have none of it and believed Zhao Yun must have some plan up his sleeve. True enough, Zhao Yun ran into the enemy to search for Liu Bei's wife and son, Liu Shan, who was missing as well. After finding Liu Shan but not being able to rescue Liu Bei's wife, Zhao Yun dashes back towards Liu Bei, encountering literally thousands of enemy troops alone. One versus a few thousand, Zhao Yun manages to slay over 50 of Cao Cao's generals and hundreds of troops before successfully escaping. When Liu Shan was finally presented back to Liu Bei, Liu Bei tosses the baby on the ground, exclaiming that his son's life was not worth endangering his great general.

2. Cause of death - Zhao Yun died of old age, which was a remarkable feat not to have died in battle in that era. He remained undefeated in battle till his death. Most of the other Shu Han generals were all killed in action.


Wikipedia link:



FAQ and Disambiguation:

Dragon Heart
1. When Zhao Yun has equipped Serpent Halberd 丈八蛇矛, can he use any 2 on-hand cards as DODGE (since interchangeable with ATTACK)?


Ans: No. Equipment effects are not interchangeable under Dragon Heart, only the cards themselves.


2. When equipped with EIGHT TRIGRAMS 八卦阵, can he choose to activate judgement to flip a red card and use as ATTACK (since interchangeable with DODGE)?

Ans: No. Refer to 1.


3. If Zhao Yun uses DODGE as an ATTACK card, will there be any elemental attribute to the ATTACK?

Ans: No. They will be viewed as normal ATTACKs.


4. If Liu Bei uses "Rouse"(Shua Characters use ATTACK on his behalf), can Zhao Yun use a DODGE card as ATTACK for him?

Ans: Yes.


5. If Zhao Yun equips Eight Trigrams 八卦阵 , can he use it to generate Dodge but used as an Attack?

Ans: The official FAQ answer is no,though this point is still widely contested.





Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Game Rules Part 7: Reincarnation 转世

Posted by Ricky Chua On 11:50 PM 10 comments
Welcome to Part 7!

In this section, i'm going to talk about one of my favorite auxiliary rules known as the Reincarnation Rule. Simply put, it allows a player to remain in the game despite being killed and after his or her role card has been exposed.



The original logic of this rule was to minimize the amount of waiting time for the dead players before the next round starts, especially when there are more than 7 players in the round. Quite considerate, no?

(By the way, this rule is auxiliary, meaning its not compulsory. In fact it's rarely used, but heck of a lot of fun. Strong recommend that you test this out the next time you play!)

So, let's begin!
I must admit, I knew NOTHING about the Romance of Three Kingdoms story before I played SanGuoSha. Although my Dad is a Chinese history buff who constantly promoted the story to me, I always felt those were for the graying population like him.

Then came along SGS and my world changed.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

I'm happy to report that the Demi-Gods are up, which means that all the official characters are up on this blog! WOO HOO!!

Now for an update on every character to include the FAQs and other stuff i missed out. That would REALLY fatten up the content here.

Also, look out for the alternate rules to the game that i shall be putting up soon.


One important thing, i realized that the Flip Character Card rules i put up are incorrect. My initial research plus original plays were inline with what i wrote, but within the past 2 weeks there have been some changes and the common consensus of the mechanics of the Flip has changed. I shall be updating it tomorrow.

Till then, Have fun! 杀!

Demi-God Zhōu Yú 神周瑜

Posted by Ricky Chua On 11:05 PM 20 comments
Translated description:
"The God of Fire at Red Cliffs 赤壁的火神 (chì bì dè huǒ shén)"

Why is he a Demi-God:
People familiar with the Romance of the Three Kingdoms story would know that Zhu Ge Liang 诸葛亮 and Zhou Yu were both instrumental in defeating Cao Cao 曹操 at the Red Cliffs. However the historians that distilled out the "Romance" from the story found that Zhou Yu was the main architect of the victory, while Zhu Ge Liang had far less involvement. Even then, we can already tell in the story that Zhou Yu did a lot of the dirty work in putting the pieces together. These include:

1. Setting up Pang Tong 庞统 to deceive Cao Cao into shackling his ships together.

2. Sending Huang Gai 黄盖 to feint defection in order to set start the fire.

3. Planning for the cut off of Cao Cao's retreat.

Ultimately, Zhou Yu deserves the credit for destroying Cao Cao's entire army and that is why Zhou Yu deserves to be immortalized as a Demi-God!


Character ability 1: "The Sound of Music 琴音 (qín yīn)"
During your discard phase, when you discard 2 or more on-hand cards, you can choose to force all players (including yourself) to regain 1 unit of health or lose 1 unit of health.

Character ability 2: [Single-Use ability] "Searing Heat 业炎 (yè yán)"
During your action phase, you can select 1 to 3 players and distribute a total of 3 units of fire attribute damage between them. If you allocate 2 units or more of damage to any of the players, you need to discard 1 card of each suit (4 cards in total) and lose 3 units of health.

Ability's relation to story: 
Although Zhou Yu is known for his superb skills with the Qin instrument, there does not seem to be any mention of him playing the Qin during the Red Cliffs episode. Thus I believe "The Sound of Music" is just loosely based on his ability to play. "Searing Heat" probably just refers to his fiery achievement in defeating Cao Cao, but there is no reference for his sacrificing his health in the story at this period of time. Therefore this is probably also loosely-based on the story.

Demi-God Zhū Gě Liàng 神诸葛亮

Posted by Ricky Chua On 9:30 PM 18 comments
Translated description:
"The Sorcerer at the Red Cliffs 赤壁的妖术师 (chì bì dè yāo shù shī)"

Why is he a Demi-God:
In an act of mischief, Zhu Ge Liang decides to fool Zhou Yu 周瑜 into thinking he has the ability to control the weather. At an elaborately set up altar, Zhu Ge Liang performs a mysterious rite that he says will help change the wind direction, which was necessary in order for their fire strategy to work against the ships of Cao Cao 曹操. True enough, by that night the wind directions turn 180 degrees, finally putting in place the final gear in the machine that would be Cao Cao's terrible defeat. Everyone is fooled by Zhu Ge Liang, who absolutely cannot control the weather at all. He simply knew how to read the stars to foretell the weather. Easy peasy! All those meteorologists with their high-tech doppler radars should be ashamed of themselves!


Character ability 1: "The Seven Stars 七星 (qī xīng)"
At the very beginning of the game, when the initial 4 cards are being distributed amongst all players, you will be given a total of 11 cards. Pick 4 out of these 11 to be your starting hand, while the remaining cards are placed face down elsewhere (out of the game area). These extra cards will be referred to as "Stars". During your turn, right after the drawing phase, you can interchange any number of your on-hand cards with an identical number of your Stars.

Character ability 2: "Strong Gale 狂风 (kuáng fēng)"
At the end of your turn, you can discard 1 of your "Stars" and select 1 target player. From then till your next turn, this target player will suffer 1 additional unit of damage for all fire attribute damage.

Character ability 3: "Heavy Shroud 大雾 (dà wù)"
At the end of your turn, you can discard X number of "Stars" and select X number of target players. From then till your next turn, these target players will be protected from all damage except Lightning attribute damage.

Ability's relation to story:
Since Zhu Ge Liang knew how to read the stars to foretell weather, it is only natural that "The Seven Stars" is intricately linked to the story, specifically to the battle at Red Cliffs. What's more impressive is the game maker's use of weather elements in his other abilities "Strong Gale" and "Heavy Shroud". We already know that a gale was necessary for the fire to spread towards Cao Cao's army, and the deeper reference to fire attributed damage is well-appreciated.

"Heavy Shroud" is not part of his hocus-pocus ritual, but it still is related to the Red Cliffs battle. Prior to the main battle, Zhu Ge Liang used boats of straw to "harvest" 100,000 arrows for Zhou Yu. The shroud of haze was also fore-told in the stars and he used that to his advantage, deceiving the enemy into shooting at figurines of straw in the poor visibility.

Demi-God Lǚ Méng 神吕蒙

Posted by Ricky Chua On 8:50 PM 15 comments
Translated description:
"The Minister with Divine Enlightenment 圣光之国士 (shèng guāng zhī guó shì)"

Why is he a Demi-God:
I wish I had an answer to this question that I am whole-heartedly convinced with. Unfortunately, I do not. "Divine Enlightenment" is an exaggeration of Lu Meng's studious discipline, where he turns from a military brute into a learned minister. His remarkable improvements are due to his own hard work and there was nothing divine about his new found enlightenment. Perhaps by giving this character a tinge of divinity, he rises to join the immortal Demi-Gods? Of course, my aim is not to pick the minor faults of this game, given the huge amount of literature references in all the cards combined.


Character ability 1: "Browse Through 涉猎 (shè liè)"
During your drawing phase, you can choose to carry out the following action to replace the drawing of cards: Flip over 5 cards from the top of the deck and take 1 card of each suit (max 4 cards: 1 heart, 1 spade, 1 clubs, 1 diamonds). Discard the remainder.

Character ability 2: "Strike at the Heart 攻心 (gōng xīn)"
During your action phase, you can view all the on-hand cards of 1 player. You can then pick 1 card with a suit of "hearts" from this player's on-hand cards and display it for every player to see. After doing so, you can choose to either discard this "hearts" card or place it at the top of the deck.

Ability's relation to story:
"Browse Through" is the very phrase that Sun Quan 孙权 used to advise Lu Meng to read more and be knowledgeable. Of course, Sun Quan's intention was not to turn Lu Meng into a PhD, so he only advocated browsing through as many books as possible to get a wider breadth of knowledge. Using a wordplay on the ability name, Lu Meng can now "browse through" the first 5 cards of the deck and take his pick. Very nice fit!

"Strike at the Heart" is also another wordplay. In his attack on Jing Zhou 荆州, Lu Meng used psychological tactics to defeat Guan Yu 关羽. He "attacked" the hearts of the civilians of Jing Zhou by treating them well and with respect. It was thus that Guan Yu's troops began deserting him.

Demi-God Lǚ Bù 神吕布

Posted by Ricky Chua On 8:14 PM 15 comments
Translated description:
"The Way of the Asura 修罗之道 (xiū luó zhī dào)"

(Asuras are mythical Demi-Gods in Buddhist mythology that are wrathful, prideful, arrogant, and love to fight. Click here for Asuras Wiki.)

Why is he a Demi-God:
Let's list out a couple adjectives to describe Lu Bu -

1. Arrogant (Striking his halberd with an arrow to win a truce between Yuan Shu 袁术 and Liu Bei 刘备)
2. Wrathful (Killing Dong Zhuo 董卓 over Diao Chan 貂蝉)
3. Loves to fight (1 vs 3 against the sworn-brothers-three)
4. Prideful (Loves to hear compliments and receive gifts that stroke his ego).

... and lastly...

5. Not very bright (no relation to the Asuras)

Notice that the description is quite accurate about him, placing his personality amongst the Asuras. Perhaps that is why he is a Demi-God: because the Asuras are Demi-Gods themselves. Therefore this Demi-God character has nothing to do with his death, but everything to do with his actions while he was alive.


Character ability 1: [Enforced ability] "Violent Rage 狂暴 (kuáng bào)"
At the beginning of the game, you get 2 "Rage 暴怒" tokens. Every 1 unit of damage you cause or suffer, you receive 1 Rage token.

Character ability 2: [Enforced ability] "Simpleton 无谋 (wú móu)"
Every time you use a tool card (with the exception of Time-delay Tool Cards), you must discard 1 Rage token or lose 1 unit of health.

Character ability 3: "Unprecedented 无前 (wú qián)"
During your action phase, you can discard 2 Rage tokens and select 1 target player. For the rest of your turn, the target player's Armour becomes ineffective. In addition, you acquires Lu Bu's "Without Equal 无双" ability.

Character ability 4: "Asura's Fury 神愤 (shén fèn)"
During your action phase, you can discard 6 Rage tokens. Every player (except yourself) will:

(Carried out in order from 1 to 3)
1. Receive 1 unit of damage
2. Discard all equipped cards
3. Discard 4 on-hand cards

After this is done, you must flip your character card. Limited to once per turn.

Ability's relation to story:
Abilities 1, 3 and 4 are created for this character with little to no link to the story. "Simpleton" has some links to the story, but I need not elaborate here as it has been described in my previous post on (normal) Lu Bu.

Demi-God Guān Yǔ 神关羽

Posted by Ricky Chua On 7:19 PM 16 comments
Translated description:
"The Return of the Ultimate Ghost 鬼神再临 (gǔi shén zài lín)"

Why is he a Demi-God:
There is no ghost quite like the ghost of Guan Yu in the Romance of Three Kingdoms story. No doubt he is not the only supernatural character to re-appear after death (Yu Ji 于吉 also came back to haunt Sun Ce 孙策), but the ghost of Guan Yu did more than spook the mortals. No, that would belittle him! The ghost of Guan Yu possessed his killer, Lu Meng 吕蒙, and took over control of his body. The possessed Lu Meng grabbed Sun Quan 孙权, and tossed him to the ground. Guan Yu even cursed Sun Quan through Lu Meng's mouth, then promptly killed Lu Meng from the inside, blood oozing out of the eyes, ears, nose and mouth. But the ghost of Guan Yu was not done yet! After Sun Quan sent Guan Yu's head to Cao Cao 曹操, Guan Yu's head awoke in its box and Cao Cao collapsed on the ground in fright. Cao Cao quickly gave Guan Yu a colossal burial fit for a prince and even posthumously named Guan Yu as Prince of Jing Zhou 荆州.


Character ability 1: [Enforced ability] "God of War 武神 (wǔ shén)"
Every "heart" suited card will be regarded as ATTACK 杀. When you use one of these "heart" suited cards, the ATTACK has no range limitations.

Character ability 2: [Enforced ability] "Warrior Spirit 武魂 (wǔ hún)"
For every 1 unit of damage that any player that inflicts on you, that player will receive 1 "Nightmare 梦魇" token. When you die, the player with the most number of Nightmare tokens must flip a judgement card. Unless the judgement card is PEACH 桃 or PEACH GARDEN 桃园结义, that player dies immediately.

Ability's relation to story:
"God of War" does not have any link to the story. I guess this is simply paying homage to the numerous military achievements of Guan Yu in his lifetime. "Warrior Spirit" is a fantastically created ability that has clear links to Lu Meng's death. The game makers want to re-create the retribution effect of Guan Yu's killer, and I think they put it together perfectly.

Trivia:
The illustration of the card follows the author's description of the ghost of Guan Yu. After the burial given by Cao Cao, Guan Yu's spirit lingers and wanders to Yu Quan Hill 玉泉山 where a priest see's a ghost in the nightsky with the shape of man mounted on a horse. The priest then recognises that it is the ghost of Guan Yu.

Demi-God Cáo Cāo 神曹操

Posted by Ricky Chua On 6:11 PM 27 comments
Translated description:
"A Hero that transcends time 超世之英杰 (chāo shì zhī yīng jié)"

Why is he a Demi-God:
Nearly every Chinese in the world would have heard of his name. It is not just his achievements that are spectacular, his use of military tactics and his overall leadership ability is legendary. The description is no exaggeration; Cao Cao truly is a hero that has transcended time.  That fact that we are playing a card game that is built-upon that the Three Kingdoms story is proof of this. You might ask, "What about Liu Bei 刘备 or Sun Quan 孙权? Are they not in the same league?" Perhaps. Both of them were extraordinary in their own rights, but the drama that is Cao Cao is what makes him stand out from those two. It is well-known that the Romance of Three Kingdoms story down-played a lot of Cao Cao's achievements and his more humane side, thus what we know from the story is only a part of his full story. Cao Cao deserves to be a Demi-God, because he is arguably the most important person in the entire era.


Character ability 1: "Homage 归心 (guī xīn)"
For every 1 unit of damage that you receive, you can draw one card from every character in play (equipped cards, on-hand cards, or pending judgement cards). After doing so, you must flip character card.

Character ability 2: [Enforced ability] "Flying Shadow 飞影 (fēi yǐng)"
When other characters consider their distance from you, you will always have additional +1 distance away (equipped +1 horse by default).

Ability's relation to story:
"Homage" is exactly what the word means; bow to the God that is Cao Cao and offer him your cards for his picking. "Flying Shadow" is a word play on his favorite steed "The Shadow 绝影", which is a +1 horse in this game.
Alright!! Woods Expansion done!! Now only 6 more characters left before i'm done with all the official characters...

THE 6 DEMI-GODS ARE UP NEXT!! MUAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

...


Anyways yesterday was another marathon session of SGS and we decided to go crazy with the super characters again. This time, on top of the 6 Demi-Gods, we mixed up 4 of the unofficial Demon cards into play: They are...

Jiǎ Xǔ 贾诩

Posted by Ricky Chua On 5:23 PM 54 comments
Translated description:
"Cold-blooded Advocate for Murder 冷酷的毒士 (lěng kù dè dú shì)"

Wikipedia link: Jia Xu Wiki

Who is he:
His description portrays him as a mass-murderer, and history seems to back that up. After the death of Dong Zhuo 董卓, Jia Xu adviced Li Jue 李催 to take advantage of the chaos in Chang An 长安 and grab the Imperial power for himself. This would prove to be the biggest black mark on Jia Xu's life as Li Jue and Guo Si 郭汜 went on a rampage in Chang An, killing and abducting innocent civilians, burning and robbing property. Later historians place the blame squarely on Jia Xu for the holocaust. The fact is Jia Xu is an incredibly gifted advisor whose predictions have come true many times. The sad thing is his leaders did not always listen to him! While serving under Cao Cao 曹操, Jia Xu was one of the rare few who did not support the attack on Sun Wu 孙吴. Not heeding this advice, Cao Cao later met with disaster at Red Cliffs 赤壁之战. Years later while serving under Cao Pi 曹丕, Jia Xu again advised a defensive strategy instead of supporting Cao Pi's attack on either Sun Wu or Shu Han 蜀汉. Once again, his advise proved to be correct as Cao Pi was not victorious.

Character ability 1: [Enforced ability] "Unmitigated Murder 完杀 (wán shā)"
During your turn, with the exception of yourself, only characters who are on the brink of death (health equals zero or less) can use PEACH 桃.

Character ability 2: [Single-Use Ability] "Descend into Chaos 乱武 (luàn wǔ)"
During your action phase, you can force every player, other than yourself, to use an ATTACK 杀 on another player at the least distance away. If a player is unable to do so (no ATTACK cards to use or attack range cannot reach any player), the player will lose 1 unit of health. Recipients of the ATTACK need to use DODGE 闪 to evade. This ability will proceed in succession starting from the player on your right.

Character ability 3: [Enforced ability] "Behind the Curtain 帷幕 (wéi mù)"
You cannot become the target of tool cards with the suit of "clubs" or "spades".

Ability's relation to story:
No direct link is made to "Unmitigated Murder", though it can be inferred that the game makers want to add drama to this "cold-blooded murderer". "Descend into Chaos" is referring to the massacre at Chang An carried out by Li Jue and Guo Si.

"Behind the Curtain" is interesting. Jia Xu happens to be the longest-living advisor in the Three Kingdoms Era, and the reason for this is rather unglamorous. He is remembered as someone who will save his own ass before the higher purpose. Numerous times he has switched allegiance as his leaders started to fail, finally ending up at Cao Wei 曹魏 till his death. Even then, Jia Xu stayed away from expressing emotions that would compromise his true thoughts. In his later years he became a recluse, and did not even speak in private to anyone else. The "Curtain" in this case is his silence and evasive character, making him less susceptible to ploys and schemes. Thus the ability is apt for him since it makes him impervious to a large number of tool cards.

Additional info based on story:
1. Most famous achievement - Advising Li Jue to Guo Si to take the empire for themselves. Eventually Lu Jue and Guo Si tore each other apart and Jia Xu prudently distanced himself from them.

2. Cause of death - Jia Xu died of old-age at the age of 77 years old. Not bad for a public enemy, don't you think?


FAQ and Disambiguation

1. For ability 1, does this mean if Jia Xu attack the RULER who begins with 1 life and drops to 0 , only the RULER can use PEACH to save himself , and that nobody else can use PEACH to save the RULER?

Ans: Yes only the RULER can save himself. It does not even have to be damage caused by Jia Xu . For example , if Jia Xu was a Loyalist and he attacks Zhang Jiao, but Zhang Jiao uses his Lightning strike ability to strike the ruler, whose health reduces to zero , nobody else except Jia Xu can use PEACH to save him. So this can be potentially disastrous if the consequences are not properly thought through.


2. For Ability 2, Jia Xu  is 1 distance away from Player A, and Player B is 1 distance away to the right of Player A . If Jia Xu forces Player A to attack , and both Jia Xu and Player B are equidistant from Player A , who gets to choose who gets hit?

Ans:  The player who is executing the ATTACK gets to choose , which means there is a chance that Jia Xu himself  will be the target of ATTACK from the 2 players on his left and right .


3. For Ability 3, what happens if a club Lightning passes through him ? Would it immediately move from the player to his left to the player to his right? Or would it be discarded as soon as the player on his left was done with it?

Ans: Assuming the direction of play is anti-clockwise , once the Lightning moves into Jia Xu's zone from the player to his left,it immediately skips him and move to the player on his right. The rules for removing Lightning from  play applies : only Dismantle ,Steal, or the Lightning strikes someone will the card be removed from the play area.


4. How often can single-use abilities be used?

Ans: It can only be used once PER GAME.


5. Can Jia Xu's tool card be Negated by other player?

Ans: Black negate do have an effect on Jia Xu's tool card. This is because the negate is use on the tool card and not on Jia Xu himself.


6. Do barbarian cards has an effect on Jia Xu?

Ans: Both barbarian cards are black, therefore they have no effect on Jia Xu.


7. Can a Dismantle target Jia Xu's horse and equipment count as targeting Jia Xu?

Ans: Using Dismantle on his equipment still counts as targeting Jia Xu( Since these belongs to him)


8. Can Yu Ji use his ''Bewilder '' skill to play ''colourless'' Barbarian to attack Jia Xu?

Ans: Yes, Yu Ji cards when played faced down are all suitless and colorless .They will work on Jia Xu


9. When Xiao Qiao uses Barbarian that is spade suit, will it be regarded as a Heart Barbarians by everyone including Jia Xu?

Ans: yes all of Xiao Qiao's ''spades'' cards are viewed as ''hearts'' .So even though she uses a spade Barbarian ,it will be regarded as a Heart' Barbarian by everyone .Therefore it will work on Jia Xu.


10. If the second ability activates and someone gets hurt because he could'nt attack anyone(no attack or no range) does Jia Xu gets the rewards and punishment for causing that damage?

Ans: For 2nd ability (Descend into Chaos 乱武) if a player dies because he is unable to use Attack, nobody gets to draw any rewards or punishment.
Note: If a player dies during this ability because he is a victim of another player's attack , the player that use the Attack becomes the source and  gets all the rewards/ punishment accordingly.


11. During ''Descend into Chaos 乱武' ability, does the player being attacked need to use dodge or suffer yet another damage?

Ans: Yes . The player being attacked needs to use Dodge or suffer damage.


12. Can Da Qiao deflect the attack skills for Jia Xu's Ability 2?

Ans: Yes, Da Qiao can use her ability normally.

Friday, September 3, 2010

From which country are you reading this blog?

Posted by Ricky Chua On 12:04 AM 5 comments
Many thanks to the readers of this blog for visiting, commenting, correcting my mistakes, and spreading the word. When I started this blog, I expected my target audience to be confined to the tiny red dot called Singapore. I really did not expect the worldwide audience that now reads this blog.


Here are the top countries that visit this blog as compiled by Blogger Stats.


Are you surprised to find your country's ranking on this list? So from where in the world are you reading this? Drop me a comment and say "Hi!".

Have fun!!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Xú Huǎng 徐晃

Posted by Ricky Chua On 10:18 AM 11 comments
Translated description:
"Reminiscence of Zhou Ya Fu 周亚夫之风 (zhōu yǎ fū zhī fēng)"

(Zhou Ya Fu was a general during the Han Dynasty that died about 60 years before the start of the Three Kingdoms era. He is regarded as the epitome of military discipline and integrity.)

Wikipedia link: Xu Huang Wiki

Who is he:
One of the 5 most important generals to Cao Cao 曹操, Xu Huang is a man of righteousness. He first came to Cao Cao's attention as a general of Yang Feng 杨奉, an enemy leader that Cao Cao intends to vanquish. Seeing Xu Huang's strong combat ability, he convinces Xu Huang to join him. Xu Huang agrees to defect, but refused the request to murder Yang Feng, exclaiming that he would not do such a dishonorable deed. Xu Huang then became fast friends with Guan Yu 关羽 in the short period that Guan Yu was with Cao Cao, but when they eventually stood on opposite sides of the battle field, Xu Huang made clear to Guan Yu that his duty was kill him and cannot let personal ties get in the way. Such integrity and responsibility was highly appreciated by Cao Cao, who likened him to Zhou Ya Fu.

Dǒng Zhuó 董卓

Posted by Ricky Chua On 12:05 AM 35 comments
Translated description:
"Demon King 魔王 (mó wáng)"

Wikipedia link: Dong Zhuo Wiki

Who is he:
Despite the unpopularity of Cao Cao 曹操 or Si Ma Yi 司马懿, people give due credit to their accomplishments. Dong Zhuo, on the other hand, is unpopular to the point of hatred. He was a general with a bad name before he answered the call to rid the Emperor of the corrupt officials. In the ensuing chaos, the young Emperor and his half-brother was separated from their guards and loyalists. By a stroke of luck, Dong Zhuo found the Emperor and used the opportunity to seize power. He proclaimed himself Chancellor and brutally executed those who opposed him. Nobody, not even the Emperor, dared to speak out against him. From then on, the Imperial palace became Dong Zhuo's garden of sin. He ate and pampered himself as if he was Emperor, even slept on the Emperor's bed and raped the palace maids and concubines. His thirst for lust would become his downfall as a wedge was driven between him and his foster son (and his greatest military general) Lu Bu 吕布, thanks to the appearance of the beautiful Diao Chan 貂蝉.


Character ability 1: "Drown in Wine 酒池 (jiǔ chí)"
You can use any of your on-hand cards with a suit of "spades" as WINE 酒.

Character ability 2: [Enforced ability] "Garden of Lust 肉林 (ròu lín)"
When you use ATTACK 杀 on a female character and vice versa, the targeted character needs to use 2 DODGE 闪 cards to successfully evade the attack.

Character ability 3: [Enforced ability] "Disintegrate 崩坏 (bēng huài)"
At the end of every turn, if your health is not the least or amongst the least, you must lose 1 unit of health or reduce his maximum health by 1 unit.

Character ability 4: [Ruler ability] "The Tyrant 暴虐 (bào nüè)"
When other Heroes 群雄 characters cause any damage to other players, you can flip a judgement card. If the judgement card is the suit of "spades", Dong Zhuo will regain 1 unit of health.

Ability's relation to story:
"Drown in Wine" is based on him abusing his status and indulging in alcohol. It can be assumed that the palace is in large supply of wine and that Dong Zhuo will drink himself happily silly every night.

"Garden of Lust" is interesting. We know that Dong Zhuo is every woman's nightmare: burly, ugly, smelly, lusty, but powerful. Female characters would be at a disadvantage against a brute like him, thus the penalty of 2 DODGE cards. However Dong Zhuo's downfall was also due to a woman! The game makers penalized him by according him the same disadvantage. Very clever on their part!!

"Disintegrate" might be referring to his indulgent days ebbing away his ability to do anything else. The story never specifically pointed this out, but I suppose this is what the game-makers intended. Either that or they just needed a reason to justify giving him 8 units of health!

"The Tyrant" has little basis in the story and is probably created to counter the effects of "Disintegrate"

Additional info based on story:
1. Most famous achievement - Killing the "Emperor". Dong Zhuo replaced Emperor Shao 汉少帝 with Emperor Xian 汉献帝, then confined Emperor Shao and his mother. As the coalition led by Yuan Shao 袁绍 began stirring trouble for Dong Zhuo, he grew weary of keeping Emperor Shao alive. He forced the ex-Emperor, his mother and their servant to commit suicide by drinking poison.

2. Cause of death - Killed by his foster son, Lu Bu. After Diao Chan is betrothed to Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu becomes irrational with jealousy. It became easy for Wang Yun 王允, the mastermind, to convince Lu Bu to kill Dong Zhuo and take Diao Chan for himself. By tricking Dong Zhuo into thinking that the Emperor was going to abdicate the throne to him, they managed to lure Dong Zhuo into the palace unarmed. The troops were ordered to kill Dong Zhuo, and in a panic Dong Zhuo cried out to Lu Bu for help. The disloyal Lu Bu promptly impaled Dong Zhuo by the throat.


FAQ and Disambiguation


1. Can Dong Zhuo use his 4th ability if he is not the Ruler?

Ans: No he cannot.


2. When can wine be used?

Ans: Wine can only be used when his life reach ZERO. So when his health is 6, he cannot use Wine to increase his life. Only Peach can do that. On the other hand,Wine can be used at any time with Attack  to increase damage.


3. Can a judgement card be drawn if Dong Zhuo is the ruler and a Hero character attacks him and caused a unit of damage?

Ans: Yes the Ruler ability disregards who the victim is . Therefore when any heroes character cause damage to anyone ,even to Dong Zhuo himself, he can flip a judgement card.


4. If a hero does more than one damage(ie wine attack or barbarian), does he get to draw judgemnet based on each individual damage dealt, or just once?

Ans: If Barbarians was used as  " Heroes  群雄 '' player, every single player that gets damaged will result in Dong Zhuo drawing judgement. If there was 7 other players who are damaged by Barbarians , Dong Zhuo can flip judgement 7 times. Same apply to Raining Arrows and other multi-player damage cards.


5. What happens if Zhou Tai is in play, and his health is at -1, and Dong Zhuo's health is at 1, would he have to kill himself?

Ans: Yes. Provided Dong Zhuo has been around so long that his health and health limit has been reduced to only 1 unit . If Zhou Tai is still around in his perpetual brink of death status , Dong Zhuo would have to kill himself !


6. If Dong Zhuo is the ruler then how much health he gets ?

Ans: He gets 9 units of health .

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