Cáo Pī 曹丕

Translated description:
"The Successor of the Domineer 霸业的继承者 (bà yè dè jì chéng zhě)"

Who is he:
The successor to Cao Cao 曹操, Cao Pi's ascension to the throne of Cao Wei 曹魏 is fraught with controversy. Cao Cao literally had a litter of male children, all of which were eligible to succession. The most promising among them were Cao Ang 曹昂, Cao Zhang 曹彰, Cao Zhi 曹植, Cao Chong 曹冲 and Cao Pi. Cao Ang was killed in action early on at the battle at Wan Cheng 宛城之战. Cao Chong was a child prodigy and reportedly Cao Cao's favorite son. This was where the controversy starts.Cao Chong died mysteriously of an illness at age 13 and it is believed that Cao Pi had something to do with it. After Cao Cao's death, Cao Zhang appeared to be planning to seize power from Cao Pi. Cao Pi promptly sent Cao Zhang back to the frontlines, far from the capital. Cao Pi then crushed many talented staff of Cao Zhi to cripple his power. He even wanted Cao Zhi executed, which led to Cao Zhi's famous "7 step poem". Ultimately, Cao Pi was two extremes of achievements: he dissolved the Han Dynasty 汉朝 became the first Emperor of Wei, yet was quite a failure both domestically and in war.

Character ability 1: "Scavenge 行殇 (xíng shāng)"
You can acquire all the cards of players that died.

Character ability 2: "Banish 放逐 (fàng zhú)"
Every instance after you suffer damage, you can make another player draw X cards (X being the units of health you have lost thus far), then that player stacks/unstacks his/her character cards.

Synergistic Partners:
Zhen Ji (Lady Zhen) 甄姬 (Wife)

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
The term “immediately” is removed to clarify the timing of activating “Scavenge”. The ability description of “Banish” has been changed from “flip his/her character card” to “stack/unstack your character card”. The Ruler Ability is removed.

Ability's Relation to Story:
"Unnatural death" makes for interesting discussion. It definitely has link to the story, but it is not clear in which context. Many characters have died prematurely whose deaths are attributed to Cao Pi, even his own wife Zhen Ji 甄姬. This forms the basis for the game ability to take all the cards, since it implies he was the puppet master behind the scenes and their death is his advantage. However some argue that Cao Pi himself died an "unnaturally early" death at the age of 39.

"Banish into Exile" is significantly mentioned in the story as Cao Pi's preferred punishment for his political opponents. His victims include his (half) brothers Cao Zhi and Cao Zhang, as well as the last Emperor of Han Dynasty.

Finally, I managed to find out the true meaning of “行殇” from ZYZ#1. It was a term made up by game makers from 行觞 (drinking wine), and the character 觞 (cups for drinking wine) was replaced by 殇 (unnatural death). According to KayaK, this ability suited the image of Cao Pi as “the dark prince”, crawling to ascension by causing innumerable deaths. So “Scavenge” would be a good translation. To add on, Cao Pi, as well as Cao Cao, sent troops to dig graves for military expenditure, and I believed that this ability related to grave-digging.

Cáo Rén 曹仁

Translated description:
"The Great General 大将军 (dà jiāng jūn)"

Who is he:
Every leader has their most loyal and trustworthy followers. Cao Ren was such a follower of Cao Cao 曹操. From Cao Cao's rise to power, till Cao Cao's death, Cao Ren was a formidable and trustworthy general in his camp that never once showed any signs of disloyalty nor surrender. In fact, Cao Ren saved Cao Cao's ass a couple of times. Yet it must be said that Cao Ren receives a lot less mention in the story than many other of Cao Cao's generals (such Xu Chu 许褚 and Dian Wei 典韦). Perhaps such is the fate of those who keep the world turning behind the scenes. Dr Goh Keng Swee was never as well known as Lee Kuan Yew was he?

Character ability: "Entrenched 据守 (jù shǒu)"
At the end phase of your turn, you can draw three cards, then you stack your character cards.

Synergistic Partners:
Nil.

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
The ability description of “Entrenched” has been changed from “flip your character card” to “stack your character cards” to reflect the new execution for "skip a turn". Essentially, the ability works the same way.

Ability's Relation to Story:
This is an interesting one. There actually is one scene in the story where Cao Ren was entrenched in his city, pretty much helplessly on the defensive. When Guan Yu 关羽 attacked the city of Fan Cheng 樊城 where Cao Ren was situated, Guan Yu starved the city and flooded it by redirecting river flow. Despite the odds, Cao Ren kept his troops' morale up and held out till reinforcements came. This is probably where the "Entrenched" ability arises from. But if you ask me, it's kinda strange to base an ability on a dire circumstance! I'm not the biggest fan of this ability and i'm still researching (using Cao Ren as often as possible) on how to make this ability work to my advantage.

Diǎn Wěi 典韦

Translated description:
"The E-Lai of ancient times 古之恶来 (gǔ zhī è lái)"

("E Lai 恶来" was a stout hero in ancient times who was so strong he could tear up a tiger with his bare hands. E Lai served King Zhou 纣王 in the Shang Dynasty 商朝. The Shang Dynasty dates back more than 1000 years before the Three Kingdoms era around the period BC 1600 - 1000).

Who is he:
The incredible Hulk of ancient China. Dian Wei was reputed to have superhuman strength and was Cao Cao 曹操's trusted bodyguard. Sadly, though, most people who know the story would remember Dian Wei for his premature death. While alive, he was extremely loyal to Cao Cao and was always seen by Cao Cao's side. He uses a unique pair of Halberds that weighs 20kg each (yeah right!!!) that is never again mentioned in the story after his death. Even in death, Dian Wei still got airtime in the story because every time Cao Cao passed nearby Dian Wei's tomb, he would pay a visit and weep for the loss of his bodyguard.

Character ability: "Ferocious Assault 强袭 (qiáng xí)"
During your action phase, you can either lose 1 unit of health or discard a weapon card to inflict 1 unit of damage to another player within your attacking range. Limited to once per phase.

Synergistic Partners:
Cao Cao曹操 (Lord)

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
Nil.

Ability's Relation to Story:
This ability, in my opinion, is related to the circumstances that killed Dian Wei. His enemies knew that Dian Wei is feared because of his dual halberds. Just prior to the attack, a defector stole his pair of halberds while Dian Wei was sleeping. When Dian Wei awoke during the chaos, he found his halberds missing but fought on with his bare hands anyway. Dian Wei then grabbed enemy soldiers and swung them about like batons, using the enemy themselves as weapons. However, Dian Wei was still wounded and slowly bled to death, all the while fighting like a mad man and killing many before he took his last breath. Therefore I see a connection between "discarding a weapon card" and his halberds getting stolen. There is also less direct link between "reducing 1 unit of health" and his fight to the death.

It is likely that “discard a weapon card” refers to his performance in the previous battle. It was said that Dian Wei could throw halberds with enormous force but short range. Thus, he told his subordinates to remind him once the enemies approached the distance of five steps. As the enemies entered this range, he threw halberds and killed them without any difficulty. In SGS, he could throw his halberds (discard a weapon card) to inflict damage, with the limitation of attack range (his throwing range is short).

Xǔ Chǔ 许褚

Translated description:
"Insane Tiger 虎痴 (hǔ chī)"

Who is he:
Long-serving bodyguard of Cao Cao 曹操, Xu Chu was said to be a huge person. His height was about 2 meters and his waist 52 inches. Probably one of the 20 most famous characters in Romance of Three Kingdoms, he has significant air-time in the story for the many instances that stood forth to protect Cao Cao. His combat ability was reputed to be on par with Zhang Fei 张飞, Guan Yu 关羽 and company. His moment of glory came in the fictional account of him stripping off all his armour for his fight with Ma Chao 马超. This bravado mixed with insanity helped him secure a place in history.

Character ability: "Bare-Chested 裸衣 (luǒ yī)"
During your drawing phase, you can draw one card less so that the damage inflicted by your ATTACK 杀 and DUEL 决斗 (when you are the source of damage) is increased by 1. This effect lasts till the end of your turn.

Synergistic Partners:
Cao Cao 曹操 (Lord)

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
Nil.

Ability's Relation to Story:
In his duel with Ma Chao, the two generals were fairly matched for over a hundred rounds. Xu Chu then momentarily backs off, strips off all his armour, then goes back to continue the duel bare-chested! This act of madness is followed later by his discarding his sword and grabbing Ma Chao's spear under his armpit. The ensuing struggle snaps the spear in two. The two then hack at each other with their halves of the broken spear. No wonder that Ma Chao later describes Xu Chu as a tiger gone insane.

Xiàhóu Yuān 夏侯渊

Translated description:
"Lightning-fast Cheetah 疾行的猎豹 (jí xíng dè liè bào)"

Who is he:
Perhaps less famous than his cousin Xiahou Dun 夏侯惇 but a one of the pillars of Cao Cao 曹操's army, Xiahou Yuan was highly praised for his efficiency in logistics. He has been credited as one of the main reasons Cao Cao rebounded from his defeat at the battle of Red Cliffs 赤壁之战 so quickly, thanks to his reliable and prompt logistics handling. In the battlefield, Xia Hou Yuan earned his nickname "Cheetah of the West 西部猎豹" for his lightning fast capture of the cities on the western border of the Wei Kingdom 魏国. Unfortunately, many of these details would have been left out if you had read the simplified version of Romance of Three Kingdoms. The big highlight of Xia Hou Yuan was his death at Han Zhong 汉中 under the hands of Huang Zhong 黄忠.

Character ability: "Godspeed 神速 (shén sù)"
You can choose one or both of the following options:

1. Skip your judgement phase and drawing phase.

2. Skip your action phase and discard an equipment card.

Every time you choose one of these options, it is viewed as you using an ATTACK 杀 on another player.

Synergistic Partners:
Xiahou Dun 夏侯惇 (Cousin)

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
Nil.

Ability's Relation to Story:
Xia Hou Yuan was known for his speed in moving his troops and catching his opponents off-guard. In his effort to capture the city of Chang Li 长离, Xia Hou Yuan discarded most of his supplies so as to be able to achieve surprise. This is probably the link behind "Godspeed" option 2 ability. In general, Xia Hou Yuan in the cardgame does bring an element of speed since he can choose to ATTACK immediately even before drawing cards. Though this speed is of no consequence whatsoever in terms of dealing damage, it does make him a very useful character since he will always be able to use ATTACK on any player at least once a turn.

Xiàhóu Dūn 夏侯惇

Translated description:
"One-eyed Demon 独眼的罗刹 (dú yǎn dè luó chà)"

Who is he:
Best remembered for the scene where he lost his eye, Xia Hou Dun is a ferocious combat general with balls of steel and fiery determination. He is one of Cao Cao 曹操's most loyal generals and is supposedly a distant relative. The story goes that Xia Hou Dun was caught in an ambush and suffered an arrow to his eye. His troops were panic-stricken, thinking that their general had fallen. But then Xia Hou Dun grabbed the arrow and yanked it out of his head, pulling with it his eyeball skewered on the arrow shaft. With one gulp he swallows his own eyeball, then charges right back at the assailant. Needless to say, the assailant died a horrible death when Xia Hou Dun got to him. His act of swallowing his eye-ball rallied his troops' morale and scared the shit out of his enemies. Henceforth, the name of Xia Hou Dun has become synonymous with bravery and gung-ho.

Character ability: "An Eye for an Eye 刚烈 (gāng liè)"
Every instance after you suffer damage, you can flip a judgement card. If the judgment result is not hearts, the source of damage needs to choose between 1 of 2 options:

1. Discard two on-hand cards of his/her choice

2. Receive 1 unit of damage inflicted by you.

Synergistic Partners:
Xiahou Yuan 夏侯淵 (Cousin)

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
Nil.

Ability's Relation to Story:
I could not help but use a pun to translate 刚烈 as "an eye for an eye". The most straightforward link to the story is where Xia Hou Dun impales Cao Xing 曹性 for firing the arrow that wasted his eye. It is said that Xia Hou Dun impaled Cao Xing's face before trampling his body beneath his horse. In the cardgame, this ability is a very effective deterrent to opponents. A wonderful psychological link to the story in terms of the effect Xia Hou Dun has on his enemies.

Xú Huǎng 徐晃

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.)

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.

Character ability: "Blockade 断粮 (duàn liáng)"
You can use a black-suited basic card or equipment card as RATIONS DEPLETED 兵粮寸断. You can use RATIONS DEPLETED on other players within the physical distance of 2.

Synergistic Partners:
Nil.

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
Nil.

Ability's Relation to Story:
In the story, Xu Huang carried out raids to sever enemy supplies a number of times. The most notable was his raid on Yuan Shao 袁绍's supplies during the battle at Guan Du 官渡之战, which sealed Yuan Shao's defeat. Years later, Xu Huang effectively carried out a blockade during his battle at Fan Cheng 樊城之战 against Guan Yu. He instructed his troops to surround the nearby city of Yan Cheng 偃城 with trenches. The enemy troops at Yan Cheng, thinking that their supplies have been cut off, abandoned their position and gave Xu Huang a strong foothold from which to attack Guan Yu. What the troops of Yan Cheng did not know was that the blockade was a fake, as Xu Huang's troops were too green for outright battle at that point.

Zhāng Liáo 张辽

Translated description:
"General of the Front 前将军 (qián jiāng jūn)"

Who is he:
Supposedly one of the top 5 generals of the Kingdom of Cao Wei 曹魏, Zhang Liao did not initially intend to follow under Cao Cao 曹操. In fact, Zhang Liao offered his neck for Cao Cao for beheading rather than choose to surrender. While Zhang Liao was serving Lu Bu 吕布, word had already went around of Zhang Liao's combat ability and his righteous character. Guan Yu 关羽 once asked him why he was serving for a man such as Lu Bu and Zhang Liao could only look down in shame. The two later became fast friends, though circumstances dictate they had to be enemies. Zhang Liao achieved renown under Cao Cao as a steadfast and competent general. His title of "General of the Front" was given to him by Cao Pi 曹丕 after Cao Pi succeeded Cao Cao.

Character ability: "Sudden Strike 突击 (tū jī)"
During your drawing phase, you can forfeit drawing cards from the deck. Instead, you acquire one on-hand card each from one to two other players.

Synergistic Partners:
Nil.

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
Minor description clarifications, but makes no difference to the usual way he is played.

Ability's Relation to Story:
This part of the story occurs in the battle of He Fei 合肥之战 where Sun Quan 孙权, ruler of Sun Wu 孙吴, led a massive army to attack He Fei. Zhang Liao was one of 3 Cao Wei generals guarding He Fei, but they only had a combined army of 7000 men, many times less than the enemy. Leading the troops out, Zhang Liao bravely charged into the enemy and his combat prowess scared the balls off his enemy. Sun Quan's troops started deserting, not really knowing how large Zhang Liao's army was. Sun Quan climbed up a hill and saw that Zhang Liao was vastly outnumbered. He ordered his troops to encircle Zhang Liao. Unexpectedly, Zhang Liao suddenly charged out of the encirclement (thus the name "Sudden Strike") with a handful of troops and made straight for Sun Quan. The rest of Zhang Liao's troops cried out to him, "General! Have you abandoned us?!" Hearing this, Zhang Liao turned back and rescued his troops from certain death. Both parties grew weary and tired, thus they broke battle and headed back to camp.

Zhāng Hé 张郃

Translated description:
"The Military Clairvoyant 料敌机先 (liào dí jī xiān)"

Who is he:
There are those who analyze volumes of data before they can predict the future, and then there are those talents who only need to follow their gut instinct. Zhang He was one of those talents, and his predictions were sometimes more accurate than the scholarly military advisers. Widely regarded as one of the five most elite generals in the Wei Kingdom 魏国, Zhang He stood shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Zhang Liao 张辽 and Xu Huang 徐晃 just to name three. But some say Zhang He was the most outstanding amongst all five elites. His military career spanned a staggering 47 years and his military predictions outdid even the infamous Sima Yi 司马懿.

Character ability: “Flexibility 巧变 (qiǎo biàn)”
You can discard an on-hand card to skip one of your phases (except your beginning phase and your end phase).

If you skip your drawing phase, you acquire an on-hand card from each of a maximum of two players.

If you skip your action phase, you can relocate a card from any player's equipment area/pending area to a corresponding area of another player.

Synergistic Partners:
Nil.

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
Minor changes in the description for "relocating cards" in his ability. It used to say relocate to a "reasonable area", and it now says "corresponding area".

Ability's Relation to Story:
This ability seems to relate strongly to the word "Flexibility" instead of how it applies to Zhang He. The phrase “巧变” comes from the description “张郃以巧变为称 (Zhang He was famed for his flexibility)”, and suits the historical Zhang He in two ways. Firstly, Zhang He was able to predict his enemies’ moves, and use various tactics to defeat them. Secondly, he served multiple warlords before he joined the Wei forces, so he was “flexible” in terms of allegiance. Yet it seems that neither these are very congruent to the ability in this character card. No matter. We're still glad that his abilities make him a huge asset to any team!

Xún Yù 荀彧

Translated description:
"Advisor of Kings 王佐之才 (wáng zuǒ zhī cái)"

Who is he:
Together with Guo Jia 郭嘉, Xun Yu was one of Cao Cao 曹操's most trusted advisors. In fact it was Xun Yu who introduced Guo Jia into Cao Cao's service, together with a host of other high-calibre individuals such as Xun You 荀攸 and Sima Yi 司马懿. In one of the most controversial moves of the era, Cao Cao's escortation of the emperor, resulting in Cao Cao wielding immense political power, was suggested by Xun Yu. However Xun Yu's heart was always for the protection of the Han Dynasty 汉朝. When Cao Cao ultimately intended to abolish the Han Dynasty and establish the kingdom of Cao Wei 曹魏, Xun Yu opposed through oblique statements. This did not sit well with Cao Cao, and thus Xun Yu fell out of favour. He died soon after.

Character ability 1: "Rouse the Tiger 驱虎 (qū hǔ)"
During your action phase, you can conduct a Points Duel with a player with more health than you. If you win, that player inflicts 1 unit of damage to another player within his/her attack range of your choice. If you lose, that player inflicts 1 unit of damage to you.

Character ability 2: "Eternal Loyalty 节命 (jié mìng)"
After every1 unit of damage you suffer, you can pick a player to replenish on-hand cards such that number of on-hand cards equals his/her maximum health. (Maximum replenishment of 5 cards)

Synergistic Partners:
Nil.

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
There replenishment for "Eternal Loyalty" has been capped at 5 cards max.

Ability's Relation to Story:
驱虎 is the shortened form of a longer phrase 驱虎吞狼. The literal translation is "rouse the tiger to eat the wolf". It is referring to Xun Yu's amazing strategy where he proposed to Cao Cao to have Liu Bei rewarded to the post of magistrate. Then Cao Cao can command Liu Bei to attack Yuan Shu 袁术. The sinister strings behind it all is Xun Yu knows the rule-abiding Liu Bei will listen to any order given by a superior, which is Cao Cao at that time. Xun Yu also knows that Yuan Shu is an egomaniac and secretly tells him that Liu Bei is coming to attack him. This way, both of Cao Cao's enemies are put at loggerheads and he benefits regardless of outcome. "Eternally Loyalty" refers to Xun Yu's undying loyalty to the Han Dynasty, though its relation to the mechanics of the ability is weak.

Sīmǎ Yì 司马懿

Translated description:
"The Devil with Eyes behind his Head 狼顾之鬼 (láng gù zhī gǔi)"

Who is he:
The cunning. The scheming. The ultimate bad guy. He is the beginning of the end of the Three Kingdoms era. If you have never read Romance of Three Kingdoms, my apologies for the spoiler. We are talking about a man of ambition so great, it transcended two generations after his death before it was achieved. Portrayed as cunning and untrustworthy with promises, Sima Yi is practically demonized by the story. No doubt he was the most important military advisor the Kingdom of Cao Wei 曹魏 ever had, time would never dilute his usurper legacy that erased Cao Wei off the face of the planet. As tribute to this incredibly smart yet devious historical figure, the card game has aptly given Sima Yi abilities that make him a formidable opponent. Meet the most dangerous character in the entire San Guo Sha 三国杀 card game.

Character ability 1: "Retaliation 反馈 (fǎn kuì)"
Every instance after you suffer damage, you can acquire a card from the source of damage.

Character ability 2: “Demonic Talent鬼才(guǐ cái)”
Before the judgement card of a player takes effect, you can play an on-hand card to replace it.

Synergistic Partners:
Nil.

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
The term “immediately” is removed to clarify the timing of activating “Retaliation”.

Ability's Relation to Story:
It is generally well-known that Sima Yi was a smart and shrewd strategist, but no, he was not smart enough to tinker with heaven's will. The abilities themselves do not reflect Sima Yi as well as how these abilities are used during game play. As a "Judgement Tinkerer", Sima Yi can just crouch inactively, waiting for judgement cards to appear before he rears his ugly head. This somewhat resembles the life mission of Sima Yi as he lay in wait for the right moment, then pouncing on opportunity to usurp an entire Cao Wei kingdom for his own.

“Retaliation” refers to his Sima Yi’s tactics against Zhuge Liang. He simply defended himself from Zhuge Liang’s troops, took an advantage and struck back. “Demonic Talent” was interesting. In the story, it was said by Zhuge Liang that the Mandate of Heaven (天命) sided with the Sima family. In the fictional Battle of Shangfang Valley, Sima Yi was entrapped by Zhuge Liang’s stratagem, and was about to be killed by fire. Suddenly, there was rain that was not fortold by Zhuge Liang, and the fire was put off. Even though Zhuge Liang could predict the future (“Star Gazing”), he could not alter it, since the Mandate of Heaven sided with Sima Yi (“Demonic Talent”). It should be noted that only Sima Yi and Zhang Jiao 张角 can alter judgement cards flipped directly. It was because Zhang Jiao started the Three Kingdoms Era, while the Sima family ended it, thus coming the two “fate-altering” abilities.

Guō Jiā 郭嘉

Translated description:
"The Short-lived Oracle 早终的先知 (zao zhong de xian zhi)"

Who is he:
It is said that Cao Cao 曹操 would have won the war if Guo Jia had lived longer. In the early days of Cao Cao's expeditions, there were usually more than one advisor by Cao Cao's side, but Guo Jia's analysis of situations and predictions always seemed to be correct. It is a pity that Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang 诸葛亮 belonged to two different chronological segments, and thus never had a chance to compete head-to-head. Despite knowing his days were numbered, Guo Jia could accurately predict how the near future would unravel. On realizing that Guo Jia was absolutely right about how things played out even weeks after his death, Cao Cao wept for the loss of this amazing talent. Like Dian Wei 典韦, Guo Jia died much too early and severely handicapped the potential of Cao Cao's army. The game makers of San Guo Sha 三国杀 paid adequate tribute to the brilliance of Guo Jia by making him one of the most powerful and most popular characters in the entire game. A search of player comments on forums turn up numerous praises for Guo Jia, with many declaring him their all-time favorite character to use.

Character ability 1: "Envy of Heaven 天妒 (tiān dù)"
After your judgement card takes effect, you can acquire the judgement card.

Character ability 2: " Bequeathed Strategy 遗计 (yí jì)"
After every 1 unit of damage you suffer, you can view the top two cards of the deck, give one card to a player, then give the remaining card to a player.

Synergistic Partners:
Nil.

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
The term “immediately” is removed to clarify the timing of activating “Envy of Heaven”. The ability description of “Bequeathed Strategy” has been changed from “drawing then giving” to “viewing then giving”.

Ability's Relation to Story:
Brilliant!!! The chinese name for "Envy of Heaven" is called 天妒 and is short for a more common phrase called 天妒英才 (tiān dù yīng cíi). It translates as "heaven is jealous of a person with such immense intellect/skill/potential" and is morbidly used to describe rare talents who died young. Chinese like to think that heaven struck them down out of jealousy. Guo Jia's "Envy of Heaven" ability seems to mock the heavens as he can benefit from heaven's will (judgement cards). "Bequeathed Strategy" is equally apt as it almost re-enacts Guo Jia's contribution to Cao Cao after dying. Read more about the story behind "Bequeathed Strategy" below.

Cáo Cāo 曹操

Translated description:
"The Militant Emperor of Wei 魏武帝 (wèi wǔ dì)"

Who is he:
The "bad" guy. The Machiavellian. The Julius Caesar of Ancient China... or at least that is what the story teller Luo Guan Zhong 罗贯中 wants you to think of Cao Cao. This guy is one interesting character; ruthless, intelligent, user of ploys and ambushes, but yet chivalrous at the same time. He treats his loyal subjects and talents with respect and admiration, yet is paranoid and fearful of assassinations. Perhaps it is due to his "unpolitically correct" way of achieving success (through ploys, ambushes, trickery and murder) that is the cause for his negative portrayal in the story. It is said that the story itself was heavily edited to downplay Cao Cao's accomplishments so as to emphasize Liu Bei 刘备's confucius-styled leadership. Either way, there is really no denying that Cao Cao is one great leader of his time and one of the most famous Chinese historical figures of all time.

Character ability: "Villainous Hero 奸雄 (jiān xióng)"
Every instance after you suffer damage, you can acquire the card that inflicted damage on you.

Synergistic Partners:
Dian Wei 典韦 (Bodyguard)
Xu Chu 许褚 (Bodyguard)

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
The term “immediately” is removed to clarify the timing of activating “Villainous Hero”. The Ruler Ability is removed.

Ability's Relation to Story:
"Villainous hero" must be one of the best thought-of abilities in the game. It is not ridiculously powerful or god-like, very useful in the game, and a wonderful fit for Cao Cao's personality in the story. Every time he met defeat, Cao Cao would bounce back and bite the face off his opponents, then convince the enemy generals to surrender into his service. Such was the case of Zhang Liao 张辽, who surrendered to Cao Cao after Lu Bu 吕布 was defeated, then became one of the Kingdom of Cao Wei 曹魏's great generals. It was also mentioned that Cao Cao loves only women who have already been taken, then relish the thought of snatching the woman away from her partner.

Yuè Jìn 乐进

Translated description:
"Determined to Overcome 奋強突固 (fèn qiáng tū gù) "

Who is he:
One of the most feared characters in Kingdom Wars, in my opinion. No, seriously! I would almost put him on the same level of offensive ability as Diao Chan 貂蝉, simply because he has the potential make any player lose life simply by discarding one card. But before you start screaming "IMBA!", I have to also state that the number of rounds where a Yue Jin-combination has won is not significantly high. Thus even though he seems powerful, it just doesn't translate into a sure-win. Lots of skills and strategy is still required to use him well. I like this guy already!!

One of the five generals of the early Wei Kingdom (the others were Zhang Liao 张辽, Xu Huang 徐晃, Zhang He 张郃 and Yu Jin 于禁), Yue Jin was the vanguard of many battles. He served Cao Cao 曹操 since the warlord rallied armies to join the Coalition against Dong Zhuo 董卓. Despite his short stature, he always fought at the frontline, and willing to be the first one who stood into the fort of enemies.

Character ability: "Dauntless 骁果 (xiāo guǒ)"
At the ending phase of another player's turn, you can discard a basic card. If you do so, that player needs to discard an equipment card, or else you inflict 1 unit of damage to that player.

Synergistic Partners:
Nil.

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
This is a brand new character specifically created for Kingdom Wars.

Ability's Relation to Story:
“Dauntless” comes from the description “Yue Jin was famed for being dauntless 乐进以骁果显名”. This ability allowed Yue Jin to attack multiple times at the cost of his own defense. His enemy was forced to choose between withdrawing their fortifications (discarding an equipment card) or suffering damage from Yue Jin.

Zhēn Jī (Lady Zhen) 甄姬

Translated description:
"The ill-Fated Beauty 薄幸的美人 (bō xìng dè měi rén)"

Who is she:
An extremely beautiful woman with smarts and capability, Zhen Ji was Cao Pi 曹丕's first wife. The word 姬 is a title for "lady". Thus her real name is not Zhen Ji, but rather Zhen Luo 甄洛. Her life was a down-hill rollercoaster of misfortune and victimization. She lost her father at the age of 2, was married to Yuan Shao 袁绍's son Yuan Xi 袁熙, but was forcefully remarried to Cao Pi after he became obsessed with her beauty. After giving birth to Cao Rui 曹睿, she fell out of favor with Cao Pi due to rumours and bad-mouthing from his concubine, Guo Nu Wang 郭女王. Zhen Ji never did manage to win back Cao Pi's favor. Instead, the bad-mouthing from Guo Nu Wang became worse. Zhen Ji paid the ultimate price when Cao Pi, poisoned by Guo Nu Wang's words, forced Zhen Ji to commit suicide.

Character ability 1: "Stunning Beauty 倾国 (qīng guó)"
You can use or play a black on-hand card as DODGE.

Character ability 2: "Goddess Luo 洛神 (luò shén)"
At your beginning of your turn, you can flip a judgement card. If the result is black-suited, you can flip another judgement card, until a red-suited judgement results. After that, you acquire all the black judgement cards.

Synergistic Partners:
Cao Pi曹丕 (Husband)

Difference from Normal SanGuoSha:
“Goddess Luo” has been changed. You cannot acquire the black cards until the whole process is done. This is to prevent the bug if a player picks Lady Zhen and Sima Yi as a pair.

Ability's Relation to Story:
"Impetus to war" is not linked to the story. Though we know that Cao Pi peeled her from Yuan Xi, she was not the reason Cao Cao destroyed Yuan Shao and family. This ability is probably centered around game mechanics than history. "Goddess Luo" stems from a poem written by Cao Zhi 曹植, Cao Pi's brother, known as "Goddess of the Luo River 洛水之神", apparently praising the goddess for her ethereal beauty, intelligence and capability. It is rumoured that Cao Zhi had an affair with Zhen Ji.

“倾国” (lit. ruin the kingdom) was used to describe the beauty of Lady Zhen. Orginally used to describe the beauty of a concubine of Han Emperor, it was said that Lady Zhen’s beauty outmatched jade and flower, and her beauty could ruin the whole kingdom (玉肌花貌，有倾国之色). When Lady Zhen was about to be killed by Cao Pi, her beauty stunned Cao Pi, and Cao Pi snatched her instead of killing her. The game mechanism allows Lady Zhen to use her beauty to stun her attacker, thus prevent being “killed”.