We play Total War: Three Kingdoms latest expansion without raising a single army
Total War games are not supposed to be played peacefully. It’s right there in the name. Though many other large-scale strategy games offer non-violent victory conditions or playstyles, this series has always been about crushing opponents in the theatre of war. But Three Kingdoms is a slightly different creature.
Ever since the game launched a couple of years ago, players have been trying – and sometimes even succeeding – to play pacifist campaigns. They’re possible for the first time in the series thanks to an overhauled and much-deepened diplomacy system, and Liu Bei’s Unity mechanic is handy for forging peaceful confederations, providing a further boon. Nevertheless, pacifist campaigns remain very difficult.