Between the fierce tribes of the Nanman and the noble Han, sits an influential member of the Imperial Government. Shi Xie may be far from the capital, but this governor has learnt how to make the most of the power he exerts in his remote province, manipulating Han and Nanman alike to increase his reach.

Nepotism rules in the world of Shi Xie, and he is determined to spread his inner circle across the whole of China. Shi Xie will stop at nothing to get his family into power; after all, it’s all about who you know.

Splendor

Shi Xie’s unique mechanic, Splendor, can be gained by smuggling family members into important court positions. Splendor is generated according to the level of court position of the family member, with an Administrator position gaining less Splendor than a Council member, for example.

Higher levels of Splendor provide bonuses to public order, trade influence, and diplomacy relationships with all factions.

Tribute Chests

Once you’ve accumulated enough Splendor, it can be converted into Tribute Chests. These chests are special ancillaries that grant characters bonuses. There are three types of chest: Diplomatic, Regional and Personal. Diplomatic chests grant improvements to a character’s diplomatic conditions, while Regional chests improve their region via increased replenishment or construction time and Personal chests improve their character or retinue. Chests are opened when equipped and will provide certain affects but will deplete over the course of 20 turns.

This special ancillary can be traded and used for diplomacy to sweeten any deal.

MATURE CONTENT DESCRIPTION

The developers describe the content like this:

Gameplay consists of graphic and realistic-looking depictions of physical conflict, weapons and depictions of human injury and death.