To say that I’m biased towards East Asia would be an understatement to say the least. I’ve always harboured a fondness for China and that fondness has grown to encompass Japan and Korea in recent years. I’m not alone either; many people find the orient to be a tantalizing object which holds their fascination. From beautifully crafted samurai armour, to the mystical aesthetics of Chinese architecture and all the way to the huge modern market of anime, many people are enraptured by the Far East.
My focus then for this article is twofold; to introduce people to this setting in the context of both AARtistry and creative writing and to help new writers to explore and portray it in an accessible manner. When one thinks about East Asia in terms of the Writer’s Study, one immediately thinks of the Shogun 2 subforum, which probably commands the greatest selection of writings on the Far East in the forum. However, whilst this is the road most travelled, it’s not the only avenue open to an aspiring writer of East Asian fiction.
Shogun 2 naturally holds the most appeal, because quite simply it is a stunning game. Fans of the game often seek to portray it through the writing of an AAR, whether they have experience with Japanese history or not. The game essentially offers three different time periods to cover; the Gempei war of the late 12th century, the Sengoku Jidai civil war of the 1500’s and the modern Boshin war fought on the eve of Japan’s industrialisation just prior to the 20th century. Each setting is incredibly rich, all playing host to a variety of differing factions, personalities and units. The historical time periods also offer contrasting wealth’s of context to call upon. The original game is the road most travelled, with the majority of Shogun 2 AARs depicting the Sengoku period. Not only is it accessible due to the fact of it being the core game, the personalities depicted, such as Oda Nobunaga, Takeda Shingen and Tokugawa Ieyasu, are somewhat familiar to people with a passing interest in Japanese history. The Fall of the Samurai stand-alone expansion also plays host to a few tales, although hardly very many in comparison. Set in the age of cannon and rifle, it’s the natural choice for the modern military buff, searching for something a bit different to Empire and Napoleon Total War. Comparatively, there are less recognisable landmarks for us to touch upon, with rather more obscure generals and factions. The game itself boasts an incredibly rich variety of features though, which makes it a fan favourite. Rise of the Samurai, conversely, is the most under-represented of the three, with, to my knowledge only two AAR’s even attempting to cover it. This makes sense from a layman’s perspective. The expansion is ludicrously shallow compared to its siblings, with no unit variety between factions and very little diversity overall. The Gempei War is also stretching general interest to its limit. Whilst some might find the beginnings of the samurai class enthralling, most have little knowledge or interest in this period.
Following on its younger brother’s heels, the next most accessible route for the East Asian AARtist would be the penning of an original Shogun Total War AAR. Being the first game in the series, it’s naturally a source of much fond nostalgia amongst Total War veterans. Yet, Shogun AAR’s are few and far between on the Total War Center. It is understandable, considering the superseding qualities of its successor, yet the original game offers a number of options to the aspiring author. Whilst it covers no period later than the seventeenth century, it offers many more options for someone wanting to cover the Sengoku period, with various sixteenth century campaigns. Importantly, though, it covers one period its successor does not; the Mongol invasions. This is an incredibly rich setting for a writer and not only can the player command the native Japanese regency, they can also command the Mongols, making for a very original AAR should one ever attempt it on this forum. However, as we’ve discussed, the graphics naturally hamper anyone searching for an aesthetic AAR. The game also struggles to run effectively on modern computers, making it even less accessible. It still exists however, as does our Total War Eras subforum, which does support potential Shogun AAR’s.
After this however, someone searching for an East Asian AAR to pen is left very much without a life raft in the Writer’s Study. In keeping with Total War AAR’s, the next logical step is to turn towards the modding community. The most prevalent setting for East Asian mods is the Three Kingdoms period of China, where three factions struggled for supremacy in the mid third century. Both Rome and Medieval 2 Total War have played host to this setting, with some success. However, playing mods isn’t usually a layman’s pursuit, which can make it an unattractive option. If I recall correctly, many of these Three Kingdom’s mods never saw full releases, leaving them buggy and unfinished; enough to deter in other words. All the same, Rise of the Three Kingdoms remains a promising and attractive option for the writer interested in China. Also in development is the All Under Heaven mod, also for Medieval 2, which seeks to portray East Asia on the eve of the Mongol invasions. Although yet to see a release, the visuals look stunning and it’s clearly going to be a very appealing option for AARtists, with no other Total War game or mod covering the setting before. Another active mod one can keep an eye on is the Broken Crescent mod for Medieval 2, which will, in an upcoming release, feature the Western Liao dynasty, a Turko-Chinese realm that existed in the twelfth century. Although I fear I’m giving away my own original AAR ideas, I feel it’s only fair to let others interested in East Asian writing know about these avenues available to them.
With the Total War series covered, we’re very much left without a guiding hand. Our final port of call in terms of AAR’s is the Non-Total War subforum. Despite very much being the road less travelled, it offers perhaps the greatest scope for East Asian AARtistry, with a huge wealth of games available to depict. As such, it would be difficult for me to cover all of them in much depth, but I’ll fire off a few. If one is interested in the Total War series, it’s also probable that they’re familiar with the works of Paradox Studios. We actually play host to many Paradox AAR’s of the Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron and Europa Universalis varieties. Whilst the first only details Europe, the other two are very promising. The Hearts of Iron series depicts the Second World War and allows the AARtist to depict the Korean occupation, the Chinese Civil War or the Japanese perspective on the Second World War (as was done by The Bromgrev in his AAR Kantai Kessen). Europa Universalis on the other hand allows players to explore the Ming and early Qing periods of China, as well as a good chunk of Korean history under the Joseon dynasty. All of the Sengoku period can also be covered in terms of Japan, although in much less depth than through its Shogun 2 counterpart. For those searching for that extra depth, but prefer the Paradox way of doing things, there is the standalone game Sengoku which deals with the period. The final Paradox series one can explore is the Victoria line of games, which allows players to write about the fall of the Qing, the last days of the Joseon and the rise of the Japanese empire.
For those searching for something more similar to the Total War franchise, never fear, you do have other options! Magitech’s Sango 2 offers a full game based around the Chinese Three Kingdoms, in the Total War vein, whilst Takeda 3 from the same publisher tackles the Japanese Sengoku period. For something completely different and original, you can try their Strength and Honour series which allows you to control China’s Qin dynasty in 232 BC on a map that stretches all the way to Western Europe! If you want to depict a war between China and Rome, look no further than here.
To return to the Chinese Three Kingdoms, there is always the tried and tested Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, which allows you to control nearly every state that existed from the late second century to the end of the third. The strategy aspect is similar to the Total War series, although battles take a more Kessen-esque approach. Speaking of Kessen, for those who really wanted to branch out (read: have access to a lot of free time and a capture card), such an AAR would be virtually unheard of and sure to garner you some readers. Whilst it does follow a scripted campaign, similar games by Koei such as Dynasty Tactics offer a much more open ended approach to AAR writing from a console perspective, although perhaps that’s a subject for another day (Odama anyone?)
Unfortunately we’re already well on our way down the rabbit hole now. Literally hundreds of opportunities exist for the aspiring writer in the Non-Total War arena. I couldn’t possibly begin to cover every Second World War game where you could depict the Chinese or Japanese, whilst at the opposite end of the spectrum games begin to get more and more obscure. Want to do a Fate of the Dragon or MiG Alley AAR? Go for it! If you’ve made it this far, I’m sure you can find a game to suit your historical interests. I fear you don’t need my help anymore.
What I do want to impart on you though is the importance of thinking outside the box; the more original your AAR is, the better. What attracts readers is something different. From a historical perspective, this is easily achieved. A few ideas I’ve had for East Asian AAR’s in the past include the endeavours of Japanese railway builders in turn of the century Korea, using the Railroad Tycoon series, the expeditions of a Mongol warrior maiden in Eastern Europe through the medium of Mount & Blade (which also has a Three Kingdoms modification for those interested) and a Chinese college student who begins a life in the NBA without knowing a word of English!
However, we’ve been focussing on historical East Asia. As I highlighted at the start of this piece, East Asia is far much more than a historical gold mine and there are many different perspectives one can take on East Asian culture through the medium of video games. Sandbox games such as Sleeping Dogs allow you to portray an AAR set in Hong Kong, whilst the Tokyo DLC for Cities in Motion could provide a refreshing perspective on an AAR. Here we really start to move away from the traditional strategy games that make up the majority of AARs and start to focus on other approaches. One genre in particular is always neglected in the Writer’s Study. I can remember seeing perhaps one in the past year or so, which is surprising considering the amazing amount of customization and imagination inherent within it as a genre. I’m of course talking about Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Games. When one thinks about writing an MMO AAR, they can be immediately put off by the prospect, considering the nature of the game and how the world is shared by other players. To write an MMO AAR is perhaps an article I can explore at a later date, but right now I should highlight that it is an option for the aspiring East Asian AARtist. Not only are there semi-historical games such as Dynasty Warriors and Silk Road Online you can adapt to an AAR medium, you gain access to a huge wealth of anime inspired or styled games. Want to pen a Digimon AAR, why not try Digimon Masters? Want to go totally crazy and write about Hello Kitty, there’s an MMO for that too!
MMO’s aren’t the only route you can go down if you want to write an anime AAR, but they do offer the most freedom in terms of character customization and exploring the game world. Still, you can just as easily go down a single player avenue. Games in the Pokemon series are easy to work into an AAR format for example. However, if you know the anime you like, you don’t need me to tell you which games exist in its franchise. Chances are you know what games you can and can’t play, but hopefully I’ve at least given you some ideas.
Although there’s so much more to cover in terms of East Asia AAR’s, this is a suitable place as any to draw our conclusions. We could discuss creative writing, but in all honesty, that’s an even greater topic to cover; perhaps even impossible. If you want to write about East Asia in a creative writing piece, by all means go ahead, but there’s simply so much you can cover that I wouldn’t know where to start if you asked me for recommendations.
So what’s been the point of this article? To introduce East Asia to you guys through the medium of AARs and video games. I’ve tried to show you what avenues are open to you, first by exploring your options within the Total War franchise and then moving into other historical strategy games. Finally I discussed games that aren’t focussed on history or strategy. There are hundreds of games you can adapt to suit an AAR in an East Asian setting and hopefully I’ve given you some ideas for what you can do. So, get thinking of what you’d like to write and I’ll see you in part two to give you some examples of just how to get this fantastic setting on to paper in the best way.