I’ve been doing some research as part of my preparations to run the Eight Swords of Vengeance, and I decided to revisit a few of my favorite links when talking about Wuxia. One of the neatest links I’ve seen before is the nigh-legendary Kongming’s Archives, which is a depository of all things relating to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. While the Three Kingdoms Era takes place after the Warring States Period, where the campaign is set, the website also sports a huge number of character portraits that could be of use for any games set in China.
I highly encourage you guys to take a peek, as this is a fun resource to check out. Below are links to some galleries of portraits for player-generated officers for the various Romance of the Three Kingdoms games:
Aside from visuals, looking for music is also very helpful for inspiring me to run a game. Needless to say, I’m going through a bunch of soundtracks that I own right now in hopes of compiling something interesting for the game. The HERO soundtrack by Tan Dun is especially nice for the game, as the campaign and the movie share some interesting parallels.
For those who like reading, I’d advise checking out Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay. GGK’s superb handling of language helps convey the entire cultural tone and color of a fantasy China that fits so perfectly with Qin that I find myself enthralled with this book, no matter how many times I read it.
