Romance of the Three Kingdoms II (Japanese: 三國志II, Hepburn: Sangokushi Tsū, lit.

Upon starting the game, players choose from one of six scenarios that determine the initial layout of power in ancient China.

The scenarios loosely depict allegiances and territories controlled by the warlords as according to the novel, although gameplay does not follow events in the novel after the game begins.

Custom characters may be inserted into territories unoccupied by other forces, as well.

A warlord's Intelligence, War Ability and Charm influence how successful he or she will be when performing certain tasks, such as dueling or increasing land value in a province.