Demo I Release -- Beneath the Plum Tree 李下之歌 [WIP]

Hosted Games Works In Progress
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First Demo Out Now!

Beneath the Plum Tree is the first of a series of interactive fiction novels that is currently a Work In Progress. It is a work of historical fiction that is set in the final years of the Chinese Han Dynasty, as so famously described in one of China’s most illustrious stories: the Romance of the Three Kingdoms 三国演义.

The first demo, which consists of the first three chapters, is out now!
You can find it through the following link:

https://cogdemos.ink/go/6448

Premise

The Emperor is dead, and the Lands Under Heaven are torn asunder by corruption and turmoil. As the dynasty erodes from within and virtue is forgotten, the time has now come for you to carve your own way through the brittle late Han Dynasty.

Navigate the complex society of the Han Dynasty. Choose a craft and find your talent. Forge, learn, fight. Cultivate relationships with people from all walks of life.

Weather the impending storm, and rise all the stronger.

Beneath the Plum Tree 李下之歌 is an interactive novel of historical fiction, inspired by the famous Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It has:

◇ Complex characters

◇ An immersive, historically authentic setting

◇ Deep themes and symbolism

◇ Customisation based on the Five Elements

Please enjoy the first demo! And by all means, let me know what you think on my Tumblr page @beneaththeplumtree!

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February 2026 Writer Support Thread
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Three kingdoms WIP? It’s going to be peak

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The setting is interesting enough that I’ll check back in when it updates, but I don’t have too much to say right now since there hasn’t been much our choices or stats do yet.

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I’m not familiar with the three kingdoms setting and I don’t really understand what we will do in this story, but it was beautifully written! It’s really cool how your description creates such a cool atmosphere, especially with the description of the smell, which is rare

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Cao Cao I’m coming for youu

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I love it

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It’s Lu Bu !!!

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any one guess how the combat system will work

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If Dong Zhuo appears in this I’m gonna gun straight for his tyrannical butt. He’ll be dead before Lu Bu gets to him.

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There’s Dong Zhuo but he have different name

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I hope there’s a lot of stake and action happening because how chaotic the Three Kingdoms Period is that actions that you do will branches endlessly

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The Big Man himself might just show up at some point :eyes:

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Hello everyone!

After a month of intensive plotting and writing, I am very excited to announce that Demo II of Beneath the Plum Tree 李下之歌 has now been released! You can find the updated demo on the COGDemos website, through the following link:

Beneath the Plum Tree 李下之歌 DEMO II

This is the first major update to the public demo. It adds 2 new chapters for you to read, bringing the total length of the public demo up to 5 chapters! In these new chapters…

  • Experience the splendour of the imperial capital during the Summer Solstice celebrations.

  • Meet new major characters, from boastful farmers to boisterous captains.

  • Hear a shaman’s prophecies and ominous whispers from court.

  • Deepen your relationships with your townspeople, and your uncle… maybe.

Now that Demo II is done, I am hoping to make a LOT of progress on the next chapters in the coming months. I have about 9 written right now, but there are many more to go - as you can see in this outline I shared a few weeks ago.

The next update to the public demo will release in September, and add not 2, but 3 new chapters!

In the meantime, I will continue to make regular posts and updates here on my Tumblr page. Also, feel free to ask me any questions, and please let me know what you think of the update!

Hope you enjoy! :slight_smile:

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Hi @beneaththeplumtree I merged the new thread with the original one and reopened it, so all the discussion can be tracked in one place :slightly_smiling_face:

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Much appreciated, thank you! :slight_smile:

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I really wonder how and what is the reason we gonna get conscription for army. Thank you for the update

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I hope you finish this projects

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Completed My first playthrough. My knowledge about 3 Kingdom is almost zero (excluding that one oversimplified video). Still I ended up liking the demo. Here are my thoughts.

Things I liked (Spoilers)
  • The prologue in general was nice. It felt like a nice entry to the world, without being abrupt. I appreciate it.
  • Having the stat based on Wuxing is a wonderful Idea, suits extremely well with the setting.
  • The whole environment felt smooth, in the sense nothing seemed to stick odd. It truly felt like taking place in ancient China.
  • The conversation with Lei beneath the plum tree was written really well. I enjoyed it.
  • The characters seems to be nice. However I still feel too early to comment about them.
Things which were my least favorite (Spoilers)
  • Despite having great idea regarding stat system, I barely felt any stat checks. I know it is just initial chapters of Act 1. However I expected atleast a single stat check. It just felt less rewarding
  • I know Lei convo is unavoidable however having a choice option which just boost your personality, felt bit odd. It just broke the flow of reading. Maybe it was because when I say the choice appearing, I expected atleast one of the choice to let us leave.
  • I don’t know if it is because of the lack of stat check or something else. The demo felt like a kinectic novel. I know it is still early to say this without completing a couple of play through. So I might be wrong.
My doubts (Spoilers)
  • Is this a low fantasy setting? I know 3 kingdom retains few aspects of myths too. Will those be present?
  • Does our personality and skill complement each other? My knowledge about Wuxing is low too (Few xianxia games). But I think few elements complement each other right. So if I have Metal/ Fire personality will it boost my fortitude(earth)? I know the current update has little regarding stat. I wanted to know if that’s something you are planning to implement in future. (I know it is difficult to code.:smiling_face_with_tear: )

I saw the roadmap for this in tumblr. Good Luck. I will look forward for future updates.

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