>What is /eagg/?
Most of the discussion in the thread is usually about Koei-Tecmo’s Musou series, mainly Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi, but due to similarities in gameplay, we sometimes discuss Capcom’s Sengoku Basara too so we can’t exactly name it Musou thread. And due to the settings of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors being the Three Kingdoms of China and the Sengoku period of Japan, respectively, the threads also discuss Koei-Tecmo’s Romance of Three Kingdoms and Nobunaga’s Ambition from time to time, so we can’t exactly call it Hack & Slash General either. So, we settled for the closest we could think of, East Asian Genocide General. Plus, ee-ay-gee-gee just roll off the tongue better than Edge and Ess.

>What’s the differences between Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi?
Dynasty Warriors has its story sets mostly during the end of the Han Dynasty and lasts through the Three Kingdoms period of China (around 184AD to 280AD). It offers more characters to play as but less varieties between characters compared to Samurai Warriors. Though with the latest instalment, some really crazy weaponries have been added in, like arm cannon, or rocket spear.

Samurai Warriors has its story sets during the latter half of the Sengoku period of Japan (roughly around 1560 to 1615). It has less characters than Dynasty Warriors, but the movesets vary a lot more. Though unlike Dynasty Warriors, which tried to revamp its gameplay during the 5-7 interval, Samurai Warriors has been playing it safe since 2, with the gameplay from the latest instalment, Samurai Warriors 4, being an update and more refined gameplay of 2.

Continuity isn’t important in these games, as each new instalment retells the same set of events, just in a different ways and with a few new twists here and there.

As for Warriors Orochi, it’s a massive crisis crossover between Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors, and in Warriors Orochi 3 case, even features characters from different series. The gameplay is a mix between Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors with new elements like you play as a 3 member-team that can be switched instantly, instead of just 1 character. Unlike Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors where they are based on actual history and each new instalment retells the same set of events, just in a different ways and with a few new twists here and there, Warriors Orochi offers an original storyline that has an actual continuity.

>What’s the best game to start with?
Dynasty Warriors: Due to the sheer size of the growing cast, 83 playable characters as of Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires, either start with 5 or 7.

Dynasty Warriors 5, available on PS2, Xbox, Xbox360 and PC (Japanese only). Every character has the game has their own story with bits of narration being told by the characters themselves at the start and the end of each stage, so it would be the best introduction if you’re not familiar with the story of the Three Kingdoms. Be aware that Dynasty Warriors 5 is on the PS2, so its graphic and gameplay can be obsolete by today’s standard.

Dynasty Warriors 7, available on PS3, Xbox360, PC (Japanese only) and PSP (Japanese only). The game has the best story-telling the series has to offer, with the stories focus on the kingdoms instead of individuals. Some characters got sidelined but those that got focused on received lots of characterization. Plus, less characters probably would make it easier to remember who is who for those who aren’t familiar with the Three Kingdoms. 7 tried to revamp the gameplay and introduces weapon switching where you can take any 2 weapons onto the battlefield and switch them on the fly. It does have its share of problems like half of the roster being clones of each other though.
Avoid playing 6 if you could.

Samurai Warriors: Either start with 2 or 4.
Samurai Warriors 2, available on PS2, Xbox360 and PC. Similar to Dynasty Warriors 5, the game has stories for every playable characters in the game (except 2 characters, but they aren’t important in the overall narrative anyway) with narration being told at the beginning of each stage, so it would be the best introduction if you’re not familiar with the story of the Sengoku period. And just like Dynasty Warriors 5, it’s a PS2 game so its graphic can be obsolete by today’s standard, but it offers better gameplay than Dynasty Warriors 5 and has aged just fine. There’s a HD Collection on the PSN, but it’s Japanese-only.

Samurai Warriors 4, available on PS3, PS4 and PSVita. Similar to Dynasty Warriors 7, the game narrative focuses on clans instead of individuals. The writing quality varies from clan to clan, but it introduces the clans and overall chaotic situation of Japan during the Sengoku period just fine. It introduces a new attack string called Hyper Attacks, which are sweeping attacks for easy crowd control. Be aware that the game features some of the most linear stage designs in the series.

Nobody in /eagg/ has ever played 3 so we don’t know if it actually exist or not.

Warriors Orochi: The game does have a continuity, but you can start in any instalment just fine as each instalment has its self-contained storyline with only the villains being the one that ties them all, though it is recommended that you played at least one instalment of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors, as the fun of a crossover is to see characters from different series interact with each other, that and the game doesn’t even try to introduce characters properly.

Romance of Three Kingdoms: If you like self-insert roleplaying, then go with X. If you just like your usual turn-based strategy game, then go with XI. Though XI is available in English on both PS2 and PC, X is only available in English on PS2. And keep in mind, even though they share the same title, each instalment actually has gameplay greatly differ from each other, so if you don’t like one, you can always try another.

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence would be a great start.