Dictate the course of history across ten ages, from the first cities to space travel. Accomplish certain objectives and you can move time into a Variant Age - an alternate history with new rules, new technologies, and new units. But beware Crisis Ages; following a path of chaos and disorder may plunge the world into a future filled with war, sickness or ignorance. Then again, a wise ruler can always turn a crisis into an opportunity.... Choose your path wisely, as the ages you pass through will have a lasting impact on your people and the world.

Manage your economy with care and create a juggernaut of growth and construction. Start with basic resources to gain food, wealth, and production. As your advance, decide how to best convert these simple goods into more valuable products through research and improvements. Specialize your regions, turning iron into weapons or tools, wood into paper or lumber, gold into coin or jewelry. Ship surplus goods where they are needed, allowing the breadbasket of your empire to feed far-flung colonies or your industrial heartland to supply troops near your enemy.

Achieve your ultimate success through a Victory Age. Toward the end of the game (or earlier if your strategy is sound), dominance allows a nation to dictate the winning conditions. The rest of the world must decide if they will struggle to achieve victory before the leader ... or oppose the leader's attempt. Risk everything to take victory in the Renaissance or carefully plan for triumph in the modern era.