The Five Eras
The game begins at five distinctive moments in European history. The map, realms, rulers and events of each era are built on the real history of that moment. What happens after you begin is written anew by you and the AI rulers.
Roman EmpireAD 117 · Trajan's empire at its greatest extent
Middle Ages1200 · Crusades, popes and Mongols
Renaissance and the Age of Discovery1500 · Printing, Reformation, Ottomans
Age of Revolution1789 · From the Bastille to Waterloo
Victorian Era1850 · Railways, unification, imperialism
Whichever era you choose, the station and place of your birth are random. Even within the same era, being born a fisherman in Norway and a noble in Constantinople make for entirely different games.