Players must keep the citizens content through satisfactory levels of food, religion, and entertainment. To gain more resources, players may opt to build communities around the map, engage in trade, or purchase estates, which remain with the character for the duration of the campaign. Resources are based on a 'flow' economy, in which the player does not actually accumulate a stockpile of resources, but rather develops the infrastructure to construct and maintain buildings. Emphasis is placed on efficiency and employment, ensuring that all buildings are staffed by the appropriate worker class. A colony includes various food production buildings, such as wheat and pig farms, bakeries and butchers material production buildings such as lumber camps and brick works religious temples and various types of housing for different citizen classes ( Plebs, Patricians, and Equites).

Each mission involves building a Roman colony in various locations around the Roman Republic, with certain requirements and bonus objectives to successfully complete the mission.

The focus of the game is on macromanagement. They then choose which family to associate their character with, selecting between the Flavii, Valerii, Julii, Aemilii, or Lucii, each with unique traits that benefit the player in military, civic or economic ways. Starting out, players create a character, choosing their name, gender and portrait. At one point the player must choose between siding with Julius Caesar or Pompey Magnus, with missions playing out to wiping out the Optimates or building armies against the Populares. Certain historical events are portrayed, such as slave uprising led by Spartacus and the crossing of the Rubicon. The player undertakes missions for his/her family, establishing a reputation as a statesman and leader as well as working under historical figures like Marcus Tullius Cicero, Mark Antony, Pompey Magnus, and Marcus Crassus.

The single player campaign takes place during the final years of the Roman Republic during the time of the First Triumvirate.

Manual grand ages rome