Each epoch has seven empires which will be played in a specific order according to their historical appearance. Each empire has a predefined starting region on the map. This represents its historical capital. Points are scored based on the players holdings at the end of his turn within the epoch. Points are scored for possession of monuments, sea areas, and for relative strength of control of various areas of the map.
Areas are worth varying amounts depending on the epoch.
For example, control of Sub-Saharan Africa is worth nothing until the final two epochs. Points are scored at 1x, 2x, and 3x the area base value for these levels respectively. Points are scored not only for the regions controlled by the empire played on that turn but for any remnants of empires from previous epochs. Empires vary widely in the number of units they can field in a turn. From four for the Incas and Aztecs to 25 for the Romans.