The Romans for example play first, while the Normans come last in the sequence of nations. The first action is to Increase Population, which is based on the amount and quality of controlled areas. Second is the arrival of Reinforcements from overseas. Third is the Movement Phase. Fourth is the Battle Phase where results are taken from dice rolls, normally a 5 or 6 kills one opposing piece but as battle is simultaneous it still gets a shot back.
Wipeouts can happen.
Most important of course is the Victory Point Count Phase, where corresponding Victory Point Cards tell a player if his nation did score in this round or not. Most points can only be computed after all the other nations have completed their turn. Winning is mainly based on knowing when to attack and when to fortify and sit tight. The success, or lack of, the Roman player can shape lot of the game, but more often than not the winner is determined in the final turn. A score total of 100 can be seen as average.