Civilization: The Expansion Project is designed for five to eighteen players covering the development of ancient civilizations from the invention of agriculture to the emergence of Rome as the dominant Mediterranean power - a span of almost 8,000 years. Civilization: The Expansion Project is one of the best games about ancient civilizations. Each player takes on the role of leader of an ancient civilization, such as the Illyrians or Babylonians. Your task is to guide your people through the ages by expanding your empire and using its proceeds to finance new technological advances, such as Literacy, Metalworking, or Law. The advancements help your civilization better cope with its problems as well as help bring new advancements. One of the greatest advantages with Civilization: The Expansion Project is that it has a large map so that each game can be played at different location on the map. This fact alone gives the game more flexibility and depth than it's base game. Included are even more civilization advancements than in advanced civilization which give the players new options for advancement. Each player leads a nation of peoples over a mapboard much larger than in advanced civilization that stretches from the Mediterranean to India as they attempt to carve a niche for themselves and their culture. Although battles and territorial strategy are important, Civilization: The Expansion Project is not a war game because it is not won by battle or conquest. Instead, the object of play is to gain a level of overall advancement involving cultural, economic, political and religious factors. Conflicts that do arise result from rivalries and shortages of land rather than from attempts to eliminate other players. Nomads, farmers, warriors, merchants, artisans, priests and citizens all have an essential part to play in the development of each nation's civilization. The player who most effectively balances these various outlooks will achieve the best balance and win the game. New stuff & impact on the base-game: * Redesigned extended map * More civilization advancements * 18 player at most * New victory point system * Improved timeline