It is the Turn Of The Century — The 17th Century, that is. World explorers have discovered new lands, and the race is on to discover what new valuables and resources await those who manage to hold onto the claim. Wars and rumors of war continuously occur across the old Continent, and everyone’s looking for an edge. But these new lands, much of it is already populated by unknown peoples with strange customs. No matter… perhaps they can be convinced to become an asset for us, or be forcibly removed. Maybe these inhabitants should just be left alone in peace, much like so many wish for their own here at home. But the continuous undertow of world supremacy rages on, and all are caught in her current. This is where you find yourself today: Will you sit back peacefully and leave to chance your country’s rise to dominance on the self-destruction of the others, or will you dive right in and grab what you can of what the New World has to offer, using that tried and true technique: Exploitation. Exploitation is a 4x game (3.5x essentially), whereby players manage their resources to navigate the world, founding/conquering settlements and using them to reap more resources. In turn, they can be used for exploring farther regions, building stronger armadas, battling other players, enlisting the help of Privateers, and otherwise trying to be the nation with the highest prestige in the historical setting of the Colonial Era. In the course of play, players are also confronted with the moral complications of the slave trade and the plight of indigenous native populations of the New World. —description from the publisher