In the late 12th century, Temujin unified the Mongolian plateau by force, defeating his rival Jamuqa and earning the title Genghis Khan. In the west during the same era, crusaders led by Richard the Lionheart and the Islamic champion Saladin were locked in repeated, unresolved battles over Jerusalem. Across Eurasia, the map was alive with conflict driven by some of the most capable military leaders of the age. The game places the player at the center of this period — managing the ambitions of Genghis Khan, or any other ruler on the board, against a world full of equally serious opponents.