The campaign is designed to be run during the reign of Claudius, 41-54 A.D.—one of the better emperors of the period, no matter what historians may say. The borders were fairly safe from outside threats in most regions, and Claudius had just begun expansion into Brittania. The interior, on the whole, was quite stable (despite a famine—in history, not necessarily in the campaign—from 46 to 48). The Empire as a whole, according to a census made in 14 A.D., contained 5,984,072 Roman citizens, about 61,000,000 all together (according to O.A.W. Dilke).

The provinces of the Empire are classified as imperial or senatorial provinces. Imperial provinces were governed by procurators — military officials directly appointed by the Emperor for terms of about three years, depending on the Emperor's pleasure. Senatorial provinces were governed by proconsuls (themselves senators) who were chosen by lot for one-year terms only. All the legions were in Imperial provinces.

Outside the Empire there is still a lot going on. It's a big world—the Roman Empire is cosmopolitan, of course, but what's outside is even more diverse. In this period, Roman trade not only covers the Mediterranean but also goes (by way of Alexandria) as far as India. Parthian traders travel well into Asia Minor on the west side, and almost to India on the east, where they meet Chinese traders as well. All this international trade is not economically important (Rome and the Han Empire are self-sufficient), but it sure could make life interesting. It's important to note that all trade between Rome and Han China was controlled by the Parthian Empire, which was not friendly with Rome. Besides which, there were the Hsiung-Nu (related to if not identical with the Huns) to contend with. Also, luxury items from India passing through Ægyptus were taxed 25% of their value!