1193 Anno Domini is a trading simulation set in the second half of the Middle Age. You are a little unknown trader. And so are your three rivals, which are either played by the computer or by real players. Now it's your task to become a rich and powerful merchant and over powering your three rivals. For this task, you have the ability to expand your business through 98 towns, while trading 36 different goods. But you are not just trading the goods, but you also producing them, for this task you have up to 22 production facilities to produce goods for 6 different economy sectors. For maintaining your trade business, you have to protect your goods from thieves or other players, but you must also counteract some external influences, like the weather or plagues.

When you gain influence as a trader and are respected by the authorities, they not just help you to protect your goods, but you also gain the ability to do some political decisions (taxation and others). You then also get assigned some tasks to do for the town and the church.