The campaign map is a turn-based environment, so actions can be completed in any order, and you are entirely free in what you choose to do - construction, recruitment, diplomacy, missions, faction management, subterfuge, battles - sometimes even choosing to do nothing if you want your treasury to accumulate funds! When you are ready to proceed, press the end turn button. The AI-controlled factions will then complete their turns; their symbols will scroll across the screen and you can observe the movement of their campaign pieces. Whilst this is happening the user interface will become inactive. Control will be returned to you when the process is complete. You may then take your next turn.
Survey the campaign map using the W, A, S and D keys. Q and E rotate the camera. You can also hold down the middle mouse button and drag it to scout around, using the Z and X keys, or your mousewheel, to zoom in. Left-clicking on a settlement, army or agent selects it; all orders are issued by right-clicking on your chosen target.
The strategic overview map shows Europe divided into regions, with your own territory picked out in your faction's colours. Click on a region to zoom the campaign map to it and centre the camera there. Click on the toggle button to display the map full screen. Lists of your faction's current forces and agents, provinces, known factions, as well as important event messages and events can be viewed by clicking on the buttons above the map.
You can increase your line of sight by sending fleets further along the coast or agents into unknown lands to encounter new factions. However, be careful not to go too far without back-up - you may fall foul of hostile neighbours or suffer attrition if your ships stray too far from the coast.
Each turn every character has a number of action points allotted to them. Every move, from the distance they travel, to the stance they adopt, to which actions they can take, costs action points. When they have been exhausted it is not possible to do anything else with that particular character until the beginning of the next turn.