I've been playing it a bunch this week, really enjoying the concept despite some problems with the execution. The game can feel quite aimless, there's very little in the way of tutorial and you will have to figure most things out for yourself. Also, the world is very sparse in places, the lack of ambient music doesn't help and it's strange that you don't run into other caravans/traders also travelling the silk road. The basic gameplay is all about managing resources and trading, combat is a bit of an afterthought and doesn't offer much challenge on the easier difficulties, or once you figure out how to properly protect your caravan. There's also a basic morale system, where you can raise the spirits of your caravan by making good trades, winning in combat, completing tasks or performing religious rites at the various shrines and temples you will find (assuming you have a ritegiver familiar with the rites of the region). Lastly, you have to manage your reputation amongst the world's five main factions (Romans, Parthians, Kushan, Han & Nomads), but this system only really comes into play on the more combat-orientated difficulty levels.
It feels like there are a lot of missed opportunities with this game, it could be so much deeper - but it's actually designed to be quite a short experience, in spite of the game world's size. Returning to Antioch after successfully traversing the silk road is the sole victory condition, although afterwards you can continue to play in the world as long as you like (but by that point money is no object, assuming your trip was a success!). The main draw for me is the exploration, and the game does do a great job of communicating the enormity of the task at hand, while the narrated historical facts that play at most settlements add some welcome context but, again, it feels like there could be more in that regard.
