The campaign mode is split into three difficulty levels, with each corresponding to the three different civilizations ¿ the Roman campaign is easy, the Asian campaign is moderately difficult, and the Egyptian campaign is hard. When the game begins, you can opt to play an entire campaign or a quick single map scenario. It is your job to lead your people to glory by conquering other civilizations and capturing as many territories as possible. You'll take the role of either Septimus Marius (a Roman boat captain), Tsu-Tang (an Asian rice farmer), or Ramadamses (an Egyptian sculptor). HE (as the head god is referred to in the game) brings Jupiter, Horus, and Ch'ih-Yu before HIM and explains that they must find one among their followers who has the talent, ambition, and far-sightedness to lead their people, otherwise HE will destroy the universe and begin anew with a different set of deities. A messenger sent by the head cheese (bet you never knew there was one guy who ran the whole show for every religion, did ya'?) visits the gods and tells them of the boss' displeasure in their laziness and lack of effectiveness as deities. They're all sitting around on a luxurious floating marble city getting fat, bloated and smashed off of the food and alcohol offerings from their worshippers. Settlers III opens with a cartoonish animation of three gods from completely different mythoi who should obviously never be seen together: Jupiter (leader of the Roman Pantheon), Horus (the falcon-headed Egyptian sun god), and Ch'ih-Yu (the legendary Chinese dragon).