The player represents one of four European powers——with the ultimate goal of declaring independence from their "home" country and defeating the Royal Expeditionary Force.
: Success depends on managing individual units with specific professions, such as Master Distillers, Elder Statesmen, or Hardy Pioneers. These specialists can be recruited from Europe, trained in universities, or learned from Indigenous peoples. Sid Meier's Colonization
: Unlike Civilization's simpler food and production model, Colonization features a complex economy with 16 types of goods, including raw materials like tobacco, sugar, and cotton, and refined products like cigars, rum, and cloth. The player represents one of four European powers——with