In Legion, the player attempts to build a powerful army by controlling villages and defeating enemies with the ultimate goal of dominating a region.

The strategy of battle involves fighting on favorable terrain with enemies weak against the player's units.

Legion takes place in the historic setting of the Roman expansion, from the conquest of Italy, Britain, Hispania, Gaul and Germania.

Legion Gold comes with eight campaign maps (including tutorial), each of which has three difficulty levels and options for historical and non-historical gameplay settings.

The maps are generally well-researched and correspond closely to historical geography in the names of tribes and locations of cities.