From the publisher's website:

In the year 1200, the foundation is laid for the cathedral of Troyes, but it will not be finished until four centuries later, after innumerable incidents. This game invites you to experience four centuries of history by participating in the development of one of the finest medieval cities ever to make its mark on Western culture. Troyes is a strategy game in which players represent a rich family from the Champagne region, using their influence to recruit and supervise individuals in three prominent domains: military, religious, and civil. Each domain is represented by its own color (utilized on the cards) and offers its own benefits. The inhabitants of the city provide a work force, created by rolling 18 dice at the beginning of the round. Next, the players will meld sets of 1 to 3 of the same color in order to execute an action: the nine activities of the city include such things as building the cathedral, grappling with an unfortunate event, or even recruiting new residents in order to be able to roll more dice next round. The dice used by a player are free if they are his own citizens, but each player also has the opportunity to open his purse to recruit his enemies. Players can use their influence to change the result of the dice, giving them a degree of control rarely seen in a dice game! Additionally, each player receives a secret character card at the beginning of the game, whose principles he will defend with the most clever of schemes. In order to gain still greater fame, he will also try to divine the other players’ agendas. The player who has garnered the most fame, as a result of his every action, will win the game. To ensure plenty of replay value, there are 27 Activity cards available, but only nine of them are used each game.