A few ideas we have tossed around based on this map:
((PVP))
I can see on the given map, areas where special events can be made out. You can see that on the map, Britannia is not considered a Civilized land. Neither is Sarmatia.
One of the PVP events, like Zypur's suggestion, could be about exploration, and conquest of new savage lands. Not only do you have to worry about the savages in the wilderness, you also have to worry about the enemy factions controlling more of the territory than you do, so you have to rush there to kill them. If you die, you respawn in a controlled area. If your team controls no territory, you spawn back in your homeland, the losers.
This game type can be played by 4-32 people, across 8 flags on each "zone." If your faction owns the "zone," you own the lands as a faction, and get a special bonus. This can be anything from an armour-enhancement to an entire faction's boost of stat.
My definitions of groups:
Clan: Small group less than 32.
Sect: Group of people in a faction, related only by character profession.
Faction: Nation of people, united for the same cause, regardless of profession, larger than 1000.
My definitions of "zones":
Flag Zone: Smaller inner zone of the wargame, in which clans from rivaling factions can contest for the section of land. The owners, as a clan, of the larger 2/3 of the territory (flags) win the land and end the wargame.
Land Zone: One of 32 pieces of western Russia (Sarmatia) to construct the whole of the Land Zones. - Prize given to clans for owning each land zone (Small, as in armour or enhancement charm.)
Sarmatia: When your Faction owns all of Sarmatia, Your faction is given a significant statistics boost for the extent of the time it is held. (+5 levels to all skills)
You aren't always in the battles that effect your faction. Though you get a nice prize for winning, you don't get the best prize until you are the best faction.
((Game Theme))
...civilization against civilization in an attempt to 'take over the world'...
((Gameplay))
The only reason why I chose this time frame is that people around this time actually did fight for the territories, with respect to each individual group of people. Grecian people were just Athenians or Spartans. Romans weren't in power. Egyptians weren't growing in their prime. Persians didn't dominate the west. It's a fair game, where you can change the history of man. may favourite thing is that you can make a vast array of weapon styles that show, if you have a Greek sword, and your Egyptian, you must have killed a Grecian man.