Try this idea, a few centuries ago in the Hellenistic East a new Philosopher showed up. He started as a teacher of mathematics, introducing what he called
Hindu numbers, and several new ways to solve hard problems. He quickly started to teacher engineering as well.
Once he became famous he started to teach
Natural Philosophy and introduced paper (which he said he learned to make in the silk lands), a press that copied books, and lenses that allowed people to see great distanced or very tiny things. Once he set up paper mills and a print shop he began to copy vast numbers of books. Alexandria grew jealous so he offered to teach them the skills as well.
A few years later he returned from a journey with insect eggs. He showed the mulberry bushes he'd been growing and explained were silk came from.
It is now 1675
years since the founding of Rome (or 923AD) the world is dominated by powerful dictatorships that tend to be roughly capitalist. Slavery is legal, and no one would dream of outlawing it. The Tech Level is around 5/6 but poorly distributed. Most poor people live as if the TL was two or three.
Centrum wants this TL5 world, Homeline wants to keep them from it. The Cabal favors Homeline winning the fight as they see this world as a great place but to recruit from and to set up power bases on.
Yes another Rome. Fairly dark and rather straight forward. That makes it simply gameable. Also figuring out the mysterious Philosopher and were he came from is a good mystery hook.