Random_Coffee: Grand Theft Auto IV gives a pretty good Roman experience.

davies92: I find every game lacking in some way. I'm looking for a game with a strong focus on empire building, managing towns and cities and their population, dealing with religion and culture. I'd love a deep military system with troop stats and supply/logistics systems. Maybe also a good political system tying into this, with accomplished generals becoming more powerful militarily and politically over time. I want to feel like I'm conquering savages and civilising the world. Is there anything out there?

P. Zimerickus: Ryse, son of Rome

davies92: I wouldn't say disappointing as such, more lacking in certain aspects. Toral War is too simplistic and Rome 2 especially I find very poorly designed. Old World is excellent, but light on military management and population mechanics, and I find the events somewhat overrated. Far too many "get stuffed, go to war" type events. I'm not sure if I've given FoG: Empires a fair chance: people says it's excellent designed, yet I didn't find myself actually doing much each turn, and I'm really unsure of the randomised buildings mechanic.

scientiae: Total War is an excellent game. (I am referring to the original since I have not played the sequel. Neither are available here on Gog.) I have played it many, many times.

It has a lot of the attraction of the early Civilization games (again, I haven't played anything after IV, which is available on Gog) but does tend to break down after a couple of centuries of in-game time. (Almost certainly by design.)

(I play with the real-time combat on the hardest setting and the turn-based empire-building on an easier setting because I hate it when my empire is subject to the RNG catastrophe.)

There are many similar games. As well as a lot of iterations for different civilizations, there is CivCity: Rome, Call to Power, Europa Universalis, Galactic Civilizations, even the original Masters of Orion and recent remake Interstellar Space.

There are others, similar but different, like the Disciples and Blackguards series.

There is even the odd module in RPGs like NwN (I'm thinking of the defend-the-castle scene, early in the second expansion, Hordes of the Underdark.)

botan9386: I remember this game getting some flak for being historically inaccurate but it was a very fun slasher.