Europe in Turmoil is a card-driven game set at the beginning of the 20th Century in which two players each assume the role of a political ideology ascendant in Europe at that time, with one side playing the Liberal (representing not just Liberal but also Socialist principles) and the other side playing the Authoritarian (representing the repressive, autocratic regimes of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia).

The card playing mechanic is closely related to that of Twilight Struggle or 1989: Dawn of Freedom, with the Naval Arms Race (representing the Dreadnought build-up between Germany and Britain) the closest equivalent to the Space Race / Tiananmen track from the aforementioned games.

The map represents the political reality of Europe in the late Victorian era, with the politics of continental Europe dominated by the four superpowers of Austria-Hungary, France, Germany and Russia. The rest of the Nations of Europe (and northern Africa) are represented by 'independent' client states who are to be "taken under the wing" to win the game.

Many of the events refer to (historical) crises which could have started a World War. Each of these events will increase the Tension between the European Nations and cause a Crisis roll, a roll modified by both the current Tension and the amount of Alliances that have been made by the major powers of Europe. Eventually, unless Tension is managed carefully, such a Crisis roll will spark the Outbreak of the Great War, ending the game after resolution of the war and a final Scoring.

Will the strongly Authoritarian Empires of Central Europe hold out against rising Liberalism? Will the Workers combine forces with land-hungry Farmers and marginalized Intelligentsia to oust the ruling Bourgeois, Nobility and Monarchy? Will “The Great War” break out, shattering the Status Quo? These and other exciting possibilities will soon be open to players.