[tarot]

Another tip is that, after you select an area from the strategic map, you can click the left mouse button (do not press the space bar) to look at the map. If at this point you decide that the map is too difficult, you can exit (before you start actually playing the map) without the years passing.

When you play the survival mode, it is an important skill to evaluate the starting position just by looking at the map, the civilizations, and the turn order (without actually playing the map). You need to tell whether you can win, and if not, use an emissary (or two).

It seems to me that the year limit is just there to provide a sense of tension or pressure, but the limit is so loose (even in Late Bronze Age) that it doesn't create any real challenge or barrier.