As the title suggests, i was wondering if there's a way to become emperor playing as Rome, perhaps starting i civil war and destroying the other families? Does anyone know?
I believe as your family grows more powerful, the Senate will eventually get scared and declare war on you. I've had this happen to me once before, when I started adopting/assassinating generals from other houses and ended up around 50% control of the senate. My game crashed shortly after, however, so I never got to see how that played out.
Similarly, it stands to reason that if you're careful and maintain a balance of power within the senate between the families, you may be able to maintain a republic for the entire game.