Status: Feature Complete — 2 maps, diplomacy, buildings, AI narrator. Play it!
A CLI turn-based strategy RPG where you build armies, expand your empire, and conquer the world. Open source, runs in any terminal.
# Play instantly (no install needed)
npx empire-cli
# Or clone for development
git clone https://github.com/lppduy/empire-cli.git
cd empire-cli
npm install
npm start1. Start a new game → pick a faction (e.g. Iron Legion)
2. "map" — see the world map
3. "info northkeep" — inspect a territory
4. "recruit northkeep 3" — train 3 units (costs 3💰 + 2🍖 each)
5. "move northkeep greenwood 3" — march 3 units to Greenwood
6. "build northkeep walls" — build walls for defense (costs 🪵🪨)
7. "attack greenwood silver" — attack Silver Bay from Greenwood
8. "next" — end your turn (or use all 3 actions, auto-advances)
8. Watch enemy factions react — then plan your next move!
Goal: Conquer all territories to win.
When starting a new game, you pick a map, choose a faction, then customize your leader name, nation name, and slogan (all optional — press Enter to skip).
You get 3 actions per turn. map, info, status, help, save are free (don't cost actions).
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
map |
Show world map |
info <territory> |
Show territory details & neighbors |
status |
Show your resources and army count |
move <from> <to> [n] |
Move n units between territories (all if omitted) |
recruit <territory> <n> |
Recruit n units at a territory |
attack <from> <to> |
Attack enemy territory from yours |
build <territory> <type> |
Build walls/barracks/market |
next |
End turn early |
save [slot] |
Save game |
ally <faction> |
Propose alliance |
peace <faction> |
Propose peace treaty |
trade <faction> <n> <res> for <res> |
Trade resources |
diplo |
View diplomatic relations |
help |
Show commands |
quit |
Exit |
| Map | Territories | Factions | Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Mainland | 12 | 6 factions | Classic continental war |
| The Shattered Isles | 14 | 6 factions | Island chain with chokepoints |
The Mainland:
| Faction | Personality | Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| 🔴 Iron Legion | Aggressive | High stone, strong start |
| 🟢 Green Pact | Defensive | High food & wood |
| 🟡 Sand Empire | Mercantile | High gold reserves |
| 🟣 Void Covenant | Diplomatic | Mountain fortress, fertile south |
| 🔵 Frost Wardens | Defensive | Stone-rich northern highlands |
| 🔴 Crimson Horde | Aggressive | Scrappy eastern raiders |
The Shattered Isles:
| Faction | Personality | Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| 🔵 Tide Lords | Mercantile | High gold & food, coastal power |
| 🔵 Storm Kin | Aggressive | High wood & stone, mountain base |
| 🔴 Flame Brood | Aggressive | Massive stone, volcanic islands |
| 🟣 Mist Walkers | Diplomatic | Balanced resources, forest cover |
| 🟢 Deep Ones | Defensive | Forest & mountain, hidden islands |
| 🟡 Wraith Fleet | Aggressive | Gold-rich, sunken city raiders |
- 💰 Gold — Recruit armies (3 per unit)
- 🍖 Food — Recruit + army upkeep (2 per unit)
- 🪵 Wood — Build structures
- 🪨 Stone — Build structures
| Building | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 🧱 Walls | 10🪵 15🪨 | +0.3 defense bonus |
| 🏛️ Barracks | 8🪵 5🪨 | Recruit costs 2💰 instead of 3💰 |
| 🏪 Market | 10💰 5🪵 3🪨 | +2💰 income per turn |
Enable epic fantasy narration for battles, turn summaries, and victories. The game works perfectly without it.
Setup: Choose "Narrator Settings" from the main menu, then pick a provider:
| Provider | Setup |
|---|---|
| Gemini (recommended) | Free API key from aistudio.google.com/apikey |
| Ollama | Install ollama.com, run ollama pull llama3, no key needed |
Config saved at ~/.empire-cli/config.json.
- Core game loop with turn-based strategy
- 4 factions with AI personalities
- 8-territory map with adjacency
- Combat system with terrain bonuses
- Save/load game
- Action limit per turn (3 actions)
- AI Game Master (Gemini / Ollama) — optional epic narration
- Diplomacy system (alliances, trade, peace)
- Buildings (walls, barracks, markets)
- More maps & factions (The Mainland + The Shattered Isles)
- npm package (
npx empire-cli)
- TypeScript + Node.js 18+
- chalk (terminal colors)
- readline (input)
- JSON saves (
~/.empire-cli/saves/)
npm start # Play the game
npm run build # Compile TypeScriptMIT