Doodle Empires

Doodle Empires is a hand-drawn, alternate history map game where players take control of geopolitical fate using simple sketch mechanics. The main objective is to create, expand, split, and evolve fictional nations on a blank world map. Each session is shaped by user-made borders, named territories, and randomized gameplay events. The charm of the game lies in its simplicity—players use a “drawing power” resource to sketch out countries, then manage how those nations grow, collapse, or transform over time through card-based mechanics.

Drawing nations and managing expansion

To begin a new empire, players select a color, name their country, and draw it onto the map with a brush tool. The drawing mechanic is tied to a resource bar that limits how much territory can be claimed in a single turn. Once the drawing power is used, players select a nation and draw a card to advance its story. Cards can cause growth, rebellion, alliances, or dramatic shifts in leadership. The game doesn’t force any specific narrative, so players can shape the world as they imagine it.

Key card types that drive gameplay include:

·         Expand: Grows a selected nation’s borders in small, medium, or large amounts

·         Split: Breaks off part of a nation to form a new one

·         Union: Merges two nations into one through diplomacy or conquest

·         New Nation: Allows players to start another original country

·         New Leader: Replaces the current leader and changes national behavior

·         Build Castle: Adds a defensive structure that increases resistance to conquest

Modes and strategic visibility

Doodle Empires offers three core map modes that help players manage the complexity of growing world borders. Political mode shows the current state of all countries and their boundaries. Origin mode reveals historical lineage by displaying which countries descended from others, acting like a cultural tree. Fort mode highlights protected areas around castles, which increases territorial defense and affects expansion strategy. These tools provide the clarity needed to navigate a board that gets more complex with every turn.

Long-term plans and evolving systems

While Doodle Empires already allows for rich world-building and sandbox play, its development is ongoing. Future updates aim to introduce migrating tribes, random disasters, and more in-depth nation tracking such as death logs and expanded map sizes. These additions will further personalize each playthrough, adding unpredictability and historical weight to every decision. There’s also intent to enhance user interface elements and add music to deepen immersion.

Doodle Empires is both a creative toy and a dynamic strategy game. It doesn’t offer victory conditions or scripted paths—instead, it gives players tools to watch stories unfold organically. Whether you want to simulate a peaceful union of nations or trigger endless wars through splits and rebellions, the world is yours to shape, one drawn line at a time.