This repository describes a client-server API useful for playing the traditional party game of Empires (sometimes called Families). This game involves each player secretly choosing a character. The complete list of characters is read aloud at the beginning of the game, without revealing which player chose each character. Players must try to remember all the character names, and gameplay consists of guessing the character that another player submitted. After a correct guess, the guessed player is "captured" and becomes part of the "empire" of the guessing player. At the end of the game, there will be one winner who is the head of an empire consisting of all players in the game. See the api.text for a decription of the REST API. Motivation ========== As a party game, Empires requires very little equipment, (just slips of paper for each player to write their character name on). And for an in-person party, it's probably best to just use that traditional method (without needing any technology to implement this API). However, if a group is not meeting in person, but instead using something like a video-conference tool to get together, the traditional approach of slips of paper may not be available. So an implementation of the API describes here allows for players to submit their own character names, and then for clients to obtain the complete list of charater names without knowing which players submitted which names. The API also allows for keeping track of which players have "captured" other players to form larger empires and querying the current empire relationshiips. Notably, this API has no mechanism for submitting guesses of a player's character nor determining whether a guess is correct. The assumption here is that the game is still played face to face, (whether in person or via video conference or some other technology). So guesses should still be communicated and resolved that way. The API simplifies the tracking of empires so that players can easily know who is still active, (whereas, in the in-person party game, empires are made obvious by people physically moving to sit with their empire).