This reminds me a lot of Civilization V, where each player plays as a nation, and tries to conquer as much land as possible, while also advancing their technology, philosophies, religions, politics, and societal structures.

In some versions of the game, the lawless barbarians are a threat, as they have no nation, so players must not only defeat each other, but keep the anarchist barbarians at bay.

But that's a PC game. A card game will be much different, and honestly, this game sounds quite fun. Although I wouldn't be surprised if it was done already.