A small group of deities gather together to create a world in which they can enjoy their favorite sport - war. These gods seed the land with resources that various races will inevitably occupy. As rival empires grow, they do battle and devastate the land. The gods then re-seed the land and watch empires rebuild, or new empires rise… then fall - fall again, and again and again.
The gods are, of course, placing bets on their favorite races - and when their race fights a war, the bet pays out. But a god doesn't claim an empire for itself, and doesn't control a race in any way. He must be clever, or lucky, to control the outcome of wars in this game.