Why cant we play Garlean empire?

[Cilia]

It was stated in the lore book that some of the locations close to the garlean homeland were annexed through diplomacy as well. They just didn't give specific names, if i remember correctly they referred to it as a 'carrot on a stick' offering magitek in exchange for joining them.

Hey, I learned something! (/no sarcasm.)

Still... neither Doma nor Ala Mhigo got the gentle treatment. Ala Mhigo had its ruler fed paranoia by Imperial spies for a decade before being deposed in response to the brutality born of that paranoia, making it easy pickings for the Empire. Doma seems to have just been steamrolled. Those are the nations pertinent to the discussion at hand, and neither wanted Imperial rule. (The same seems to be true of Dalmasca. Viva la resistance! Viva!)

The kugane incident was definitely dirty and unlawful, overall we've seen the fringes of the empire and until we see all of it and it's people we can't make a completely accurate judgement. Their military might be brutal but it does seem like the citizenry are kept complacent through propaganda and the like I'd be very interested in seeing garlemald as a whole, especially purebloods who aren't apart of the aristocracy or military. Nero for example came from rural garlemald so it'd be nice to hear more about that.

Their military is the only part of the Empire we have dealt with. The Imperial army is what subjugates and oppresses the people of the provinces we've seen.

How exactly Imperial civilians live is something I'm curious about as well. Still, if a majority of Imperial civilians feel being an aan (lowest-ranked member of Imperial society; non-citizen, no better than a slave or chattel) is an honor, well...