[DirectorTsaarx]

My favorite drone tactic (which I've mentioned on the board before) is to build bases with drone launchers inside my allies' territory (preferably in storm or nebula systems where they might not be detected); then, when the inevitable war occurs, launch waves of drones against the new enemies' fleets and colonies. Since there's no maintenance cost for drones, there's no real penalty for having a huge stockpile waiting around for 10-20 years before the war starts (except for maintenance cost on the launcher base, but bases get a 50% maintenance reduction anyway, and it's still cheaper than maintaining multiple fleets); and, if you're only putting warheads on the drones, the only components that might become obsolete are the engines, which is a fairly minor problem.