[Suicide Junkie]

Sounds familiar.

I remember suggesting a PBW game in which there are a lot of neutrals, or at least neutral-like empires, played by humans.

These players all start out being subjugated to the Empire race, which starts with one homeworld, no colonization tech, a huge military (funded by the subjugations) and is played by a human.
Also present is Rebel race, which starts with very little, and tries to overthrow the Empire by getting stuff from the neutral players.

The empire wins by crushing the rebellion... loses if the capital falls to rebels.
The Rebels have the opposite victory conditions.
The neutrals Win if the rebels win. The neutrals lose if their homeworlds are destroyed.

Let fly the politics and rampant gifts to the rebels while the empire stomps around putting out fires and trying to keep the neutrals in line!