Gozra, now you are asking a totally different question. If you are asking is there anything your friend can do facing an enemy already with Tailsmans and outproducing him, then the answer may be no. But that doesn't mean it's not a level playing field.
In a single planet start it takes a long time to research the Tailsman. Time that you can be using to research lot's of stuff that is useful to take them out before they can get it. No, you can't wait 100 turns for him to come find you. That's why it's important to scout the galaxy as quickly as possible. Not just to find suitable planets, but also to see who is out there waiting for you.
When you find a religious race, attack them. Get their allies to attack them. Knock them out before they get the tailsman. They will be playing from behind for much of the game. But in the end game they will be tough to beat. The key is to get them before the end game.
Every combination of racial attributes and characteristics has it's advantages and disadvantages at different times in the game. You can't beat all the races all the time, but you can beat any races some time.
EDIT: Or, if you prefer taking your time, building an empire and then having a grand massive war at the end to determine the winner, then I suggest taking the Tailsman yourself.
Geo
[ August 23, 2002, 00:05: Message edited by: geoschmo ]