How do you claim a system?

[Elowan]

I recently played a game in which I sent a colonizer into a empty system. Suddenly, my trading partner breaks the treaty. Looking at Systems to Avoid - I see that he's claiming that system.

How'd he do that? I thought that you had to physically occupy or have a ship in the system first?

Also - that system was 'known to me' when the game started.

Wazzup widdat?

[Dracus]

You can claim any system once you have seen it. more then one race can claim the same system. All you have to do is click on the system under....
This part just slipped my mind. Someone else will have to tell you the location. Sorry.

[Ed Kolis]

Actually, I think you can claim systems that you haven't seen, and you can't even tell that you did it, wreaking havoc on the whole galactic map... if anyone in your game pays attention to the claims!

[kalthalior]

If I remember correctly, it's in the Politics/Borders button. If you click on the system on the map, you claim it. Not sure what effect it has on Alien AI when you claim either an empty or disputed system.

[LGM]

There is also an empire setting to automatically claim systems.

[Raging Deadstar]

Yeah, but don't you hate it when a rival empire claims the same galaxy ur homeworlds in! U demand that they leave it alone and the agree, and do nothing about it. Either this is a glitch or Aaron Hall has made the AI with very lifelike politics