Anyone play without mods?

[dogscoff]

I'm in a really cool vsAI game at the moment where I started in the same system as a xenophobic neutral (ClukRuk) - they declared on me immediately (as did all the other neutrals I've met since) and have been really making my life difficult, because it's hard for mee to get those slow colonisers out of the system. Without extra- system resources I can't out-produce him and if I can't do that I can't beat him.

I managed to overwhelm his fleets using boarding parties (heheheheh=-) but all the captured ships sent me bankrupt! Now I've had to mothball loads of space stations and freeze most of my construction queues while I try to ramp up my resource production. Maybe then I can knock out his defence stations and land some troops.

All this has taken 50 or 60 turns - you just wouldn't get that kind of epic campaign in a standard game- especially against a neutral.