Expansion v. Consolidation

[Taqwus]

Depending on size of galaxy, it may be worth your while to research Planet Utilization (for the Atmosphere Converters. Slow and expensive, but gives huge benefits...), or Stellar Harnessing (both for resupply, via solar panels, and speed, via Solar Sails).

Have a few pop transports *early* to start shifting pop from homeworld to new colonies, because pop influences production, and each planet has limited capacity... The more pop the better.

If your ships are faster and need to return to base more seldom, you'll be able to do more with less. As noted by FrankyVas, warships are *expensive* to keep around. Mines are nice, but remember that you can't move them once deployed, so you'll have to use them carefully.

If you run across an AI early (even in a 100-system galaxy, w/ a 3-planet low-tech start I seem to almost always run into 1 to 3 opponents within the first 10 turns...), consider blockading them with CSM escorts and demand surrender. Your empire will be much more secure if you wipe out your early neighbors...

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night