My First GCII game...

Being snowed in, I finally got around to opening my Jewel box version of Dread Lords and installed it, then after clicking about, I started a new game.   Huge with five major civs.   

I played the Yor, and I faced Tarrens, Thalan Empire, Altarian republic, Arcean Empire,  and the Torian Confederation.   Bacicly set up everything as "standard".

The game starts, and there is a marginal world in system, (a 3 or 4) so I go ahead and use the colony ship on that, and send out the flagship and the scout out to search.   Found empty systems and some mostly worthless items.   I finally find another system with two worlds that can be settled, I was able to secure one, but the Thalan's beat me by a week to the other one.    Soon my scouts had found what was around me.   I was in the north west side, with the Thalans in the North West Corner, Tarrens south, and Altarians to the west.   East of me was some empty systems, then I came across the Arcean and Torians.   The Arcean Empire had won the expansion contest, and I found myself in a tough spot, the frontier had closed, and I had only three worlds, with one of them very marginal.   

I began to focus on the planet improvements tech trees, along with diplomancy.    Building some economic and miltary starbases, and tried to explore the areas that I had not looked at.   Found deep into the game a empty world on the edge of the map, and quickly sent my extra colony ships to that and was able to grab a 4th world, even if it was isolated from the rest of my empire.   I used my diplomatic skills to keep up with the miltary technology side (vie trade).  

The Tarrens and the Altarians where soon at war, I stayed nutural, but the Alrians where loosing the war, and constantly harrassed me for help.  First I traded some Tech for a world (they where that desprate for help) then I dumped my scouts and some outdated hardware to them to resupply them, but in the end the tarrens captured a colony and peace held.   This would be the only(!!) war between major powers the entire game.  

I started to build cultural starbases, and soon was able to get the Thalan colony next to mine.    The Arcean where the dominate race by far, and the Arceans and Torians both had major empires, I had a long road to go, but I knew that the Tarrens and I where the only viable races for no 3, so I started a massive push to build constructors and started to do conquest by culture.

 Many weeks later, I had slowly but steady expanded southwards, taking worlds from teh ARcean and Tarrens vie culture assimalation.    Very effective when your evil and get free starbase upgrades.    I was running low on money at times, but I could get some money by selling tech to the Torians, who I had the least amount of contact.    I had two annoying minor races, the Vegans and another one, who where always starting small fights.   Even though one of them was a ally, he would occasonaly send out a fleet or a battleship to take out a few starbases.  

  The culture wars continued, and I was able to capture two nice worlds from the Arcean empire, and their industrial might greatly sped up the rate where I was building starbases.   However, I notced that my ships where hopelessly outclassed, as I don't know how to build ships yet.    Pirates where wiping out my fleets, and some of the minor races where able to clean my clock.    No conquest victory this game!

I noticed that I was close to the "tech victory" so I focused on that while stopping the expansion (I was about 50 of the worlds) and building up my economy and upgrading ships.    I gave many of my old ships to other powers so I didn't have to upkeep them.    I was able to ally myself with all but the Torians, and I noticed that there was a strong inter-web of alliances.   My neighborhood annoying minor race was raiding again, so I paid the vegans to attack them.

Everyone else attacks the vegans for attacking the most favored minor race.  

I did send a fleet down to try to be honorable in my commitments,   My fleet (Palandins, Crusers, and so on) where easily wiped out, and I made peace.   Within six weeks the war was over, and apparently the Vegans showed well for themselves, as the Arcean's lost a fleet as well.    However I was 20 weeks from winning, So i just filled my treasury by selling a few techs, then focused on research.

I won by tech victory.   

Not a bad game, but I need to find out how to build ships, as I was getting my tail whipped by all, but I Guess they didn't attack me as I had a bunch of allies.