KnightOwl, Have you never heard of strong arm tactics?
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"Now we insist that you open your markets to trade. (like some European countries treated the rest of the world in the 1800's)
Or else a ship commander being over zealous and then punished by his superiors? "We regret Cammander Zeekle's action toward your new colony and we have removed him from active duty. Don't let 1 being stop the whole peace process."
As for the whole issue of time. Too often we view the counter to mean years. Ya, I know MM said it represented years but stay with me here. Turns need to be treated as turns not 1/10 of a year. Is it feasible that any kind of a facility could be built in 1/10 of a year or a ship to travel through a solar system in that time. Why shouldn't 1 turn be 1/2 "year" while another is 1/10 "year". Whose home planet determines a year, or is there a quadrant clock that everyone uses. It allows for more flexibility in the way things flow.
[This message has been edited by General Hawkwing (edited 23 October 2000).]