Need advice after firs multiplayer PBEM

[Jubala]

Basically, what you want to do is spread like locust. Grab as many systems as possible as soon as possible. Just colonize one or two planets/system to get a legitimate hold on it and if possible place a few mines over the other planets to keep others out. Or mine the warp points. To do this build a bunch of Base Space Yards asap to build mines and cheap escort scouts capable of laying mines while your homeplanet concentrates on colony ships as they get built faster that way. Use the bases for colony ships as well as soon as you have a decent number of scouts out there.

[LeTharg]

Starting position and geography play a huge role as well. I've been in two PBEM games and in both started with nowhere to expand because I was surrounded by other empires. In the first game, by turn 10, I was in tenth place out of 9 human players. In the second, I was slightly worse.

In that situation, diplomacy and treachery (game 1) or force (game 2) can be used to worm your way out and up. In the first game I made it to second place and in the second have moved up to 4th.

I guess I am saying hang in there, be creative and keep seeking avenues of expansion. Trade tech, comm links, and even population to get other atmosphere types.

It would be nice if the placement of players in the galaxy was a little more even handed. In both games one player was placed in the middle of a rich area with no opposition (except a handy neutral AI from which to harvest population) and moved way out in front early. It is very hard to overcome a start like that.