KnightOwl, Have you never heard of strong arm tactics?
"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).]