shadowkhai - I've been playing in the beta releases since last April when beta started and even though it may sound like some of the beta folks have a year of experience to draw from, there are a few things I've learned along the way that impact the game far more than the strategies I've learned.

1) Playing five minutes a day vs. playing five minutes a day five times a day makes a huge difference in how fast you grow. Yes, you can have fun playing five minutes a day during the first month or so of a game, but ultimately the five minutes a day player is not going to stand a chance against an aggressive, fast-growth neighbor (if you're unlucky enough to have one of those). There are wait times built into everything you do in the game, from building to moving to learning talents, so there's an upper limit as to how much time you can really spend managing your empire every day. You aren't going to have to worry about some warlord playing three hours a day and wiping you out. But if you aren't updating your orders multiple times per day every single day, you're not going to keep up.

2) Destroy inactive and weak players and partner with active and strong players. I don't think it's going to possible to truly win a game, even as a trader, without combat being a major component. Not everyone can be your friend. You'll likely find yourself bumping into another player's empire, and making peace to grow in the opposite directions, perhaps a few other players like that along the way and you have an alliance. The problem you'll run into is if you block all growth options. You can't make peace with very side of your empire. And, if you do get stuck, send some colony ships to some other part of the galaxy. But, your home world is always your home world. Lose it, and you lose the game.

3) Don't trust someone so much that you leave yourself undefended. Even allies can become enemies. If you've ever played the game Diplomacy, you'll know exactly what I mean here.