I have to admit really liking the idea of the game, and the mechanics the first time that I played. However, there are some things that irked me as we played more. The six-player game feels a bit like an 8-player game of advanced civ; stagnant because too few resources are available for all players to feel involved in the game. One or two will get shut out close to the beginning, and will never grow again. Civ has some great mechanics for fixing this (civil war, for one; also lots of random events that make sure that everyone shares in the pain). Unlike civ, military conquest of a weak empire is very easy, so there is a tendency to kick people when they are down. The game could be improved by using different sizes of space, depending upon how many people are playing (I actually believe that the upcoming expansion might be doing something similar). Non-military based victory conditions would also be a nice addition, especially since several of the races are non-warlike in ability. They tend to get shut out if hostilities start early, as is often demanded when played with more players. A couple of the races have special abilities that can be shut down altogether (+2 to your cruisers IF you can stay in a trade agreement; all it takes is one person consistently nixing your trade agreements to shut you down).

That being said, the core rules feel like they are a nice beginning. The political phase, especially, has great promise. The game is ripe for house rules (as evidenced by the fact that the company has made four expansions [one not yet available]).