[@Darkraven] This

[quote=@ClocktowerEchos]
As a spin off to [@ScreenAcne]'s idea, why not have it be like a cluster of virgin, gaia planets/systems, prime space real state, that we're all fighting over? Some of us could be in it just to colonize and expand, some just see the war as excellent practice for a highly martial culture, and for some, its literally their last hope for survival as they have no where else to go and their homeworld is destroyed or something.

In this way, we can have the mix of races/empires without having to be overly advanced but still have the colonization and all of the politics and warring involved!
[/quote]

[@ScreenAcne] As for direction, I'd say it would have to be somewhat focused around colonization with a primary focus on said colonizing worlds. There could be a thing that each planet has a colonized bar and who ever controls the most/all of it ends up with that planet officially their's but a colony could try and gain independence at any time. This happens more when you have a larger amount on the colonizing bar and have other people actively encouraging and supplying rebels. If there's something like National Decisions, one of them could be to make it a penal colony which would dramatically increase the bar but also proportionally increase liberty desire.

As for keeping a cap on power gaming, I believe that a mix of GM intervention and collective agreement, it should work out. Everyone looks at each other's sheet and point out any glaring issues in the hopes that such a process will naturally create a tech cap that everyone agrees on and finds fair as they technically made it themselves. Its like democracy in a way although I'll admit this isn't a completely fool proof system, its still better than forcing all the work on the GM or letting everyone run wild with their flaming bastard swords of sci-fi skullfucking +99