Imperium 18: Choked to Death

[RefSteel]

Yeah. That's another good argument for turning events off in Imperia (or at least delaying the first one until ~2400). A Homeworld plague before 2350 is just ugly. To make matters worse, Diplomat may have been the most difficult production emphasis trait on the board (for the reasons Sargon mentions - Militarist can at least make scouts and colony ships with early shipbuilding BC, whereas super-early base building is just throwing production away). Depending on available choices, computer research isn't necessarily any better than weapons during the critical early game. If I were playing this one again, and rolled Diplomat for my personality, especially for a Gentle Imperium, I would have basically played as an Expansionist up until I actually met another species, and only then switched over to the Diplomat rules. (Until you know another civilization, there's little use for, or meaning to, diplomacy!)