Some factions lend themselves more to conquest in my mind, but usually I prefer to establish a core domain (often what I start with and anything I can historically justify taking with that faction), and then use my forces to keep any rivals from getting too powerful. I like to ally with the underdogs and raid the big guys. That way I get to use the fancy high-tech armies I've created without the pains of empire management and without being the only major faction on the map. If you can't tell, I'm also a fan of GA over conquest! (even for the factions I do conquer with, as that certainly isn't prohibited by GA goals).

Ajax