This was a game arranged in the IRC channel. It was going to be a Red Triad vs. Five Rings clan game, but we agreed beforehand to play the map over points. So me and Mushy wound up allying with each other. In the end I nuked Hard Core and Mushy nuked Sleeth.
I had a nice position as far as availability of planets, but was in a poor position to help my ally down south. We quickly agreed that the best plan would be for me to colonize like mad up north while sending a col down to Toxic Spill, which I could use as a stargate jump point.
Mushy was able to hold off Hard Core long enough for me to colonize the planet and gate in assistance. Mushy killed off Hard Core's fleet without my help, so I went on to nuke Pollution, exploring the three links the same turn I nuked. We then moved our combined fleets into Hard Core's Home World and I got the nuke.
That allowed me to begin using my rolling stargate strategy. I colonized Pollution and we began pushing Sleeth back one planet at a time. I kept gating in colony ships behind the fleet so I could move it up the next turn, colonize the planet, and make it the next stargate jump point. We carried out this tactic all the way west.
Sleeth had shut off his Home World with an engineer, but by that time all those planets had given me a huge economy. Plus I could gate the 'neer right up to the front. I then opened the gate and allowed Mushy to move in for the kill.
This game illustrates two important lessons. The first was Mushy's ability (and willingness) to play the shield, holding off both Hard Core and Sleeth until I was able to gate in help and take over the offensive (the hammer.) If he hadn't been able to do that we would both be dead. The second is the rolling stargate strategy, which allows you to both advance toward the enemy and keep your economy growing at the same time by taking over the planets. It is a slow but steady strategy which is hard to stop once it gets started.