Name: The Elders

Lore:  The Elders are an ancient and venerable snakelike race, members of a civilization existing since time immemorial. During the great Endless Civil War they were accidentally exposed to a virulent form of dust from a crashed warship which endowed in the Elders telekinesis, allowing them to develop a tool based society far earlier than evolution intended. However, along with the gift of telekinesis the dust also scorched the areas of the brain leading to independent thought or innovation. The Elders rose above this though to become the most advanced empire in the galaxy by utilizing Endless technology found in now abandoned worlds across the galaxy. As newer civilizations came into being the Elders came under threat, having previously been living in relative obscurity in the outer edges of the galaxy, came under attack. With enemies on all sides quickly catching up in technology, the leaders of the Elders now resort to reaching out to lesser civilizations in order to trade for, learn, and steal all of the technologies they could. Being faced with superior enemies the Elders now must manipulate them, playing off two enemies against each other, and stealing technology all the while to survive.

Gameplay:

The Elders start with a huge head start in technology, as well as an abnormally strong capital. However, as enemy factions soon catch up in technology the elders must reach out diplomatically both to avoid direct attack as well as to steal technology to bridge the ever widening tech gap. 

Abilities: Looking at the monstrous last list of abilities, I've tried to sort it out, isolating the core ones, and making it far more logical.

Affinity:

• The Elders begin the game with all era I technologies unlocked and all low tier government policies unlocked.

• The Elders have no access to scientific buildings and cannot produce science based off of planet FIDSI.

• Elder population do not produce any science points (even in other empires), however they do produce a modest amount of influence per pop, Alien populations have a severe science penalty.

• The Elders can gain science points by establishing diplomatic deals with other civilizations, establishing trade routes gives extra science, as well as by owning pacified minor factionsystems as well as per assimilated minor factions, and owning endless ruins/temples/wonders which give modest amounts of science as well.

Other Traits---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Strong Capital:

• The Elders begin the game with an extra colony ship and their home system has all the tier I buildings built. (They were an advanced ancient empire after all)

Diplomatic Manipulation:

• The Elders can force a peace more easily than others by paying a heavy influence cost to only have to give minor concessions, the cost decreases the greater the concessions. (Basically they can give away a few minor systems to appease an enemy who was annihilating their empire the previous turn.

• The Elders can force another civilization to give them technology for a large amount of influence, the cost decreases the higher the distance the giving civilization is from the era the technology is from. (Basically if they elders want an era II tech and the other civilization is in era III there is a discount on the deal)

• The Elders can basically make a call for help from all other civilizations for paying a hefty amount of influence. The mechanic would work in that all of the empires attacking the Elders are treated as dishonorable and kicked out of all alliances and imediately enter cold war. Their units are each worth a certain amount of influence, scaled to mp value, per kill. The call to help doesn't last a long time, but time can be extended by paying even heftier sums of influence at the start.

Thank you for everyone reading this, I hope this contest produces lots of wonderful ideas!