Edit: Read rules again having forgotten them very quickly so to go below the 200 word limit I had to rewrite the whole thing :P

I know your pain...

Neat stuff here. Unique concept of how industry is inversely proportional to population, and how population is steady. Though I feel this gives them an amazing unfair boost in the early game and/or entirely cripples them come mid/end game.

I'm not sure what you mean by "bell curve as more space is dedicated to luxuries and entertainment".

Also, it isn't very clear how they fit the "diplomatic pacifists" concept for this contest, beyond just having a weak military. This is generally promoted through faction traits that promote diplomacy. There are many great example of other submissions doing this, and feel free to check mine out too.

Having a nanobot-based faction that is diplomatic would be new and exciting. Can you make that work? I love the idea.

By bell curve I meant that the industry would start low and grow quickly but then taper off and start to drop. The theory being that on a planet x% space is given to industry but as the population grows they eventually stop making more and even tearing down factories to make luxuries for the populace.

Sadly much of the diplomatic idea comes from an entire backstory I had appear in my mind much like the intros of the races in the original game, read by the same narrator. But then I noticed the 200 word limit and realized I had to cut out the flavor so as not to make it TL;DR

But I saved the story in case anyone cares enough at this point.

Created untold ages ago, the Endless had hoped to create biomechanical enhancements for themselves that would prolong life and enhance their physical attributes, but in making them autonomous they ended up creating something that they could not control. With the ever present need to grow and develop these machines warped any life into perfectly efficient monstrosities and formed a hive mind that could even create living factories, ships, all was converted into their massive body. They were unstoppable, they tore apart world after world, absorbing all into themselves and leaving the Endless in fear for themselves, but they were flawed in a way that they did not predict. Having but one mind and purpose with no fears, no wants, no needs led them to stagnate mentally and technologically and while the Endless were driven by a need to survive which led them to develop a way to fight back, their creations were unable to adapt to defend themselves and were driven back.

All but eradicated, a small hub found itself floating in space, for even the Endless couldn't find every last remnant so easily. With nothing but time to ponder, the creation realized it's fatal flaw to take over and challenge it's host bodies rather than to be subservient. In time it fell onto a planet and used its knowledge to accelerate the evolution of life within, and with new purpose to benefit the creatures without direct enhancement or control they started to spread once more, this time in absolute peace.