The first game I fumbled around with, I was able to move into a nearby system and colonize w/out a problem. When I came back to the game later and tried the same thing, I got a "you don't own this system" message and I can't colonize the system.



How do I "own" the system? I went to it on the first move, so it's not like someone else could have gotten to it first.

I may be picturing this incorrectly, but are you going about the initial colonization through your fleet's action menu or through the planet menu? I've found a small bit of inconsistency in that regard.

lol, I don't remember now.



But I didn't have the problem in the most recent attempt and I was working just from the ship, so that may be it. Thanks for the idea!

make sure that one of the other players hasnt put an outpost on one of the planets. Outposted systems look like empty systems, but they are a different color. It takes a system 30 turns or so to go from an outpost to a colony and actually add to your territory.