Yes, that's a good suggestion! Perhaps we can even add, that minor races don't have Dust! So this way, you as a player pay Dust to them for Alliance/Support/Whatever but receive their military power or some little research!



For example, the peacefull playstile is always to start diplomacy as fast as possible and boot science, colonialization and communication. Military comes last and I usually have (in singleplayer) just a very small fleet untill I realy need it. To have such a "puffer" or Allie to help out and concentrate on military while you don't have (depending on the faction and minor faction of corse!) would be very helpfull - perhaps even against warmonger and steamroller in Mp.

This is the function that City-States serve in Civ V, and I think it's great. Adding factions which are not trying to win the game is great!

In order to understand "buffer" states and what kind of additional strategic depth they would add to the game I recommend people to read up on the Battletech game universe where the explored galaxy is effectively divided up into multiple interstellar empires. In the general game background story one of these empires the Draconis Combine faces imminent defeat and dismantlement as two other major empires the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth in a surprise move that alarms all 3 of the other major empires forms a federation (the joining of two nation states). This federation effectively "surrounds" the Draconis Combine (in the 2D sense like in Endless Space).



In order to survive an obvious coming major offensive and invasion the Draconis Combine risks the majority of it's forces to it's southern border making it kind of "invasion" proof and in the Northern parallel it decides to give the Rasalhague people the nation that they have been fighting for ever since they were conquered by the Draconis Combine hundreds of years ago. The sudden warm relations and support of the Draconis Combine sees a minor empire of some 10 to 30 star systems form between former Combine space and that of the Federated Commonwealth and deliberately being friendly to the Rasalhague people ensures that they will remain neutral in the coming fight, this strategy has the effect of shielding the Northern "core"/ inner empire from a Federated Commonwealth attack.



The Draconis Combine leader gambles correctly that any invasion by the newly formed mega state will come from the much more weaker Northern region of his interstellar empire (since just before the union the empire facing his Southern side (the Federated Suns) had launched a successful invasion of the Capella Confederation and is likely not up to the task of invading the much more powerful Draconis Combine so soon) and the invasion of the Draconis Combine comes from the common border in the North that still links the Commonwealth with the Combine, given the Free Rasalhague Republic is neutral Fed Com forces are forced through the relatively small common border area (relative since it is still a few hundred light years in size) and are laid into a trap and eventually defeated by the more strategically placed Combine forces.



Yes I am a Sci Fan and geek