From the Ground Up Empire of the Hand

[kucsidave]

To be honest, it was a long time ago when I started this GC, I just never had the time to finish it.

So in the beggining, you start at Nirauan, with the NR right in your doorstep, but the Nirauan archives give you a HUGE advantage.
Attacking them this early is a bad idea, since they outgun you at the moment, so start building Mining Facilities and a Decimator instead. When it is ready take Kariek. Since Kariek doesn't have much of an income, build up a light vehicle factory there and relocate your baracks from nirauan to here, getting an extra slot for mines. Take quethold too and build up mines there, just like Nirauan. If Ilum is in NR hands then their fleet mush have been at least a bit weakened at the moment, so it might be a good idea to strike, but this is mostly about luck.
Try to take Ilum, no matter if it is in NR hands or still warlord. After that if you see Adumar's defenses to be low then You would do best to take the planet.
In the meantime make sure to build ships at Nirauan and Quethold. Take Crustai and Oristrom, and if you feel strong enough take Syca too.
Build there Mining facilities and the Syca Fleet Systems Corporation, and concentrate your fleet to Adumar. Nirauan is so close, that even if an attack comes in, your fleet would be there much faster than the enemy.
Take Wistril, Ord Mantell and the Garqi. then turn back to take Morishim then Borosk. After you have those, take Comkin V, Selaggis IV and Dathomir.
This could be done under 50 weeks, even if you take your time.
It is VERY important to build up Ord Mantell to be a mining planet. Nothing, just mines.

You can build up your fleet from 2 shipyards after this, and have more than enough time and credit to fuel your war machine.

From that point it is easy to take the "remnant planets" and from then on nothing can stand in your way.

[PhoenixC279]

Hm very nice Dave. Disregarding Pentastar, this is the easiest FTGU wouldn't you agree?

[kucsidave]

pretty much.
IR is third and NR is the hardest.

[Pali]

Somehow missed this, but why do you think NR's got it the hardest, Kucs?  I found their start to not be all that tough (head north through Hutt space to Kashyyyk and fortify it on the ground while your ships circle west to Denon/Duro for your financial base, then take Fondor for a shipyard and start your snowballing), and they're probably the best at defending a planet on the ground.  BACs and Coronas are literally all you will need to build until you get a capital shipyard.

[Revanchist]

Somehow missed this, but why do you think NR's got it the hardest, Kucs?  I found their start to not be all that tough (head north through Hutt space to Kashyyyk and fortify it on the ground while your ships circle west to Denon/Duro for your financial base, then take Fondor for a shipyard and start your snowballing), and they're probably the best at defending a planet on the ground.  BACs and Coronas are literally all you will need to build until you get a capital shipyard.

I agree. NR is a cakewalk because of BACs.

[Dragonchamp]

I doubt this is relevant now, but reviving the thread instead of making a new one. I'm having a LOT of trouble with playing EMpire of the Hand. I can go maybe 5 minutes of gameplay, but after thatthe Green faction (Warlords perhaps) comes and just absolutely and completely curbstomps me. It's ridiculous. Pretty much, the problem is that no matter what I do, take other planets, keep my forces together and turtle, their fleet is so big, and so overpowering that I am completely and utterly smashed.

So, I decide to try a few games, over and over again. Maybe it was RNG, right? WRONG! Again and again it happened. A massive ball of death in the first 10 minutes of gameplay that I am utterly powerless to defeat. Not to mention the New Republic keeps building a fleet to the south of my starter point too. So if the Empire didn't attack me, I'm sure the New Republic would.

What do I do? How do I survive? Because even if I was to win a battle against the Green Ball of Death, the Republic will seize the chance and just send their entire fleet in.

[kucsidave]

I doubt this is relevant now, but reviving the thread instead of making a new one. I'm having a LOT of trouble with playing EMpire of the Hand. I can go maybe 5 minutes of gameplay, but after thatthe Green faction (Warlords perhaps) comes and just absolutely and completely curbstomps me. It's ridiculous. Pretty much, the problem is that no matter what I do, take other planets, keep my forces together and turtle, their fleet is so big, and so overpowering that I am completely and utterly smashed.

So, I decide to try a few games, over and over again. Maybe it was RNG, right? WRONG! Again and again it happened. A massive ball of death in the first 10 minutes of gameplay that I am utterly powerless to defeat. Not to mention the New Republic keeps building a fleet to the south of my starter point too. So if the Empire didn't attack me, I'm sure the New Republic would.

What do I do? How do I survive? Because even if I was to win a battle against the Green Ball of Death, the Republic will seize the chance and just send their entire fleet in.

Green is actually the imperial remnant, not the warlords. The warlords (represented with brown) is actually an inactive faction to give a defense fleet for every planet.
If you are new to Thrawn's revenge, take a break from From the Ground Up. It was not meant for begginers to start playing that first. It is the most challenging GC.
Try out a few other GCs as all the factions so that you know which faction plays about how, and then you can use that knowledge when you return to the FTGU.