You guys are loony
Glad to see you can find so many ways to play this game.
A whole set of strategies are in order, yes.
At 10/10, during various phases of the game, different minor factions impact more noticably.
For example, the Dark Spire have 0 impact at the start, make a BIG impact once activated, then after waves gradually receed to a managable state.
On the other hand, some like enclaves just build up and up for the player.
However, the most fun is by far when the factions interact...like when your friendly enclaves unleash their thousands of
drones critters to deal with a dozen dark spire...on a dark spire world...and then proceed to decay to nothingness...now you have unleashed a thousand dark spire onto the galaxy.