Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire/The Free Drones

Foreman Domai

At a Glance:
 * +2 Industry
 * -2 Research
 * 1 fewer drone per base
 * 75% chance that rioting bases will join you
 * Aversion Green

Domai's game
"The Mouse that Roared" would be an excellent descriptor for this faction...its puny research capabilities and punishingly slow start might seem to make it not worth playing, but that sweet industry bonus will more than make up for it in the end.

Simply put, while you may have a lagging research capability, there's nothing whatsoever to prevent you from making hoards of cash (Market), and that influx of energy, coupled with an Industrial capacity that no one else in the game can touch (Yang can come close, but still can't match you, and he has no money anyway), will quickly see you ratcheting up the power chart, and the speed with which you can crank out lab enhancers and such will quickly undo your measly 20% penalty to research.

Miriam is drawn to Fundamentalist: it plays well with her other abilities and makes her a wretched researcher, but that is not the case with you, and in the absence of choosing Fundamentalist to render your bases and units immune to covert actions, the efficiencies of Democracy become much more attractive in peacetime, with Police State in times of crisis (coupled with your inherently fewer drones to begin with).

Minerals drive the early game, and he who can build the most stuff the fastest will win. Nobody builds stuff faster than the Drones. Nobody.

Domai, the Builder
Building stuff quickly is what you guys do! All you need is Planetary Networks, and Doctrine Flex if you start by yourself, and you're off and running. Infiltrate, steal tech in the early game to give you the tools you need, and then use that amazing infrastructure to build everything with lightning speed. By the time you get your Treefarms in place, you'll have to remind yourself that you have a research penalty, things will be rolling along so well for you, and if you're pressed by an attack, it's easy to build a stout army very quickly with cash + your native industry. Domai must be fairly active (at least in the early game) as a Builder though, much in the same vein as Miriam's Builder game. Probes are about the only way you can reach those much-needed early game techs in reasonable time, so use them!

Domai, the Hybrid
Essentially, you make use of some of that incredible industrial advantage by "blunting" it slightly. In the early game, a high industry rating is nearly the same as a high support rating, enabling you to carry more units per base, cutting down your minerals available, but still building things reasonably quickly. What this means is that you'll be able to keep pace, build-wise, and support a big enough army/exploration force that no one will want to press you. The Research penalty truly IS a penalty in the early game, and you won't have a lot to do for the first ten years, but after that, and once you've found someone to trade with or steal techs from, you'll soon find yourself with a lot of new capabilities. One of the coolest features of the Drones is the ability to snag rioting bases from other factions, and this opens up whole new vistas for you and your probes, enabling you to get a toehold on continents by inciting drone riots and simply moving in, without firing a shot.

Domai, the Conqueror
Big Industry = Big Army. Probe. Techsteal. Build more stuff more quickly. Drones win. Game. (And with the Drones, it really is that simple!)