What's the best way to protect trade convoys?

Keeping peace with everybody is certainly the best way to protect your trade-routes...

I keep a few ships along the trade routes to try and slow down invaders. I also try and have a few ships nearby to protect them in an emergency.

Hm. It's an odd approach, perhaps, and likely only viable on big maps where you can afford to give away a system, but in one game I actually gave a minor race a system in a corner, so it had a presence deep in my territory. That way, I could run all my trade routes in what should be a pretty safe zone.

(And if some major had been sending warships in that area... well, THAT would have been seen as a declaration of war. My main worry was that a major would bully the parts of the minor that WEREN'T in my territory and force it to surrender, thus giving a major access in my corner. In that case it, my options would have been either war+invasion, or first a serious try at culture-flipping).

Jeff,

The best way to protect trade routes is to reduce the AI's range into your empire. Conquer those planets allowing it to reach the sector(s) in question, and eliminate any SB's.

This is easier than it sounds - at least as of 1.03.057A, the AI will only build SB's on resources, so onece you have mapped those out, you can tell where the AI most likely is tracing from.

Twirlip's idea is a good one, and one of my favorite strategies. By giving a minor of ally a corner-system, you can ensure a safe route path for all your freighters.

~SDC~

I have 1.03A.057....the AI's will build SB's in other places than on resources.