How about this for integrating ‘king of the hill’ style gameplay into normal games:
“Resource” planets. Galaxies are seeded with a very few (in a central location if that’s possible). Each grants a helpful, but not game-winning, bonus or boost to… something. Maybe research, maybe +1 tech (an scanning boost observatory planet!), I don’t know. Something simple. Worth fighting over, but not a victory condition.
I like it. We could do something simple like just start the star with 10 science on it.
The Fremen are fiercely independent. They oppose all outside imperial or house rule. Enforcement of any such rule will lead to uprisings.
I recommend unexpected uprisings by the local Fremen to challenge oppressive house garrisons for this star. Thus fighter garrisons can randomly be attacked there. Attacking uprising size should trend with the amount of IND built on that star system. There should also be background AI research allocation to determine Fremen uprising weapons technology for each attack. Fremen winning the attack will simply reduce the house fighter garrison to 0, without loss of ownership of this star by the house.
This bonus star should also account for periodic sandworm attacks, which launch spaceward to will eat 1 carrier in orbit at a time.
There should be an indication about 2 hours ahead so carriers already there my evacuate.
Inbound carriers ? Well, they get to release 50% of fighters brought into orbit as the sandworm strikes.
The House owning that star may peacefully keep 0 fighters and / or 0 carriers for ownership. However,
Here is the catcher:
Spicy science is not stockpiled at this star. Spicy science research is processed via orbiting carriers.
The rate is 1 research point per carrier per hour, up to the 10 science there when a house orbits 10 carriers at any particular hour.
Maybe ten research but no other upgrades can be built?
The ten science is straightforward and easy to implement. I’d certainly fight for that star with blood and toil.
Doublepost:
On second thought, a ten science boost would deflate rapidly. In the mid and end game it may be equal to a 5% boost, perhaps less depending on the game’s parameters.
It’s more complicated on your end - though I don’t know how much (like I care! Ha! :P) - but I think a unique bonus would add more spice.
What about if the star created a point of science every day automatically.
I’m having trouble seeing all the implications of that. If the star were monopolized by one player in a long game, it might break the game. But I don’t know by intuition alone whether the majority of games would be in danger of that syndrome. How long is the average game?
What about a star with a scanning tech of 10, just for its own radius?
Or just a super high resource star? although if you can really max the industry it might be hard to take back in later games?
A point of science per production period wouldn’t be too bad. It would make the planet more and more desirable as the game progressed, but holding it for any length of time would definitely place a giant target on the holder.
I like setting Economy to expensive, resources to Sparse then creating the homeworld with 20 Economy.
That provides quite an incentive to hold onto the homeworld in my experience.
If you go with a 10 science planet, it should start out as an AI with 100 ships and weapons 2, or something, so no one can immediately claim it through sheer luck. By the time someone takes it, there are multiple empires crowded around.
Here’s a twist: add a couple of “Black holes” “worm holes” or “quasars” instead of stars. They would be on the map like stars, but for example, a Quasar would have high natural resources for building industry, and low natural resources for building economy, due to the intense energy output. The wormholes would act like a gate, and allow you to do a hyperspace jump to the other wormhole, regardless of how far away it is or who controls it. Or an “Alien Artifact” that grants 150 random science to the first person who discovers it.
@ViktorKarnoff Funny you should mention the worm hole idea. I just made a note yesterday in my docs that I would like to implement that soon as an easy way to add an interesting new feature to the game. I like the idea that it would link enemies on the far side of the map together.
I think its nearly time for me to take a break from Blight and show some love to Triton. I just want to get the first round of the private alpsa of Blight started before I do.
Jay.
Crud. I meant Pulsar. Now, to never return again.
Speaking as an NP player, would be great when you have some more “copious spare time” to devote to NP - can you clone yourself Jay?!? 
Don’t know how long your bug/feature list is, but hopefully items like this one are near the top of the list.