I played this game a while back.
First game took just under a month with 6 players, 4 of which I knew. Many backs were stabbed, many alliances forged and broken, and many a harsh word exchanged.
In the end I won after me and a friend successfully divided the galaxy into 2 halves between us, but in the end I backstabbed him to win it... I felt like a douche. That was my first and last game I ever played :P
Anyway, would highly recommend this game to anyone with a boatload of patience and some friends. It's all about diplomacy, more or less, and he who manipulates best wins. The game is effectively what you make of it.