I agree on the 3-4 player idea, more players is hard because people have too much downtime. I enjoy and have played several games of Twilight Imperium but you need a good group who are willing to play fair even if the game is hopeless for themselves.

Yes, that was a point that my twilight imperium host was very keen on, keeping everyone engaged in the game.

Even when a player situation wasn’t looking good, he took them aside and pointed out options for them to get back in the hunt for victory points.

It’s very easy for a player to go “rogue” and spoil the game for the other players.