Pretty much spanking everyone now with my immense wealth and power.
I do love the stability of SSHIP. Almost 900 turns and it runs practically flawlessly.
The usurper mechanics make the game fun too. I've been maintaining a stable 'Likoudas' line of emperors to avoid civil war. I did actually go through a crisis of usurpers that crippled my economy and army before the first Likoudas emperor restored order. It was fun as hell.