The Chen

Hey I recently got this game and have played it a fair few times trying various different methods, but I really can't grasp it. Can someone tell me a general strategy that can be used by any race and can get me going well on a large sized map. You know, including what to build on planets, what to research, how to set my sliders, what ships to build, etc. Also, if anyone is feeling extra nice could I egt some specific strategies for the Kork, the Drath and the Iconians or Yor?<