A useful trick in VPA is that once you set your waypoint (destination) to another planet, you can tell VPA to move your waypoint to the gravity well *around* the planet; that is, to save fuel by stopping your engines short of the planet and letting gravity drag you in. I believe the key for this is "g", but double check for yourself. For small ships this trick will save almost nothing. For BIG ships full of cargo, you can save lots (up to ~50kT each time) of fuel by doing this.
If possible, try and waste your opponent's fuel. Much like an earlier trick with taxes, if you have a ship around a world you have taken that you *know* will not survive in the next round because of the converging enemy ships, take as much fuel (and anything else! money, supplies...) as you can from the planet into your ship. When the enemy blows up your ship, you have deprived them of resources.
There are fuel saving/burning concerns related to the Crystals and Privateers, but i am going to try to not have any race-specific tips. I'll let you figure out how to kill your neighbor all by yourself. :)
BTW, did i mention to not waste fuel? It's
really
important.
...and related to today's topic, i give you some
humour:
-----------------------------------------------
A priest asked: What is Fate, Master?And he answered:
It is that which gives a beast of burden its reason for existence.
It is that which men in former times had to bear upon their backs.
It is that which has caused nations to build byways from City to City
upon which carts and coaches pass, and alongside which inns have come
to be built to stave off Hunger, Thirst and Weariness.And that is Fate? said the priest.
Fate ... I thought you said Freight, responded the Master.
That's all right, said the priest. I wanted to know what Freight was
too.
-- Kehlog Albran, "The Profit"