So if I had to pick one mod...

Kinda a weighted question....

You looking for completely new design, or simple enhancement?   You a star wars or star trek fan?  Or maybe some other scifi genre.

Sry double post

http://soase.weebly.com/placing-mods.html

So much great work, like Siv stated it is what you are into. I am a big Trek fan so I would vote [MOD WIP] Star Trek: Sacrifice of Angels 2. This is a must try for Trekys. Just remember that WIP means Work In Progress.

Bailknight's or Volumetric explosions all the way, with Sins Plus being a close second.  IMO the game is all about watching the ships blow each other up, though the lots of extra planets does add a lot to the game.

Distant Stars is a really good mix of all 3 more or less with some added tech changes and a few new strike craft.

However if you want a conversion mod or something that adds more races to the game or changes them then yeah it mostly depends on what you're a fan of.

Also I'm obligated to throw in a shameless plug for my mod Sound Blast too, because I never play without it.   But then I like game music because I'm a big nerd so it works for me more than some people.

Unless you're confined to only downloading 100mb per day or something, there's absolutely no reason to restrict yourself to one mod.

I'd recommend Legend of the Galactic Heroes, I don't know anything about the source material, but they did a lot of neat stuff in chaging the way resources and units work.

7DS mod....When it comes out. The Beta should be done soon though.

Until then, go with the Mad Scientist Mod, it adds new types of fighter, and completely overhauls research and fleets supply, plus it comes with Sins Plus.

I think that it is the basic mod that everybody need to have... several element of it are found in other mods but these mod simply expend the original game without adding new races...

For races based mod, it is all related to your personal taste that we don't know...

Some interesting links :

- The Best Sins of a Solar Empire Mods : http://www.brighthub.com/video-games/pc/articles/70455.aspx

- check out some of our favorite Sins of a Solar Empire mods : http://www.gamesradar.com/f/mods-of-a-solar-empire/a-200805051546549036

7DS was cited in the post up... the old version, 7DS 2.1 for sins 1.05 remain a "hot" mod... http://solar.filefront.com/files/Sins_of_a_Solar_Empire/Modifications;10371 ... you can download it at http://www.filefront.com/13863696/7_deadly_sins_2.1.7z/ ( already download 157 time these week ) but if you don't wish/can downgrade your sins version, best to try other mod for the time being, trying mod is the best way to find something that you will like... 7DS 2.5 ( for last entrenchment version ) will soon be in beta with a possible release around the end of the year...

Distant Stars, but then again I am biased.

- Pirate Lord of the Distant Stars Mod.

Check here http://ricksgalaxy.homestead.com/links.html (Lots of links to lots of mods ready to play).

Or go to here moddb (this link will take you directly to the Sins mods on moddb).

I enjoy Sins of a Galactic Empire, but if you don't mind playing an unfinished mod, and having most of the Human ships lack proper skins, try StarGate Invasion mod. It's very entertaining, although some of the ships have slightly OP abilities. (Destroying starbases in seconds with Asgard Beam Weapons really stands out)

Try SOSE Malestrom great mod adds 3 new races all of which are very playable

Not really, I may have played an older release, but the turtling race can get over 100% shield mitigation (invincible), and the replicators have absurd numbers of ships.