Nowhere does this quote from Benjamin Franklin ring truer than in Space Base.

Industry, in this instance, is the constant work of commissioning better ships, deploying them across the sectors, and turning every dice roll, both yours and your opponents’, into credits, influence, and victory points. You keep expanding your fleet, chaining abilities, and pushing for bigger payouts.

Frugality is the quieter, smarter half of the equation in Space Base. You are working at raising your permanent Income track so that every turn begins with a reliable foundation instead of starting from zero. You should refuse to waste excess credits (since every purchase resets you), you invest in mining vessels that pay you forever, and you resist the temptation to overspend on flashy ships that never quite earn their keep.

In Space Base, the players who simply chase big rolls often fizzle. The ones who pair relentless industry with disciplined frugality, they are the ones that come to see what Mr. Franklin spoke of so very long ago. Perhaps he did not envision building a lean, compounding engine in order to quietly climb to 40 points and claim the Admiral’s chair. Be that as it may, "the path is as plain as the way to market…" if you know the two words that matter.