Good thoughts. A weapon that can be overcharged and possibly destroy itself when used and a self-destruct device could both be easily worked into the game, I think.

Use explosion rules, so little ships are only weak one shot weapons that cost VPs to employ. There are lots of examples in various sci-fi settings of purpose built suicide ships (usually employed by the bad guys, I can remember specific examples in the Lost Fleet and Starfire series of books) with great big bombs in them. If you use a great big ship with no other capability than to explode near the enemy you won't loose very many VPs, relative to the possible damage, but the chances of the ship surviving without points dumped into defenses or weapons are much lower.
Erik

Another example are fire ships too. I almost forgot about that idea. Heh.

That's also a thought, but then what if you don't want explosions from *all* ships? That's why I consider the explody or unstable trait.

There's been a couple series, In Death Ground being the most prevalent in mind, that use suicide ships packed with anti-matter or such nastiness.  If one were to want to simulate something on that magnitude, I would think it would "fire"; exploding in its hex and perform as an area effect, catastrophic traited weapon. The downside is that such ships do not have anything else in terms of firepower. Something more to chew on.

Like this idea - but would ignore shields and go straight for dmg, on rationalisation that its going to be really hard to manouever into the square of the other ship anyway, and shields or sundry defences are not set up to cope with a ship sized item hitting them.  You could declare and resolve this at the end of the move phase - and apply effects at once.

I recall using an adapted version of Battlefleet Gothic's ramming rules once...  don't remember the details, though.

Regarding Fire Ships: Shipyard allows non-multiple-of-three ranges.  Hence, implementation:

Type: Fire Ship (173)
Hull: 3 2 1
Engines: [TL0] 7 5 3                           
Shields: [TL0] 2 2 1                           
Weapons : 1:[V], 2:[V], 3:[], 4:[], 5:[], 6:[]
Weapons
Battery V:   Suicide Charge  TL0,  -/1/-,  2/2+/2/3
Area Effect, Catastrophic, Ignores Shields,   Ammo:(1)
[ABCDEF]

Would probably be nasty with Cloaking...

Ramming could similarly be handled with a range 1 weapon (potentially with a "may damage user when fired" trait).

That's an awesome idea!  Not sure how you'd implement it, though...

Like the idea there!  With a hex system you could implement it more accurately.  Use of micro jump would need special equipment (perhaps 10% SU and a 1.5 modifier to 0CR), and could work something like this:
As a movement order takes up no thrust, and jumps after normal movement.  Will appear at start of next movement phase (so is absent from the fighter and firing phase and end phase after movement) a specified number of hexes ahead from its last facing (so would have to mark the jump point and facing) and with the same speed as when it jumps (speed and facing same) at which point thrust is available to move normally with.  Equipment cannot be used is same turn as any jump in:  So could move and jump out turn 1, jump in turn 2, move and fire, move and jump out turn 3.

Incidentally, should put the end to maxing out weapon ranges with narrow arcs and sitting waiting for the enemy.

Yes, lots of good ideas there.  A sadly underappreciated set of rules, and with Thane having closed up shop, it seems unlikely to get further material or exposure.  Shame, really.