Mass multipliers!
I got started thinking about this when I realized that the Tractor Beam III is no better than the Tractor Beam II (see separate thread), and I thought, "hmm, what could make the TB3 more useful?" So what if there were "mass multiplier" abilities that multiplied the effective mass of a ship, for purposes of propulsion, tractor/repulsor beams, and gravitic sensors? A heavy mount tractor beam might have a 150% multiplier to ship mass (only applicable when fired), for instance, to allow your ship to tractor ships 50% larger than itself. Or an inertial damper might have a 75% multiplier, making it 25% harder to see with gravitic sensors and require 25% fewer engines!
edit: Oh, and how about storms that jam/unjam long range scanners!
[ July 19, 2003, 22:21: Message edited by: Ed Kolis ]