Built-in armour for hulls

[Nodachi]

No, you can't have built-in armor. Armor is just another type of component that really acts as ablative hit points becuase it gets hit first. There really is no hull to target. When you create a design and choose a hull size you're not actually selecting an empty hull, you're deciding how much space you're going to use. The system assumes that you'll use all of that space. That's why the different sizes have different defensive modifiers. Put only required components on an escort and a destoyer, and the same amount of engines, and the same amount of damage will destroy both ships.

Nodachi