[Apache]

Keep it simple. We used to joke that Car Wars was the only game that scared Star Fleet Battles players.

Keep it fast. One turn shouldn't take more than a few minutes to complete. Get rid of debris counters and other fiddly stuff (or make them bigger....most people I knew that played hated all the Very Small Counters the game forced you to use).

Keep it fun, but relevant. Nobody minded the joke weapons in some of the Uncle Alberts catalogs, but Jesus wept, near the end I half expected to actually see phasers show up in the game.

Keep it automotive. No boats. No airplanes. No tanks. No space capsules. No hovercraft. Sure, keep big trucks and bikes/trikes/quads, but save them for the expansion. All the rest (especially tanks) should be kept Off-Screen, or have Very Special Rules and be fairly rare.