I and a friend were discussing FTL, ship layouts, crew, and the like, and we got to thinking...
What if FTL had a mode where you and a friend could build ships and crew and fight each other? In our conversation, one would get a scrap allowance with which to upgrade your ship, buy weapons and augments, and hire crew, and the scrap allowance would approximate what a player could reasonably expect to see midway through the third sector on normal mode. Optionally, they could agree on a higher or lower scrap allowance at the start.
A scrap allowance means that certain super-powerful weapons or augments would have to be weighed against upgrades to your ship. Breach missile and a preigniter? That won't come cheap with all the weapon system upgrading you'll need to make the missiles work (as well as the missiles you'll need to buy!), but it could be worth the specialization to you. All-Lanius crew on the Mantis B cruiser? Why not? The balance is all there in the scrap limit.
Players could choose from any of the cruisers they've unlocked and start from there. I'd be willing to pay for such a thing. Not a whole bunch, mind. My monthly disposable budget is about four fast food value meals. But I'd pay! And so, I think, would a few others.