by The Gaslight
I have just put this rule variant (player order variant) through two test games and I can say it makes it very interesting and tactical. Below are my personal opinion:The 'Original' rules whereby each player has to take his FULL turn before the next player is more strategical in the long term, and more careful thought is placed into set-up and placement of the ships. A thinking mans rule-set.
Your suggested 'Simultaneous' rules throws long-term strategy out of the window as dog-fights occur more often. The game becomes far more tactical as you are forced to think on your feet and adapt to the changing tide of battle. A faster paced and exciting rule-set.
On the whole I prefer your Simultaneous variant as it makes the game tenser and grittier. Although it DOESN'T necessarily speed up the overall playing time, it does make battle more balanced. You HAVE to remember to 'tap' the activated cards though as it gets very confusing if you don't.
I would definitely recommend this variant to other players.
(I also use 'Firing Arcs' in all my plays/sessions, including this one)