Outcast: Give them race specific advantage of speed since no other race has it. Rush style fleets are popular in the game and a personal favorite of mine.
Also, please make an effort to stop challenges where Ships do not fire or can not fired upon, this is very annoying. I think all players hate this except for the ones who post them.
I think the offensive and defensive slots should be the player’s choice, only limited by number of total slots available.