Part of the problem is that at the ranges used for space combat (at one point Silent Death was 1km hexes) most of the weapons have unlimited range. Projectiles, missiles, and torpedos will certainly drift until they are drawn into a gravity well or collide with something with a sufficient mass and relative velocity to destroy them. Beams can manage ranges measured in thousands of kilometers before their spot energy density expands to a harmless size.
Yes, Traveller and Starfire use ranges measured in hundreds of thousands of kilometers, but Spacemaster starship combat is a lot more starwarsy with most stuff happening at visual ranges.
