So I'm new player, trying to improve my general game. Because I want to fly lists that are just characterful and not necessarily competitive, at least at the moment, I will be losing quite a lot (and that's fine).

It crossed my mind that I could invent a way to keep track of whether I was doing anything right, a way to score points for good flying and mistakes.

For example:

Deployed with plan for the first three rounds of flying (1)
Target the same enemy with three X-Wings in a round (1)
Identify highest priority target (1)
Hit an asteroid (-1)
Accidentally bump a friendly ship (-1)

So what would you award and deduct points for?

Depends on your list and the matchup, but I might also include things like:

--Use repositioning to dodge an enemy arc (1)
--Successfully block an enemy ship, intentionally (1)

we don't like to blame it but Dice make up a big part of how a game plays out in the first few round you can set a plan out fly your opponent set up the killing blow with all the tokens then... Blanks, Reroll, Blanks, Gunner, Blanks, Reroll, 1 Hit vs 3 natural evades. you might want to look at that for your scoring

Tho I don't know if a scoring system like this would be the best way to go. I have often found that most game of mine are won or lost based on 3 or 4 things over a few rounds or even before the start of the game. some examples are...

1. All ships in a list are higher PS then the other

this can be a major problem if one list has the fire power to take out one of your ships before it can shoot. this can be a major obstacle to over come. It can be done but often very hard to pull off unless you are flying a swam of some kind.

2. Missing a chance to attack

Not so much from being out flown but from an effect that prevents you from getting an attack you might other wise would have. Blinded Pilot from a random crit or Tractored onto a rock. often this can be the biggest game changer in a match I have had ships live longer then they should have allowing me to win the game and missed a chance to attack from drawing that random card

3. There ships are just better then your ships

It just happens some times. Often its Fire Power or the ships in one list can just be out flown buy the other. One example is Chewe Leebo vs Brobots not to say it cant be done because DICE and MISTAKES can happen, but 99 out of 100 matches its going to go to the Brobot player. Same if its Chewe Leebo vs Duel Decimators. The Decimators (at least in my experience) cant do it. there are not many times this will happen but it can happen regardless of PS or upgrade.

4. Dice

Like I said above DICE happen. No matter how good you fly, no matter how many ways you have to modify your dice, some days the dice gods HATE you but love your opponent and there is nothing you can do about it. BUT also when testing don't forget to take note that the reason you won the game is because you had much better dice then you deserved. you know it happens. this can some times mislead you into thinking a list is good when you really just got lucky

5. The random mistake

You hit a rock, bump a ship, pic the wrong move, forget triggers and so on. the easiest thing to see and the easiest to fix and try again its the one thing that is in your control to fix. how ever if you keep making the same mistake with the list, like missing triggers, it could be a good sign that you give the list up and it might not be for you

this is what I look at when I analyse my games and my lists. It has nothing to do with how I build my lists its just how I like to think and work out improvements in the way I play and what could have been

Have multiple dice modifications for a single attack (1)

Lose all shields from all ships before taking any hull damage (2 or 3 - important because you've managed to mess up your opponent's targetting priority - but obviously, don't use with Biggs )

Successfully block a ship should be 1, successfully block a ship such that it cannot shoot any targets should be 2, successfully block a ship so that it cannot shoot any targets AND you can shoot it... should be 3.

Similarly, all 3 x-wings shooting one guy should be 1, all 3 x-wings shooting one guy with at least one set of double mods OR at least one range 1 should be 2, all 3 shooting with double mods or all 3 at range 1 should be 4, and all 3 at range 1 AND double mods should be 5.

Escalating your goals to higher levels of skill and difficulty should be a goal in itself.