Pointing custom figures...

[Whiz Kid]

I'm looking at a few custom ideas right now, and one of the biggest questions I have is how changing different aspects of the figure (missile/base size, class, special ability, effects, etc) might affect the point cost of the figure.

Is there a formula, or just general guidelines that people assume? I'd like to keep my customs as playable as possible, so I'm trying to reatin as much of the original form and function as possible, but sometimes change is necessary, and I'm trying to figure out where to draw the line and bump the points.

[AWOL]

There's no real formula when pointing a custom. You have to consider the special ability and its percentage, the effectiveness of its attack, the stability of the base, among other things. Whenever in doubt, compare your custom to your other existing figures and determine approximately, through play-testing if need be, where your custom most likely fits. Base size is typically a good indication (though not always!) of the point value. Bigger bases tend to cost more due to the stability they ensure, while smaller bases fall within the 10/20 point value due to the instability. These are just some considerations - I'm sure some of the more "professional" customizers will have more worthy input!!

[ladybritannia]

AWOL makes some good suggestions. Comparing it to Hasbro figures in stability, strength of attack, and probability and power of special is the way to do it If you had a figure in question you could post pictures of it and its stats and get some feedback here as well.

[Jw18]

Yes, their stats do affect their point cost. Why, because what if i had a ten point figure with a 100% and he was a force blaster, would that be a fair point value? It always has to be like the real ones, so that people let you actually use them in battle.

[Whiz Kid]

jw18 said:

Yes, their stats do affect their point cost. Why, because what if i had a ten point figure with a 100% and he was a force blaster, would that be a fair point value? It always has to be like the real ones, so that people let you actually use them in battle.

Absolutely. That's why I'm asking about all this. I'm trying to figure out HOW changing a figure affects the point cost, and how much. There are many factors to be considered, and I was wondering if someone at Hasbro had let a formula slip, or one of the stat geniuses around here might have figured one out.

It seems to be more a matter of "guesstimation," but that's not necessarily bad. As long as I don't churn out a figure that works like you mention above, I think I'll be doing okay.

[warlordofmars]

The most difficult figures in my customs are the 20 and 30 point figures. Hasbro has turned out some figures that I don't believe justify the 30 point label, but this is also the middle ground between cannon fodder troops (10 pointers) and "indestructable figures" (40 points) so it can be difficult to place figures accurately. Some pretty definite guidelines I follow have to deal with modifying existing figures. If I add a big bullet to a trooper or other 10 pointer, it automatically goes to 20 points. Conversely, if I replace an attack with a weaker one, I'll drop the figure 10 points (in general this is also true with base size). I've received lots of good feedback by posting "what I think" about a figure then taking everyone else's idea into consideration. If you are unsure about what a specific modification might do to a figure, just post your best guess and let us help to thrash it out!

[Radar]

Yeah, Hasbro has made some really over-costed figures (Bail Organa) and some really under-costed figures (Armored Spider-man). I prefer to find figures that people think are "normal" and use those as a basis.

That said, I like to add on 10 or 15 points to figures sometimes, just to make sure no one complains too much about me using one of the figures.