tracking conditions - your approach?

[Kzach]

I really think this will just be a matter of practice makes perfect.

It's not like you didn't have to track two gazillion things in 3.x. Tracking just one effect like a mark really shouldn't be too much to ask of people.

 

[Dausuul]

I ran a playtest and used pins and the multicolored pony beads you can buy in large amounts at any craft store. I had about 15 different varieties, but I was starting to run short during the black dragon fight (differentiating between ongoing bite damage and the acid breath was tough). Another set of a different color should provide me with all the colors I need.

I wouldn't bother using any kind of marker for PCs. I figure my players can keep track of conditions afflicting their characters. I don't play with people who'd deliberately cheat about stuff like that, and if they happen to forget something--eh, whatever, it's not like we're playing for money.

For monsters, if there are a lot of conditions flying around, I'll probably note them on the piece of scratch paper where I keep track of monster hit points. Easier than trying to put some kind of status marker on the mini.

We do sometimes use beer bottle caps, of which we always have a plentiful supply, to indicate status conditions; either flip the cap upside down and put it under the mini, or put it on top of the mini for a hat. But that only works if you don't have too many different status conditions going.

I really think this will just be a matter of practice makes perfect.

It's not like you didn't have to track two gazillion things in 3.x. Tracking just one effect like a mark really shouldn't be too much to ask of people.

And having to track two gazillion things was one of my biggest beefs with 3.X. 4E looks like it will be a bit easier to handle, since there aren't any more "1 round/level" durations, but it looks as if there will be substantially more to track than just marks.