Tokens, pogs, markers, oh my!

[Nathal]

8.5" x 11" sheets of colored foam, and a 1" hole punch. I've got multiple colors for marked, cursed, quarried, bloodied, dazed, ongoing damaged, etc. Sure, my minis tend to "grow" as more and more effects get layered under their bases, but it works for my group, and foam tends to "catch" on itself, so the pieces don't topple over.

This is how I would do it. Or, use the foam tokens by numbering them with a sharpie. It is easy to track effects on red goblin 5 for instance.

 

[Bagpuss]

I just found this guys Condition Cards, I think I might use them or make something similar.

4th Edition Condition Cards

 

[Kzach]

I use plastic markers from Litko Aerosystems in my 4E campaign.

Linky?

 

[eamon]

I use four different types of tokens:

• Wood circles in various colors and sizes. These are always marks; each PC that marks gets a color/size.
• Yellow plastic rings made from adhoc plastic string to mark the bloodied condition. This was a spur of the moment thing, and there wasn't any red string lying about, hence the yellow.
• Plastic squares in various colors for the various conditions. These are cut out of thin, flexible cutting boards the IKEA sells around here for next to nothing. One cutting board makes a bajillion tokens, so some of those cutting boards are still in use, just a bit smaller .
• Solid metal tokens painted various colors for yet more conditions (or sometimes difficult terrain or mobs of minions). A friend of a friend of another player has a metal-working shop, and these were cut from a sheet of steel as a present.

 

[Bagpuss]

Linky?

I guess he used a custom set I can't find a D&D set on the site.

Custom Services Gallery: LITKO Game Accessories

 

[Stumblewyk]

I guess he used a custom set I can't find a D&D set on the site.

Custom Services Gallery: LITKO Game Accessories

Found them here: 4E Tokens / RPG: LITKO Game Accessories

 

[Kerranin]

I use paper-clips for the status effects. Bought a small box of mixed colour paper-clips which can either be hooked on, pushed between legs, or bent into shape.

I know some others prefer to use coloured elastic bands (especially for metal figures), but they can be a real pain to use.

I liked the soda bottle rings idea, but I just don't drink soda.

 

[Nytmare]

Found them here: 4E Tokens / RPG: LITKO Game Accessories

The "torch bearer" markers reminded me that we also use yellow Alea Tools to show light sources.

 

[Joshua Randall]

It's not nazi control freakiness

Sorry; I didn't mean to imply that it was. Maybe a bit obsessive-compulsive, but that's not always a bad thing when it keeps you organized. (When it interferes with your life or become pathological -- then it's a bad thing.)

You should see the numerous spreadsheets I have created to keep track of... on second though, never mind.

we rarely (so far for us, "never") need a visual cue as to who or what is taking ongoing damage.

Interesting! Ongoing damage is the most frequently missed condition at our tables. I think it is because neither the players nor the DM really wants to be reminded that their PC/monster is slowly bleeding hit points away.

Keeping track of a rainbow assortment of 50 different pieces stacked up behind a DM screen and strewn across a battlemat isn't making anything easier, or less confusing.

Well, I think that's an exaggeration. In your typical combat most PCs/monsters will have between zero and two idicators on them.

0 - no conditions
1 - a condition OR bloodied
2 - a condition AND bloodied

Rarely, you get some crazy combat where everyone is subject to three or four conditions at once.

But anyway, if markers work for you (in general), use 'em. If not, don't.

 

[Prestidigitalis]

In our group we use nanotechnology to etch the various status conditions into the miniatures themselves. So far, the best results have come from using International Morse Code for the words, e.g. ... - ..- -. -. . -.. for Stunned*. When numerous simultaneous conditions result in potential overlap, we combine them by concatenating them in alphabetical order and then encrypting them with 64-bit RSA. (Public Key Encryption has thus far turned out to be more trouble than it's worth. Your mileage may vary.)

Unfortunately, we have not yet figured out how to remove the etchings, resulting in "Write-Once Miniatures" and little or no money left over for pizza and carbonated beverages.

* Don't get me started on the battle over UTF-8 vs. UTF-16. It made the kerfluffle over Commander's Strike look like a sedate tea party.