How do you track END?

[atlascott]

I guess this is only really a factor in superherioc games, since only supers really burn thru the END (ok, maybe mages as well...)

 

I printed up a page with numbers listed sequentially, 10 per row, placed them in plastic covers and made sure grease pencils were available. Inelegant, but functional. But no one used them. Other players added and subtracted right on their sheet, but then, their sheets got all worn out from all the writing and erasing.

 

Any exciting other ways people track END? Magic beans? Robots?

[Dust Raven]

Re: How do you track END?

 

Didn't we just have a thread like this... something similar anyway. Oh well...

 

 

For my games I use a Combat Tracking Sheet that I hand out for each player. They don't have to use it, but if there's ever an issue as to how much STUN and END a character has, if the player and I disagree I automatically win unless he can show me the math on that sheet. Most of the time I don't worry about. The sheet is more of a tool to keep the players on track as to what Phase they did what in (there's a place to write in what happened to cause a change in END or STUN).

[TheRealVector]

Re: How do you track END?

 

Only the latest cutting edge technology in my games. We all use...scratch paper.

[Mike W]

Re: How do you track END?

 

I'm with Vector. At the beginning of combat, I have a sheet of notebook paper where I write BODY, STUN, and END and my starting numbers. Then adjust them as needed

 

As a GM, I tend to keep track right on the Character write-ups, but since the villains don't come around very often and I use a spreadsheet program for the write ups, I don't have to worry about messing up character sheets.

[Ben Seeman]

Re: How do you track END?

 

I just write on my charcter sheet. I print a new one for each session anyway.

[atlascott]

Re: How do you track END?

 

Scratch paper? Is that that new software app that comes with tablet PC's? Made by some little company that got bought out by Microsoft? Are the system requirements really high? Do all of your players use laptops, or do track everyone's stats with this "scratch paper"?

[Mark Taylor]

Re: How do you track END?

 

My groups play on a chalk mat (a large black vinyl mat that functions just like a battle mat, only using chalk to draw on it) anyway, so the players tend to just chalk down their current END (and STUN) totals on their bit of the mat.

[TheRealVector]

Re: How do you track END?

 

Scratch paper? Is that that new software app that comes with tablet PC's? Made by some little company that got bought out by Microsoft? Are the system requirements really high? Do all of your players use laptops' date=' or do track everyone's stats with this "scratch paper"?[/quote']

 

I can assure that reliable scratch paper systems can be purchased at any office supply store for well under $300.00.

[Fox1]

Re: How do you track END?

 

Any exciting other ways people track END? Magic beans? Robots?

 

The players just use erasable pens on the sheet protectors that we keep the character sheets in.

 

For NPCs, I typically don't even bother except for major power villains. I figure the grunts of the adventure (i.e. NPCs all with the same character write up, thinkl Viper Agents) won't end up spending significant END.

 

Major villains are treated the same players as they have a individual full character write up in their own protector anyway.

[TheEmerged]

Re: How do you track END?

 

I just use the combat spreadsheet printout I've designed. I have also found, purely as a personal preference, it works better to list how much has been spent than what the current score is -- YMMV of course.

[The Hyborian]

Re: How do you track END?

 

I knew a group that tried the grease pencil route. It was just a mess, seemed more trouble than it was worth. I always have just used a spare sheet of paper to keep notes on for table top gaming. As long as your players can do basic arithmatic quickly (and I have gamed with a few folks who fell outside that category) there was no issue. My prefered method is to make a column for endurance, one for stun, and one for body for each combat, plus a box for charges where one can make tally marks. It's not pretty but is fast and effective. You can get quite a few combats on each sheet of paper. Only long term changes go on the character sheet; its a reference, not a game play tool.

[Fitz]

Re: How do you track END?

 

Poker chips. Quick, easy, no mess, and you can see at a glance how much END you've burned/have left.

[BNakagawa]

Re: How do you track END?

 

Poker chips. Quick' date=' easy, no mess, and you can see at a glance how much END you've burned/have left.[/quote']

 

"all in"

[Guest Champsguy]

Re: How do you track END?

 

Well, about a turn into combat (if combat is still going, which it usually isn't--ours are pretty quick), somebody will say "Hey, what's your End at?" and then everybody will go "Uhh... hold on a second... let's see, on 2 I did this... then on 4... umm... oh crap. I'm at 10 End. Oh man, I need a recovery."

 

I know pretty much what I can do and for how long before End becomes a problem. I don't really keep track of it until I reach that point. Then I backtrack.

[Dust Raven]

Re: How do you track END?

 

Poker chips. Quick' date=' easy, no mess, and you can see at a glance how much END you've burned/have left.[/quote']

 

I kinda like this idea. If the chips are handed into the GM, he can keep a list of everyone's RECs and hand them back in Post 12 or when they make a Recovery. I'll have to ask my group about this idea.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: How do you track END?

 

What about using M & M's? Green ones are for END, yellow for STUN and red for BOD. We could use other colors for stats that might get Drained or Aided.

 

[Any REAL gamer knows where I stole this idea from, right?]

[Mortuorum`]

Re: How do you track END?

 

Keep it simple. Scratch paper. I supply notepads for all my playes for keeping track of END/STUN/BODY, passing notes and other purposes.

 

And I'd eat all the m&ms.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: How do you track END?

 

And I'd eat all the m&ms.

 

Just keep your grubby mitts away from MY bowl!

 

The problem with tracking anything but END with markers woud be negatives, I suppose. I know I've got no STUN left, but am I -1 or -25?

[MikeyMitchell]

Re: How do you track END?I have a combat record database I built. It tracks expenditure of END, BODY, STUN, and other characteristics (in case of Adjustment Powers). It also tracks the SPD chart, current acting character, being Stunned, and has an integrated die roller for determining damage.(What can I say...I got bored one day.)

[Sean Waters]

Re: How do you track END?

 

How do I track END?

 

Well they have quite distictive spoor, and odd little three toed footprints, often left in the butter in the fridge. Or is that Elephants? Something beginning with 'e' anyway....

 

Personally I like the Champsguy system.

[Blue]

Re: How do you track END?

 

Playing: Character sheets in Plastic covers and a dry-erase marker

 

Running: Spreadsheet. My laptop has a spreadsheet with a macro that lets me sort by who has an attack that segment, what DEX order, and there's places to track STUN, END and BODY with a corresponding column that handles the subtraction to show you the net result.

 

I tried to e-mail it to someone who requested it once, but the macros didn't carry over very well (Kept referencing my personal macro workbook in Excel, which the other person didn't have).

[scarlett]

Re: How do you track END?

 

Um...I track END, STUN, and BODY in the margins of the copius notes I write during the session. My fellow conspirator uses a separate piece of paper so as to not mess up her notes. It might be rocket science...no, wait, it's just math.

[zornwil]

Re: How do you track END?

 

I kinda like this idea. If the chips are handed into the GM' date=' he can keep a list of everyone's RECs and hand them back in Post 12 or when they make a Recovery. I'll have to ask my group about this idea.[/quote']

I could see this causing a little bit of hard feelings if the group has been tracking their own END without serious GM oversight. It might seem to be questioning whether they're really doing so correctly/accurately. Just a general note on the matter, not suggesting it shouldn't be approached.

 

In our group I just occasionally will ask someone if they've kept up on their END if I know their character has done a lot and is still going. Most people tend to build characters with enough points in END to make this a non-concern in my experience, exceptions tend to be those for whom this is a desired challenge, a desirable part of the character concept.

[DreadDomain]

Re: How do you track END?

 

I kinda like this idea. If the chips are handed into the GM' date=' he can keep a list of everyone's RECs and hand them back in Post 12 or when they make a Recovery. I'll have to ask my group about this idea.[/quote']

 

Right now we play in a Champions campaign and we just go the fast and lazy way : we don't keep track of End. For Body and Stun, the gm made a combat sheet for every one of us so we just tally on it with a pencil.

 

For a Fantasy game, I would be tempted to use the poker chips idea (maybe one colored set for each of Body, Stun and End) but I would let the player keep their chips. I think it would then be easy to use LTE.

 

"Here is my pile of remaining End, here is my pile of spent End this turn... Oh! crap! I spent twice my Recovery in End this turn. Here is one LTE lost."

 

The LTE lost could then be handed over the GM until the proper rest is taken.

[phookz]

Re: How do you track END?

 

What about using M & M's? Green ones are for END, yellow for STUN and red for BOD. We could use other colors for stats that might get Drained or Aided.

 

[Any REAL gamer knows where I stole this idea from, right?]

 

I playtested a game at DundraCon called Theatrix about 15 years ago that did this (actually it was Jelly Bellies, but the same idea) with their point system. I think it was called action points or something to that effect. Diceless system - lots of fast and furious fun - more like cooperative storytelling.

 

Haven't actually played HERO in many years, but I usually use either a scratch pad or vis-a-vis pens on a transparency overlay. These days I would probably use dry erase if I wasn't happy with scratch paper.