DIY - Combat Tracker

The DIY Combat Tracker
(a little rough around the edges, but it works well)

Today I have a little project for you, this is my hand made combat tracker.  Before i get into how it's made i'll go over a few of the finer points of what a combat tracker is. (If only want to know how to make the combat tracker, scroll down to the "How it is Made" part of this post)

Ever looking for better ways to organize my games and make them easier for people to play i came up with this little contraption, it is a compartmentalized organizer or in other words, a place to keep track of stats and token expenditures all in one convenient little place.

When making an attack move there are four important factors to keep track of ; The target number needed to hit, The Poise Attribute of your Target, How much Stamina you spend to boost the move, and your actual die roll, in the picture above, a d8.  First you would place a token in the compartment with the number needed to hit (represented by the bright red token), and then place a token in the compartment with the target number to stagger your opponent (their Poise, represented by the dark red token).  Next you need to decide on how much stamina you'd like to spend to boost (represented by the light blue tokens)

After all the tokens are in place, roll the d8 and move it up the track from the last stamina token.  If the die lands on or passes the "To Hit" token, the attack hits.  If the die lands on or passes the "To Stagger" token, then the target is staggered.

The Combat Tracker can also be used when evading attacks. Place a token at the highest value of the evasion die being rolled.  Spend Stamina Points to evade and place them in the track in descending order from the first token.  Lastly roll the die and place it next to the associated value on the track, if the die rolls onto a space filled in with a token, the attack is evaded and no damage is done.

All in all a very useful too for visualizing what is going on when making Attack Moves and Evading.


How it is Made

First off you will need;
-A sheet of Plaskolite Egg Crate Louver. This will help make the compartments for our tray.  
-A sheet of foam core to make the tray that the insert will sit in.  
-A sharp cutting utensil to cut the foam core neatly.
-A pair of durable clippers to cut the Louver (do not use your fine model clippers for this job)
-A low-temperature hot glue gun to glue the foam core together

A section of Louver, This piece will be big enough

Take a piece of the louver with at least 20 consecutive spaces not counting the edges squares of the material as the plastic is only half the full height.

don't use your best model clippers,
a pair like this will work fine

 Make sure to have a pair of durable clippers on hand.  I wouldn't risk using your nice modeling clippers on this project, as they might be damaged by this material, instead use a more utility pair like this.

Marking off the Louver with a Permanent Marker

 Mark out where you want to cut on the louver with a marker. This assures you get the right number of segments.

Clipping the Louver,
Being Careful Not To Snap Our Tray Insert

Carefully cut out your tray insert with your clippers.  Try to do this gently as the plastic is brittle and your the compartments may break if too much force is applied in the wrong direction.  If a compartment does break, don't worry, carefully glue it back together with CA glue and continue on.

A Cut Out Insert, 20 Segments in Length

 Here we have our near finished insert.  Use the clippers to trim any excess plastic poking out from the sides of our insert.

Marking Out The Foam Core for Cutting

Carefully on a piece of foam core, outline the pieces needed for the base of your tray, two side walls and two end caps.  The dimensions i used was 13" x 1" for the tray base, 13" x 1/2" for the side walls, and 1-1/2" x 1/2" for the end caps.

Cut Carefully Using a Sharp Blade and a Straight Edge

Using a sharp blade is important.  If you use a dull blade to cut this material, the cuts will be jagged and rough.  Take all precautions necessary, unless you want a unpleasantly acquired blood red finish to your combat tray.

All the Components

 Here are all the pieces laid out ready for assembly.  Using a low-temperature hot glue gun (high temp will destroy the foam core and your fingers) glue the walls and the endcaps to the outside edge of the tray base resulting in something like you see below.

The Assembled Tray Beside the Insert

 Do not glue the insert into the tray, this will make it easier to remove dice and tokens you place in the tray allowing for quick play.

The Insert Fits Neatly Inside the Tray

Place the insert inside the tray, and mark out the numbers inside each compartment.

Mark the Numbers in the Bottom of the Tray and You're Ready to Play

And there you have it, your very own combat track ready to go

You can try Other Shapes as well,
Fits an Assortment of Dice and Tokens

If you want your combat track to take up a more compact area of your play space, try using different shapes of insert.  the one above is a 25 compartment square that fits neatly in my play area. The trays also hold the small d6's available from chessex perfectly.

In the future i will make printout resources available for creating your own 2d combat tracks, or you could glue them into the base of your own 3d combat track as a veneer.

Hope you enjoyed this little tutorial, and maybe inspired you a little for your own projects

Till Next Time
-Tom K.