A New Initiative Tracker

[big teej]

Greetings Playgrounders,

for the past 3 or 4 years or so, I have been using the donjon initiative tracker found here:

http://donjon.bin.sh/d20/initiative/

recently however, due to some unknown cause, it has ceased to function properly.


I was rather happy with how this tracker functions, and I haven't found a replacement tracker that serves my purposes as well that I'm happy with

I've tried note-cards
I've tried excel
I've tried google (my google-fu is weak)


my request for you, is to help me find a new tracker.
it needs to be free
it needs to work with Internet Explorer
it needs to be simple and quick

thanks in advance
- teej

[1337 b4k4]

Out of curiosity, what isn't working for you. It appears to work just fine.

[valadil]

The donjon one looks good to me (although I've never used it before so maybe I'm missing something). Maybe there was just a network hiccup or something.

Why is IE a requirement? Couldn't you just make some online tracker chrome's homepage and pretend that chrome is your initiative tracker app?

I was going to recommend index cards. Glad to see you've at least tried them. They're my favorite, but I prefer low tech games. Have you tried the index card folded in half and placed over the GM/laptop screen? I like that one because it shows the players the initiative as well.

[Lanaya]

Is there anything wrong with just typing them into Notepad? I just type up everyone's initiative scores as they roll them, then cut and paste to put everything in order. Never had any problems with that, and it doesn't require any fancy programs or websites.

[big teej]

yay responses!

Out of curiosity, what isn't working for you. It appears to work just fine.

the sort button clears everything I've typed in.

it's not just me, everyone else in my group has been having the same problem. and it's been ongoing for months, I'm just now getting around to trying to find a replacement.

The donjon one looks good to me (although I've never used it before so maybe I'm missing something). Maybe there was just a network hiccup or something.

Why is IE a requirement? Couldn't you just make some online tracker chrome's homepage and pretend that chrome is your initiative tracker app?

I was going to recommend index cards. Glad to see you've at least tried them. They're my favorite, but I prefer low tech games. Have you tried the index card folded in half and placed over the GM/laptop screen? I like that one because it shows the players the initiative as well.

because I use IE. and that's all I want to use.

and unfortunately my laptop is not large enough to hold the number of index cards required.... nor is my screen now that I think about it. I've got a pretty large group.

Is there anything wrong with just typing them into Notepad? I just type up everyone's initiative scores as they roll them, then cut and paste to put everything in order. Never had any problems with that, and it doesn't require any fancy programs or websites.

I'm lazy and I like that sort button?

I'm not even going to ponder why this didn't occur to me cause it makes my head hurt and I'll put it in the bin of 'try this instead'

[1337 b4k4]

the sort button clears everything I've typed in.

it's not just me, everyone else in my group has been having the same problem. and it's been ongoing for months, I'm just now getting around to trying to find a replacement.




because I use IE. and that's all I want to use.

I hate to say this, but I think your problem is that you're using IE. If it worked before and suddenly stopped, the most likely cause is that the author updated the program and that busted the IE compatibility (or alternatively, IE updated and changed how it did something and busted the IE specific hacks the site uses), because the whole thing (including sorting) works just fine in firefox. If you like using it, you should use firefox or an alternative browser. Frankly you should be using almost any browser other than IE anyway.

I'm lazy and I like that sort button?

Alternatively, use a spreadsheet rather than notepad and use the built in sort feature for that?

[Rhynn]

Why not make the players track their own initiative?

I note my monsters' initiative (I leave the die up if it's one group with one initiative value, or else scribble the groups' initiatives down quickly) and make sure to catch the highest initiative rolled, then start counting down from that and the players have to speak up when it's their turn.

This is in ACKS, too, where initiative is rolled every round. It works very nicely - the only hiccup is that sometimes we lose count if we have to stop in the middle of things to look something up, but that happens less and less the more we play.

[nedz]

It seems to wok fine in Firefox ?

I use old business cards myself, much less hassle and they're reusable.

[Andezzar]

If you use a DM screen just fold some cars in half and write the name of the character on both sides (and possibly some other data) and hang them on the screen in order of initiative. Just remember whether the players or you go from left to right.

What you will see (with added Initiative scores):

Willy the Wizard (15)|Rachel the Rogue(14)|Bob the Barbarian (12)|Colleen the Cleric (7)

The players would see:
Colleen the Cleric (7)|Bob the Barbarian (12)|Rachel the Rogue(14)|Willy the Wizard (15)

Just add monsters as they present themselves.

[The Dolman]

The tool seems to work in chrome as well.
As to alternate methods of recording initiative, I just take pieces of paper and tape them to the wall in order, or use sticky notes, If I don't want to crowd the wall. For added fun, there's room for illustrations of the creatures on the paper.

[darkelf]

the code hasn't changed in a very long time, IE probably learned a new dumb. i'll see if i can find anything, but what IE breaks is ultimately its own problem.