GM Battlemat
There are a few different ways to run a HackMaster battle and I've tried several....using monster cards and a card rack¸ using a computer¸ and a simple sheet of paper (instead of and in addition to the previous methods). Using a purpose-built computer program or custom PDF tracker probably works the best but it sets up a physical barrier between the GM and the players and¸ more importantly in my case¸ ties up the laptop or tablet I want to use for other things¸ like reference materials. Invariably I keep going back to a simple tracking method using a sheet of paper. Quick¸ easy¸ and almost no prep-time it just works......or at least it does for small combats. During larger combats it is just too easy to forget about combatants or mess up a count. This battlemat is intended to be printed out at 11" x 17" at your local print shop and laminated for repeat use. It should cost around $5 to create at places like FedEx/Kinkos¸ with the color version coming in closer to $6. Armed with this battlemat¸ a wet erase marker¸ and a ruler/straight edge¸ it'll be easy to just look down the rows of the mat and see which combatants have an action on the current count. Pretty much everything you might need during combat has a home on the sheet¸ with the exception of Initiative (which can be "penciled in" if needed). A brief tutorial on how to use the sheet can be found on the Frugal GM blog. If you find this useful¸ please consider becoming a Frugal GM Patreon.