by Cain.rpgorg in Feb 21,2012

  Last week we received some promo codes from Marco Antônio Pompei for the nice little iPad application : RPG Combat Tracker. This little software is supposed to help Game Masters to run their combat encounters much more smoothly then with the original pen & paper method.

  While the software don't state this but it's usable only with d20 systems (Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Mutants & Masterminds etc.), using d20 + modifier for the initiative roll.

  To help Game Masters the RPG Combat Tracker application provides two basic functions : a dice roller, and the actual combat tracker with some easily manageable functions. The dice roller is a nice touch, by providing easy access to roll a variable number of d4/d6/d8/d10/d12/d20 as needed and adding the results together automatically, or roll 1d20 with a single click.

  In the tracker we could define player or non-player characters, each with it's own simple settings. For players you just give the name and the initiative the player rolled, while for NPC-s you only give the initiative bonus and the number of characters of the same type, and the application itself rolls initiative for them. They also receive an unique name for easier identification. (Goblin 1, Goblin 2 etc.)

  After all combatants is ready you will recognize that they are ordered by their initiative. From that point you may add wounds, heal effects or kill (delete) combatants, as well as keep notes for every single participant in the battle.

Final words

In the end I think I like this program, mostly because it's very simple to use. The design is minimalistic but functional. I think the program could receive some improvements in the long run - like managing other systems than d20, counting turns/effects etc. - however it's a fine little program as it is presented.

If you are interested in the RPG Combat Tracker software it is available on the iTunes App Store on this link.

Zoltán "Cain" Mészáros

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