Hey all! I've been using Oggs fantastic encounter print out to manage the encounters for the two groups that I run.

However I would like to find a way to save paper and ink. Instead of printing out one encounter sheet, marking it, throwing it in the recycling bin and then printing out the same encounter, I was wondering if there was a way for me to print out one encounter sheet and use it without marking the paper permanently with a pen or the tell-tale signs of a pencil and eraser.

I had heard of some whiteboard like items but instead of it being white board it is a clear plastic pouch you can place any A4 sheet of paper in and use a non-permanent pen or whiteboard marker to write on it and then erase it with a board eraser when finished.

I've looked around on Amazon however I haven't been able to find exactly what I am looking for....perhaps because I don't even know the proper name for them. I was hoping fellow GMs could help me out.

Look for heavy-duty sheet protectors and dry erase markers.

I took Stan's combat tracker, printed it on two separate pages and put them back to back. Then I took them down to Staples and had them laminate it. I love it. I use the same markers (Staedtler) that I use on my Battlemat, and wet erase them after two encounters.

How many times are you going to be running the same encounter?

I've had the same thoughts, but I haven't felt that I would be returning to previous encounters enough to make it worthwhile.

Oh but I do intend to do this with Stan's combat tracker! I want to start using it in our next sessions.

Prog, I'm not sure what convoluted system I would be running by now if I never did that with Stan's sheet. I use Index cards in D&D, but with an established INIT order, it's easy to just pull cards out and re-arrange as people delay/ready actions.

I suppose you could do the same with EotE, but it would be a constant sort through as you moved cards from one side of the table to the other (not yet acted to acted). Blargh.

You could use slip sheets as well, but I found the lamination just eliminates fluids seeping into the sleeves and staining pages that you want to keep using. The cost of laminating is negligible, as well. Considering it pays for itself in short order, and I have no need for my own unit at home.

I've looked around on Amazon however I haven't been able to find exactly what I am looking for....perhaps because I don't even know the proper name for them. I was hoping fellow GMs could help me out.

My wife uses clear acrylic dividers with pockets for her RPG character sheets. You can get them at literally any office supply store.

I took Stan's combat tracker, printed it on two separate pages and put them back to back. Then I took them down to Staples and had them laminate it. I love it. I use the same markers (Staedtler) that I use on my Battlemat, and wet erase them after two encounters.

This is exactly what I do and it sped up my combat encounters by a huge margin. I just go around the table and say 'initiative, roll it!', with the way initiative works in this game you don't even need to track who rolled what. Then I roll up my NPC's and we're ready to roll.

I already have all the characters and what health they're at from the previous sessions so that's easy to track too. Then I just note down 'SB' or 'B' for setbacks and boosts for players or whoever is next in the order. Super handy.

I just write initiative numbers on sticky notes for each combatant, these can be moved as needed if new combatants enter the fray. I can also track wounds for unique nemesis initiative slots.

But I do mark off wounds/strain on Oggs Encounter sheets.

At my table, we use a combination of the following:

1) Small Dry-Erase board: bought it for under $5 and mounted it on the wall behind where I sit, just above my head. We use it for Initiative and tracking who's been hit with what damage (players get Wounds Remaining, NPCs get damage thus far and my vocal narration dictating how beaten up they look).

You can also get away with a cheap chalkboard, but chalk isn't as clean at the gaming table.

2) Laminated Sheets. I can get some things laminated for free due to where I work, but some libraries and office supply stores can laminate for pretty low prices. That said, certain things I know I'll be reusing often, like generic NPCs that won't be changing much (stormtroopers, guards, pickpockets, etc) are laminated and marked with a wet-erase marker.

3) Wood pencils, a soft hand, and a good eraser. I've realized if you get the wooden pencils, NOT mechanical, and are careful with how much pressure you apply, you can easily erase what you write without destroying the sheet. I'm not good at it, but I do try whenever I need to keep something.

4) Sticky notes and index cards. Sticky notes are great to throw on a sheet of a generic NPC, especially when you have ten of that NPC. You can easily just mark #1, #2, #3 and write what you need to know about them on a single sheet, and the sheet can last. You can do the same with encounter sheets as well.

Index cards. . .well, if I need to explain the hundreds of joys of using index cards at the gaming table, I think you have bigger problems than I can help with.

Now, for some tricks from my days in college:

"Spot Lamination": Place packing or another clear tape over the spot you'll be marking up and erasing and use a very fine marker or pen (especially those quirky fountain ball pens). A friend from college did this on a few of his character sheets that would change many times per game (Health, Blood Pool, weight carried, etc).

Page Protectors: It was already mentioned that you can get some bleedthrough, but it really does depend on the type and the brand. Some are more porous than others, which can cause the problem. Others are good enough that you can even use a pencil on them if you don't sharpen it too much.

If I think of anything else we've done to prolong our sheets, I'll be back and post it for you.