Theo Dudek, Ultimate Game Master

Today I am going to review something that’s not an antique ^^ and talk about some more D&D iphone software, specifically DMs Tracker, a program designed to help DMs keep track of combat encounters. Keeping track of initiative order, hit points of multiple monsters, power-based conditions, etc., can be difficult and the amateur DM may lose track of things as they ask everybody “Okay, what’s your initiative? Okay… wait… tell me again…” and scribble everything on the back of some homework assignment. The iPhone can be very useful for play, such as with dice-rolling software, can an app help with this sort of thing?

The answer is “meh.” Basically what we are talking about here is a notes-taking software designed for to D&D combat. DMs Tracker allows you to enter the very basic data (HP/AC/FORT/REF/WILL/Move/Insight/Perception) for a number of combat participants, then put them in a ‘group’ (basically an encounter, not a ‘group,’ since the ‘group’ may consist of both players and monsters with no distinction between them). Then you can enter ‘combat’ mode, during which they sort themselves in initiative order, and you can raise and lower their HP, add and subtract the standard 4e conditions, and mark when each individual entity has finished their turn. Then you move on to the next turn and keep going. It’s a simple piece of software, but there are several ways it could have been better.

* The app doesn’t support any sliding L–>R. To go from screen to screen you almost always have to push some button.
* Though you can add ‘conditions’ (like blinded, deafened, stunned, etc.) to a creature, they don’t effect their AC/FORT/REF/WILL/Move/Insight/Perception. Instead, the only thing you can actually raise and lower in combat is Initiative and HP. @_@;; This is a major problem. Ideally, all the conditions should be explained in the software, and the ‘original’ and ‘modified’ value of the scores should be listed. I wonder if there is some legal reason they couldn’t include this? In any way, it’s a disappointment.
* When you have more than a few people in a group, they don’t all show on the group screen list, instead the names are cut off. (see screengrab)
* When you touch one of the fields in the ‘edit character’ mode, it should automatically delete the existing number, rather than making you manually delete it. When I went in to change the “move” value for one of the characters from 6 to 5, and automatically typed a “5″ without deleting the existing score, I would get “56″. -_-;; This is a minor thing but I think ergonomics would be better suited by having the fields clear themselves when touched.
* Ideally you should be able to add new fields and new values.
* It would be useful if there was some sound, like a ‘ping’ or something, when data is altered or when you move to a new turn. Also, it would be useful if the program included saving throws, such as a reminder for characters to save when they have conditions, or to make death saves when they’re at negative hit points.

In the end, unlike the Dicenomicon which is as good or better than actual dice, this is an app I would only use if I were forced to DM with no access to my laptop *or* to pen & paper. It’s just not very versatile and it doesn’t perform the calculations which are ACTUALLY helpful when playing, such as keeping track of conditions and how they affect scores, or reminding people about saving throws/death throws/etc. -^- The small screen of the iPhone is also a disadvantage since there’s just no way to see all the data at once, and it ties up the DM’s hands to flip back and forth between everything. The best thing about the software is that there is plenty of help screens, and each one of them says “please tell us how to make this software better”, so…. it’s a nice start, but how about adding conditions, you guys? -_-