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Damage Tracking vs. Health Tracking in some fictitious Wargame

9 replies [Last post]
Wed, 09/02/2026 - 18:58
questccg
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So to recap what I have when it comes to "Damage Tokens" and how they can be used in the context of a Wargame. I have ideas that go like this:

#1> Use Colors (a Rainbow)

This helps to categorize in a weird way the units.

#2> Use Both Sides (but not for the same unit/group)

Also to make the tokens themselves more "versatile".

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Since I get the impression that Troop design comes from a SOURCE and then EVOLVES into other UNITS. Sort of like:

Riflemen, Grenadier, Machine Gunner, Missile Launcher, Flamethrower, etc.

Colors are applied to each CATEGORY. The go from BASIC to very specialized. Where Riflemen is Green, Yellow, Red and Flamethrower are Purple, Blue, Cyan.

Why bother with the colors? Because if can reduce the amount of TOKENS required to keep track of Damage. Think of it as a way to SORT units by SPECIALIZATION. General, vanilla units to something way different.

That's sort of a LINEAR APPROACH. Sort of like a EVOLVING specialization of Units.

NEXT we go with the Two (2) SIDED tokens. Same COLOR can be used for different Units. For example: Side #1 for Infantry (people in the Wargame) and Side #2 can be for Vehicles (including helicopters and planes, etc. etc.).

This is a VERTICAL APPROACH. Sort of like a progression from People to Machinery.

***

So yes I understand there is a COST to tracking Damage. But using these two (2) techniques ... You can have RE-USABLE "Tokens" and not too many to start with. If EITHER are already "People" vs. "Vehicles" that allows tokens to be used on two (2) types of Units in the game. Meaning that you get more usage out of the tokens just than being ONE-SIDED.

Why is this important???

Well because having tokens costs something (as making physical tokens) and you don't want to WASTE tokens on Units that you are not planning to deploy. And sometimes you may want to switch things up... Having tokens that are MORE "VERSATILE" means that there can be multiple uses of the SAME Token in different ways.

***

So this is just a START to this thread. I am of course awaiting feedback. Feel free to comment and ask questions if the concepts presented here are not "clear". Again any feedback is appreciated... Feel free to join in this thread and start a conversation about "Damage Tokens".

Cheers all!

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Wed, 09/02/2026 - 20:22
#1
questccg
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This can be tied to the Threshold mechanics too!

Other than LINEAR progression of COLORS... Another approach is the count of how many threshold levels there are.

So units with 3 Threshold values: Green, Yellow, Red.

Units with 4 Thresholds values: Blue, Green, Yellow, Red.

Units with 5 Thresholds values: Purple, Blue, Green, Yellow, Red.

This is also ANOTHER alternative for perhaps stronger units vs. weaker units. And remember it could be "groups" too instead of just Units...

Let's see what people think is better. But this use of colors could help in determining variable thresholds "targets" according to the STRENGTH of the Unit and of Group.

This feels more "reliable" and makes are bit more sense than having values change according to the "specialization" of units.

Again, let me know what you think?!

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Wed, 09/02/2026 - 20:25
#2
larienna
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As a colorblind person, I

As a colorblind person, I would say, do not color code information.

If you need to have units that have more than 2 steps, there are a few options:

A) Stack of token: Each token is an HP. You can gauge the height to the stack to determine its strength, this is visually interesting.

B) Columbia Blocks: Those blocks allows hidden information, and can be rotated to reduce the hp of the units. The number of steps is on the edge, here is an example:

https://boardgamegeek.com/image/257617/wizard-kings

C) Off board: If you have few units, then the health tracking does not have to be on the map, it can be off board.

There could be other solutions, those are the ones that comes to my mind.

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Wed, 09/02/2026 - 23:18
#3
X3M
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For the colourblind

On cards: Chips with symbols and/or numbers.
On miniatures: Little plastic cards with symbols and/or numbers.

For the miniatures game, I had in mind, different shapes of fire and smoke.
1, red, small, 1 spike
2, orange, medium, 2 spikes
4, yellow, big, 3 spikes

Perhaps stackable shapes?
Thus, putting similar fires on top of each other.

Maybe adding a cloud.
2, 1 red spike with a cloud
8, 2 orange spikes with a cloud
32, 3 yellow spikes with a cloud
Not sure how, but best would be that the spikes are stackable.

I don't see fires in different colours, if it is not chemistry.

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Fri, 09/04/2026 - 19:38
#4
questccg
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That's not at all what I was thinking

So the "Damage Tokens" that I was thinking about are SYMBOLIC LEVELS and not actual "Data points". Unlike "HP Tracking", "Damage Tracking" ONLY requires ONE "Damage Token" to keep track of the STATE of one Unit.

If you have 20 Units you can have up to 20 "Damage Tokens"... But may have less if some Units have 0% "Damage" (No Damage).

You DON'T stack "Damage Tokens"... Unlike "HP Tracking" which requires you to MAINTAIN a bunch of "HP Tokens" to determine the EXACT amount of HP leftover for any given Unit. And depending on the NATURE of how(?) Combat Evolved you can have like 4 to 5 "HP Tokens" which means you can EASILY have like 50+ Tokens for a Dozen or so Units.

That's IS BAD. "Threshold Mechanics" and "Damage Tracking" REDUCE the clutter and make it much, much, MUCH easier to keep track of a dozen or so units in play.

Anyhow... If someone doesn't understand the difference... Feel free to comment and I'll do my best to answer questions. If you have feedback concerning this topic also feel free to SHARE.

Sincerely.

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Fri, 09/04/2026 - 21:44
#5
questccg
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Also IF you use Cards in Tandem with Miniatures...

You can use CLIPS on the side of cards and the various "Threshold" Levels on the cards themselves produces a more RELIABLE mechanic that ACTUAL "Tokens":

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/parts/slider-clip-blue

I think @X3M or maybe it was @larienna that suggested this to me with one of the designs that I had been working on.

The bottom line is IF you have cards to keep track of Miniatures STATS (they don't need to be Poker Size... The can be MICRO cards which are HALF the normal size of a Poker Card. Here:

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/make/products/MicroDeck

So those are other possibilities to YIELD more FLEXIBLE "feel" to a game that has Miniatures but requires a BIT of "Damage Tracking" with CLIPS (on the LHS of the Micro Card).

Something along those lines can go even further in making the game less difficult to track. And as far as "Clips" go... You can use two (2) Colors: Red & Blue (for example). Or Orange & Green... etc. etc.

These are more generic component that when put together with Micro Cards can yield some pretty powerful Mechanics to be used in tandem with Miniatures.

Anyhow... Just saying and sharing more of my thoughts on the matter.

Cheers.

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Fri, 09/04/2026 - 23:33
#6
questccg
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Some additional thoughts

I guess you could use the CLIPS and MICRO Cards to do "HP Tracking" too. It's just more MATH intensive and TBH harder to manage. So maybe the argument of why(?) "Damage Tracking" is easier to manage than "HP Tracking" could be a bit on-par with each other.

I'm not saying there are not CLEVER ways to DO "HP Tracking" but for the most part it's more challenging than "Thresholds Mechanics" combined with "Damage Tracking".

Again it's POSSIBLE with "HP Tracking" ... It's just MORE MATH oriented than I would personally like from my designs.

Anyhow... I'll leave you all with this comment and something to THINK(!) about.

Best.

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Sat, 09/05/2026 - 06:39
#7
X3M
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Threshold on themselves

I just thought of a mix between threshold and health tracking.

What if you got a list of thresholds like this:
1, 3, 5, 7
So 4 thresholds.

If you deal enough damage for one threshold. You can place one of those coloured category.
If you deal like 3 damage in this example. You can place the next coloured category.

And the effects are that the highest thresholds do not matter anymore. The whole system shifts if you will.

3, 6, 9 is rather linear. And it is more like a threshold of 3 with 3 hit points. But you now can say. 7, 8, 9. Where you need to get 7 damage in order to remove the 9 for next round. It is still.... 3 hit points. But the lowest threshold is now 7.

Another option:
(3, 5), 7, 9
Where you need to deal 7 damage. And you now get (3), 5, 7.
The lowest threshold will lower itself.

Let me know what you think about this mechanic?

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Sat, 09/05/2026 - 20:49
#8
questccg
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This makes more sense now

Yeah I said you could have between "3" and "5" Threshold Values depending on the NATURE of the Unit. Stronger Units have more "Levels". And yes you are correct:

X3M wrote:
If you deal enough damage for one threshold. You can place one of those colored category.

If you deal like 3 damage in this example. You can place the next colored category.

Now that sounds more "reasonable".

X3M wrote:
And the effects are that the highest thresholds do not matter anymore. The whole system shifts if you will.

Yes that is correct... You have already done sufficient Damage to by-pass the FIRST "Level" of the Threshold Mechanic.

It is still LESS MESSY than "HP Tracking" by FAR. I personally find the version with "Thresholds" more INTUITIVE to PLAY and it makes a bit of generalization for the Levels giving you more odds of victory with a stronger amount of troops.

Anyhow yes this is much BETTER IMHO!

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Sat, 09/05/2026 - 22:05
#9
X3M
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To be clear

While I mentioned health tracking in the other topic. It is more likely that games do damage tracking.

With having health tracking as a whole. All units must get a health bar of some sorts. This is a lot of handling.
Instead, only apply damage. And if it is high enough, the unit dies.

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