I will include a full GM post in the OOC section at the bottom of my post for the first round (or possibly two) of combat for each of the groups. This is just for transparency and to show the curious minds what is going on behind the scenes. Also included in this section (but not visible) will be a current status of all the NPCs and enemies that the characters are facing (and any other notes I need) - mostly for convenience for me.
So I appreciate that for the very first round (or two) the OOC section will seem really long. I will change it to small text to limit space taken up, and if you choose to read it great but I will not ask you to, nor will I be testing you on the content at a later date.
It is also to show you why I am asking that during combat (or any situation that you feel I need to know) you include a short summary of your character's condition. Please include the essential information in the form:
Current Hit Points: xx / MAX HP
AC: (can include Flat Footed and Touch if you're feeling nice)
Any spells or effects that are currently in effect, and their duration.
Any rolls that you have made (you can either copy/paste or just summarise, or do both if you feel the need)
You can of course add as much or as little detail as needed - I can always reference what you are doing online or ask you to clarify as needed... And of course it does not need to be in this exact format - so long as the necessary information is presented. For example you could write "Resistance: 1 of 6rounds, +1 to saves" or just "Resistance: 1/6 rounds"
This is just to ensure that we all know where each of our characters stand each round. I know it's a little bit of work, but in other games I've seen it used it works great and once you get used to copy/pasting the text it begins to take no time at all.
An example would be:
The Unseen One:
Example Character
Hit Points: 10/20
AC: 18
Mage Armour (+4AC, 3hours)
Resistance (+1 to all saving throws, 1 of 6 rounds)
Poison (-2CON, unknown)