Drift Markers

In the comments to my Aquarian fleet post, Matgc asks about the use of drift markers in Galactic Knights--in particular, whether they clutter up the map too much and how to match the right token with the correct ship.  Instead of replying in the comments, I thought I'd post about it in case others were interested.

As I mentioned in the first part of my GK review, the drift marker indicates a starship's momentum, and follows it around on the table.  The faster the ship is moving, the further away the marker is, and vice versa.  The Galactic Knights rulebook has a sheet with numbered drift markers you can copy (different colors, numbered, with the Terran and Avarian logos), and the publisher uploaded a full-color version of this page to the game's mailing list.  Thing is, these markers are pretty big, taking up a whole hex.  So to cut down on the clutter--and color-coordinate with my own paint schemes--I made my own.

I took some small wooden discs left over from an assortment I'd bought to make stands for my ships.  These circles were about ¾ an inch across, about the same size as those printable circular adhesive labels you can find in office supply stores.  As you can see in the photo above, I printed out the ship type and numbers (DD-01, BC-01, etc.) to match my fleets (and numbered the bases of the models themselves), then applied the labels to the discs. 

The round labels come in different colors, so you can pick the hues that match your fleet.  That way, it's easy to tell at a glance which marker goes with which ship.  If you don't see the color you want, use a white sticker and color it with a highlighter.  That's what I did for some of those markers pictured, although the flash kind of washed them out.  If you're worried that they might shift during a game, glue a small washer to the bottom for extra weight.

As to how it looks on the table, I think it cuts down on the clutter significantly.  It's not perfect, but it's somewhat aesthetically pleasing and does its job of indicating vector movement on the game board.  I don't think it's too confusing, but see for yourself in this image from my Chimaeracon game: