I know for myself, if I am going to use tracking in a gameday, I put out marked stakes in the ground. Only PCs with tracking are allowed to read them, and are the only ones who are told what color means what. Since I preset the stakes, the PCs have to search for them, just like if they were searching for tracks.
Examples Red stakes might means that the scent of wolves is heaver this way, but I might also have written on some of them "The rotting scent is more clear this way." or the like.
Now one really nice thing for me, plot wise, is that I can also use the stakes as a frame of refrence for NPCs and getting ready or spawning or whatnot. I can tell them, go into the woods and set up by the blue stake, or respawn back at the last red stake.
If someone kicks over a stake or messes it up, the track was obscured so they need to make the search wider untill they find the next one.
In short, if I dont put out stakes, you cant use tracking.
Now I havent done this at an event yet, but I suspect it could work the same way. If I want an NPC trackable, give them stakes to set. If other PCs mess up the stakes during gameplay, or the PCs just dont look for them, tracking fails.
Examples Red stakes might means that the scent of wolves is heaver this way, but I might also have written on some of them "The rotting scent is more clear this way." or the like.
Now one really nice thing for me, plot wise, is that I can also use the stakes as a frame of refrence for NPCs and getting ready or spawning or whatnot. I can tell them, go into the woods and set up by the blue stake, or respawn back at the last red stake.
If someone kicks over a stake or messes it up, the track was obscured so they need to make the search wider untill they find the next one.
In short, if I dont put out stakes, you cant use tracking.
Now I havent done this at an event yet, but I suspect it could work the same way. If I want an NPC trackable, give them stakes to set. If other PCs mess up the stakes during gameplay, or the PCs just dont look for them, tracking fails.