[MNBlockHead]

Just before the start of a session I:

1. Open HL with the party's portfolio. I'm using DnD Beyond now, so I'm not keeping the characters up to date in HL. I just have all the PCs for initiative tracking in the tactical console.

2. Open Realm Works

Then during the game when they have an encounter, I simply click on the integrate button (the one with the crossed arrows icon).

I import the scene or monster(s) into the characters portfolio as enemies and run the encounter.

After the encounter is over, I select the "delete all enemies and non-allies" from the "Portfolio/Delete Heroes" submenu.

It is quick and easy.

Even when I've not had the PCs in a portfolio, I never had to close and reopen the program. Because I was using DnD Beyond, I was not putting PCs in HL when I started my current campaign. What I would do is simply open a portfolio and not bother creating the hero. Basically, has a blank hero in an unsaved portfolio.

I would integrate an encounter into it. After the encounter, I would simply CNTRL+N to open a new portfolio. I would decline saving the current portfolio and open a new portfolio with a blank character. Rinse and repeat.

Really the only reason to create a PC portfolio was to integrate them into the tactical consoles initiative tracking.

Using the methods described above has always been more convenient than manually opening portfolios by clicking on the files in Windows Explorer. I'm running Rappan Athuk, a massive mega-dungeon sandbox. I have hundreds of monsters and scene portfolios. Even with alphabetical naming for monsters and location key prefixes for scene names, having to go to another window and scroll through the files is a lot less convenience than clicking on the integration button in RW and clearing the non-PC heroes after the encounter.