Using Game Master Screens - GM Toolbox
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- čas přidán 3. 07. 2024
- The Game Master sitting behind a screen is iconic. But how useful are they? Here's some tips and suggestions on how I use screens.
You can find the customizable screens that I showed here: amzn.to/2YGZQjh
You can find easel binders here: amzn.to/2YpH1WJ
If you like kickass stories about modern-day monster hunters, you can find my novels and audio books here: amzn.to/2YJkEuS
A sturdy screen is also a handy shelter from dice thrown by disgruntled players 😊
You know how much cola hurts when it’s ejected from your nose?
Vengeance is sweet....and fizzy
Hehe yeah they should have atleast SP 10 ;-P
@@Tony-dh7mz You might not get this reference but
BUBBLE CUTTER
@@Meatball996
Nope never heard that one,
@@Tony-dh7mz im not sure if thats sarcasm or not
100% agree with the "sidecar" style of DM screen. I found it much easier to engage my players after I moved it to a side table; you feel much more part of the group and they respond in turn. Not to mention all the benefits of not having stuff in your way when running tactical gridded combat. Its the best of both worlds, you can roll behind the screen if needed or in front of the players with ease. The hard black plastic one I (and Seth seems to have too) is one from Walmart. Fits the 5E screen perfectly.
Same. I have a large table so I've often used those little folding dinner tables for holding peoples' drinks, snacks, phones, and other detritus while keeping only game stuff on the table. Since they're the perfect hide for partially sliding under my table, they work really well in this regard and I don't have to worry about someone spilling on the game stuff, easing my OCD-fuelled paranoia. Most often done when boardgaming. However, I do find GM screens just get in the way, so I should start using a folding table for that, too.
It’s so simple! Why have I not been doing this already?
I'm as much a standing GM as a sitting GM so the sidecar isn't as important to me, but I do use a side table for minis and props that has it's own screen.
Our first DM screen was made by my wife using old Pringles cans, cardboard, toothpicks, popsicle sticks, and hot glue. She styled it like a castle wall; the corners were towers with removable lids hiding minis, clothespins for initiative and monster tracking, various props, and a dice tower. Even had hot glue "beads" stuck to the sides that she painted to look like stones, both normal and ivy covered. Had a little gate on the front too, and the whole thing was originally just able to slide into place piece by piece, it was fantastic. Still in storage as of right now cause it keeps falling apart on us.
Yeah! Another award-winning video from Seth. Good call on the easel binder. It feeds my love of office supplies and is useful for gaming.
Yeah, I was amazed. I had never seen something like that before. I have done my own roleplaying system with a star wars setting, and this might be the most important tool for me to use!
Seth you just earned like 33% more of my love, for that Slough Feg shirt.
Possible topic: how to handle a game when the party temporarily splits up, alongside how to make sure the party doesn’t split up all the time...
I find the key to running a split party session to be to pay close attention to when your "cuts" happen. I like to avoid situations where one group discovers information then the other group has to pretend not to know it (better to head off metagaming than to try and police it). Fast cuts can also be really good to increase tension (one group opens a chest and you cut to the other group before they know what's in it).
And of course, there's the fabled two combats run at the same time on the same Initiative.
the 3rd ed spell ''Status'' can help. If one of the players have that, you can cut down on the meta game problem
@@nickwilliams8302 When splits occur, one character/group of characters being in the dark about the actions of another group can be immense fun all round. And that really requires keeping the players in the dark too, you don't get the same enjoyment from simply roleplaying the ignorance. Regardless, running/controlling splits can be a pain in the @$$. The logic of a lot of situations would not lead to players always moving around as one big mass, except the ubiquitous dungeon crawl. Yet that is what virtually every RPG requires.
TPK! TPK! TPK! Mwahahahahahaha!
Talking to players at the start of the campaign/adventure is my preferred method. I acknowledge sometimes a split group makes tactical sense and so on, but I also make efforts to explain how metagaming detracts from the game as well as how challenging it is for the GM. I also make efforts to have everyone take over as GM at least once (I set up several one-shot side adventures) so they all have a taste of what it takes to do that. Sometimes I just like to play, sometimes poor health is a challenge, and mostly, their appreciation skyrockets. I am tempted set up the willingness to sub as GM as a requirement to sit at my table.
Open communication go such a long way to preventing issues down the road. And split parties is an issue for me as GM. I'm willing to do it, but the table needs to convince me the extra effort on my part is going to be worth it.
I have my players splitting quite a bit. Usually it is their choice, and usually that happens in towns and cities between 'adventures'. I try to equalize time spent with each player or group, and keep switching back and forth at "paragraph breaks" (pause points in each fragment's narrative) to give the other group(s) roughly equal attention, if not equal time. My players handle the metagaming problem by sharing their tales when they get back together, which helps A LOT.
My screen for the longest time was a Macbook Pro. I use Scrivener as a writing tool and I could organize campaigns with it, so I had all my notes there and kept minis and other accessories in a opaque container next to me. Worked great.
Bonus points for using a KODT image.
My screen is a customizable one I made out of foam board, duck tape and clear plastic document sleeves. I made it in a bad temper when I couldn't get on to my regular Roll20 game a few years back. That's right, I rage-screened.
I made my screen with foam board and glued paper
@@waynesanford2869 Were you angry when you made it?
@@rumleech worse: desperate
Having different GM screens is also great to set different moods. Sometimes, I even switch my GM screen fo an other during the current scenario, to signal a change. Example: In Call of Cthulhu, when the investigators go to the Dreamlands, I switch for a more colorful and fantasy-like GM screen (French edition Dreamlands screen) . With a sentence like "You seem to be now in a different world... " while changing screen, makes a good effect on the players ;) (at least the first time)
Just used the easel bind in a session, instead of using it as a dm screen, I printed off the secret of bone hill and it was so helpful with turing the paper and jumping back and forth through the module
Wow, a "The Lord Weird Slough Feg" T-shirt? I know they sold 2 copies of their records, now I know where the other copy went. I think I still have "Down Among the Deadmen". More power to you.
Congratulations on your Ennies award. It is well deserved.
If it hasn't already been mentioned, AD&D PHB does not contain the "to hit" tables and I imagine that is one reason for a player's screen.
I'm personally a big fan of the 5e DM Screen Reincarnated. It's 4 landscape panels and has a lot of stuff that I actually use quite a bit, such as conditions. There's also lots of info on situational rules that might not be used often but are nice to have when they do come up.
My favorite screen to use in game is the Castles and Crusades Castle Keeper Screen. It's a four-panel vertical affair, but it comes in two sections of two boards rather than the usual single piece four or three panel style. When I'm CKing I'm usually at the head of the table anyway, so I will put the left section toward the left corner of the table and the right section at the right corner, leaving me an unobstructed view of the game table right in front of me. This is actually a very nice idea. I can keep the components I need hidden behind each screen still, but I can see what's going on with no fuss. I have a little dice rolling box my wife made, and I will usually place that in the empty area between the screens for my and my players' use.
This is giving me ideas. What about, instead of a screen, the GM gets himself an altar from which to read his codex of epicness?!
I remember a GM I once had, he had build something of wood.
Front did look quite similar to a normal screen, but inside it had a shelf, thus he could have dice and such at the table below the shelf, and papers at the shelf (more space!).
At the shelf he had a stand (A bit like what musicians have to hold their nodes) that could be adjusted for best reading angle.
May as well throw a dais in there while you're at it.
@@NefariousKoel that would be theatrical! Haha!
I made one out of cardboard and put it to the left of me and love it.
@@joesmith-zj7ec awesome! I'm glad for you! I wi definitely have to try!
Your 1st addition screens made my heart happy! At different times I've had DM's use each of them and my husband still has one of them.
GM Toolbox suggestion! Accessories? What do you usually use while playing to enhance the game? I know they sell NPC portrait cards. Some people use story cubes to generate backstories on the fly. Fighting priority order cards folded over the GM screen... Also, Ambiance? Besides music to set the mood, do you bring in candles? Decorate a shelf with potion bottles of different colors? Bring a smoke machine???
Also.. ask to see his creepy baby doll head with light that comes out the eyes. Setting the mood, indeed!
I am so happy to hear you explain how you work with the screen « on the side ». I do this for a couple years now and for the exact same reasons... Glad to see that I am not a Weird Keeper :)
My wife and I actually home made a permanent screen from thin wood panels and then attached hinges between the panels so it could fold for storage. I then make my own information document on Photoshop so I can put the charts and info I want for a specific game - I print it off on cardstock and then laminate it then attach it to the wood screen with velcro. From then on out anytime I switch the game that I am running I just pull the charts and such off the wood screen and switch them out for the ones I need for the upcoming new game. I don't have to buy a screen ever again, though some I still buy if the accessories that come with it are decent and the screen itself is good quality. For example I actually bought the Modiphius Conan screen due to its high quality and the booklet was very useful.
The early edition D&D DM screens were meant to be placed along side module covers
Probably the best video on GM screens that I've ever seen. Thank you, Mr. Seth. :)
I put two of the 5th edition screens together and still feel like I don’t have enough room. 😂
Back when I DMed 4th ed D&D, I had a binder that I kept all my campaign notes in. The easel binder would have been a lifesaver! Great tips!
The D&D 5e DM Screen "Reicarnated" is much more useful.
I love that screen! Quick access to conditions, object AC, long/high jumps, cover and obscurity. It's invaluable.
I’ve had several screens in my day. My favorite was the 2nd edition AD&D screen, which came as two three panel screen, giving you a large area. That sadly got ripped a few years back, so while I search in vain for a replacement, I use a HackMaster 5th edition screen. It is a four-panel screen with top flip flaps and a condensed critical hit chart. When you flip over the left panels, the front art goes from adventurers ready to explore to the same adventurers ambushes and killed by lizardmen, which tells your party where you expect them to be after combat ends in HackMaster.
Here's an intresting on Seth: How to incorporate New Player(s) into your group. It can be fairly hard to introduce in player's to tabletop rpg's anyway,so do you have any suggestion's that could help? Any Do's&Don'ts would be appriciated as well.
That's one I've been considering recently. We just brought in a brand new player, which has been interesting for everyone at the table.
I agree this topic would make a great video as it’s something all GMs struggle with.
Good topic suggestion! I would definitely like to see Seth do a video on this one!
I do have one recommendation that has gone over well for me:
Let the new player sit in on a session or two first before they roll up a character & join the group. Usually, when I do this, I'll let them control some of the monsters or villains during some of the scenes.
This has three benefits:
1) They get to see the dynamic of the game & the group, in a low stress environment. It eases them into role playing.
2) Controlling monsters for a few sessions gives them an introduction to the games mechanics. When it comes time to make a character, they will be more informed about the mechanical choices they are making.
3) It allows a more natural story flow. You aren't bending reality backwards to justify dropping a new PC into the party mid-dungeon, but they dont have to wait an entire month before they get to start participating in the game.
To give you a success story, I once ran a "Diplomatic Boss Fight." I had a player who loved trying to talk their way out of situations, so I set up a high stakes hostage negotiation.
It just so happens, I also had a new player who was ready to join the group.
They didn't join the day of the Boss Fight. Instead, I pulled them into the side room, told them what general powers the guy had, and said, "You're arrogant & ruthless, but you're also a giant coward. You'll play them for everything you can, but if they do something that successfully intimidates you, you'll fold immediately. Try to keep them from using aggressive tactics & see how much you can weasel out of them."
I sat back & watched one of the most amazing role play sessions EVER ran its course! I only had to call for rolls a few times.
And the experienced players had a crazy fun time trying to figure out how to talk down this villain!
The next session, after the hostage was rescued, the new guy was ready to roll their character & start adventuring!
So, that's my tip! Let them sit in on a few sessions, occasionally control a few monsters/villains, & then roll a character after they're more comfortable with the game, group, & rules.
@Mark - that's not a bad idea,it's a [CENSORED CURSEWORD] of a lot better than how me&my brother were introduced:
A brief pre-face to this story: Now i'm a 80's-90's kid(born on the back-end of Disco in 1976), so there were only a couple of game systems to play in at the time.I think there was 4-5(AD&D, GURPS,Palladium & Marvel Super Heroes had just come out), so what happened wasn't really suprising in-an-of itself....
The Story: I had a "Best" friend(at least by a 13 year-old's standards) i'll name Rupert(for protection of the innocent & all that jazz).Well, rupert was involved with 2 RP groups.One was a near-professionally run World of Darkness crew with a G.M. that refused to let player's roll their own dice except for character creation.He was a fair(if slightly paranoid) rules-arbitter who taught me the most valuable G.M.Lesson i've ever learnt:FAIR-IS-FAIR.The OTHER group,however, was the one myself and my brother got stuck with.The best way i can describe them is think of the worst bully characters you've ever seen in movies and set 4 of them around a table filled with beer cans&Dorito bags.Now give one the GM Screen and a bad case of power madness.Toss in 2 13 year old newbies who had NO IDEA how to play anything involving tabletop rpg's, stir well and watch the explosive results....
The Moral: my one takeaway from my time with the OTHERS(they didn't even have a group name,as i found out later they were kicked out of the Paranoid's crew and was the reason for his paranoia in the first place) was to never bring your personal beefs&issues to a gaming table,as it can create such a hostile territory you might nearly destroy someone's love for a Game....
I love the off to the side screen idea.
Great topic. I sometimes like to hide behind my screen, but other times I like to come and visit with the players from time to time.
Seriously though, I have gotten good mileage out of some of my screens while others were barely even useful.
Wow I really liked this. No idea that so much useful info could be conveyed on the simple GM screen...
I made a utilitarian GM screen out of plywood and hinges. You can do a lot with wood burning, carving, putting paint or ink on them, etc. I like a low GM screen so it doesn't cover up my body language or facial expressions when I role-play NPCs. I like to talk using my hands too a lot. :)
I've been a tabletop gamer for over 30 years and not once did I ever see an easel binder like that! My jaw DROPPED when you demonstrated it - it's *perfect*! I immediately went looking for one and not finding it. Eventually realized you'd probably have linked to it and sure enough you had. Thanks for that! Unfortunately they're unavailable rn, but added to wishlist.
6:12 yes, yes - the customizeable screen is what I use exclusively, and especially for Ruin Nation. Swap in and out the monster and npc sheets as needed, maps, everything!
I GM Alien and Vaesen by Freeleague Publishing and I use their specific screens. Partly because much of the information is good and partly because as I suffer the after-effects of exhaustion syndrome, even the basic tables get forgotten, so it's great to have them at hand. 🙂👍
Great tips as always, Seth!
I tend to *not* use them, rather have them under my Core Rulebooks to reference on-going effects or for a quick reference on possible skill checks or something similar. Not having it as a barrier with the group, and rolling my dice in the open changed the style of my game. PS the "Reinvented" version of the 5e DMs Screen is vastly improved over the original. Great vid.
Great video! Especially liked the idea of keeping the screen to the side. One thing I do is I've made my own GM screen out of 4 little whiteboards taped together on the outside, with magnet tape/sheets stuck to the outside. Each panel can not only be drawn on, but can have whatever stuck to it magnetically. So on the left panel I have 20 stacks of post-its, with magnet pins to pin little reminders, on the middle left I have 2 wallets filled with monster stat blocks, and pins to put them. While I don't have anything going on with the middle right, I can recommend printing rule references and attaching them to magnet tape to stick them on the screen.
The last one has little tabs representing the players with ACs and passive scores. Those can be moved into any order at any time to set initiative, and I have blank ones for NPCs, which include a section for hp. As well I can draw little icons next to the tabs to note a condition they might have. There's also a battle timer, a clock I printed with one hand that I move one number every round, and I can use to track spell durations and such, by drawing an icon for it ahead of the clock.
As for the outside, you can attach magnetically anything you want, and I've had a cover panels, from old japanese style with a balsa wood frame an paper, sheets of tea-stained paper with insane scribbling on it, and just simple cloth panels made from old bandanas.
Congrats on the ENnie! 👍😁
Thank you. Now I just gotta figure out the best place to hang it.
Around Jack's neck right? The forever NPC champion, Marked for all to see. Or you get a chuthulu bust and put on that.
Great video, Seth and great tips! I really like that easel binder.
Thank you so so much for this series, Seth. It has helped me out as a DM IMMENSELY.
Ive always just used an old pizza box, that me and my buddy doodled on one drunken night. I glued binder clips to the back, so I can hang up handwritten notes if I want. I also "laminated" it with 2 rolls of packing tape. It's pretty professional lol
Dude, great video. I was looking to expand my screen options, and this really helped me out. Thanks, Seth.
I use to three-ring binders clipped together with binder clips to produce a generic screen in which I stuff my Adventure Notes into the pockets. With two three-ring binders hooked together by overlapping ONE flap from each binder, I have 3 pockets for my adventure notes AND the ability to put notes in clear flaps onto the rings of the binder as well.
Never heard of easel binders, they look perfect! Thanks for the vid.
Built my screen myself out of stiff foil, where I put the cardboard in I use for boarding my comics, connected four of those tiles with tape, put some nice Deponia artworks on the outside, self created cheat sheet (containing self created foes) on the inside. Done
Awesome as usual Seth. Congrats on the Ennie!!!!
The side table seems like a very good idea. Only once played with a GM who used a screen and he kept knocking it over while trying to reach over it to point stuff on the map.
Excellent tips! I have gone back and forth in regards to using a GM screen or not, but when I do, like you, I tend to put it on the side on a separate table. If I may, I'd like to offer a couple of reciprocal tips, although only the first has anything to do with the GM screen. Tip 1: Go to your local dollar store and pick up a three-fold cardboard project display (the kind that middle school students use for science projects) and a can of spray adhesive. Print out whatever charts/art/maps, etc. you want, on regular paper, then use the adhesive spray to attach them to the board. Trim the board it to fit (you can even get creative and put some battlements on the top edge, etc.), and for less than $5, you've got a totally customized GM screen. Tip 2: On one of the wider shots, I saw your whiteboard on the wall (another thing I use a lot in my game sessions). Anyway, you've got your dry erase markers in a little cup attachment, which is fine... but they are stored point-up. One of the tips I learned when I first started teaching is to store your dry erase markers point-down. It easily doubles their lifespan, as the tips won't dry out as quickly.
When my gaming group was starting out, our GM didn't have a screen, so he took the milk crates that he kept his books in and stacked them on the table in front of him so that all we could see were his eyes and the top of his head. It ended up looking like a miniature fortress of caged gaming books and he spent a lot of time leaning from one side or the other to actually see the players.
Thank you for the video Seth. The advice that you give in all of your videos really helps out. I know you're one of the best on this platform for giving useful advice for any kind of Tabletop Roleplaying games. I hope you also have a great day Seth.
Could you please do more war stories, pretty please. With a natural 20 to persuasion on top.
@Bacon Press do It for Thor the Bonesaw demands it!
@@fredricknoe3114 You heard him, peanut head!!!
Great video!! great tips!
I personally use a small laptop and covers from an old school diary and a note book with neat cover art. Also small binder clips and painting tape are perfect for customising your cheat sheet
I agree, if it's firmer it can slide in and out a lot easier. XD In all seriousness, I'll be using these tips. Thanks!
I remember the days of the GM screen, I used to use it a lot, though the pre-printed information was rarely all that useful.
Nowadays I only use my laptop or tablet to organize my games. I've taken the pen-and-paper out, and I know that some of that old school charm is lost by doing so, but the streamlined organization and multimedia additions to my game have made it well worth it.
I was playing for a while with a large round table, and a rectangular side table. All my DM stuff went on the side table, so I was on the round table with all the players and nothing blocking the view of each other. All my combat rolls were out in the open as well (which I am a big proponent of). It was a good set up.
Seth I just got my own TWGS! I can't wait to use it! Thank you for the suggestion.
Picking nits here but the top 2 screens at 0:40 are actually 1 screen in 2 parts. It came that way. Guess printers couldn't handle making a 6-panel screen.
Oh, and the reason everyone needed charts in 1e was that the combat tables didn't have a completely even progression, so you couldn't just write down a single number on your character sheet, you needed the whole table.
I use the screen to the side method as well. It really helps with personal interaction.
I purchased a World's Greatest Screen based on this video. Very happy with it. I did modify it by adding rubber trim along the bottom edge, to give it some grip and stop it slipping around on the table.
THAT is a damn smart idea that I now plan to steal. Glad you're enjoying the screen.
I'm glad I could give something back after all the great ideas you've shared in your videos. This is the type of trim I used www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00YW7J0ZS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I use the landscape screen with the insert panels, I have 2 of them and yes cardstock is the way to go for the inserts. I also cannot remember the company name.
I really don't play games with screens, or even used them when I DM'ed D&D, but I really enjoyed your video. You're generous, kind, easy-going and clever. Good call on everything, and I learned of the easel-binder, and even wanted to use my own screen.
I've actually used the Warhammer GM's screen, just because it was evocative on the player's side, as I didn't even use the rule-set. I think reminding the players of genré, setting and theme is an important part of a screen.
Thanks for making yet another excellent video.
P.S. I really enjoyed the cut-take where you bound the two screens together! That was flawless!
Great info. The GM toolbox list, awsome Idea. That's some pretty interesting tips. Thanks for the contant.
Great video Seth. Thanks for the info, gonna grab some of this for somebody's birthday!
The placement method at 5:05 is great! I'd never thought of that before, and I'll definitely be trying it.
Sick t-shirt! I love that album! :D
Hey Seth, love the idea of an off to the side screen. Really seems like it would help in more light hearted games where you want to be in the thick of it with the players.
Two topics came to mind, so here they are.
1. Do you have any thoughts on the upcoming Cyberpunk Red edition? Are you looking forward to it, or any rule changes that may come with it?
2. Do you have any advice for how to run Cyberpunk 2020 combat in a way that minimizes character death potential? I ask because my players love the setting, but the ever present chance of them getting one shot by a headshot seems to deter them from getting attached to their characters.
I’m not Seth, but I have an idea:
You could confirm headshots by rolling again if you roll a 1 (kinda like what others do to confirm critical hits or misses); it drops the random headshot chance from 10% to 1%, which is a lot more manageable.
Request? Just keep being amazing! I love your uploads and recommend your channel often.
Dig the T-Shirt!!! I love that album!
I was screaming "death to the screen!!!" Right up until you pulled out the side table... I do the same thing but with a laptop, because the DM is a part of the game! My players don't know how much your videos have improved or games, but we thank you for your efforts.
I really like that easel binder. I can see using that even as a player, with quick references to all my spell descriptions, past events, etc.
Unfortunately, I moved overseas and my group is mostly in NY and I skype in from Israel (another player moved to Florida) now.
We use Roll20 for dice rolls and map sharing, but if I ever get back to gaming face to face again, I am definitely ordering an easel binder from Amazon.
Great video Seth! I prefer the customizable screens myself. I tend to stand when I’m judging. So, in essence the screen is really of to the side anyways. My hearing is not the best, which means I tend to walk around the table to hear the players better. I also find it tends to keep the players more engaged.
On the back side of my screen I usually keep the maps and rough charts for monster stats. That way when the players go wandering way off the planned adventure, I can come up with something on the fly. I cut 3”x5” in quarters and bend them in half to use as initiative trackers across the top of the screen.
Like you I usually put some nice relevant artwork on the outside, and maybe a few charts the players can use.
Thanks again for being awesome!
Great video and tips!
Now to go back in the video and take a closer look to figure out how the easel binder stands up like that...
Oh I see on the store page now. I should have realized the metal spine w/rings was straight while the bottom of the covers bent a bit.
What I didn't realize in the video was that there seems to be a piece at the bottom between the metal and cover, keeping the cover part from bending too much and flopping the whole thing.
Ok, here is topic request: How to prepare my own detective/mystery adventure for Call of Cthulhu or similar game? What are DOs and DON'Ts and MUSTs.
I'm fairly confident when it comes to fantasy settings and I can easily run a good game of D&D with one page of notes, but that doesn't work for investigations and I feel like I'm letting my players down when I improvize them too much.
Start from the end and work backwards.
Or start at the beginning and move forward
As always great job Seth, always look forward to your videos on gaming. I am hoping that Masks of N, will be coming up one day as a review.
Lovely video, and congrats on the award!
Thanks.
Yes, we are going to need an “official Skorkowsky gaming club”
Was thinking high leather backed chesterfield chairs, smoking jackets, fireplace (log fire of course) and pipes (tobacco is optional, mine blows bubbles)
An interesting video, thanks for making it. I’ve never seen or heard of an easel binder but I can see how useful they would be.
I mainly use the Screen as sort of a safe space, rarely do a hide things behind it or use the charts. The only "chart" I think I ever used is the Half and Fifth value-tables on the CoC 7th ed. screen.
I rarely use a gm screen, (mostly for the reasons you mentioned)
I did use it for playing Paranoia though...(“oh I’m rolling dice..never mind, nothing to see here, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about”)
I like the binder idea, that’s something I would use,
Wait.
EASEL binders?!
My mind is legitimately blown!
I made a GM/Player's screen for 5e Tunnels & Trolls. I put all the info the GM would need to know, with the section that the chart was pulled from, on the inside facing the GM. On the player's side is character generation and delving supply info facing them.
Having the screen on a side table is a great idea. For me, the only thing a cardboard screen needs to hide is my dice rolls if I don't want the result instantly known, so I don't need to use a particularly large cardboard GM screen - 3 A4 or US Letter sized panels in portrait orientation is enough for that (e.g. the old Cyberpunk 2020 GM data screen)
For the other stuff, I have two flatscreen monitors on my computer, mounted on arms so that I can move them so that I can see both and the players can only see one.
On the one the players can see, I can put up pictures of things/people they see, maps etc; on the one that only I can see, I have my session notes, NPC and player stats etc as well as software to control the background music and sound effects. I can open pictures on "my" monitor to get them ready and then move them to the players' monitor as required.
In order for me to be able to see the players' monitor, both monitors have to be off to one side, so I'm not exactly hiding behind them - as you say, it turns it into a group of people playing a game together rather than "players vs GM".
Congrats for your Ennie man !!!!
Putting the ENnie-nominated and Gold-awarded helpful content aside for a moment, cool shirt! Love me some old school metal à la Slough Feg
I would love to see what you use to manage the tracking of time. This can occur when players split the party, but also when they just want to do things around a city. Some players seem to want to explore every bit, and so hoard GM time. I've made dry-erase clocks that show what everyone's "effective time" is. If you're searching every stall in the bazaar, you're going to get back late or perhaps run into villains while returning home after nightfall.
I’ve never used a DM screen, in over 30 years of DM’ing. I just use my notebook, some cards, and my dice.
This quality content right here is why you won that ENny.
Congrats on a well-deserved Ennie's win! You seem to play a ton of RPGs. I'd like to see the list of those as well as which ones you think are great and which ones are not.
Our group uses Rolemaster (some call it Rollmaster or Chartmaster) and a screen is not something big enough for all the information I need to have at my call. I instead use my laptop as a 'screen' and then have a desk next to me for NPC sheets, printouts of frequently used information, and a pad of paper for quick notes. As for "surprise miniatures" I tend to set out about two dozen various creature types in front of my laptop for each session and the players don't know which I will use next, or if I will only use one as a stand-in for something of similar size. - Long tale short, I have my laptop screen to myself, and for the rest I have players mature enough to not try and 'scout the notes'.
That easel binder is more like a lectern than an easel, but still a good idea...just looks like it would be prone to material fatigue in the fold and loose its ability to remain standing over time. I made my own screen out of thin plywood panels, glued together with leather.
Your video reminded me I had to repair my old insert GM screen. Nothing too bad, but the seems on the side panels were starting to crack something fierce, so some clear tape did the trick.
I may be in the minority but I have both a regular binder full of my gm notes and what have you laying flat, and have the GM screen up to keep the binder itself hidden. It eats up a lot of room that I could put dice, minis, and books in but I have a large enough table that I just put them next to the screen since those items don't need to be hidden.
Hi, I'm new to this channel, but I'm really enjoying watching your videos :) I've been a dnd player for a while and now I'm gming a Call of Cthulhu campaign. I'm just sharing that I dont use a gm screen, but my laptop, where I put whatever notes or look for whatever rule I need to. I think it also applies as a gm screen, somehow
Honestly the main reason why I use the screen is for the pretty artwork. I'd even consider using the Call of Cthulhu screen for a DnD game if i want a particularly spooky game, and just use paper clips like you do.
I am also a big fan of GM screens. My personal priorities for my own screens are 1) Status condition descriptions (such as poison, fatigue, etc) and 2) Beautiful artwork on the cover.
Thanks Seth, very interesting 🙂
For GM screen inserts, I would recommend laminating the inserts. Sometimes the ink will bleed onto the inside of the screens.
Amazing video!! Having the screen on a side table would solve all the problems i have with my screen omg how did i not think of that! (I'm kinda short and my chairs are too, so i need to be standing half the time to be able to see the battle grid and such xD )
I'm playing tabletop RPGs since mid-90s. I saw screens in only 3 contexts:
- it's a movie/TV series/whatever else trying to portray the hobby
- it's a convention game, where it exists to hide the huge pile of notes the GM is consulting non-stop
- it's a podcast, where it's as much a prop as everything else
It's one of those things that I never understood the point of having myself and never actually saw in use by others, too. The only exception are con games, where it's just to sustain the willing suspension of disbelief that the game isn't heavily pre-planned and pre-scripted. People just freely have notes on the table or on their thigh around here for years. And as pointed in the video, the screen creates a pointless barrier, too, which both reinforce the "GM vs players", but also makes communication genuinely harder. It always reminds me of an image of Elementary kids stacking their folding pencil cases to "fortify" themselves during tests to both cheat easier and prevent others from looking into their paper. It's just silly in the context of running a game. What's even the point?
Meanwhile, having easy-to-access and easy-to-read cheat sheets on the table, that can be eyeballed by everyone at any given moment, works wonders when it comes to running stuff and still having useful information without a convoluted barrier taking up space.
Great video, Seth! Great suggestion by Jubbz too!
I've been thinking about this subject lately because I'm considering making myself a new GM screen. I made my last one (also the first one I made...) with thick chit board, having been inspired by the HEX screen and other almost-bullet-proof-like screens that we have today, but I covered it up with an image that isn't really appropriate for all my games (nothing weird, just a big honking dragon), so I want to make one that's more neutral, or versatile, now. I won't go with the World's Greatest because the glare can be distracting and I want to avoid any and every sort of distraction.
I do like using post it notes and clips as well. The only thing I would add is a chart with the main "beats" of the game that we will play that day. Or the main locations in a very rough map so you don't get confused as to where the players are and where they'll be able to go next. Maybe the name of my player's characters (so I can address them by their characters' names) and their strongest and weakest (!) abilities.
Wish you were participating on this year's #RPGaDay! But there's still time if you wanna!