GM Screen

[Sizzaxe]

DCC RPG just cries out for an awesome GM screen. Any idea if this will be a proprietary project or third partied?

[moes1980]

there are so many charts, im thinking of going with a binder with tabs that list each crit table, coruption table, devine disaproval, fumbles, and spell dualing charts, and MDoA guidelines. Then ill think about making a home made screen with combat mods, conditions for making moral checks, unholy turning table, weapon damage list, rules for falling damage, rules for death, rules for healing by resting, etc.

alot going on in this game, don't know if its possible to fit everything onto one screen but if it is that would be awsome

[finarvyn]

I have an old 3-panel (6 faces landscaped) "build your own" GM screen from the folks that did SAVAGE WORLDS and that gives me room to work with. I put together a screen with some of my favorite charts and such for playtest purposes.

I need to tweak it a bit and am thinking of investing in the newer 4-panel (8 sides regular orientation). If there is interest I'll post something when I get it revised.

[Sizzaxe]

Have you ever seen Hackmaster's 32 page GM screen? You wouldn't think it's possible, but they did it, and did it well. You have to see it to get the idea, but something like that would work great for DCC's many tables and such.

[Harley Stroh]

I don't think we'll need 32 pages, but a judge's screen is definitely in the works.

//H

[talmor]

I don't think we'll need 32 pages, but a judge's screen is definitely in the works.

Well, you may not need 32 pages...

[Sizzaxe]

I don't think we'll need 32 pages, but a judge's screen is definitely in the works.
/quote]

Well, you may not need 32 pages...

[moes1980]

Have you ever seen Hackmaster's 32 page GM screen? You wouldn't think it's possible, but they did it, and did it well. You have to see it to get the idea, but something like that would work great for DCC's many tables and such.

Yes, I have, own one Its like a dm screen with several "pages" that fould out, for those of you that don't know. I found it difficult to use all those folders because as soon as you expand them out you no longer have room behind your GM screen to do anything. The onlything I really liked on that screen was that you could writ on it with wet erase markers, and you could fold over flaps to access the d10,000 critical hit table.

I think I folder with tabs for easy and quick look up of information would work better (although, it probably would not be tht much quicker than just using the rulebooks index any way)

Maybe another solution is to offer double sided character sheets that have relevent charts and info per class on the back of them. Fighters and dwarves would have sheets with the MDoA, mages would have corruption charts and a space to write down infor for their familar, clerics could have the turn unholy chart, and they could all have their relevent crit tables, that way you would never really have to look anything up (assuming mages have printouts of thier spells). Then the Judges screen could have the fumble tables, combat modifiers, tables for spell duals, things like that.

[finarvyn]

Interesting that folks would bring up HackMaster -- if there was ever a table-intensive game, that would be the one. The DCC RPG may have lots of crit tables and spell tables, but overall the mechanics don't require that many at a time.

[Sizzaxe]

Yeah, HM is awesome that way. Moreso HM4 than the new HMb; I don't see DCC needing anywhere near that much space. But to be a proper screen monkey I really gotta have a kewl screen

[Aplus]

I was going to work on one (I own the savage worlds customizable screen as well), but after reading harley's tips & tricks post, I think I'm going to play without a screen. There is an adversarial aspect to the DM screen that I've long wanted to try to do away with, and I think now is my chance to try it out.

[QuentinTheTroll]

I was going to work on one (I own the savage worlds customizable screen as well), but after reading harley's tips & tricks post, I think I'm going to play without a screen. There is an adversarial aspect to the DM screen that I've long wanted to try to do away with, and I think now is my chance to try it out.

Hold on there, peacenik. How can you crush your enemies and see them driven before you without a judge's screen to partially shield your evil?

Oh, I get it, you take the subtle route to defeating and humiliating your players. Let them think you are their "friend," a kindly guide through a realm of mystery, etc.

Then you betray them.

Clever.

[Harley Stroh]

I was going to work on one (I own the savage worlds customizable screen as well), but after reading harley's tips & tricks post, I think I'm going to play without a screen. There is an adversarial aspect to the DM screen that I've long wanted to try to do away with, and I think now is my chance to try it out.

Frank Mentzer does this beautifully. He let me sit in on one of his games for a bit. He had a sheet for monster stats, another for notes, and that was about it.

//H

[Aplus]

He also has a neat little way of shielding his dice rolls with his hand when he wants to keep it a secret.

If nothing else, it's just a lot more comfortable for me, and I don't have to stand as much.

And yes, it can have the effect of lulling players into a false sense of security mwahaha.

[finarvyn]

For me, the GM screen serves a few key roles:
1. It keeps important charts handy for my use
2. It hides my maps and notes from the players

I try really hard not to think of it as a shield between me and my players for much the same reason that others have mentioned -- I don't want to be seperated in a me-versus-them role but instead like to foster the attitude that we are collaborating on an adventure. Often, I will sit so that my screen is to my side, just so I can access it but so that it's not really between me and my group.

It's my job to toss obsticles in their way, but it's not my job to be mean and try to crush them. (I'm sure that QuentinTheTroll wasn't being serious. I was mostly responding to Harley's comments about Frank Mentzer.)

[GnomeBoy]

My name is GnomeBoy, and I use a GM screen, and roll in the open (sometimes).

[jmucchiello]

DM Screen free since, hmmm, the beginning, though I probably used as a teen because I didn't know better. Always played with minis and always found the screen removed the DM from the field of battle too much.