Quote from: Mystery ManUnless your dice are huge it's hard to see what the number is anyway.

Well we have 6 players and a GM sat round a dinning room table, it's very easy to read someone elses dice, since we are virtually shoulder to shoulder.

Quote from: BagpussWell we have 6 players and a GM sat round a dinning room table, it's very easy to read someone elses dice, since we are virtually shoulder to shoulder.

It's going to be pretty hard for the two player sitting next to the GM to NOT notice the roll unless they are otherwise distracted or intentionally averting their eyes. I only really see the people sitting on the other end of a 6-seat table really having any problem seeing my dice.

Quote from: BagpussWell we have 6 players and a GM sat round a dinning room table, it's very easy to read someone elses dice, since we are virtually shoulder to shoulder.

I forgot, I'm probably at an advantage in that we have a massive gaming table in a finished barn all to ourselves. There's no way for me to see anyones dice rolls and they the same. Trust is a big thing. I'll admit if I was shoulder to shoulder with my players I would probably still be using a screen.

That sounds sweet. I've an 8ft by 4ft table for my double garage but (un)fortunately we don't play at my house.

When I use to play at University we played in classrooms, which had plenty of space and a blackboard for diagrams and notes, that was cool. In the Star Trek games we arranged the desks like stations on the bridge.

Quote from: Caesar SlaadHaving the players know the result of such rolls authentically impacts the feeling of suspense in the game.

Not neccessarily, IME. When you read a book or watch a movie the suspense is not impaired by the knowledge of the sure triumph of the heroes.

Quote from: ImperatorNot neccessarily, IME. When you read a book or watch a movie the suspense is not impaired by the knowledge of the sure triumph of the heroes.

For me, it is. That's one of the reasons I enjoy gaming despite having access to hundreds of hours of TV entertainment on disc, and I find television shows like 24 that WILL kill significant characters particularly engaging. I still recall an episode of Andromeda wherein the ship was stuck inside a giant space beastie, and the crew is caterwauling "oh, we are so gonna die", and I was rolling my eyes and totally failing to catch the drama because I knew they were so NOT gonna die.

And I think I instill this in my players. Once my players know that I am going to push them to the precipice and the end the session having barely scraped by (or pehraps having lost a team member or two), that's when I know I have them and they will be back in weeks and months to come.

I don't use them. I put on a good show and so do my players -  GM screens get in the way of the action. I don't fudge rolls - not anymore - so that's really not a problem (actually even when I was fudging it was not really a problem). My notes are handwritten ( probably only I understand them) and besides, who would want to look at them anyway. A screen takes up space which could be used for other stuff - ashtrays, drinks, snacks etc

Regards,
David R

Quote from: Caesar SlaadFor me, it is. That's one of the reasons I enjoy gaming despite having access to hundreds of hours of TV entertainment on disc, and I find television shows like 24 that WILL kill significant characters particularly engaging.

Oh, I'm cool with that But I assure you that's not always the case. Of course, it can be totally true for your group, and that's great.

I use one - but I keep it folded up until I need to look up the hit points of a  strong wooden door or something.

Quote from: Mystery Man I forgot, I'm probably at an advantage in that we have a massive gaming table in a finished barn all to ourselves.

That's a helluva thing to forget.

I used one forever. The last campaign I ran, i didn't, just because I moved my chair from the end of the table (where everyone could see me and vice-versa) to closer to the center so I could reach the battlemat and the miniatures. And the screen was in the way. I could still roll in secret if I needed to.