I haven't used a screen for a long time. But when I first started playing, I experimented. For a few games I had the players sitting in the next room with me communicating through a window.

Now that was excellent for hiding stuff!

I like 'em and they don't make me feel cut off, they're useful reference.  I wish more comapnies made the "long and low" style, but whatever.

Commercially made screens are the only kind I use.  I've never made my own.

Quote from: beejazzI like to obscure dice rolls.

In addition, some people might get a glimpse of something that spoils a surprise for them. You don't have to be intentfully malicious for seeing something to be bad.

I use 'em and like 'em. As others have said, they help the GM retain the element of surprise, as well as have handy charts and the like at the ready.

I prefer to retain the element of surprise by delivering a swift kick to the groin if I feel things are starting to lag...

Quote from: Wandering MonsterI prefer to retain the element of surprise by delivering a swift kick to the groin if I feel things are starting to lag...

I don't know much about LARPing...

Quote from: BagpussIt's not so much seeing what I have written down I worry about, but seeing how little I have written down, so they can tell when I'm bluffing and making it all up as I go along.

Here, here.
My players think that unless it's all been mapped out in intricate detail, it's not a good adventure. I've gotten where I just drag out two or three notepads with gibberish in them just to lull them into believing that I've slaved hours on their latest session. They love it because they think I've written everything up, and I love it because it allows me to run with my imagination without worrying about what they're thinking.

That sounds like you have players with trust issues to me.

I've run games for a number of groups and I've never had anyone accuse me of "making things up" or not running a proper adventure.  When I took up with my current group, the GM has a style that's almost identical to mine and similarly nobody accuses him of doing anything wrong either.

It's like KotDT, if you trust your GM then you trust him to be even handed and you accept his rulings and his decisions as to what happens.  If you don't trust your GM suddenly it's "That's not what the rules mean! you're trying to screw me!" or "Let me see your notes, you didn't plan to have goblin raiding party sitting there!"

Never used them, never really seen the point.

I don't hide my dice rolls, though similarly given people generally don't know what modifiers I may be applying or what the NPCs skill is it doesn't really give people that much info to roll in the open anyway.  I have no NPCs who need to win or lose, so I don't worry about needing to fudge a roll to guarantee those results.

My notes are mostly lists of names and brief descriptions.  Sometimes I know something is going to happen but haven't had time to write down the details, last night I knew three youths would raid the party unwisely, but given I knew they were no serious combat threat I didn't need to prep their stats (had there been a fight I would have given them low stats on the spot, if I can't do that I don't run the game) in case they got lucky rather than handwaving the fight but it wasn't needed.  I hadn't had time to write down names in advance, so I did that then.  I don't think the outcome was any different to what it would have been had I had more time.

GM screens fill three roles I think mainly.  

1) To hide the GM's dice rolls, mostly to allow the GM to ignore them or fudge them.  I think if you're not happy to take the result of the dice you shouldn't be rolling them.

2) To show charts and rules needed for play.  I prefer to avoid games that need that support, if I don't know a rule and it becomes important I either get a player to look it up while I run something else for a moment or houserule it on the fly rather than slow up play.

3) To hide the GM's notes.  My notes aren't generally that extensive, and anyway I trust my players not to read them.  After all, by reading them they might find out that the kindly old adviser is really a corrupt and cunning politician, but why would they want to spoil the fun of finding that out in play?

Quote from: BalbinusNever used them, never really seen the point.

I don't hide my dice rolls, though similarly given people generally don't know what modifiers I may be applying or what the NPCs skill is it doesn't really give people that much info to roll in the open anyway.  I have no NPCs who need to win or lose, so I don't worry about needing to fudge a roll to guarantee those results.

My notes are mostly lists of names and brief descriptions.  Sometimes I know something is going to happen but haven't had time to write down the details, last night I knew three youths would raid the party unwisely, but given I knew they were no serious combat threat I didn't need to prep their stats (had there been a fight I would have given them low stats on the spot, if I can't do that I don't run the game) in case they got lucky rather than handwaving the fight but it wasn't needed.  I hadn't had time to write down names in advance, so I did that then.  I don't think the outcome was any different to what it would have been had I had more time.

GM screens fill three roles I think mainly.  

1) To hide the GM's dice rolls, mostly to allow the GM to ignore them or fudge them.  I think if you're not happy to take the result of the dice you shouldn't be rolling them.

2) To show charts and rules needed for play.  I prefer to avoid games that need that support, if I don't know a rule and it becomes important I either get a player to look it up while I run something else for a moment or houserule it on the fly rather than slow up play.

3) To hide the GM's notes.  My notes aren't generally that extensive, and anyway I trust my players not to read them.  After all, by reading them they might find out that the kindly old adviser is really a corrupt and cunning politician, but why would they want to spoil the fun of finding that out in play?

What Balbinus said. I have some GM screens, mainly for the charts and rules thingy. Some screens are well arranged and are a good rules resume.

I always thought it would be cool, if you were into screens, to have really nice screens for different occasions; like a shiny chrome screen for SF or a miniature Japanese folding screen for Nipponesque games.

There's a symbology in the GM screen. Somebody should write an essay.

On dice rolls, I've never liked hiding them and didn't realize how much until I got rid of my screen. This is a personal preference and I don't think there's anything wrong with doing it however. And I never ask for a roll nor give one unless the situation really warrants it. If I ask for a roll and need something to happen or if a player does or says something really cool a bad roll out in the open could screw up what would make perfect sense anyway. That should be common sense with or without a screen though. I can see the point of hiding notes and things, but no one can read my hand writing but me so I got no worrys there. Maps, they're going to see them anyway but a sideways glance isn't going to make sense to someone who doesn't know what's coming...hell sometimes I have a map without notes or numbers to give them if they do good research on where they're going etc.

Quote from: Mystery ManOn dice rolls, I've never liked hiding them and didn't realize how much until I got rid of my screen.

I see no point in concealing rolls whose result is immediately obvious. That's where the trust issues come in, and that's not a problem at my table.

Where I do prefer to conceal rolls is when the players should be mystified about the result. Why is he rolling the dice? Did the guard hear me? Did the villain buy my bluff of call the authorities in on me as soon as I left?

Having the players know the result of such rolls authentically impacts the feeling of suspense in the game.

Quote from: Caesar SlaadI see no point in concealing rolls whose result is immediately obvious. That's where the trust issues come in, and that's not a problem at my table.

Where I do prefer to conceal rolls is when the players should be mystified about the result. Why is he rolling the dice? Did the guard hear me? Did the villain buy my bluff of call the authorities in on me as soon as I left?

Having the players know the result of such rolls authentically impacts the feeling of suspense in the game.

I see your point, but the effect is still the same with or without a screen. Your players can still hear, they're still going to know you rolled the dice for whatever particular reason from the clatter behind the screen. Unless your dice are huge it's hard to see what the number is anyway.

Quote from: Mystery ManI see your point, but the effect is still the same with or without a screen. Your players can still hear, they're still going to know you rolled the dice for whatever particular reason from the clatter behind the screen.

Whether I rolled the dice is not what I wish to conceal. Whether I rolled low or high when events of the game strongly suggest what the roll is for is what I wish to conceal. That is what is going to keep players in suspense.