Does anyone actually use these?

As in, you actively use them, not that you used them once and thought it was kinda nifty and never used it again.

I've never used a GM screen. Didn't even know about them until 10 years ago or so. I like the idea, but I don't like being walled off from my players. I also can't think of anything that would fill up more than half of one, information-wise. I've looked at ones for every version of DnD, Palladium Fantasy, and a couple others, and for the most part, they just seem gimmicky to me, and not particularly useful as most of the info printed on them seems like stuff the GM should have either memorized or is not at all important.

I did toy with building one for a Heroes Unlimited game that was a collaborative campaign effort between another GM and myself to better keep track of all the houserules, gangs, villain groups and storylines we had going, but the campaign fell apart before I ever bothered with it.

Quote from: everloss;600760Does anyone actually use these?

As in, you actively use them, not that you used them once and thought it was kinda nifty and never used it again.

I've never used a GM screen. Didn't even know about them until 10 years ago or so. I like the idea, but I don't like being walled off from my players. I also can't think of anything that would fill up more than half of one, information-wise. I've looked at ones for every version of DnD, Palladium Fantasy, and a couple others, and for the most part, they just seem gimmicky to me, and not particularly useful as most of the info printed on them seems like stuff the GM should have either memorized or is not at all important.

I did toy with building one for a Heroes Unlimited game that was a collaborative campaign effort between another GM and myself to better keep track of all the houserules, gangs, villain groups and storylines we had going, but the campaign fell apart before I ever bothered with it.

I occasionally find them useful. I now have a landscape 3-panel with sleeves for whatever I feel like putting into it. I'm currently converting my Hero System setting to Savage Worlds, so it's now a double-sided GM's screen with Hero System info on one side and Savage Worlds tables on the other; I frequently end up running both in the same day at conventions. I find I'm much less "walled off" from the players with the landscape orientation.

The only issue I have is that it's hard to decide what to include: no matter how much info is crammed into the GM's screen, there's always something I need that's not there. It's usually something of the "that should've been obvious" variety, while most of the stuff on the GM's screen ends up being "filler" I never need to use. This is equally likely to happen with store-bought GM's screens and those I've done myself.

I use mine in D&D all the time.  It's nice to have the charts right there, and I can surprise the players by bringing XYZ monster mini out.  But I recognize they're not always necessary.  I put it away when the party is in town.

Yes, I use GM screens, but keep it off to the side so that I'm face to face with the players. I GM multiple systems so it's nice to have stuff like Range Modifiers handy. I also have a Fill Your Own screen, which is nice because you can put reference sheets on the players' side as well.

Some games lend themselves more to screens, specifically anything with combat/resistance tables: B/X D&D, Gamma World, BRP.

Quote from: everloss;600760Does anyone actually use these?

Yup.

In general, though, I've virtually never seen a printed GM screen that had consistently useful and well-organized information on it. For example, I've seen multiple screens which include the steps for character creation on them: In what possible universe is that information I'm going to be frequently referencing? Another recent example has a weapons table that doesn't include the damage done by the weapon. Mind-boggling.

So it's only been comparatively recently that I've started using them for reference at all (by putting together my own reference sheets). And this can be really useful and cut down on book references if you get the right information up in front of you.

Primarily, though, I use GM screens in order to conceal my notes from my players. When I GM, I find it useful to spread things out. If I'm running a dungeon, for example, I like to be able to look at the map, the current room key, and the monsters' stat blocks all at the same time (at a bare minimum). It saves time page-flipping and it increases my active comprehension of the situation when I can just glance at the information I want.

This is really just a courtesy for my players: If they really wanted to, the screen isn't going to stop them from looking at my notes. But the reality is that they don't want to get spoiled (by seeing the dungeon map before they've explored it, for example). Some people complain that the screen "cuts them off" from the players, but I've found the opposite to be true: By taking away the "oh god, I don't want to see his notes" vibe from the table it can actually relax the table dynamics.

Quote from: languagegeek;600789Yes, I use GM screens, but keep it off to the side so that I'm face to face with the players.

I'll do this a lot, too. Setting up a TV tray to your left and/or right hand can be really useful for this sort of thing.

I also prefer landscape-oriented screens. No loss of utility (in fact, they cover a larger horizontal space) and it's easier to see over the top of them.

I like the idea of GM screens, and the tables all in one place, I just - ironically enough - don't have the space to put it comfortably.

I prefer to play with everyone sitting around on the floor, everyone rolling in the open and sharing books and having a GM screen partition that space is pretty inconvenient. So I buy them for the art and tables and just keep them on the side instead of using them as an actual screen.

I want/need the Shadowrun one. The GM we have for our Pathfinder game uses one. (ugh, I do not like the system, love the GM's style and world.)

I happen to hold the belief that besides the basic rulebook, the only thing you truly need is a DM screen and dice.

Most are quite useful, even if it's just for a pretty logo to get everyone on "brand think" and hide your papers, books and dice rolls.

As I wrote here I use screens and I usually build them myself.



I like screens as I can ...

• ... hide location maps behind them (leaning them to the inside of the screen, so that I don't have to shuffle adventure notes and maps)
  
• ... put post-its with character info in seating order of the players (AC, awareness ratings, or just character names in short-term convention games)
  
• ... list stats of typical encounters (watchmen/militia, thief/highway robber, merchant, noble, dog/wolf, standard humanoid monster of the setting) in campaign play
  

But I prefer landscape orientation, and even smaller-than-letter-sized cardboard. The screen doesn't need to be high. I want to be able to see the middle of the table, where the players put their visualization of the current location (be it their dungeon sketch, a city map, or the overland campaign map).

I like GM's Screens, and when I can't find a decent one, I'll create my own using the old Savage World's GM's Screen, which is basically a trifold piece of cardboard with empty plastic inserts for you to insert your own pages of info.  (I'm fairly certain I've only used a homemade one for Exalted.)

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For those who don't use them: How do you keep maps secret from players?

Quote from: Haffrung;600943For those who don't use them: How do you keep maps secret from players?

I don't use dungeons, and the maps I draw are such a mess of scribbles that I wouldn't expect anyone to really see much from further out.

Quote from: vytzka;600949I don't use dungeons, and the maps I draw are such a mess of scribbles that I wouldn't expect anyone to really see much from further out.

Same here, for the most part.

I've only used 2 or 3 dungeon maps as far as I can remember, and I kept them in a graph paper notebook. Just flip over the page, and they can't see the map.

I like GM screens. It's a hotkey to (hopefully) the most often used tables, and a way to build tension about the unknown. The best horror IME works on the principle of suspense, and though I don't fudge dice, the format provides the feel of "keeping secrets."

That and I hate when players read an exposed GM die roll of mine (that has no openly declared purpose) and they metagame all sorts of conclusions what it means. Sometimes I like rolling dice to help me think, it may have zero relevance to a situation at hand. And as funny as their anticipation is to some exposed roll, it's distracting while I'm brainstorming improv.