GM Screen?

[lordoracle]

Are the panels soft vinyl or are they rigid?

I am strongly eying the product, but would like some more information.

Fred doesn't like them... so probably not.

I got my screen from hammerdog http://www.hammerdog.com/twgs/index.html

I love it.  It takes standard letter sized paper, so I have a list of all my characters' aspects on one of my inside panels.

[devonapple]

Are the panels soft vinyl or are they rigid?

If it is the same one I have, it is padded vinyl with a solid core of (presumably) cardboard.

[Richard_Chilton]

As an aside - I have found memories of Rolemaster... That time the GM rolled open ended three times in a row and that squirrel killed the knight - priceless! And those critical charts - I always loved rolling a 66 on them.

But no single GM screen would have worked with that game - maybe ICE released one, maybe they didn't (I don't remember) but it would have needed 10 or 12 panels to really work - at least if you had all the supplements...  And I always thought that it was terrible that MERP died right before the LotR movies were released.

This discussion over whether or not you need a DM screen, GM screen, Keeper Screen, etc really shows how the industry has evolved over the decades.  At one time keeping the players in the dark was a big part of the GM's role, then the screen was needed so you could fudge dice rolls to keep characters alive, then for charts, and now charts are more or less leaving the systems....  DFRPG has maybe two pages of charts - that's it.  And iPods, netbooks, etc are replacing the screens for that...

Richard

[Crion]

This discussion over whether or not you need a DM screen, GM screen, Keeper Screen, etc really shows how the industry has evolved over the decades.  At one time keeping the players in the dark was a big part of the GM's role, then the screen was needed so you could fudge dice rolls to keep characters alive, then for charts, and now charts are more or less leaving the systems....  DFRPG has maybe two pages of charts - that's it.  And iPods, netbooks, etc are replacing the screens for that...

Richard

You have a good point here regarding the evolution of a GM screen, and I think that is something we should be taking into consideration here.

If you want the screen to just hide dice behind, take the advice of one of my former players from Germany: toss the dice into a cup (wooden or non-transparent plastic), shake them, then roll by leaving the cup on top and tilted for your view only. This way it removes the screen separating you from your players while still hiding your dice rolls.

If you are relying on the screen for charts, hiding rolls, setting the atmosphere, posting relevant information to the players, etc, then you may want to look at the options people mentioned and find what works best for you.

Again, just my two cents, do with it as you will.

--Crion

[evileeyore]

This discussion over whether or not you need a DM screen, GM screen, Keeper Screen, etc really shows how the industry has evolved over the decades.  At one time keeping the players in the dark was a big part of the GM's role, then the screen was needed so you could fudge dice rolls to keep characters alive...

I'm all for keeping characters in the dark.  I just do it by only writting down false things on any papers I have out.

Also I don't like to roll dice when I'm running... I tend to just narrate NPC results.  For DFRPG, I might for the first few games I run, but after a bit I'd be familiar enough to just wing it like I always do.