D&D 5E Building a better DM's screen

Wik · May 24, 2015

My ideal screen isn't a screen, but some sort of clipboard that is easy to carry as I walk (I stand when I GM). Tables include potion miscibility, scroll failure, and a summary of all the major status conditions. Weapons (with their ranges!) are useful; I don't care too much about armour, as monsters usually don't have it, and if they do, I can fudge reliably. The travel table is handy, as well - pcs do a bit of hexploring these days, at least in my experience.

Mercule · May 24, 2015

shidaku said:
What they need is a blank DM screen, possibly with slide-in-loader sections like a binder so that you can put your own stuff in it, and potentially be able to write on on the clear plastic dry-erase style.

I'm perfectly happy with the DM screen as-is. I wouldn't want 90% of what you want on your screen.

I use this one because I like landscape screens. I just wish someone with better graphic design skills than I had put together inserts.

Sunseeker · May 24, 2015

Mercule said:
I use this one because I like landscape screens. I just wish someone with better graphic design skills than I had put together inserts.

That's pretty spot-on for what I was thinking of.

vandaexpress · May 24, 2015

Jester Canuck said:
You can easily build your own:
http://hammerdog.com/twgs/

Just copy some tables, print, and you're good to go.

Yeah, this is the one I have. Either DM David or Slyflourish made a bunch of tables specifically designed to fit into the mini version of this. They were pretty good. I no longer use a DM screen (my iMac functions as this for me) since I use a hybrid physical/digital DM style where I project the battlemat onto the table using Roll20. I do, however, copy specific rules from the book into "journal entries" in Roll20 so I can quickly reference spells and mechanics on the fly, similar to a DM screen.

In my experience, far and away the most useful thing to have available for reference are the conditions.

Also, the movement rules for long and high jumps and just general combat movement stuff.

Combat actions are useful in theory. In practice, once you gain experience, you don't really need them.

Travel speed is useful like another user said, for hexploring.

I agree with what someone said about having the quick stat-blocks from the DMG to let you make creatures on the fly. Mostly though, I just need a way to, on-the-fly, approximate what an NPCs proficiency bonus would be for a given skill (like insight when the PCs tell a bald-faced lie).

Maffo · May 25, 2015

I have been through a lot of different dm screens in the short period i have been dming. Right now my screen has the basic rule information on it, some tavern names,a quick encounter table and common prices. Im not sure this is its final form but i am content with it for now.

Greenstone.Walker · May 25, 2015

My attempt at a GM screen (for Hammerdog's screen) is here.

Vaslov · May 25, 2015

I use the home made variety. I change what I keep facing me changing depending on the game and what I think will be useful during that session. Sometimes it is a rule or a table. More often it is NPC names, agendas and some spare names I can use on the fly.

What I did not expect is the side facing the players has become the part I put the most thought into. Important quotes from NPC, reminders of major plot points, pictures of major foes or other things I want on their mind during the game. It evolves into a campaign cork board filled with postcards across the life of the game.

mflayermonk · May 26, 2015

There are 5 or 6 good screens people out there. I just print the stuff I need the most often and attach it to an old screen with a binder clip.
I still use the True D20 Screen (great screen!) and just attach print out to it.

Fritz's DM screen is nice. I've found some other good ones in the file section.

Fuselage · May 26, 2015

What I have never understood is why so many people just want pretty pictures or an actual castle wall on their player side of the DM screen. I've got a few different DM cheat sheets including the one on Reddit with the combat phases - that and status effects are perfect to face towards the players. We can both have the information, it just speeds things up when they have less to forget. With a four panel screen I'd face Status Effects, Combat Stuff, an initiative tracker for them to keep track of, and general skill-related stuff at my players. You can give them the goods without DCs or plot hooks showing.

Doc_Klueless · May 26, 2015

Fuselage said:
I've got a few different DM cheat sheets including the one on Reddit with the combat phases - that and status effects are perfect to face towards the players.

I've played with a DM who did that, but our group was large enough and my eyesight bad enough that I couldn't read a single thing on it. In fact, only the players sitting right next to the DM could read what he put on the back of his screen. It might as well have been a picture.

However, if you've found a way to make the writing big enough that others sitting farther away can read it without struggling and you've hit gold, I would think.