3.5 DM Screen is aggravating

[Quasqueton]

I've played a few game sessions now using the 3.5 DM screen from Dragon magazine. That damn thing is aggravating. Almost useless.

Having all that info right in front of me is great, but I can't quickly find the info I need. The charts are not in any order I can figure out. They almost look like alphabetical order, but when you look more closely you see that is not the case. I can look up the skills and other info quicker by picking up the PH and turning the pages.

Armor class modifiers is the first chart on the first (far left) page, but attack roll modifiers is in the middle of the second page. The listen chart is split up on two columns but not aligned with each other, and not a continuation of one to the other.

And then last night I discover that the charts given are not even complete/accurate. For the armor class modifiers, flat-footed and grappling mention that the defender loses Dex bonus to AC, but stunned and blinded don't say that. Because of this chart, I disallowed the party rogue a sneak attack against a stunned opponent.

Using this "game aid" has actually hindered my game and made my DMing more difficult -- because I tried using it first rather than looking through the books.

What do y'all think of this DM screen?

Quasqueton

 

[Olive]

Well, I've never used a screen before, and I'm enjoying it. It certainly hasn't hindered my game. I'd like it to have the detect magic details on there, but other than that it's good. plus it was extremely cheap!

 

[Kichwas]

Well it was a freebie and I gathered it was really more of an advertizement.

For a quality screen wait for the Kalamar 3.5 one. If it lives up to the 3.0 one it will be some sort of huge monstrousity with mutiple folding panels. While it's for Kalamar, it is essentially just a DnD DM's screen with the Kalamar logo on it. You might lose a column here and there in a chart or two to some of the extra classes in Kalamar, but I suspect most of it will be official. Theory is that it comes out this month, so maybe the next month or two is when you'll see it.

 

[Hard8Staff]

Well it was a freebie and I gathered it was really more of an advertizement.

For a quality screen wait for the Kalamar 3.5 one. If it lives up to the 3.0 one it will be some sort of huge monstrousity with mutiple folding panels. While it's for Kalamar, it is essentially just a DnD DM's screen with the Kalamar logo on it. You might lose a column here and there in a chart or two to some of the extra classes in Kalamar, but I suspect most of it will be official. Theory is that it comes out this month, so maybe the next month or two is when you'll see it.

It's awaiting approval right now...Woo-hoo!!

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

I use a screen mostly to hide stuff like maps, die rolls, and open books, and rarely ever use the charts on the back, regardless of what they are. I've got most of my books flagged with Post-Its, so I can easily open to any needed page quite easily. To learn where charts are on a screen would just slow me down (unless your talking the 1st Edition DM screens, which I have pretty much memorized from long ago )

 

[LcKedovan]

What do y'all think of this DM screen?

I wouldn't know, I haven't seen my mags arrive in the past 2 months!

-W.

 

[Ravellion]

I think it is crap. Skill information is about 80% of the screen. I'd rather have stuff like random items or name generators. Kalamar's random box and barrel content is great for instance.

 

[Quasqueton]

Skill information is about 80% of the screen. I'd rather have stuff like random items or name generators. Kalamar's random box and barrel content is great for instance.

Funny, but the skill and combat charts are exactly what I want on a DM screen. If the Kalamar screen has random box and barrel contents, I'll not even bother looking for it. I need the skill and combat info at hand all the time, every game session. But the 3.5 screen is so unorganized.

Quasqueton

 

[ES2]

I saw this DM screen kind of useful, but even more of an advertisement for their upcoming miniatures line.

 

[Hard8Staff]

Funny, but the skill and combat charts are exactly what I want on a DM screen. If the Kalamar screen has random box and barrel contents, I'll not even bother looking for it. I need the skill and combat info at hand all the time, every game session. But the 3.5 screen is so unorganized.

Quasqueton

The Kalamar screen has both. Since it has flaps and inner panels it can hold 4x the material of most DM screens (24 panels vs 6 or 8 -- factor-in artwork and the Kalamar screen ratio of useful info becomes even greater).