Deluxe Dungeon Master's Screen: It Lives!

The Deluxe Dungeon Master's Screen from WotC (as opposed to the largely unpopular Tyranny of Dragons one from Gale Force 9) is due out this month. WotC's Trevor Kidd returned to the office after the holiday break, and provided this photo which shows that the screen exists and is ready for lift-off! Plus, a shot of the interior!

Priced at $14.95 and releasing on January 20th -- "Manage your campaign with this indispensable Dungeon Master accessory for the world’s greatest roleplaying game. The red dragon Thraxata the Flamefiend and her kobold minions confront a party of intrepid adventurers, who protect their ranger as she attempts to finish the fight by using a legendary arrow of dragon slaying meant specifically for this red wyrm. This durable, four-panel Deluxe Dungeon Master’s Screen, lavishly adorned with illustrations inside and out, will enchant and inspire players and the Dungeon Master. Its landscape design allows the Dungeon Master to easily see beyond and reach over the screen, even as it keeps die rolls and notes hidden from players. Tables inside provide essential support for the three pillars of play–combat, exploration, and interaction–to Dungeon Masters of all skill levels."

For more D&D schedule information, look right here.

Photo from dicejockey.com

Photo by Luke Niedner
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[TarionzCousin]

Hmm, I may have to cancel my preorder and get it at my FLGS...

Do it. Support your local FLGS!

 

[RichGreen]

Looks cool – I like the four panel design WotC have used for the two 4e screens and the art is great on the front of this one. Conditions and sample DCs are the tables I need most and it looks like they're both there

 

[Chimpy]

Ehhhhh why?

The whole reason for a DM screen is quick access to charts and to keep your papers hidden from the players, not staring at art.

Well I don't mean whole wasted panels like on the Tyranny of dragons screen (bleh) but just a little artwork, for me, helps keep my imagination working, and I like my products to look good.

 

[Grainger]

Ehhhhh why?

The whole reason for a DM screen is quick access to charts and to keep your papers hidden from the players, not staring at art.

I've got a fan-made screen which is packed with tables; I initially thought it would be indispensable during the game. However, I never, ever look at it when I'm running a game, because it's so info-dense that I've never learned what is actually there, let alone where the info is positioned.

Personally, I have a very visual memory, and can remember very easily where text is located, but I need a bit of spacing (landmarks, if you like) to help me find my way around it in the first place. It's not impossible to learn one's way around a densely-packed screen, but in practice, I doubt I would end up doing so if it was too cluttered.

Edit: also, it's a professional product, and should be designed accordingly, not just have text hammered into every available gap (i.e. it should actually look nice on both sides).

 

[Sailor Moon]

This was the best DM screen ever.

View attachment 66059

This DM screen had everything you needed and had no wasted space with any art on the inside. I don't need decorative tools except for the Monster Manual.

 

[RichGreen]

This was the best DM screen ever.

View attachment 66059

This DM screen had everything you needed and had no wasted space with any art on the inside. I don't need decorative tools except for the Monster Manual.

This one is probably my least favourite! I really don't like the player's side of this screen at all - no one could read the tables and the blurb for the adventure belonged on a piece of paper inside the shrink-wrap, not where it's visible.

The other thing is that AD&D needed a lot more in the way of tables than 5e does...

Cheers


Rich

 

[JohnnyZemo]

Nice art.

I wish they'd package DM screens with a short adventure or something -- I don't use a DM screen, so except for adding another item to my D&D collection there's no reason for me to buy it.

So, you're saying, "I'm buying something I won't use, so please include something with it that I will use."

If you're not going to use it, then why buy it?

If you're only buying it to have a complete collection of D&D stuff, then I think you've pretty much resigned yourself to buying a bunch of stuff you'll never use.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Looks sparse but will have to see the DM side in more detail. I have always thought that the Player side should be art and a couple of tables the players could use but the DM side should be filled.

 

[Hand of Evil]

*catcalls*
Hey, Baby, Show us your tables!

Round, long, square, booth, dinner, picnic and bar

 

[Keldryn]

I really like the design of this screen. Just looking at the 3.5 DM Screens gives me a headache. Same with the original AD&D one. Too many tables, all in a very small typeface. When DMing, I always use a screen, but I find that I rarely actually look at the content on the inside of it during play. The 4e screen was the exception; even though I didn't really care for how 4e played, I found the screen to be the most usable one ever produced by TSR/WotC.

Anybody can format a bunch of tables, print them out, and stick them to a piece of cardboard. This screen actually shows evidence of intentional visual design, rather than a process that boils down to "how many tables can we cram onto this without making the text too small?"

Most of the previous "official" DM screens had that designed-by-a-programmer look -- as did the character sheets, for that matter. This is actually the first time in my 27 year history of playing D&D that I don't feel compelled to create my own character sheets or look for alternatives.

It is most definitely not wasted space.