DM Screen Dilemma

[Wicht]

What I find myself doing lately is using a small side table for my maps and the GM screen (A Table-Mate actually). Then I keep the PC information and any open books right in front of me. This allows me to have the secret info hidden but not feel removed from the players and the white-board map. I also sit on a stool that sits a little higher than the normal dining room chairs so that I can reach things on the table better.

 

[Henrix]

this is a great idea!

I use (my handmade) battlemats, which are mounted on cardboard, and just put a couple of boxes (old Necromunda boxes, usually) beneath them to get them a bit above the table.
As I have several battlemats I can easily switch them, and have one prepared for a special encounter.

 

[Asmor]

Have you considered just not using a DM screen? Not saying it's for everyone, but frankly I hate them. I think they get in the way, and I also don't fudge die rolls nor do I expect my players to try to look at my notes. The notes I do keep are general enough that I don't think a casual glance would give much away.

 

[amysrevenge]

Yeah, I'm another one who is liberated from the screen.

Like you, I use a laptop all the time. I make sure to have anything "secret" or "private" on the laptop, not on loose notes. In this way, the laptop itself is kind of a mini-screen. If running a printed adventure, you would have to work some way out to hide it if that is important to you (maybe a smaller screen to the side or something).

I haven't fudged a die roll in years, so hiding dice isn't an issue for me. Although, I do use unpainted precision dice these days, so a player would have to be pretty eagle-eyed to see the results.

I do know that even though I don't use a screen, I do take advantage of a very wide portion of the table, and I use 1-2 extra chairs as "end tables" to hold my box of minis, player handouts, and other stuff. I like to spread my stuff out.

 

[MadLordOfMilk]

I never really have this issue... then again, I DM standing up, so getting over my screen is easy.

 

[Perram]

If you do tend to fudge die rolls a lot, or 'fake' die rolls often (IE you roll randomly for no reason other than to throw your players off of which rolls are real and which aren't) you don't need a screen.

I just cup my hand in front of my die before I roll it. My players know that I occasionally, but rarely, will change the results of my die rolls, and accept it. Now, to be honest, I haven't fudged a die roll in a long long time, but it isn't a privilege I'm willing to give up!

 

[Henrix]

I never really have this issue... then again, I DM standing up, so getting over my screen is easy.

Yeah, sitting/standing higher than the table makes it easier.

 

[MadLordOfMilk]

Now, to be honest, I haven't fudged a die roll in a long long time, but it isn't a privilege I'm willing to give up!

If you've already decided the result before you roll the die... why bother rolling?

 

[Pbartender]

I never really have this issue... then again, I DM standing up, so getting over my screen is easy.

Same for me...

However, I've found that a small laser pointer is an invaluable tool for when you can't quite reach the action. You can use the pointer to direct, and the player nearest can move the minis or draw the line.


Also...

If you are using 4E rules, the official WotC DM's Screen is landscape format, and of all the DM's screens I've ever used has the most useful information on I've ever seen. I reference it all the time.

 

[Perram]

If you've already decided the result before you roll the die... why bother rolling?

Because 999 times out of 1,000 I've not decided the results before the die rolls, and my players don't need to know when that 1,000th time rolls around. I let the game handle things almost all the time, except when it would result in a less enjoyable game for those involved.

It is a very thin tightrope I walk when I do invoke an (extremely rare) fudge, and I'm aware of it, and my players are aware that it is a possibility. I know the rules to the game, and most of the time I'm playing in their bounds. But occasionally, I will play 'against the rules' as a GM when doing so will increase my player's enjoyment of the game.