Messageboard Golem
First Post
Dozens of tables, charts, and all new, stunning artwork cover this amazing 32-panel screen, featuring every essential d20 table, along with a host of other useful information, all at your fingertips.
Kalamar DM Screen
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- Start date
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
To me, one of the most amazing things about all the screens out there, is that none of them have put the experience point value cross referenced with the challenge rating and character levels on their screens. This is vital information that the GM doesn’t have time to go flipping about in the DMG for at the end of every session. Thankfully the Masterscreen allows you to customize your goods but it only has six panels. The Kingdoms of Kalamar screen on the other hand, is something in another class.
Let’s get a few things straight. This screen isn’t like most screens out there that come with a little extra something. You pay the $20 and you get a screen, that’s it. It’s a huge screen with lots of great stuff on it, but don’t’ expect a little primer on the Kingdoms of Kalamar or little bits of information about this and that. Not saying this information isn’t present on the screen, but it’s not separate from the screen.
This isn’t going to be a review of the whole screen. That would take too long and worse, be boring. Besides, the Kenzer website does a good job of walking a viewer through the different things on the screen. This is going to be my take on the screen, what I’ve used it for, and why it’s one of the best screens out now.
First off, it opens as a foul panel job. Second off, it has flaps that can be flipped on the inside, and another smaller screen, stapled to the inside. Room for lots of information.
Now where does the screen go right? First of all, it has the damned xp table that has eluded so many other publishers. I’ve got to be up front and say I wish Wizards of the Coast hadn’t borrowed this idea from Rolemaster because it’s a pain, much worse than 1st edition with variable amount based on hit points. Regardless, the inability to put it on a screen is maddening. Thank you Kenzer.
Second off, this is a Kalamar Screen and I appreciate the Kalamarian touches. The full color map of the landmass is a truly magnificent sight. Never since the Warhammer FRPG screen have I seen such a good job done. Next up, while I love Kalamar in many ways, I hate the fact that each region has it’s own name for the same god. All of that information is here so I can more easily keep track of it when I need to.
Third off, because it’s a Kalamar screen, and an official product at that, when it lists stuff like poisons, diseases, weapons, and other tables, it includes information from the Kenzer product as well as the official products. Want to see the various Knowledge skills from the KoK player’s Guide? Look at the Skill chart. Looks of goods here and DC’s for numerous tasks are presented in table format.
Fourth off, I’m always in need of names. I’m terrible with ‘em. Chances are if a RPG product of names has come out, I own it. There is a Tellen Naming Convention by Language here so if I need a hobgoblin name, or a Gnomish, Elven, of even Dejy name, I can look up at the screen and bam, it’s there.
Other useful bits of information I find myself using include the Grenadelike Weapon Deviation chart, the Firing Patten Chart, and the Mundane Items. Need to quickly roll up what’s in an orc pouch? How about a lump of wax, a piece of fur, and some bone dice? Need to come up with a random inn or ship name quickly? There’s a chart for that too. With a couple of quick rolls you’ve got the Rusty Door Inn or the Hunter’s Spear or the Silver Sailor. Little tools like this come in handy often. About the only joke thing I noticed was the Pizza Matrix where you write down the player’s name and note their preferences from 0 to 5 with different common toppings and space for additional toppings.
As far as shields go, for general d20 purposes, not setting specific mind you, there are really only two choices as far as I’m concerned. The Masterscreen and the Kingdoms of Kalamar Dungeon Master’s Shield and of those two, the KoK screen is easier to use right off the bat and has almost everything you’d ever need in an easier to use form than stuffing and pulling to remodify. Are there pieces specific to Kalamar? Yes. Do they take up most or even half of the screen? No. If you want one of the best screens on the market useable for any d20 setting, then the KoK screen is for you.
Let’s get a few things straight. This screen isn’t like most screens out there that come with a little extra something. You pay the $20 and you get a screen, that’s it. It’s a huge screen with lots of great stuff on it, but don’t’ expect a little primer on the Kingdoms of Kalamar or little bits of information about this and that. Not saying this information isn’t present on the screen, but it’s not separate from the screen.
This isn’t going to be a review of the whole screen. That would take too long and worse, be boring. Besides, the Kenzer website does a good job of walking a viewer through the different things on the screen. This is going to be my take on the screen, what I’ve used it for, and why it’s one of the best screens out now.
First off, it opens as a foul panel job. Second off, it has flaps that can be flipped on the inside, and another smaller screen, stapled to the inside. Room for lots of information.
Now where does the screen go right? First of all, it has the damned xp table that has eluded so many other publishers. I’ve got to be up front and say I wish Wizards of the Coast hadn’t borrowed this idea from Rolemaster because it’s a pain, much worse than 1st edition with variable amount based on hit points. Regardless, the inability to put it on a screen is maddening. Thank you Kenzer.
Second off, this is a Kalamar Screen and I appreciate the Kalamarian touches. The full color map of the landmass is a truly magnificent sight. Never since the Warhammer FRPG screen have I seen such a good job done. Next up, while I love Kalamar in many ways, I hate the fact that each region has it’s own name for the same god. All of that information is here so I can more easily keep track of it when I need to.
Third off, because it’s a Kalamar screen, and an official product at that, when it lists stuff like poisons, diseases, weapons, and other tables, it includes information from the Kenzer product as well as the official products. Want to see the various Knowledge skills from the KoK player’s Guide? Look at the Skill chart. Looks of goods here and DC’s for numerous tasks are presented in table format.
Fourth off, I’m always in need of names. I’m terrible with ‘em. Chances are if a RPG product of names has come out, I own it. There is a Tellen Naming Convention by Language here so if I need a hobgoblin name, or a Gnomish, Elven, of even Dejy name, I can look up at the screen and bam, it’s there.
Other useful bits of information I find myself using include the Grenadelike Weapon Deviation chart, the Firing Patten Chart, and the Mundane Items. Need to quickly roll up what’s in an orc pouch? How about a lump of wax, a piece of fur, and some bone dice? Need to come up with a random inn or ship name quickly? There’s a chart for that too. With a couple of quick rolls you’ve got the Rusty Door Inn or the Hunter’s Spear or the Silver Sailor. Little tools like this come in handy often. About the only joke thing I noticed was the Pizza Matrix where you write down the player’s name and note their preferences from 0 to 5 with different common toppings and space for additional toppings.
As far as shields go, for general d20 purposes, not setting specific mind you, there are really only two choices as far as I’m concerned. The Masterscreen and the Kingdoms of Kalamar Dungeon Master’s Shield and of those two, the KoK screen is easier to use right off the bat and has almost everything you’d ever need in an easier to use form than stuffing and pulling to remodify. Are there pieces specific to Kalamar? Yes. Do they take up most or even half of the screen? No. If you want one of the best screens on the market useable for any d20 setting, then the KoK screen is for you.
Psion
Adventurer
Kingdoms of Kalamar Dungeon Master's Shield
The rather baroque and nostalgic Hackmaster system is a game with a large variety of tables. To help facilitate running the game, Kenzer & Company created a rather nifty little foldout screen that could handle all this information. Some intrigued fans wondered out loud if someone might do a similar screen for Dungeons & Dragons. Well, either Kenzer & Co. was listening, or they were thinking the same thing themselves. The Kingdoms of Kalamar Dugneon Master's Shield is a GM screen for the Dungeons & Dragons game, printed under the auspices of their license with Wizards of the Coast to print official Dungeons & Dragons material for their Kingdoms of Kalamar setting.
The Kingdoms of Kalamar Dugneon Master's Shield is a multi-panel laminated cardboard GM screen priced at $19.95. For an excellent view of the Kingdoms of Screen, see the DM Shield web tour.
There are 24 panel-sides in all. There is a standard large 4-panel exterior main screen. The main screen has 4 flaps that can be flipped up and over the back of the screen, and there is also a smaller 4-panel insert saddle-stitched inside the main screen.
The exterior art of the screen covers three of the four exterior panels and depicts some humans and members of other races facing some hobgoblins. However, if you flip over the flaps to switch the screen to "combat mode," new artwork overlays the old, and shows the same humanoids armed and ready for battle.
The last exterior panel had a class/skill matrix, including the new core classes and skills introduced in the Kingdoms of Kalamar Player's Guide. It also has a "pizza matrix" on it that allows players to put weighted votes on toppings to determine what toppings to order on your pizza. (Yes, I am serious.)
The interior panels are color coded into rust (combat), brown (adventure), purple (Kalamar specific information) and yellow. The 2 yellow panels, which are on fold down flaps and have the combat art on the back (which are revealed to the players when you expose the combat screens). The yellow flaps are untitled, but mostly appears to be adventure planning and experience tables.
There are 6 combat related panels. Two are on the "main" screen on the inside (DM side) of the panel. The other four are on the "insert" panels. By flipping the flaps on the left over and folding out the inserts on the right, you expose four panel strictly related to combat with items like poisons, disease, spell firing patterns, BAB and save advancements, weapon and armor statistics, action types and attacks of opportunity, cover and concealment, combat modifiers, face and reach by size, and turning undead. By flipping the front page of the insert to the right, you expose the other two combat panels, but you can't view any of the other four combat panels at the same time.
The last two combat panels have more obscure combat items like order of items damaged by spells, body parts affected by specific damage, concentration checks, size modifiers, and rules for breaking objects. It also has the divine protection statistics (from the KOK Player's Guide) and two tables for new variant rules. The first is a fumble table; if a character makes an attack roll of "1", they must make a dex check (DC 10) or suffer a result described on the table. Second is a simple set of morale rules that bear a striking resemblance to those used in AD&D 2e with respect to when checks are triggered and modifiers used.
By opening the left side of the insert to the left and tucking the right (combat-related) half of the panel behind the fold down flaps on the right, you expose 4 adventure related panels, with rules for doors, walls, various skill check DCs, hirelings, demographics, carrying capacity and endurance, movement and distance, mounts, good and services. Some Kalamar-specific naming conventions and sample names also snuck off of the purple-coded pages.
The back of the right hand side of the inserts and undersides of the right hand flaps have Kalamar specific information, like Kalamar deity names and domains, constellations, country quick reference lists, Kalamar nomenclature for different cultures, as well as a listing of the different clerical channeled abilities (from the KoK PG). There is also a quick taven/ship naming chart that you could realistically use in most standard D&D fantasy settings.
Finally, the right side of the interior of the main screen is a 2-panel map of the Kingdoms of Kalamar map.
In addition to all of the panels, there are boxes numbered 1-20 on the sides and tops of various panels. The screen doesn't say what exactly these are for, but presumably you could use paper clips of a grease pencil to use them as round markers or to keep track of initiative.
Conclusion
The Kingdoms of Kalamar Dungeon Master Shield is a neat DM toy. If you are a Kalamar DM, you should be in absolute heaven with this screen. Even if you are not, the Kalamar-specific info only uses up a 6 of the 24 panels (some of which you can presumably paste your own world info over.)
Kenzer & Co. does take advantage of their D&D license with this screen; the screen provides a number of non-open content items - such as the CR tables, experience tables, and specific injury takes - that you won't find on OGL/d20 STL screens.
It is a bit of a luxury item, but overall, the Kingdoms of Kalamar Dungeon Master Shield is the undisputed king of DM screens for the Dugneons & Dragons game.
The rather baroque and nostalgic Hackmaster system is a game with a large variety of tables. To help facilitate running the game, Kenzer & Company created a rather nifty little foldout screen that could handle all this information. Some intrigued fans wondered out loud if someone might do a similar screen for Dungeons & Dragons. Well, either Kenzer & Co. was listening, or they were thinking the same thing themselves. The Kingdoms of Kalamar Dugneon Master's Shield is a GM screen for the Dungeons & Dragons game, printed under the auspices of their license with Wizards of the Coast to print official Dungeons & Dragons material for their Kingdoms of Kalamar setting.
The Kingdoms of Kalamar Dugneon Master's Shield is a multi-panel laminated cardboard GM screen priced at $19.95. For an excellent view of the Kingdoms of Screen, see the DM Shield web tour.
There are 24 panel-sides in all. There is a standard large 4-panel exterior main screen. The main screen has 4 flaps that can be flipped up and over the back of the screen, and there is also a smaller 4-panel insert saddle-stitched inside the main screen.
The exterior art of the screen covers three of the four exterior panels and depicts some humans and members of other races facing some hobgoblins. However, if you flip over the flaps to switch the screen to "combat mode," new artwork overlays the old, and shows the same humanoids armed and ready for battle.
The last exterior panel had a class/skill matrix, including the new core classes and skills introduced in the Kingdoms of Kalamar Player's Guide. It also has a "pizza matrix" on it that allows players to put weighted votes on toppings to determine what toppings to order on your pizza. (Yes, I am serious.)
The interior panels are color coded into rust (combat), brown (adventure), purple (Kalamar specific information) and yellow. The 2 yellow panels, which are on fold down flaps and have the combat art on the back (which are revealed to the players when you expose the combat screens). The yellow flaps are untitled, but mostly appears to be adventure planning and experience tables.
There are 6 combat related panels. Two are on the "main" screen on the inside (DM side) of the panel. The other four are on the "insert" panels. By flipping the flaps on the left over and folding out the inserts on the right, you expose four panel strictly related to combat with items like poisons, disease, spell firing patterns, BAB and save advancements, weapon and armor statistics, action types and attacks of opportunity, cover and concealment, combat modifiers, face and reach by size, and turning undead. By flipping the front page of the insert to the right, you expose the other two combat panels, but you can't view any of the other four combat panels at the same time.
The last two combat panels have more obscure combat items like order of items damaged by spells, body parts affected by specific damage, concentration checks, size modifiers, and rules for breaking objects. It also has the divine protection statistics (from the KOK Player's Guide) and two tables for new variant rules. The first is a fumble table; if a character makes an attack roll of "1", they must make a dex check (DC 10) or suffer a result described on the table. Second is a simple set of morale rules that bear a striking resemblance to those used in AD&D 2e with respect to when checks are triggered and modifiers used.
By opening the left side of the insert to the left and tucking the right (combat-related) half of the panel behind the fold down flaps on the right, you expose 4 adventure related panels, with rules for doors, walls, various skill check DCs, hirelings, demographics, carrying capacity and endurance, movement and distance, mounts, good and services. Some Kalamar-specific naming conventions and sample names also snuck off of the purple-coded pages.
The back of the right hand side of the inserts and undersides of the right hand flaps have Kalamar specific information, like Kalamar deity names and domains, constellations, country quick reference lists, Kalamar nomenclature for different cultures, as well as a listing of the different clerical channeled abilities (from the KoK PG). There is also a quick taven/ship naming chart that you could realistically use in most standard D&D fantasy settings.
Finally, the right side of the interior of the main screen is a 2-panel map of the Kingdoms of Kalamar map.
In addition to all of the panels, there are boxes numbered 1-20 on the sides and tops of various panels. The screen doesn't say what exactly these are for, but presumably you could use paper clips of a grease pencil to use them as round markers or to keep track of initiative.
Conclusion
The Kingdoms of Kalamar Dungeon Master Shield is a neat DM toy. If you are a Kalamar DM, you should be in absolute heaven with this screen. Even if you are not, the Kalamar-specific info only uses up a 6 of the 24 panels (some of which you can presumably paste your own world info over.)
Kenzer & Co. does take advantage of their D&D license with this screen; the screen provides a number of non-open content items - such as the CR tables, experience tables, and specific injury takes - that you won't find on OGL/d20 STL screens.
It is a bit of a luxury item, but overall, the Kingdoms of Kalamar Dungeon Master Shield is the undisputed king of DM screens for the Dugneons & Dragons game.
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