So What's In The New DM Screen?

The new deluxe D&D 5th Edition Dungeon Master's Screen released today in preferred retail outlets (it releases on Jan 20th everywhere else). Games Plus in Illinois is one of those outlets, and the store owner thalmin reports on the contents of the screen.

First Panel

• NPC Characteristics (d20)
• NPC Ideals (d20)
• NPC Bonds (d10)
• NPC Flaws (d12)
• Name Generator (d20) Beginning Middle End syllables

Second Panel and almost half of third panel is Conditions with Exhaustion

Third Panel

• Setting a DC
• Cover
• Obscured Areas
• Light (Candle, Torch etc. area and duration)
• Skills and Associated Abilities

Fourth Panel

• Travel Pace
• Encounter Distance by Terrain, Audible Distance, and Visibility Outdoors
• Damage By Level and Severity
• Something Happens! (d20)
• Quick Finds (d12)

For more D&D 5E release schedules click here. For photos of the DM screen, click here. Let us know what you think of the screen by rating it.

 

[thalmin]

I'd certainly stick by my comment that 5e doesn't necessitate any tables in play (I don't even class a shopping list - prices etc. as a "table", and it's so rarely used in my campaign that I'd never need it on a screen). But fair enough, if a screen with prep information and lots of other stuff is useful to you.

Now that is a good idea. I'm going to make a reference screen strictly for prepping my game. Would sure cut down on the page flipping.

 

[aramis erak]

Thanks for the info. I suppose it depends on your campaign, but I'd only use item information about once every three or four sessions (when the PCs are "between adventures"), so that wouldn't suit my campaign (when the PCs go shopping we just use the PHBs and Starter Set booklets we have).

I prefer minimal - paring down the screen content to what would be useful during play. The quantity of information on the screen is inversely proportional to the likelihood of me actually using it during play; in other words, I just wouldn't look at the screen at all if it had too much info on it. As such, I'd certainly leave out the combat/turn order, since that's so simple in 5e anyway, and I don't really need treasure tables or other prep material on a screen (I don't use my screen to prep adventures).

I'd certainly stick by my comment that 5e doesn't necessitate any tables in play (I don't even class a shopping list - prices etc. as a "table", and it's so rarely used in my campaign that I'd never need it on a screen). But fair enough, if a screen with prep information and lots of other stuff is useful to you.

I don't use it as/on a screen. I used it as a precis of the mechanics and only go to the books (which are much slower to find stuff in) when I need more details.

I may put it on my website, but I'm still dinking with format and layout, trying to cut it to 6 pages for my universal screen.

Still, I reference so much of it so often...

 

[Bayonet]

I like the look of the screen, and some of the tables are nice. Not sure I'd buy it, though.

Honestly, if I could buy the same screen, with see-through plastic "holders" (for lack of a better term) that would allow me to print and customize whatever tables I wanted to use in that session/campaign, I definitely would.