The DM screen actually increased my participation!

[Joshua Randall]

I alternate sitting and standing. If the PCs are mostly driving the game (intra-party conversation, crafting items, whatever), I sit. If I'm driving the game (role play, combat), I stand.

I do agree that standing makes me feel more proactive and involved.

 

[Zendragon]

Mostly standing is the way to go. It gets the players attention when you stand up. Sit down when they are planning strategy for the orc camp ambush. When they say they are done, stand up and set up the encounter. Battle maps are good and you can walk around and place all the figures.

 

[blargney the second]

I don't know if this is due to the fact that we routinely run short of chairs and table space or that your ass is just not conducive to sitting Honestly I would just like more room in my kitchen to not feel soo crammed in when all seven of us get together

I actually prefer to DM standing up, so it suits me fine that the kitchen isn't huge. I kind of like playing standing up as well, since I got to try it last session.

 

[Mercule]

Come to think of it, many of my better games have been when I've been standing. I think I might actually try to run a game without a chair sometime.

 

[Blackwind]

I too have found that I DM better while standing. It especially helps when roleplaying NPCs -- it's much harder for me to "act," to get into character, without using my body. I'm not a LARPer, but my game starts to cross over sometimes when more than one person is standing and speaking in-character. Those moments are some of the best we've ever had in-game.

 

[el-remmen]

I am all about standing.

I get off my feet when the players are talking/RPing among themselves, but otherwise I am up and moving around, esp. during combat.

As member of these boards who saw me GMing at GEN CON said, "You are the most animated DM I have ever seen!"

 

[Oryan77]

My gaming room is setup like a courtroom. I have my judges seat sitting very high on a platform and the players table is 15 feet away on the main floor of the room. I even wear a black robe and use a gavel while DM'ing. Sometimes if I'm really feeling like bossing players around, I will wear my crown.

I have 2 projectors shooting images of myself on large white screens on each side of me with a giant flag behind my chair that has my initials stitched into it. Even that doesn't make me want to stand up.

I never stand when I DM, that's something a Larper would do. Instead, I require my players to stand and move my NPC minis around the battlemat. It's more relaxing this way and it allows me to focus more on how good of a DM I am.

 

[Treebore]

I wish I could stand to DM. After 20 to 30 minutes of standing I would be in too much pain to even DM. So I sit, but I still use the screen. It has enough info on it that a quick glance at the screen tells me something I would have spent a minute or three finding in the relevant book. Usually the PH. Mine has xp info on it so it also keeps me from pulling out the DMG.

So it still keeps me more involved in my games, and keeps my players from "accidentally" seeing maps, what page of the MM I am on, which MM I am in, what module I am basing the adventure on, etc...

 

[an_idol_mind]

I'm another standing/walking/prancing DM. I always have a seat at the table, but I probably sit for less than an hour out of a four-hour session. Much to my players' amusement, I tend to mime a lot of the action during the session. I even pulled a muscle imitating the flailing limbs of an ettercap once. As long as I DM, I never have to worry about growing a gamer's gut.

 

[Joshua Randall]

My gaming room is setup like a courtroom. [...] I have 2 projectors shooting images of myself on large white screens on each side of me with a giant flag behind my chair....

Pure comedy gold!

Do you also carry a riding crop?