A different type of DM Screen.
As a Dungeon Master, I quit using a DM screen about 5 years ago. I had always used one because I was told that that was the way the game was played. The players can’t see any of your maps or reference books. You can hide the minis of the monsters until you bring them out for an encounter. And you can roll behind the screen so your players can’t see when you fudge your die rolls.
When I stopped using a DM screen, I loved it. My players are all mature enough that they aren’t inclined to cheat, so hiding my books and notes isn’t an issue. I make all of my rolls in the open. At first I thought I might need to make secret rolls from time to time, so I put a couple of dice in a small wooden box with a lid for making secret rolls. In the last 5 years, I have never used it. I have a small cardboard box where I keep the monster minis until time to bring them out. And I really enjoy the game more where I can have a closer connection to the players, not to mention that I hate having to stand up whenever I need a good view of the battle mat.
The only problem has been my maps. My players don’t purposely look at the map, but it is hard not to look at it when it is in the open. So to help keep my honest players honest, a couple of weeks ago I started using a DM screen again. It didn’t take long for me to regret it, for all of the reasons I just mentioned.
Then, one morning I woke up with this idea. If all I was using the DM screen for was to make it easier for my players to not look at my maps, I didn’t need a full sized DM screen. I found an old shoebox that was just the right size for an 8 1/2 inch x 11 inch paper to fit inside. I cut off one end. I cut off two panels from an old DM screen (any 8.5 x 11 sheets of cardboard would do) and taped them to the sides. As I hope you can see from the photos, this is high enough that the players seated on each side of me can’t see the map and players at the other end of the table can’t see the map over the end of the shoe box. I taped a monster picture to the end just for fun. And the best thing of all, it doesn’t obstruct my view of the battle mat.
What do you think of this idea? I have only used it a couple of sessions so far, but I really like it. Also, I can easily set it aside when I don’t need to reference the map.
Dungeon Master Assistance 
Reblogged this on DDOCentral.
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Hello, I personally enjoy DMing without a DM screen. With that said, at every session zero all the players are in agreement knowing there is no roll “fudging” that will happen. I am mostly running games with seasoned players at this point, for the most part they only bother to watch the rolls when it is high stakes or is an unprompted roll. I do keep a notebook which I keep hidden from the players (not that anyone could read my hand writing). I am curious of you thoughts on use of a laptop when running a game. I am about to run a unique style of game starting with 14 PCs. I am planning to use a laptop to track information, organize information and track combat eventhough we will not use digital maps/counters otherwise. Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
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Hello Lord 🙂
Thanks for the question.
A few years ago I thought that I would use a laptop for all the good reasons you mention. I can’t say that it wasn’t good for all those things. However, I fond it left me unsatisfied with the experience. I no longer do that and don’t suggest it. I found that, despite trying hard not to, I spent a great deal of time looking at and working on my laptop and it distracted me from engaging with my players. So for the same reasons that I quit using a DM screen, I also quit using a laptop at the gaming table.
A compromise that I might use with such a large group might be to find an app for my phone to help with combat tracking. I also sometimes use the program Notion for organizing and tracking information. I can do my game prep with it on my desktop and then bring it up on my phone to access information during the game.
I find that if I try to keep the information I need to access to a minimum, using a phone at the table is less intrusive than a laptop.
My latest face-to-face game ended a couple of months ago and I’ve just now started playing a virtual game using Fantasy Grounds. I know that some people use Fantasy Grounds (or some other program) to set everything up and use it on their laptop during the game for combat tracking and also for dice rolling and keeping all of the other information they need. I definitely do not recommend that. Again. for the same reasons that I quit using a DM Screen.
Good luck with your new game. I’ve never played with that many PCs. Let me know what you decide to do and how it works out for you.
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Hi Ronny, thank you for the thorough response. You raise a lot of good points. I share your opinion that the laptop can bring many of the same drawbacks as the screen. I like the phone idea, Ill have to try it out. Right now I am running a game which modifies player rolls through stats I track in the background (there is a spreadsheet with formulas, hahaha – maybe it is too clunky!). I will let you know how it goes, it is the first time I am running a campaign which layers so much on top of the 5e framework.
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