RPGaDay2024 Day 26 - Superb Screen

 

I used to be a big fan of GM screens. I could have my adventure, personal notes, dice, and anything secret hidden behind a 3-6 panel copy of the rules. In a world where players would try to see the adventure so they'd know what was coming next, a screen was a great asset to keeping the surprises secret. They were also useful for things like to-hit tables for the different character classes before THAC0 was invented.

However, I realized that other than the to-hit tables, I rarely used them. I had memorized most rules and could find anything else I needed quickly. And over time, I moved from secrecy in my adventures, from hidden rolling, and similar reasons for having a screen. That said, I'll list a few screens I do like.

Games I Don't Know

If I'm running a game that I don't know well, it's useful to have a convenient reference at hand and not be forced to flip through a book for critical mechanics. I purchased Mythcraft and Shadows of Esteren. Both came with GM screens, and I'm sure I would use them when running the game, since I've only played Mythcraft once, and Shadows of Esteren not at all.

Similarly, I've run a few games of Paranoia 2e and would love a GM screen for that. While I love that game as both player and GM, it does not win any awards for best layout. I've usually had to go back and forth to find the critical tables. This slowed down the frenetic action of the characters killing each other while trying to accomplish the mission.

A Generic Screen

Ever since I saw it, I've wanted a blank GM screen--where I could insert any material I wanted to, depending on the game I'm running. A favorite is Forged Gaming's landscape screen. This is a three-panel screen, with plastic on the front of each panel to hold your preferred material--maps, rules, post-its, butterfly clips, etc. I like the landscape version, because there's a ton of room for the information I want, but it doesn't interfere with seeing the players, because it's only about 10 inches tall. And it's not even expensive: $30 or so for the screen.

The only reason I haven't ever purchased one is that despite it checking all the boxes for what I'd want in a screen, I don't really need a GM screen for the games I play often.

A Laptop Screen

I was going to list a laptop as my "preferred" screen, or I even be more snarky and say something about a second screen, which we had when my game group met in person. The beauty of a laptop, and especially having a second screen is that you have *everything* in one place: books, the adventure, reference material, utilities like name generators, and places to take notes. It's even better with two screens, because then you can put your critical material in front of you, and have all the secondary information on the second. Honestly, the only downside to a laptop is that if there are network or power issues, then it turns into a non-game night pretty quickly. In fact, my regular game group got to the point where everybody had laptops with online character sheets--and running Roll20 for our in-person game (with 1-3 remote players) became a no-brainer, even before the pandemic.

An RPG Playmat

I love RPG playmats, as sort of an anti-screen. These are large mats with art, and often with an abbreviated set of key rules on them. The one in my header art is for Numenera, because I like the look of that one, but usually carry a Cypher System playmat to games that I run. What I like about playmats over screens is that they really emphasize the open-rolling, open-game style that I have come to love. I even bring large 33mm or 55mm d20s that people can use if they wish. I'd never insist--people's feelings and superstitions about dice are far too strong. But I've found that once people start using the large common dice, for one-off Cypher games, they prefer them.

In the case of Cypher System, the core rules needed to play the game are short, and what the players need to know can be reduced to a few simple tables--difficulty levels, the effects of high rolls, the damage of various weapon sizes, the effects of having a pool drop below 0. I'm honestly surprised that MCG included environmental effects, as I've seldom used that in 9+ years of running Cypher System games, and certainly not from any rules.

I chose this game because I'm most familiar with it, but any RPG with a simple ruleset for players would work well. I love the experience of watching a new player glance at the mat, and confidently say what they want to do next, using the right terms and mechanics.

Bonus points for the mat helping to deaden the sound of dice rolling on a table. It's not too big a deal for a personal game, but in a small room with bad acoustics and 12 games going on at once--it can get pretty deafening, and any reductions from "clack clack clack" to "muffled thud" is welcome.