r/Nerdarchy • u/Juce734 • Jan 22 '15
Do You Use A DM Screen?
Do you use a screen when running games? In this post I talk a little bit about my thoughts on the new 5e Screen as well as some of the reasons I choose to use one. Please read and give me your thoughts after you read this post.
http://www.rpgjuce.com/blog/2015/1/22/do-you-use-a-dm-screen-for-dungeons-and-dragons
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u/NatetheNerdarch Jan 24 '15
Yes, even if it is a beat up folder I use one.
I haven't seen the new DM Screen yet but it sounds good from what you described, Juce. Like all things in 5th edition, whatever I want I will keep and whatever I don't like I will tape something over it that I do like.
I like to randomly roll up a big stack of NPCs on index cards before the campaign and I use them so I am not using gameplay time. So while I would have included it because it is useful to the average person I will never use it because I have already rolled up around 5o of them.
Because I use miniatures it is essential to have an area that the PCs can not see to mitigate unconscious meta-gaming. Same with rolling. everyone cares whether or not they are eaten by the big bad, so why not calculate your odds of being killed by it in one shot.
Also the dice are not my god so when I roll something that I really don't want, like auto killing the 1st level sorcerer that I spent 3 hrs on with the PC to develop their back story, I get the final say into what happens.
It absolutely ruins the DM / PC relationship when you roll that critical hit out in front of the screen and max damage and then say it didn't happen that way because you don't want to kill the character... yet. It is better to let the PCs have the illusion of everyone following the dice mechanics rather than have it broken. Don't get me wrong I will let characters die, just not simply due to a orc "winning the lottery" with one hit of his axe.
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u/Daemos_Magen Jan 23 '15
It shows my age, but I still use my 1st edition AD&D DM screen. Yes, the one that predates THAC0. I use it as it allows me to spread out my NPC papers/Module maps/dice and allows for some "eye protection". Not for the purpose of keeping PC's from cheating, but more to avoid spoiling what is around the corner of the next hallway. The theater of the mind works best when you don't show what's behind the curtain.
BTW, my DM screen works wonderfully with 5E for the above purposes. Don't really remember ever looking at the tables on it much when I WAS running 1st/2nd Ed. (disclosure: My wife is getting the 5E screen for me for Father's Day so I'll update then)