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I do.
For two main reasons: One, it lets me hide the maps and monster info where the players cannot see it - some things should be secret until the PCs actually go there and figure it out. Two, there is a lot of useful info on the screen that I like having in front of me - much faster than looking it up in the book.
As for being a sneaky GM who hides his dice rolls so he can cheat, I quit doing that so long ago I barely remember it.
I do.
For two main reasons: One, it lets me hide the maps and monster info where the players cannot see it - some things should be secret until the PCs actually go there and figure it out. Two, there is a lot of useful info on the screen that I like having in front of me - much faster than looking it up in the book.
As for being a sneaky GM who hides his dice rolls so he can cheat, I quit doing that so long ago I barely remember it.
Totally agree.
The DM Screen is an invaluable tool to have.
As for trust with dice rolls that depends on the group.
I personally roll in the open to keep the game as unbiased as i can.
As someone who's group is 100% online and lives in different states and countries I've never experienced a "screen." Our GMs roll in public and we see the bonuses ourselves. However we don't see stats for monsters and NPCs as that stuff's not visible to us. We also receive whispers (private messages that only the GM and one specific player can see for the old folks) when we get a knowledge/perception/sense motive check so only we know it.
Personally I feel like it's a good balance. We're pretty good at avoiding metagaming and only the rules lawyers look at the monster sheets in combat in case a more green GM makes an error, like not giving a giant scorpion reach because they thought it didn't get it because it wasn't bipedal for example.
I have GM'd with and without a screen, I enjoy having the stats at hand and easy to find. Luckily those I have gamed with, both in front and behind the screen, haven't had an issue with it one way or another.
I find it to be a valuable tool for running a game smoothly, especially for those new to the game who might have lots of questions about the game that veteran players don't think about any more.
I keep a lot of notes behind my screen. The dice fall visibly, though.
I've done it both with and without a screen.
For rolemaster, hiding the dice was essential to avoid killing too many PCs.
I don't otherwise use one most of the time - I prefer to see the players and be able to wave my arms around without knocking stuff over!
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It's good to hide rolls for certain things that you don't want to roll out in the open. Things like searching for traps and sense motive should really be rolled in secret by the GM. Otherwise after the rogue rolls a one for trap detection, suddenly everyone is interested in checking for themselves.
Honestly all perception rolls should be handled by the GM in secret, but I don't go that far personally.
One can certainly do without a GM screen in tabletop RPGs, but I feel that Pathfinder is one of the systems where it comes it really handy to use one. Unless you have an eidetic memory or something and remember all the fuzzy rules things from the top off your hat, in which case I'll bow to your superior ways of gaming.
The aspect of hiding things from the players, necessarily or not, or if the screen creates a physical barrier between DM and players which's bad for social dynamics is something every group needs to figure out for themselves I think, and it's an issue totally divorced from the use of a DM screen as a simple tool to navigate rules.
As for rolling dice, I'm doing it both behind and in front of the screen. Encounters are always rolled out in the open, but if I roll for weater, random encounters, or an NPC's reation to the players I might not bother to do that in plain sight.
After experiences with both official DM screens for D&D 3rd Edition and the Pathfinder screen I am now using my own custom design and I will never ever go back. Instead of looking at space-wasting copies of skill descriptions I'll rarely use I now have instant access to things like invisibility, scent, XP/WBL tables, (Su)/(Sp)/(Ex) abilities, detect magic details, and so on.
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The longer I've been a player the less I care about what the DM is rolling. I'd actually like to see a DM who rolls where I can't see, and just gives me the description of what happens. It would improve my games a lot not being able to dope out what a monster's attack modifier is, or to reverse-engineer all of its other stats from watching what numbers come up. I try not to, but it happens more often than I'd like it to.
I feel like it turns combat into a minigame, divorcing it from the rest of the adventure.
I agree with this completely. The less numbers you deal with in game, the more the story can come out.
Heck, there was a game where I was playing a rogue and I asked my GM to roll my stealth, bluff, perception, etc rolls for me and just describe whether my character felt he did well or not...and he didn't care for it. I had to convince him to.
As a GM, I use a screen for every roll except critical hit confirmations. Those I roll in the open to add a bit of tension.
I use a screen for several reasons:
It gives me something to attach important images to (paperclip a printout of what an enemy npc looks like, pictures of relevant castles etc)
It conceals my notes (don't want those sneaky players looking at what I have planned!)
Quick reference (Climbing DCs etc-handy!)
Sometimes hiding rolls...
yes, sometimes I fudge things. If I want to save a PCs life, or occasionally give a BBEG a better chance, I do fudge things. If it improves the immersion/enjoyment, I may do this.
99% of rolls are in the open.
I do hide results of Perception checks/Sense Motive checks unless the character has an ability that allows them to reroll/know the roll.
From a player's point of view, I like the GM screen as it keeps an aura of mystery and helps curb metagaming tendencies
From a GM's point of view:
(1) Has summary rules and tables for common things
(2) Hide notes, stats, map and what not
(3) Hide dice roles when rolling for players and you don't want to guess DCs or know exact results based on roll
(4) Lets you spare player's lives when needed
(5) Lets you roll for no reason to keep atmosphere of danger up
Generally I like when the GM has a good mix of rolling in the open and hidden behind a screen (both as a player and occasional GM).
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I GM'd for 20-ish years without using a screen. When I started my RotRL game a couple years ago, I started using the PF screen. I have to say, I've grown to like using the screen. The screen itself has some useful information, and I keep some post-it notes up with character-specific details I can reference.
As far as rolling goes, i usually roll behind the screen, but sometimes in the open. It just depends on my mood and what's going on in the game at the time.
-Skeld
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I almost always use a screen when GMing, have done for nearly 30 years.
I use a screen to maintain an air of mystery, as others have also suggested.
Rolling in the open gives too much information away. I've played in games where all dice are rolled in the open, and there isn't as much mystery or danger when you can see that the weird monster misses your AC on a 17. Immersion is much greater when instead the GM says "the creature aims a mighty blow at your head, but you duck its thorny tentacle at the last moment." For me, that's a more enjoyable gaming experience.
In 35 years of D&D-style gaming, I don't think I've ever used a DM screen. This said, I would appreciate having one, with all the necessary tables on it - even if it ended up folded on top of my book pile most of the time. But the ones I've seen never seem to have all the tables I think I'll need, and I've never got round to jury-rigging my own version.
Can anyone link to a nice PDF of a PF DM screen that we could download?
I always roll in the open, except for rare occasions when there are opposed rolls that really need to remain hidden in order to maintain the right "feel" of a session. Most of my notes are in folders, so they get closed and laid down to keep players' eyes off them. Monster stats are usually printed so small that none of the players could read them from where they're seated.
So, what's the best DM screen PDF available?
Since I GM with my laptop, a screen would just get in the way. If I want to roll dice in secret I just use an online dice-roller.
In my 35 years of gaming, it's the GM's prerogative as to where to roll the dice. The PCs should not be privy to behind the scenes information including certain rolls. They don't need to know target DCs or which monsters they might encounter next. Using the screen keeps these things safe.
I use the Paizo GM screen as well as the Raging Swan Press screen which has different information on it.
As someone who's group is 100% online and lives in different states and countries I've never experienced a "screen." Our GMs roll in public and we see the bonuses ourselves. However we don't see stats for monsters and NPCs as that stuff's not visible to us. We also receive whispers (private messages that only the GM and one specific player can see for the old folks) when we get a knowledge/perception/sense motive check so only we know it.
Personally I feel like it's a good balance. We're pretty good at avoiding metagaming and only the rules lawyers look at the monster sheets in combat in case a more green GM makes an error, like not giving a giant scorpion reach because they thought it didn't get it because it wasn't bipedal for example.
One thing I forgot to mention. There are secret rolls, but they're things like perception and sense motive or the encounter d100.
It's good to hide rolls for certain things that you don't want to roll out in the open. Things like searching for traps and sense motive should really be rolled in secret by the GM. Otherwise after the rogue rolls a one for trap detection, suddenly everyone is interested in checking for themselves.
Honestly all perception rolls should be handled by the GM in secret, but I don't go that far personally.
I agree in theory but in practice I don't really want to bother keeping track of all of my players' modifiers so I let them roll their own perception checks. It works out fine for our group because we're the kind of people where the whole group rolls regardless.
I stand while GMing and do not use a screen, though I prefer to have somewhere off-table to put my notes so as to prevent any accidental peeks at statblocks and such
I used one years ago (1st edition), on which I put all the rules and tables I needed. The less I needed to look something up, the less I used it. Nowadays I don't use one anymore. I mostly roll in the open, unless there is something the players should not know (secret doors for example).
(My players don't pry, so secrecy is no concern.)
It's a good tool. It has rules there, and for those that like to fudge they can fudge rolls. I dont fudge even when using a screen, but sometimes I do need to make secret rolls, and sometimes I roll the dice for not reason at all. :)
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I use a screen, for many of the stated reasons.
It also creates a sort of private work space for the DM. I can crack a book open, or check notes without having people wonder why I'm reading a bestiary or flipping through a DMG.
I prefer the secret rolling method personally. Especially since I use a laptop and sometimes use an online roller if I have to throw a lot of dice (say for fireballs, or lots of mooks).
Also secret rolling lets you do the 'fake roll' where you roll the dice for no discernible reason.
I don't use a screen. I don't care if players see my notes, or read the AP before (or while!) I'm running it. I don't make any secret rolls, even for perception.
The game is a shared experience by all of us, and if my players want to be surprised, then they can refrain themselves from reading the adventures I run. Sometimes they like to read ahead. I can't stop them; they're adults who make their own decisions.
I'm also a big advocate of the GM playing by the same rules that the PCs play by, and I GM that way. No hidden rolls, no secret dice. This keeps me in check and allows my players to call shenanigans if I mess up (which I have!).
But the biggest reason I don't use a screen is because it physically gets in my way when I want to move a mini or draw on the battle map.
I use a screen. I did use it standing and hide all my minis behind it so the players couldn't see what I was about to pull out. I'd also roll behind it.
But I had one player that the other players told me was lying about his rolls. He sat right across from me, so the screen blocked my view of his rolls. He would get upset if anyone else sat in "his" seat, even though he had kind of hijacked it from another player initially. So I just started putting the screen flat.
I wanted the information on the screen (which I do occasionally reference) so now I play with the screen laying flat and the minis on top of it. I pull out so many minis each session that even with my players able to see them, they still don't know what's coming next. I still keep the minis representing unique NPCs/monsters out of view still until time to put them in the fight.
I use a screen. I did use it standing and hide all my minis behind it so the players couldn't see what I was about to pull out. I'd also roll behind it.
But I had one player that the other players told me was lying about his rolls. He sat right across from me, so the screen blocked my view of his rolls. He would get upset if anyone else sat in "his" seat, even though he had kind of hijacked it from another player initially. So I just started putting the screen flat.
I wanted the information on the screen (which I do occasionally reference) so now I play with the screen laying flat and the minis on top of it. I pull out so many minis each session that even with my players able to see them, they still don't know what's coming next. I still keep the minis representing unique NPCs/monsters out of view still until time to put them in the fight.
That's a smart move. I might do the same considering how many people find the reference charts on the GM screen handy.
I Think the screen is in the Way of communication. Like going to a meeting and one guy is hiding behind his laptop. It feels safe back there but it also is bad communication.
IMOP
Edit: if i have secret stuff that i need to look at i hold it in my hand.
I use the screen, like others, to hide minis, rolls, maps, and to use for its quick reference information. I also stand while I GM both to better orate the motions of rolls/actions and to access the battle grid with minis or a marker.
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I Think the screen is in the Way of communication. Like going to a meeting and one guy is hiding behind his laptop. It feels safe back there but it also is bad communication.
I agree. When sitting at a table, it can block the view between player and GM. I ended up making my own 8.5x11 3 panel landscape GM screen and it has worked very well. I mounted page protectors on both sides of each panel so I could switch content easily as well.
The Screen is the symbol of the GM's status. It says "I am running this world for you and my word is law." The onus is on the GM to be a fair GM. In my opinion, if you have to do everything in the open to keep your rolls "honest", you aren't a good GM.
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The Screen is the symbol of the GM's status. It says "I am running this world for you and my word is law." The onus is on the GM to be a fair GM. In my opinion, if you have to do everything in the open to keep your rolls "honest", you aren't a good GM.
disagree
Disagree to your disagree. See how that works.
Step up your forum fu with some examples.
I'm sure Bookrat will at least have a thought out response.
wait what
The Screen is the symbol of the GM's status. It says "I am running this world for you and my word is law." The onus is on the GM to be a fair GM. In my opinion, if you have to do everything in the open to keep your rolls "honest", you aren't a good GM.
Could you explain this logic. Right now it does not really make a lot of sense to me, but it could be miscomunication.
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The Screen is the symbol of the GM's status. It says "I am running this world for you and my word is law." The onus is on the GM to be a fair GM. In my opinion, if you have to do everything in the open to keep your rolls "honest", you aren't a good GM.Could you explain this logic. Right now it does not really make a lot of sense to me, but it could be miscomunication.
I reason his argument is basically.
If you can't trust the guy running to adjudicate fairly when there's a piece of cardboard twixt him and you, can you trust him at all?
As a DM I don't routinely watch my player's rolls for a similar reason. I trust my players. If I didn't trust them, why would I be playing with them on thursday and friday nights?
I like my place behind the screen, because you don't need to see the sausage getting made, and its private and has a place for my notes.
I also like the screen because it singles the GM out as 'apart' from the players without being too apart. Its not adversarial, but there is a difference.
The Screen is the symbol of the GM's status. It says "I am running this world for you and my word is law." The onus is on the GM to be a fair GM. In my opinion, if you have to do everything in the open to keep your rolls "honest", you aren't a good GM.Could you explain this logic. Right now it does not really make a lot of sense to me, but it could be miscomunication.I reason his argument is basically.
If you can't trust the guy running to adjudicate fairly when there's a piece of cardboard twixt him and you, can you trust him at all?
I think he is saying this also, but I want to be sure before I respond, or he can be more specific because he could also be saying that "GM's who have done something" to earn mistrust are not good GM's, which is different from "if your players don't trust you then you are not a good GM".
I never use a screen. I can put a book or two either open on my lap or leaning against my chair in easy reach, so statblocks aren't visible to players. I run the game off of a clipboard, where I scribble initiative orders, hit point & status of monsters etc, and tally up XP. That's very easy to keep out of sight.
The big one though is the dice. I find my groups get more excitement out of seeing the rolls. Sure, there's a small amount of meta involved, but when the big monster rolls a natural 20, everyone at the table goes "ooooooo!" and starts patting the target's player on the back. "Good luck buddy. We'll raise you some day." Natural 1s are awesome when the PCs really need them. Cheering abounds.
I'd hate to lose that by rolling in secret.
Also, I don't like a physical barrier between me and my players.
Personally I do wish the screen was lower, and it can get in the way since it take up space. If I ever get back to in person gaming I will probably just use a dice rolling app, if it does not slow me down.
that is why I stand
then again I do not use a screen anymore and I still stand
I use the paizo official GM screen and I love it. It has a bunch of handy info on skill and concentration checks which I use regularly. It also lets me hide maps and notes. The few times I played without one my jerk-wad players kept leaning over, looking at my notes, and then saying stuff like "I'll attack this guy, he's only got 3 HP left".
However, I roll out in the open. It seems like they direct their malice more toward the dice than towards me when I roll a natural 20 where they can see it.
I use a screen but I also tend to pace around the room, rolling wherever I happen to be. I keep notes, minis that aren't in play yet and so forth behind the screen but otherwise I try to move around. It gives me a better look at the board when we're playing, to accept notes from those that want to be sneaky with them, snag communal snacks and so on.
The Screen is the symbol of the GM's status. It says "I am running this world for you and my word is law." The onus is on the GM to be a fair GM. In my opinion, if you have to do everything in the open to keep your rolls "honest", you aren't a good GM.
I strongly disagree with the first sentiment, and wish to counter the second sentiment with an alternative that I think we'll both agree with.
I'd like to discuss the second first, and the first second.
To the second: Honesty is in the person, and a person who uses or does not use a GM screen may be honest. But a dishonest person will use a GM screen not for its usefullness of charts or to create a better gaming experience for their players - but rather to hide their dishonesty. Please note that this does not mean that anyone who uses a screen will be dishonest. By not using a screen, I'm making a statement that I'm not hiding any dishonesty behind the screen - I'm open and honest, so let's enjoy the game without you having to wonder.
I have had some very bad GMs in my time, from changing rules on the fly to accusing players of destroying the game by "power gaming" when all they did was make a standard character with standard abilities (examples upon request). Perhaps it is more my association with these bad GMs hiding behind their GM screen that drives my distaste for the GM screen - perhaps I am in the wrong for why I don't use it and the real reason is because of this association. It isn't something I've reflected on before, and it will take some time for me to reflect on it still (mostly because it is not an important thing to reflect upon).
To the first: For me, the topic of GM law is an entirely different than the topic of the GM screen. I am wholly against the idea of GM law. While the GM runs the story, the GM is still just one person - one player - in a shared experience amongst he table. When people say "GM decision," I read, "table decision." When people say the GM determines the house rules and make adjudications on the fly, I believe that the table should make the decision. While the GM runs the NPC's and the environment, the Players run the main characters - and together they should decide which rules they want to incorporate, how the uncertain rules should be handled, and any decision for any conundrums that come about. Again, I think my beliefs and opinions on this topic derive from my experiences with bad Gm's, but in this case I feel that my experiences have resulted in a better experience for the tables that I play at (both as a player and as a GM).
I agree with a lot that's already said here.
I use my screen on and of, if we have a lot of roll playing I put it down, during fights I sometimes lift it to show the dice.
The thing I like most about my screen however is looking at some notes, or a monster, and then look up at my players and smile knowingly.