So what is a DM screen you may ask? A Dungeon masters screen is a tool used in tabletop roleplaying games (ttrpg) like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder or Mothership for hiding information or story details as to not spoil anything to the players around the table. Depending on the design used it could even help with setting the mood of the campaign being played. Now then, it’s nothing to be ashamed about but for the past 3 years that I’ve been playing ttrpg’s I’ve been hiding behind my laptop screen, using it as my DM screen, and lately been feeling an intense urge to have my own. The way I see it, a DM screen is a statement or promise to yourself that you will take the role of game master and the actual hobby seriously.
The History of the DM Screen
The Judges Shield holds the distinction of being the first commercially available Gamemaster screen, in 1977, which consisted of 3 pieces of cardstock display information necessary for people on both sides of the screen. After seeing the commercial success of the Judges Shield, many game companies including Judges Guild (the creator of the Judges Shield) kept publishing more gamemaster screens leading to it becoming a now commonplace tool in the tabletop gaming hobby.
The Judges Shield(1977) by Judges Guild
The general impact of the Gamemaster screen in the tabletop gaming community has been generally positive. Here’s a breakdown of its effects:
Positive Impacts:
- Enhanced Secrecy: The screen allows the Gamemaster (GM) to hide information like monster stats, secret plot points, and dice rolls from players, creating an element of surprise and suspense.
- Improved Organization: The screen often includes helpful charts, tables, and reference materials for the GM, making it easier to run the game smoothly.
- Reduced Distractions: The barrier helps the GM focus on running the game without worrying about players seeing their notes or reactions.
- Professional Presentation: A well-designed screen can add a professional touch to the gaming experience.
Potential Downsides:
- Physical Barrier: The screen can create a physical barrier between the GM and players, potentially hindering communication and interaction.
- Overreliance: Some GMs may become overly reliant on the screen, neglecting improvisation and interaction.
With that being said, I am creating this screen with the intention of not only being able to organize my notes but also to create an atmosphere around the table of intrigue and wonder, including some decorative pieces for the table that I have laying around.
The DM Screen design
Starting off with the designing of the screen, I’ve opted to repurpose a few elements from the game franchises: Dishonored, and Bioshock. I’m a sucker for retro if you haven’t noticed all the retro themed articles posted on our blog but I opted for a mix between the gothic Neo-Victorian era theme of dishonored and the 40s Modernist design movement found in Bioshock hopefully creating an antique but magical atmosphere. There’s nothing better to get you immersed than feeling the frustrations of the common man feeling the push of capitalism through advertisements. Therefore I’ve decided that the 3 sections of my screen will consist of advertisements found across the games.
The search for reference images wasn’t too hard as I’ve played through these games many times so I already had a cleanish picture of what I was looking for and so I ended up with choosing the Golden Cat poster from Dishonored and the Bucking Bronco Poster from Bioshock, I felt that they would be the easiest to blend their themes together as well as them having the most defined designs. As for the main board I plan on having the design found on the reverse of the Dishonored Tarot card collection.
Designing the screen
As for the design, I imported the images I used into Adobe Illustrator and used the pen tool to trace over the parts that I needed. Now, I must admit that at the start of this plan I thought it was a good idea however towards the end I realized that this idea is going to create laser cutting hell in the later stages of this product with lines not being connected and not really any solid shapes to work with. By using this technique I’ve essentially added an entire step into the process where I will have to comb through every design and review every line, regardless, I am still happy with the outcome of the outlines and am looking forward to where this will lead, especially the borders of each section.
Inlaying techniques
Recently I’ve been taking an interest in woodworking and came across some videos going over flatwire inlay and sulfur inlay, 2 techniques which I found both extremely interesting and extremely beautiful. I somehow wanted to include this into my project and here we are. I want to use sulfur inlaying for The Golden Cat because the original poster hosts a yellow closer to sulfur than to gold and I feel that brass inlaying might go with the overall brown features of the Bucking Bronco poster. The majority of the Bucking Bronco Poster will consist of laser engraving and general borders and lines will use brass inlaying. Originally I was planning to do all this on plywood but felt that these inlaying techniques deserved a bit more respect, therefor I am still on the search for some good ideas.
The reference images used for my DM screen as well as a few considerations I had.
The majority of these ideas that I’m coming across can be found all over Youtube and Pinterest. After finding a really cool project doom scrolling through Youtube I tend to switch to Pinterest to find some images to compliment the project. I cam across the Wyrmwood Youtube channel, specifically their video concerning the making of their DM screen where I saw their inlaying section which got me incredibly excited, I couldn’t help but want to create my own iteration of a Gamemaster Screen.
Dice Tray
Along with the DM screen, I have designed a dice tray to go with the same themes however I will include some RGB strips for accent lighting and a keypad to control it, to help create the mood for intense dice rolls. The center will include a layer of red felt to help tone down the noise of the dice rolls while simultaneously coming closer to the dishonored themes. For reference I’ve tried to replicate the look of bone charms while mixing in an industrial feel.
Conclusion
Have you ever built your own DM screen? What did you use for materials and what kind of atmosphere did you create? Did you face any challenges during the building process? Share your experiences in the comments below, I’m genuinely interested. We’d love to see your unique DM screens and get inspired by your creativity. If you’re new to crafting a screen, don’t be shy! Ask questions and get advice from any enthusiasts. After all, the best part of this hobby is the community spirit and the joy of creating something special for your gaming group.
This post dives into crafting a custom DM screen for tabletop RPGs. We explored the history of the screen and its benefits for GMs. Then, we jumped into the design inspiration for my screen, drawing ideas from Dishonored and Bioshock! Stay tuned for the next time I post an update. Hopefully I’ve begun the building process by then.
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