Gamemaster's Screen
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A gamemaster's screen, also called a GM's screen, is a gaming accessory, usually made out of either
cardboard Cardboard is a generic term for heavy paper-based products. Their construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard, made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light brown ...
or
card stock Card stock, also called cover stock and pasteboard, is paper that is thicker and more durable than normal writing and printing paper, but thinner and more flexible than other forms of paperboard. Card stock is often used for business cards, ...
, used by a
gamemaster A gamemaster (GM; also known as game master, game manager, game moderator, referee, storyteller, or master of ceremonies) is a person who acts as a facilitator, organizer, officiant regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer r ...
to hide all the relevant data related to a
tabletop role-playing game A tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG or TRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a kind of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech and sometimes movements. Participants d ...
session from the players. It also hides any dice rolls made by the gamemaster that players should not see. In addition, screens often have essential tables and information printed on the inside for the gamemaster to easily reference during play.


History

The first commercial gamemaster's screen was the '' Judge's Shield'', produced by
Judges Guild Judges Guild is a game publisher that has been active since 1976. The company created and sold many role-playing game supplements, periodicals and related materials. During the late 1970s and early 1980s the company was one of the leading publish ...
in 1977 for use with ''
Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...
''. This featured three pieces of 8.5" x 11" cardstock designed to be taped together to form a three-panel screen, the two outer pieces in a vertical (portrait) orientation, and the middle piece in a horizontal (landscape) orientation. This design allowed the gamemaster to peer over the lower middle section more easily. The ''Judge's Shield'' had tables on both sides of the screen, with information relevant to the players on their side, and information for the gamemaster on the other side. Information included "Attack matrices with minus armor classes, saving throws, weapons' strikes & damages, weapon priority, phantasmal forces, encounters, experience points & levels, monster compendium of statistics." The ''Judge's Shield'' proved to be a popular item, and less than a year after it was introduced, it had become Judges Guild's second best-selling product. In 1979, Judges Guild also produced a gamemaster screen for
Game Designers' Workshop Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) was a Board wargame, wargame and role-playing game publisher from 1973 to 1996. Many of their games are now carried by other publishers. History Game Designers' Workshop was originally established June 22, 1973. ...
's science fiction role-playing game '' Traveller''. This consisted of four pieces of 8.5" x 11" green cardstock, designed to be taped together to form a four-panel screen. Once again, tables and information relevant to the players and the gamemaster were printed on their respective sides. Seeing the commercial success of these accessories,
TSR, Inc. TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had bee ...
published the ''
Dungeon Masters Screen ''Dungeon Masters Screen'' (later called ''Dungeon Master's Screen'') is an accessory for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Publication history ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' The 1979 ''Dungeon Masters Screen'' was the origi ...
'' in 1979 for their new ''
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Several different editions of the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ...
'' game. This product differed from the two Judges Guild screens in several ways. While the Judges Guild screens came as separate pieces of cardstock that had to be taped together, the TSR product included two ready-made screens: a two-panel 17" x 11" screen, and a three-panel 25.5" x 11" screen. And while, like the Judges Guilds screens, the gamemaster's side of the screen was covered in tables and information, TSR designed the player's side to be purely decorative, with art by Dave Trampier. (A second printing later the same year featured art by Errol Otus). The first edition version of the ''Dungeon Masters Screen'' garnered a Gamer's Choice award that year. The use of artwork on the player's side became the industry standard from that point on. Other game companies quickly followed suit. In 1980,
Flying Buffalo Flying Buffalo Inc. (FBI) is a game company with a line of role playing games, card games, and other gaming materials. The company's founder, Rick Loomis, began game publishing with '' Nuclear Destruction'', a play-by-mail game which started th ...
created a "Project Director's Screen" for the science fiction role-playing game ''
The Morrow Project ''The Morrow Project'' is a science fiction role-playing game created by Kevin Dockery (author), Kevin Dockery, Robert Sadler and Richard Tucholka and published by Timeline Ltd. It is set after a devastating nuclear war. It was first released in ...
''; in 1981,
Metagaming A metagame, broadly defined as "a game beyond the game", typically refers to either of two concepts: a game which revolves around a core game; or the strategies and approaches to playing a game. A metagame can serve a broad range of purposes, a ...
released its " Fantasy Masters' Screen" for ''
The Fantasy Trip ''The Fantasy Trip'' (''TFT'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game designed by Steve Jackson and published in segments by Metagaming Concepts starting in 1977 and culminating in 1980. In 2019, Steve Jackson Games republished it as ''The Fan ...
''; and in 1983,
FASA FASA Corporation was an American publisher of role-playing games, wargaming, wargames and board games between 1980 and 2001, after which they closed publishing operations for several years, becoming an IP holding company under the name FASA In ...
published a "Gamemaster's Screen" for '' Star Trek: The Role Playing Game'' — possibly the first commercial use of the term "gamemaster's screen". Since then, many companies have produced gamemaster's screens for their particular games.


Other examples

* '' Call of Cthulhu Keeper's Screen'' * '' Champions Gamemaster's Screen'' * '' Chill Master's Screen'' * '' Conspiracy X Game Master's Screen'' * ''
Elric! Gamemaster Screen ''Elric! Gamemaster Screen'' is a supplement published by Chaosium in 1994 for the fantasy role-playing game ''Elric!'' that is based on the series of novels by Michael Moorcock about the character Elric of Melniboné. Contents ''Elric! Gamemaster ...
'' * '' Fantasy Masters' Screen'' * ''
Gamma World Referee's Screen and Mini-Module ''Gamma World Referee's Screen and Mini-Module'' is a 1982 role-playing game supplement for ''Gamma World'' published by TSR. Contents ''Gamma World Referee's Screen and Mini-Module'' is a package including a gamemaster's screen and a short adven ...
'' * ''Hollow Earth Expedition Gamemaster Screen'' * ''
Judge's Screen ''Judge's Screen'' is a role-playing game supplement published by TSR in 1984 for the '' Marvel Super Heroes'' role-playing game. Contents ''Judge's Screen'' is a GM's screen for the Basic rules, with a map and guide to Manhattan as depicted b ...
'' * ''
The Morrow Project Gamemaster's Shield and Reference Tables ''The Morrow Project Gamemaster's Shield and Reference Tables'' is a 1981 role-playing game supplement published for ''The Morrow Project'' by Timeline. Contents ''The Morrow Project Gamemaster's Shield and Reference Tables'' is a gamemaster's sh ...
'' * ''Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: GM's Screen'' * '' Star Frontiers Referee's Screen and Mini-Module'' * '' Star Trek: The Role Playing Game Game Master's Screen'' * ''Star Wars: Gamemaster Screen for Second Edition''Bill Olmesdahl ''Star Wars: Gamemaster Screen for Second Edition'', West End Games, 1992, * '' Top Secret Administrator's Screen and Mini-Module'' * ''
Traveller Referee Screen ''Traveller Referee Screen'' is a 1979 role-playing game supplement for '' Traveller'' published by Judges Guild. Contents ''Traveller Referee Screen'' is a gamemaster's screen which contains the important tables from ''Traveller'' Books 1-4 inv ...
'' * '' Universe Gamemaster's Screen and System, World, and Environ Logs''


Reception

The appearance of the gamemaster's screen elicited various responses from critics. In the October-November 1977 edition of ''
White Dwarf A white dwarf is a Compact star, stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very density, dense: in an Earth sized volume, it packs a mass that is comparable to the Sun. No nuclear fusion takes place i ...
'' (Issue #3), Don Turnbull reviewed ''The Judge's Shield'' and found it a very useful tool, saying, "These panels contain virtually all the information needed for DM and players during a game, and moreover are much more durable than the
Ready Ref Sheets ''Ready Ref Sheets'' is a supplement for fantasy role-playing games published by Judges Guild in 1977. Contents ''Ready Ref Sheets'' is a supplement containing reference tables for use by the gamemaster including items such as encounters, social ...
. Unless you have made up your own, an essential for any serious DM." In the UK magazine ''
Imagine Imagine may refer to: * Imagination Music Albums * ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008 * ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002 * ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012 * ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971 ** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...
'', Jez Keen called the tables printed on TSR's ''Dungeon Master's Screen'' more useful and accessible than those found in the ''
Dungeon Masters Guide The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' (''DMG'' or ''DM's Guide''; in some printings, the ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' or ''Dungeon Master Guide'') is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' co ...
'' rulebook. By 1992,
Rick Swan Rick Swan is a game designer and author who worked for TSR. His work for TSR, mostly for ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'', appeared from 1989 to 1995. Swan also wrote '' The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' (1990), published by St. Martin' ...
opined that buying the ubiquitous gamemaster's screen had become a waste of money: "Consisting of a few cardboard panels and a handful of tables copied directly from the rule books, referee screens are arguably the worst buy in gaming. Anybody with a photocopier, a pair of scissors, and a bottle of glue can put together a customized screen in an hour or two, so there’s little incentive to spring for the authorized version unless you’re a compulsive collector or just plain lazy."


References

{{Reflist Game equipment Role-playing game terminology