How to use a GM screen correctly
Explanation There is no better tool to set the GM apart as the GM Screen. For some it can be a symbol of the GMs authority. Some people hate using the screen because they feel that it separates them from the players, while others find its use indispensible.
At times I do not like to use the screen because I pace back and forth as I guide the “story” but then having to stop and find a place to discretely roll can disrupt my flow.
If you are going to have a screen you should know the various ways to use it.
The Good
Hiding the dice rolls This is the original use of the GM screen, along with its easy reference tables (yes I’m talking THACO). But there is more to rolling dice behind the screen then you think. When I am having the party fight an unknown bad monster in Shadowrun (a dice heavy game) the players could tell that they are going to be in danger by how many dice I pick up. So a trick to build suspense is to grab dice of a different colour and roll them along with the normal dice for no other reason but to sound like I'm rolling for some god like creature.
Example:
The monster uses 10 Dice .. I pickup 10 white dice & another 10 Blue dice and roll ignoring anything that came from the blue dice (no matter how awesome they roll) So yes I'm rolling only 10 dice ... but it sounds like 20 ... ooooooh scary shadowrun monster.
Fudging roles (Strategically ethical lies to protect the players) OK so there are some people that really do not like GM screens for this reason (and I feel that is a whole separate topic) but I have saved a characters life many times with the GM screen. I rolled so well that it would have been instant death, but because the roll was behind the screen I was able to apply 1/2 damage. If I had made that roll in front of everyone Mike would have had to create a new character. I am not above killing a character, but it is system, plot and party specific. My personal rule is that no dice roll should destroy the fun!
Hang cool stuff on it!
Don’t forget about the side of the screen facing the players!
The few times that I used a GM screen, I hung paper off the front of the screen with drawings of the current big bad ... on my side I hung the character sheet of the current NPC of note.
This is also a great place to hang charts and spell descriptions
Do you use minis
So if you use minis in your game the GM screen is a great place to hide the monster of the week till its time to bring it out and start knocking heads.
The Bad
The failed perception test trick I love to do this one (hope my players don't read my blog). So I ask the player what their perception stat is, then I roll the dice purely for sound effect then shake my head in disappointment. There in nothing there to perceive, but this makes the player paranoid. *insert evil GM grin here*
The Spooky Peekaboo
This is where you leave the Monster manual behind the screen open to the scariest creature you can find. This will frighten any player who sneaks a peek.
The Ugly
The GM screen is really good for hiding your mess. I'm a messy GM so this makes everyone who does not peek behind the screen think I have my shit together.
