Miscellany: A Different Kind of Campaign Trail, Part 4

If I recall correctly, there was a pretty significant backlash some time ago against D&D Dungeon Master screens, the folding pieces of cardboard that DMs traditionally used to separate themselves from the players.

The thinking on DMing at the time was to remove barriers between yourself and the players. The screen hampered your ability to communicate the action effectively, and the physical divide supposedly served as a constant reminder that a game was being played.

DM screens have been rehabilitated a bit in the post 4E-era, especially considering the sheer number of dice rolls that have to be made without the players knowing the result. I also tend to prep my adventures on paper instead of on a laptop, so having the screen helps to keep a lot of the dungeon layouts and adventure hooks hidden from prying eyes.

The official 4th Edition DM screen, at least to my knowledge, is the nicest screen Wizards of the Coast has ever produced. The screen material is heavy cardstock that's similar in weight to the covers of the core rulebooks. In other words, this screen ain't tipping over any time soon.

The outside of the screen is adorned with artwork depicting mostly Underdark monsters. I still wish they had a three-panel screen (the full four-panel, landscape orientation screen takes up a lot of real estate on the gaming table), and there's some errata that's changed the content of some of the rules listed on the screen itself, but all in all, it's a good product.