
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. The construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard which is made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light b ...
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, p ...
, and is used by the
gamemaster
A gamemaster (GM; also known as game master, game manager, game moderator, referee, or storyteller) is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer role-playing game. They are m ...
to hide all the relevant data related to a
tabletop role-playing game
A tabletop role-playing game (typically abbreviated as TRPG or TTRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a form of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech. Participan ...
session from the players in order to not spoil the plot of the story. 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
''Judge's Shield'' is a gamemaster's screen created by Judges Guild in 1977 for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'', the first such screen to be published.
Contents
''Judge's Shield'' is a gamemaster's screen that was designed fo ...
'', produced by
Judges Guild in 1977 for use with ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (T ...
''.
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 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. The founding m ...
's science fiction role-playing game ''
Traveller
Traveler(s), traveller(s), The Traveler(s), or The Traveller(s) may refer to:
People Generic terms
*One engaged in travel
*Explorer, one who searches for the purpose of discovery of information or resources
*Nomad, a member of a community withou ...
''. 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. 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 ga ...
'' 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
David A. Trampier (April 22, 1954 – March 24, 2014) was an artist and writer whose artwork for TSR, Inc. illustrated some of the earliest editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. Many of his illustrations, such as the cover of ...
. (A second printing later the same year featured art by
Errol Otus
Erol Otus is an American artist and game designer, known internationally for his contributions to the fantasy role-playing game (RPG) genre, especially early in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' franchise. He is also known for his artwork on the multiple ...
).
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 created a "Project Director's Screen" for the science fiction role-playing game ''
The Morrow Project''; in 1981,
Metagaming
Metagame, Hypergame, or game about the game, is an approach to a game that transcends or operates outside of the prescribed rules of the game, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by th ...
released its "
Fantasy Masters' Screen
''Fantasy Masters' Screen'' is a 1981 fantasy role-playing game supplement for '' The Fantasy Trip'' published by Metagaming Concepts.
Contents
''Fantasy Masters' Screen'' is a gamemaster's screen
A gamemaster's screen, also called a GM's scree ...
" for ''
The Fantasy Trip''; and in 1983,
FASA
Fasa ( fa, فسا, Fasā, also Romanized as Fassa) is a city and capital of Fasa County, Fars Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 110,825, in 33,379 families. Fasa is the fourth most populous city of the province. The city dat ...
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
''Champions Gamemaster's Screen'' is a 1981 role-playing game supplement for ''Champions (role-playing game), Champions'' published by Hero Games.
Contents
''Champions Gamemaster's Screen'' is a pair of stand-up gamemaster's screens screens that c ...
''
* ''
Chill Master's Screen
''Chill Master's Screen'' is a 1984 role-playing game supplement for ''Chill (role-playing game), Chill'' published by Pacesetter Ltd, Pacesetter.
Contents
''Chill Master's Screen'' is a three-panel gamemaster's screen printed on cardstock and in ...
''
* ''
Conspiracy X Game Master's Screen
''Conspiracy X Game Master's Screen'' is a supplement published by Eden Studios in 1996 for the modern-era role-playing game '' Conspiracy X''.
Contents
''Conspiracy X Game Master's Screen'' is an eight-panel screen that includes charts and tab ...
''
* ''
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! Gamemaste ...
''
* ''
Fantasy Masters' Screen
''Fantasy Masters' Screen'' is a 1981 fantasy role-playing game supplement for '' The Fantasy Trip'' published by Metagaming Concepts.
Contents
''Fantasy Masters' Screen'' is a gamemaster's screen
A gamemaster's screen, also called a GM's scree ...
''
* ''
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''
* ''
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
''Top Secret Administrator's Screen and Mini-Module'' is a 1982 role-playing game supplement for '' Top Secret'' published by TSR.
Contents
''Top Secret Administrator's Screen and Mini-Module'' is a referee screen that reprints the most freque ...
''
* ''
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 ...
''
* ''
''
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 stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to the Sun's, while its volume is comparable to the Earth's. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes ...
'' (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 of GM's reference tables for such things as encounters of all sorts, character social levels, m ...
. Unless you have made up your own, an essential for any serious DM."
In the UK magazine ''
Imagine'', 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'' c ...
'' 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's Pr ...
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