Do you GMs out there use GM screens or not? If so, do you buy the official ones or msake your own custom ones?

I find most official ones to be overpriced, whereas with some photocopying and printing, especially onto sheet card, I can usually make one that's as good or better and a lot cheaper.

I don't really like them.  
They distract me, take up space at my end of the table, and get in my way. I like to roll dice out in the open and keep notes on my lap, so I don't need one to hide stuff, either.

I do like to have two copies of the rulebook, though. One for me, and one for the players to mangle with their greasy ham-hooks.

When I happen to have a GM screen handy for a game I'm running, and it's of the type where there's pretty art on one side and useful charts on the other, I lay it art-side-down on the table (or the middle of the floor, more usually, since we tend to game in my sitting room) so that everyone can see and use the charts. Not only does it give everyone the tables they need at a glance, it also provides a handy dicerolling surface!

On the other hand, I don't buy GM screens these days, nor do I make them.

I've never used one, or wanted to.

Nope. No screen for me. In the exceptionally rare instance that I need to roll a hidden die I'll stick a hand in front of it.

Depends on the game and the book binding.  If there are a number of tables and charts I need to reference but I don't feel like constantly having to re-open the book or busting it's binding to stay on a page, I'll get one.  Don't use them to hide the dice rolls though.  

I've always wondered why there aren't more spiral bound books.  Much easier to use if you need to reference multiple areas in a book.  Is it the cost or the perception that the product is cheap?

Nope, haven't had any use for those since '89.

I tend to use 'em all the time. I usually buy 'em, but for games where they don't have one, I've been known to make my own. I made a very bitchin' GM screen for Orpheus.

I like 'em, and use them. I like having the handy reference material, and having a little private area to keep notes and stuff.

Almost never use one standing up anymore.  On some games I'll use one, as someone else says they do, art side down so I have access to any charts I need.  Mainly I use this for Sla Industries or Kult.  I've also put together my own reference charts and had them lamanated for a few games also.

Back when I first started GMing I used one all the time, mainly since every GM I knew used one also.  After I while I just got tired of it being in the way of my view.

If I did use one I'd use the Hacmaster one, just so I could flip the picture from a happy prosperous adventuring party to a those same folks getting eaten and burned alive whenever combat started. Let the players know what to expect, right?

Quote from: James McMurrayIf I did use one I'd use the Hacmaster one, just so I could flip the picture from a happy prosperous adventuring party to a those same folks getting eaten and burned alive whenever combat started. Let the players know what to expect, right?

Hey james, you say pundy hid all his posts from you? Wow, where can i get in on that deal? How'd you luck out?

I own a bunch from AD&D 2nd. Since I play 3.5, the stats are pretty useless. What I do is paperclip all the baddies' stats to the inside centre panels (I use a four-panel screen) of the screen, so that I can see how many HP they have left or whatever at a glance. I also tend to paperclip them on in the order that I want to run them in, so that when I take off the sheet at the end of the encounter, I know what's coming up. On the far left panel, I usually keep a list of major NPCs with a line or two explaining who the heck they are. On the far right, I have all the maps I'll need. Behind the screen, I've got my dice, a pad of paper, and a pencil for jotting down anything that I need.

I do most rolls out in the open, but I occasionally do secret and decoy rolls behind the screen.

DM Screens tend to distract me from running the game, and inhibit the casual atmosphere I aim for. I own a few - some from boxed sets, some others just for their screenness from the brief period I was still using them.

Quote from: Dominus NoxHey james, you say pundy hid all his posts from you? Wow, where can i get in on that deal? How'd you luck out?

Read the Open Letter to James McMurray thread over in the off topic forum for the full story. Although if it's just that you don't want to see his posts, that's what the ignore function is for.