GM Screen: What info whould you liket to see on it?

[Mark A. Siefert]

I've run my first couple of games of Traveller and having to constantly flip through the book for my info is getting old. I need a GM screen. Of course, what information would should be on it?

Allow me to start with the obvious:
Difficulty Mods
Skill List
Basic Weapon Ranges/Damages (personal and starship)

What else do you think should be on a GM screen?

 

[Jame Rowe]

Equipment list
Other price list (i.e. ship passage)

 

[SSWarlock]

Allow me to start with the obvious:
Difficulty Mods
Skill List
Basic Weapon Ranges/Damages (personal and starship)

What else do you think should be on a GM screen?

* Personal/ship-to-ship combat flowchart (incl. MongTrav's "High Guard" rules)
* Starship movement/burn bands (incl. MongTrav's "High Guard" rules if different from the Core Book's).
* Personal armor ratings.
* Explosives usage rules.
* All tactical rules, like dodging/evading/parrying and skill use in combat.
* Indirect fire rules (probably from MongTrav's "Mercenary" supplement)
* Psionic skill DMs/Ranges.
* Animal-related rules synopsis.
* UWP definitions.
* NO artwork; while pretty, it's completely useless during play.

Basically, see what's on MegaTraveller's GM screen, minus the art work.

 

[GypsyComet]

* NO artwork; while pretty, it's completely useless during play.

Basically, see what's on MegaTraveller's GM screen, minus the art work.

I'm in general agreement, although one panel (on the players side) really does need the trademark logo at a fairly visible size. The home players don't need it, but I've seen "old favorites" like Traveller draw people to an "open gaming" table at conventions from 60 feet away, provided they could tell what was being played.

I know a lot of folks don't "do" conventions, but visible publicity is getting harder to come by in this post-magazine age. Any bit of (appropriate) improved visibility should be considered.

 

[-Daniel-]

* NO artwork; while pretty, it's completely useless during play.

Basically, see what's on MegaTraveller's GM screen, minus the art work.

I'm in general agreement, although one panel (on the players side) really does need the trademark logo at a fairly visible size. The home players don't need it, but I've seen "old favorites" like Traveller draw people to an "open gaming" table at conventions from 60 feet away, provided they could tell what was being played.

I know a lot of folks don't "do" conventions, but visible publicity is getting harder to come by in this post-magazine age. Any bit of (appropriate) improved visibility should be considered.

Even though I do not do Conventions much anymore, I have to agree with GypsyComet. Even at a store when playing the screen can be a great tool to open conversations with various customers who come by.

Daniel

 

[Myrm]

I must say I found the T20 refs screen to have everything I needed on it, so see those and add to it. That had supplementary screens so in fact was rather a large amount of info. The trade, freight and cargo info ALL in one place was really handy. Although the smaller book size of MongTrav would probably make that easier to keep in the book.

I guess one area that might be a problem is weapons descriptions. I found thats great until you add extra supplements and their weapons intothe game and the ref screen becomes out of date. So not ure if thats a good idea to include. Range bands and weapon type Mods sure - but the actual weapons, maybe not.

Id like to see UWP definitions and Universial Ship/vehicle Profile definitions as well. That would allow me to decode items on the fly from a singl line in a reference/adventure book. Saves space in the supplements and lets me see whats there.

 

[Xoph]

:!: Things like equipment lists and such can be seperate from the gm screen. The most important must haves on the screen are:

• Checklists
  charts
  random lists

All of them in the book. Common how to's like combat formula are also nice.

 

[SSWarlock]

I guess one area that might be a problem is weapons descriptions. I found thats great until you add extra supplements and their weapons into the game and the ref screen becomes out of date. So not ure if thats a good idea to include. Range bands and weapon type Mods sure - but the actual weapons, maybe not.

What would really be handy in such a case is either ensuring all such new weaponry and related info is available on easy-to-photocopy pages or a pullout.

 

[lastbesthope]

As long as it's a good thick screen like the B5 2E and Runequest ones.

LBH

 

[Mikko Leho]

I guess one area that might be a problem is weapons descriptions. I found thats great until you add extra supplements and their weapons intothe game and the ref screen becomes out of date.

What you need is:

http://www.smithandrobards.com/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=28

 

[kafka]

Task table & reminder of the rules regarding tasks. Those were pages apart in the main rulebook

UWP reminder of the breakdown

Comprehensive weapons tables that would include Ironmongery from later books.

Encounters & Interpersonal transactions flowchart

and the rest what was mentioned above...however, I do like art facing the players and make it an eight panel screen to provide ample protection for the Referee against player originated projectiles.

 

[-Daniel-]

I guess one area that might be a problem is weapons descriptions. I found thats great until you add extra supplements and their weapons intothe game and the ref screen becomes out of date.

What you need is:

http://www.smithandrobards.com/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=28

Wow, at that price I say just salvage a few old binders from work and make your own for pennies. :wink:

Daniel

 

[Infojunky]

How about including hiver finger puppets?

 

[Warlock32]

I have started adding "Paper-clip" Slider-bar to the edge of my GM screens to track ongoing things like turns, time, etc.

 

[klingsor]

I bought the trifold screen but found it had a couple of problems:
i. Lack of durability. The corners went with very, very little use. It is still perfectly usable but now it is ugly.
ii. It is Letter size. This is only a problem if you are not an American (or a Filipino).

I have a couple I had made myself earlier, one landscape and one portrait. Easy enough to do, stiff card, I think I used black mount board, plastic sleeves, the thick, sort without the punched edges and 50mm/2 inch wide masking tape. Cut the mounting board to slightly larger than the size of the plastic sleeves, tape them together, paint if required or desired then attach the sleeves. I think I used double sided tape but this was a decade or more ago. I already had all the components but even now the cost would be only a few pounds.

There are a lot of things you can do with a DIY screen. You could use A5 sleeves and make a dinky little screen. You could use A3 sleeves and made a big ass screen. You can make it an odd shape – the idea of crenelating one was mooted on the Pendragon list or use something heavier than mount board, MDF or plywood comes to mind but that might need piano hinges and this is definitely heading into megalomaniac territory.

A big curved screen without folds becomes possible. It would look great but would be almost impossible to store.

 

[klingsor]

For the proper official screen I rather fancy a plain black outside with the red line line and name. Simple, timeless, classic.

 

[klingsor]

The screen for GDW's Space 1889 came with a couple of self adhesive clips that could be used to attach sheets of paper to the screen. I did not use them but I did think it was a nice idea but a couple of bulldog clips would the job just as well.

 

[nezeray]

As long as it's a good thick screen like the B5 2E and Runequest ones.

LBH

Oh Dear God I love that screen!

For traveller I can do without the art, replaced by PLAYER info on the outside. I would like the player's side to have the Traveller "arrow" and name so people can see what we're playing.

On the inside, a complete list of skills, weapon and armor info. Various skill and combat modifiers. With page numbers preferably.

One thing I've been thinking about is a 4-6 inch high, 4 panel screen. This way you can see over it yet still keep die rolls secret.

James / Nezeray