Do you use a ST screen?

[Flagg]

How many of you use a screen, and if so, why?


I've found over the years of running various games, the aspect of having "secret stuff" behind a screen has diminished entirely. I guess it's kind of nice to have charts and such handy, but very rarely are my table-top games actually played at a table, and those screens don't really work on laps.


-S

 

[Persell]

I don't use one. Perhaps I would have if I had one, but I don't. I do, however, have some stuff secret from the players, but usually these things go into my notes. And sometimes I do secret rolls, but it depends entirely on the session I am running and the people the characters are involved with.

 

[Taurren]

I usually use a screen for hiding notes, upcoming mini's etc but only some die rolls.

 

[Jakk Bey]

I  have the Big Black Book--or Purple, or Maroon, or whatever color of binder was available at the stationary store--of Doom. I keep all the official stuff in pockets on the sides of the binder, rules and reference material in the center.


For campeigns, I keep a seperate folder with all the important notes, characters, and material handy near the Big Black Book, but I haven't used a screen in a long time. Our sessions are usually over pizza and beer, and a screen gets in the way of reaching for some chips, cookies, another wing, another slice, or another bowl of pasta.

 

[wordman]

Like I said in a previous post, I just created my own. I haven't played with them yet, so consider these in the "rough draft" stage.


As for why, I don't think of it so much as "hiding secret stuff" as having a bunch of static displays (in addition to my laptop). Throwing postits on the screen keeps my games running more smoothly, and reminds me of things I tend to forget (like my player's limit conditions).


I also tend to track damage with pen&paper still, so concealing this is useful. I mostly roll dice electronically with Omnihedron, but sometimes roll a quick d10 for some reason.


I've also found that player's side of the screen can be useful, usually for putting up things like maps or pictures (particually of sets).

 

[Thorn Darkblade]

I use one, for several reasons...first of all, the charts can be quite useful, and the screen can hide important things, like secret dice rolls, the figurine of the 3rd circle demon, etc. Also, the artwork on the front helps set the mood of an anime style action game.

 

[Flagg]

important things' date=' like secret dice rolls[/color']

What's important about secret dice rolls? Or, more to the point, what's the purpose of keeping a roll secret?


If yout just pick up some dice and roll them, your players shouldn't have any idea why you rolled those dice, so them seeing the result should be meaningless, no?


-S

 

[Jakk Bey]

Exactly. If you really feel the need to be sneaky about dice rolls, you can  just randomly and reflexively roll dice--call it a habit, like players who roll constantly to try to "shake out the bad rolls".


What is so secret about a roll?  You know what the roll is for, but your players don't.  They'll hear the damn clatter of the dice behind the screen anyhow, and know something is up--especially if you tend to roll things in front of them anyhow.


The Mysterious Storyteller schtick is overdone in my book. You're friends playing a game together.  Your players may realize that something is up, but that's because some of them are actually paying attention to the words that come out of your mouth, rather than the dice and the shuffling of papers. If you really feel the need to surprise them, just fudge it.  Consider it like a plot point in a video game.

 

[Sheridan Boyce]

My ST uses one when we play at a table, which is prefered.  My DMs in my D&D groups use them and I always use one when running anything, mostly just to hide stuff I don't want them to accidentally read.  I admit that they can get in the way a lot though, but I've got a big ass table now, which I plan on taking full advantage of.

 

[psychoph]

I use a screen but it doesn't usually cover everything.  I have actually moved to holding a lot of information on my laptop which i then use as like a nother panel fo the screen.  Only real reason i use it is to fudge dice rolls when i don't feel like the ungodly number of successes I rolled will benefit the story by the character dieing.

 

[Flagg]

Only real reason i use it is to fudge dice rolls when i don't feel like the ungodly number of successes I rolled will benefit the story by the character dieing.

When that happens to me, I just wince and tell the player that the dice just killed him, and then tell him I'm going to fudge it. I don't see the value in keeping that kind of thing a secret. How does it enhance the game?


-S

 

[Persell]

Only real reason i use it is to fudge dice rolls when i don't feel like the ungodly number of successes I rolled will benefit the story by the character dieing.

When that happens to me, I just wince and tell the player that the dice just killed him, and then tell him I'm going to fudge it. I don't see the value in keeping that kind of thing a secret. How does it enhance the game?


-S

As a player, I'm not sure if I would want to know that. It's honest and all, but I'm not sure at all. I bet I could get used to it, though.

 

[Flagg]

As a player, I'm not sure if I would want to know that. It's honest and all, but I'm not sure at all. I bet I could get used to it, though.

I have a get-out-of-death-free card policy for all of my players. Once per story, if the character dies, but the player would rather they didn't, I fudge things to spare them. The second time, they're just plain fucked.


-S

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

My friend and I are ST's through and through and I acknowledge him as my greater superior. He thoroughly enjoys making his characters suffer and work for their goals...but those damn games are so fun not matter how hard they are. But he is very fair. He uses a screen to once again, fudge rolls that are just ridiculous or inopertune to kill one of us. He just fudges it and is really nonchalant about it. Unless we're using the continue system ^^;;;

 

[Guest]

I voted no but that's because mine vanished

 

[fmneto]

I use a screen all the time (when I'm ST'ing that is   ). I don't like to keep rolling dice all the time, because I think the noise is a bit annoying when I'm trying to talk, or when I'm trying to listen to the players.


Also, I keep a *lot* of notes, NPC sheets, and other auxiliary stuff behind the screen; besides that, it's really useful when I need to write a side note to one of the players without the other knowing what it says.


Another advantage is that it keeps "rules-lawyers" away.

 

[Elcief]

I don't use a ST screen because it's kind of.. D&Dish.  :wink:


Seriously, I usually trust my players a lot, so I don't hide my rolls. If I really need to lie, I just lie to them in their faces  :twisted:


The idea of a screen just doesn't appeal to me, so I keep my charts and ST aids in a folder.

 

[Guest]

I use the screen, but not usually up. It's just a handy reference that can keep me from having to open the book for some things.

 

[Kajata]

I use a screen, but that's because I have a few players in my game who tend to get pissed when unfortunate things happen, and I admit I fudge quite a few rolls in my games, but normally to keep things interesting.  I like my players to be the centre of attention, the guys with the awesomely good or dramatically shitty rolls.  As far as my NPCs are concerned, they generally get fudged up/down to mediocre.  However, this would piss off 1-2 of my players who are real sticklers for getting "good" dice rolls because that's all they seem to play the game for "omg!  lookz  I totally gots 12 sux on my roll which beats your ENTIRE pool!  If we were fighting I'd be totally handing you ur ass biatch!".


So the gaming screen just serves to stop them bitching about "omg!  He only rolled FOUR successes!  He SO didn't block me!", despite the fact that I only fudged it up to 8 so as to make the big bad guy not die in one turn of combat.

 

[EccentricNed]

I usen't, but then I discovered that there are some charms(For example, the Alchemical Tactical Analysis charm) that allow you to see what dicepools enemies have.


So, from now on, I'll be using a screen to allow charms like that to be actually useful. Plus, it adds a bit of risk when deciding whether or not it's a good idea to spend Willpower or Virtues on rolls.


As for StoryTeller notes, I keep most of them on my laptop. I might start using electronic dice for making ST rolls too if the players agree.

 

[Solfi]

"usen't"????


.... didn't use to? Man that's one fugly bastardization of the english language...

 

[EccentricNed]

The joys of being Irish.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:

 

[Solfi]

touché....

 

[Cynis Filthist]

99.9% of my games are on line through RPOL, of various systems and games, I still use screens in those games in order to have the quick reference charts and guides at hand.