OD&D Referee Screen

[Deleted]

How many of you use them? If you do, what do you use? What does your screen look like? What does it include?

I ask because I plan on putting something together, but I need some inspiration, ideas, something to blatantly rip-off. Thanks!

[Morandir]

I have a D&D 4e screen (bought because it's made of thick, sturdy stuff). I made a one-page list of important charts (men/monsters attacking, saving throw table, movement/exploration rules) and a photocopy of the monster pages from Vol. 2 and taped them inside.

From the inside, it looks like this:



Mor

[thegreyelf]

I started work on a DM screen project, but didn't get very far....I should get going on it again.

[Falconer]

The easiest options would be to either blow the OD&D set’s Reference Sheets up to 8.5” x 11” sheets and make a do-it-yourself screen with those, or to track down a copy of the Judges Shield, which includes some Greyhawk material.

Personally, I’ve got my AD&D Dungeon Masters Screen, which I use to set the right tone and to block players’ view of my maps; and just use the Reference Sheets, either as-is, or blown up and paper-clipped to my screen. I’m not really much of a DIY-er. Regards.

[gonyaulax]

Mar 19, 2010 19:09:38 GMT -6 thegreyelf said:

I started work on a DM screen project, but didn't get very far....I should get going on it again.

I'd be VERY interested in whatever you come up with.

Years ago, about 1980, I made my own DM Screen for AD&D. I wasn't happy with the official published version, either in content or construction. I ended up photocopying the charts I wanted from the DMG and/or Player's Handbook. I took four sheets of masonite about 11 inches by 13 inches. If I remember correctly, I used the type of masonite that was about 1/16 of an inch thick, but smooth on both sides. That kind is harder to come by today.

I then went to a fabric store and found some brown cloth that was just a bit lighter in weight than canvas. I then placed the boards on the floor about half of an inch apart and glued strips of the cloth on the boards to cover each of the gaps. I had the cloth overlap the boards by about 3/4th of an inch. I used wood glue. These became the "hinges" which allowed the board to be folded up. Perhaps the outermost two gaps were a whole inch. If I were redoing this, I'd stack the sheets and make a better estimate of how far apart the boards should be.

After drying, I flipped the boards and glued another strip of the cloth to the gaps on the other side.

When this was all done, I arranged the photocopies of the charts on the boards to my liking. I then covered each board (and the charts thereon) with a piece of clear "contact" shelf paper, sticky on one side. This was a tricky business as I didn't want any wrinkles or air gaps. But it is doable. I don't think I put anything on the front panels, although I thought about it at the time.

The final result was GREAT!! Not only with the content, but the board was big enough and heavy enough to work on a large table and to actually STAY PUT when the table was bumped or shaken.

I used it for 15+ years (even after I switched to 2nd Ed. AD&D) because it worked so good. I then got rid of it when I sold all my D&D stuff in the Great Mid-90s Purge. What a mistake! Wish I still had it . . .



In any case, if (when?) I decide to do something like that again for OD&D, what tables would you include? I'll have to give this some thought and post my choices of tables in a few days. I doubt that I'd just reproduce all of the Reference Sheets charts without picking and choosing.

[ravenheart87]

I prefer Judges Guild's Ready Ref Sheets. It's full of good extra content - that might bother someone, but I found many of them useful. Especially those poison rules.

[jakdethe]

Since everyone keeps mentioning reference sheets, I came up with my own version of "Ready Reference Sheets" like the Judges Guild put out. It's basically random tables taken from anywhere I liked, edited in Adobe Acrobat to look clean, but not uniform. I can post pics if anyone wants to see them.

[scottenkainen]

I'd like to see them, Jak. I'd also like to share some love for the Hackmaster Gamemaster's Shield. Bulky to the point of being unusable, it's still a very impressive barrier to put up in front of your players.

~Scott "-enkainen"

[Deleted]

I was working on putting together an OD&D screen a while ago. Produced a "first draft" and never got around to updating it. Been using it, though. Printed out, glued to cardstock, hinged with painter's tape (it was at hand). Looks like document is too large for a forum attachment, so I'll post a Dropbox link.

Danse Master Screen

[Deleted]

I got some 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of heavy brown cardboard and taped them together.

Then I taped some charts on my side.

[Stormcrow]

Wouldn't they have been easier to read if they had been taped to the cardboard?

[Deleted]

Jan 12, 2014 23:14:56 GMT -6 @droll said:

Danse Master Screen

I selected images of the Danse Macabre for the player side of the screen not just for aesthetic value, but to remind the players that all characters eventually die, from the lowliest torchbearer to the lordliest wizard.

[skars]

Jan 13, 2014 21:32:50 GMT -6 @droll said:

Jan 12, 2014 23:14:56 GMT -6 @droll said:

Danse Master Screen

I selected images of the Danse Macabre for the player side of the screen not just for aesthetic value, but to remind the players that all characters eventually die, from the lowliest torchbearer to the lordliest wizard.

Thank you for sharing! I printed them out onto some cardstock and for a screen, I tend to use those acrylic table sign holders. (I have a couple landscape 8.5x11 and one portrait 8.5x11 to form the "screen")

[xmanowarx]

i whipped these up recently...getting the OD&D reprints really got my juices flowing.

OD&D Referee Screen

[stevemitchell]

This is amazingly good. Thanks for posting!

[Merias]

Very nice, thanks! I love the art you incorporated into this.

[gonyaulax]

Very nice job! This is the kind of thing I was looking for!

[mannclay]

Feb 17, 2014 15:11:52 GMT -6 xmanowarx said:

i whipped these up recently...getting the OD&D reprints really got my juices flowing.

OD&D Referee Screen

Hey! thanks for sharing...grabbed 'dem right up

[arcadayn]

Wow! Those are really nice!

[Deleted]

Jan 13, 2014 21:03:15 GMT -6 Stormcrow said:

Wouldn't they have been easier to read if they had been taped to the cardboard?

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