The 4 Things You ACTUALLY Need Behind Your DM Screen.
And why nothing is behind mine...
Good evening from MythicCon, North Carolina!
As I’m a little busy giving my talk on A Geopolitical Guide To Worldbuilding and spending time with legends like Wyloch, Tabletop Engineer, DM Scotty, Hankerin’ Ferinale, and Alex from the Ultimate Effort Show! I’ll just drop some photos for now:
I planned on uploading the live recording of the talks, but there were serious video issues, so I might do it as a SUPER LONG video instead. Also, I got to see a test-print copy of Wyloch’s Neon Skies RPG. I’m blown away by how good the design quality is, considering he’s done all of it himself. I’m super stoked for the official release.
And the Most Humbling Thing I’ve Experienced as a Game Master…
During my talk on Dungeon Design Fundamentals, I met a 12 year old named “Z” who showed up equipped to talk notes, asked for my autograph, and studiously absorbed everything I was teaching. I have to say, while it’s highly validating to have a veteran 68 year old grognard approach you and tell you they love your content, it’s a different animal entirely to watch the next generation of TTRPG game masters hone their craft based on your teachings. And so naturally, I wanted to encourage this further.
I had brought with me to the con around 70 RPG books that I seldom used anymore in the hopes they would find a better home at MythicCon’s Flea Market. But instead, I asked Z and her father if they would be interested in taking them, to which Z excitedly agreed. Going through the books with Z was awe inspiring. Watching her, mouth-agape with excitement and shock, as I sorted through her new turn-key RPG book collection was one of the most humbling experiences I’ve had during my tenure as a Game Master. I never knew offering some advice and a few books could mean so much to someone. It’s just awesome that such an investment will likely pay dividends on this individual’s gaming experience for the remaining 80 years of her life.
The subsequent emails from her father were equally humbling as he expressed his family’s gratitude. He even sent a photo of Z with her new RPG book collection. (Peep that sweet TTRPG shirt Z’s mom made for her, too!)
I know with all the time Z has on her hands (since she’s young enough to be pre-career) she will likely be a better DM than me within the decade. So, Padawan Z, we are all expecting great things from you! I hope your game design and fiction writing endeavors explode with success!
Anyway, enough tear-jerking… Onto today’s topic!
The 4 Things You ACTUALLY Need Behind Your DM Screen
(And why I don’t use one…)
As a Dungeon Master, your screen is the command center for navigating the unpredictable tides of adventure, avoiding forgetting things and ensuring a night of quick-thinking fun and a game that always feels fresh and exciting.
To keep the game flowing seamlessly, there are four indispensable tools you should have at the ready:
1. NPCs
Dungeon Masters often need quick NPC creation more than detailed antagonists, and it's not worth the mental effort to dream up a new NPC on your own every time the party walks into a different tavern. "Knave" by Ben Milton offers an excellent NPC generator.
Its concise rules feature nearly a dozen d20 tables for quirks, appearances, biases, and beliefs. A few dice rolls give you NPCs like a "Bloated, Sunburned Herbalist" or a "Bitter, Scrawny Pickpocket." From there, you can easily improv to ensure your NPCs are always unique and engaging.
2. Dungeon Maker
When players interact with NPCs, they're usually gearing up for a dungeon. And one of the most difficult things to deal with while in the DM hot seat is when your party takes a sudden pivot in an unplanned direction, and you need to come up with a dungeon layout on the fly.
"Five Torches Deep" offers a brilliant random dungeon generator using a Rubik’s cube or dice to create layouts quickly. It's perfect for when the party veers off-script, allowing you to generate a dungeon in minutes.
3. Quests
There are a few ways I like to generate random quests, but "RPG Traveler" second edition is a go-to, with its adaptable tables for any setting. I love rolling two random encounters from any biome-based D&D encounter table, smashing them together, and thinking through how the two encounters would come into conflict.
We could end up with a diplomat who wants the party to hijack a desert trade caravan, but what the diplomat doesn’t know is that the cursed treasure the caravan was hauling has turned the merchants and guards to ghouls, ghouls the nearby blue dragon who has stolen the treasure likes to use as forward observers for his lair.
4. Magic Items
I used to use the Telecanter’s Table pretty extensively to generate magic items, but I’ve recently decided I get much more creative work done from another one of Ben Milton’s supplements: Maze Rats. While there is a game system contained in this supplement, the random tables are the real value add of this product, and sweet mother of Azathoth, are they expansive in subject matter.
My method for prompting myself to make a magic item is to roll up a random object or tool, (by rolling on the clothing table, for example), and then rolling up a prompt for a spell name: there is an entire section devoted to magic spell generation. You’ll get some wildly inspirational ideas like: “Hunting Horn of the Stampede” which summons nearby mega-fauna to rush in, or “Arrow of the Golem” which turns whatever you shoot it with into a golem.
It’s always fun to watch players tinker with a oddball magic item you have home-brewed on the fly, only for the players to find the perfect use case for it three sessions later. I promise you’ll never see something as bizarre as what you might come up with on your own in the Dungeon Masters Guide.
Feeling Adventurous? Go On These Side Quests
All the latest news, deals, jobs, tips and more in the TTRPG world.
Generators For All Your Names, Worldbuilding & Adventuring Needs: There are endless tools online for quick inspiration, and this site has everything you need for different TTRPGs & settings in one convenient place. Plus, there’s also quick reference sheets, calculators and more.
d100 Things A Monster Can Threaten Besides Your Life: Adventuring stakes don’t always have to be death. Here’s some alternative ideas that might strike your fancy.
Ability Score Improvements Have Been A Terrible Addition To D&D: An interesting take on ASIs that essentially argues that the focus on stats homogenises characters. (It’s no secret that I’d do away with all these rules myself in favor of OSE or Shadowdark!)
Dungeon Crawl Classics Bundle Sale: Bundle Of Holding is ‘holding’ a sale of ‘funnel’ sword and sorcery adventures, where your players send a dozen-plus hapless normal, un-heroic characters into a deadly environment where they rapidly die horrible and/or hilarious deaths, and the resourceful survivors get promoted to 1st level and become your new player characters.
Be An Account Manager For Warlord Games (North America): If you’re a skilled salesperson, drumming up new business for a miniatures company might be up your alley.
Looking For A DM Screen?: Ted from Nerd Immersion has you covered. He regularly reviews popular DM screens and kits so you can choose the best one for you.
Creator Spotlight
Looking for cool loot ideas? Check out this colorful weapon! I can certainly think of many amusing scenarios this could result in.
The 3 M’s Of Adventure Context Using The Rainbow Rapier!
What Might Have Happened A Millennia Ago:
Forged by a whimsical fey smith as a bet to capture a rainbow’s beauty in steel.
A gift to a fey lord from a deity of art and color, lost during a game of chance.
Created when a prism stone fell from the heavens and was found by a master swordsmith.
What Might Have Happened A Month Ago:
Stolen from a traveling bard's collection by a magpie attracted to its shimmer.
Discovered by an alchemist in an ancient vault, who then sold it at a vibrant market.
Won in a duel by a flamboyant duelist, who used it in performances at local festivals.
What Might Have Happened Minutes Ago:
Accidentally activated by a street urchin, causing a cascade of colors over the market square.
Dropped by a thieving cat, changing the alley walls into a mosaic of colors.
Used in a tavern bet to change the color of the local tough's coat, inciting a brawl.
Want a chance to be featured? Submit your 5e/OSE/Shadowdark monsters, items, dungeons or adventures here. Include plot hooks for player inspiration with your submission!
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Got a question on geopolitics, worldbuilding, DM prep and more? Submit your questions here.
“What’s behind YOUR DM screen?”
I’ve shared what should be behind everyone’s DM screen, so here’s what’s actually behind mine:
NOTHING!
I don’t actually use a DM screen! This isn’t to say I don’t see the value of having a one. Having a safe place to hide miniatures for an upcoming encounter, a place to tack up all your notes, and a place to keep dice rolls out of view have their advantages.
But, after placing a book shelf in my dining room where I do my gaming, where I keep all my minis and terrain readily accessible and just within reach of my seat, and realized that my hen-scratch-style handwriting is barely intelligible to me, right-side-up.
So, if my players can figure out what all my notes say from their upside down perspective, and think it won’t be obvious they are staring at my notes, then more power to them spoiling their own fun. I do keep a spare sheet of paper handy to place on top of my own maps and keep those out of view, though.
…I also just like rolling dice out in the open. It makes the game feel much more collaborative and less adversarial.
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