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Old 08-08-2018, 09:21 AM   #1
guymc
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default GM Screen Alternatives

As a spin-off from the GM Screen discussion thread elsewhere, what sort of alternatives to putting data on a GM screen exist, what data is appropriate for these, and how can they be used. I'm opening this up for discussion, but this is not necessarily about things just for the Kickstarter package.

The idea of a GM screen is to put frequently used game rules and data in a place where it is easier and faster to access than consulting the book. So off the top we can eliminate things that are just as easy to look up in the book (few), and things used so infrequently that looking them up on occasion is no burden. (Or can we? It seems to me that the opinion has been offered more than once that the obscure table referenced infrequently that is nonetheless essential when the subject matter comes up is exactly what some people DO want to have available.

Are there more appropriate ways to offer players and gamemasters information than putting it all on a screen? Here are some ways I know to supplement a GM screen or present things not appropriate or useful on the screen. What info would be best with what methods? Are there other methods that have worked for you?

PULLOUTS: Longer tables and lists and multiple pieces that go together can be provided as separate pullout pages to be consulted by players or GM. If provided in PDF format, copies can easily be printed for everyone who wants or needs one. This might be especially good for things that are used heavily by everyone at once at one time and then infrequently used thereafter. (Character Generation materials might fit this category, as may Tables of Weapons and Equipment).

STANDUP CHARTS: This is -- as far as I know -- something I came up with myself for my own campaigns, mostly for players. I don't think I've ever seen them actually provided in a game box. If you recall the little three-sided advertisements for desserts, drinks, specials etc. on restaurant tables, folded from a single piece of card stock, you have the idea. Charts, tables and rule segments can be printed on these, and they can be put out on the table either all the time or just when players are performing the appropriate activities.

These are very good for information that all pertains to one activity that isn't done all the time. This is a way to present things that don't necessarily have to hang in front of your face on a GM/player screen. They are more durable than a handout, and more accessible than a GM screen because they can be picked up and brought closer to look at them. One of these can be handed around as needed, and put aside when no one is using it. An example of something I might use this for in TFT is mounted movement and combat charts and rules, going out on the table when the characters take to horse for a significant amount of time.

CARDS: Where there are a lot of selections that might appear on a big table or list, but you are only likely to be concerned immediately with the few selections you actually have at hand, cards are a nice way to provide info. Just hand the appropriate card to the player, for him to keep as long as it is pertinent.

I like and use cards a lot, myself. They are great for introducing what the players would immediately see and know about a new NPC, or even a new location, organization, etc. I like them for giving to a player to gather all the info about a weapon or piece of equipment they have (or to provide the pertinent info about each Spell or Talent a character possesses. Pregenerated characters on cards is nice for short combat games (and we used them at Gen Con, as you saw). The GM can also use these behind the screen when he needs a quick opponent, NPC or monster.

Cards can also double as indicators. For example, if you have a card for each piece of specific equipment you carry, you can place the ones you have visible and easily readied on the table face up in front of you, and ones that might be concealed, packed away, or left behind at the inn in face-down piles until you retrieve them.

For TFT this is especially nice if you have a layout for your character that lets you set your ready weapon/shield and the armor you are carrying in a prominent spot to mark that. If you have cards for armor and weapons, it is easy to quickly calculate your adjDX if the adjustments are on the cards.
My own players have always liked cards because it gives them something tangible to hold (and lose, when necessary). Getting a new card with an item, talent, spell, etc. is like getting a present. If an items is lost, sold or broken, the card is given back to the GM.

New cards can be created for enchanted items and special possessions. (And not just for weapons, armor and magic items. A card for your horse, example, encourages you to think of it as more than a taxicab.) Special items that have associated adjustments and rules can have those printed right on the card. New sets can be made when there are a number of new things added to the game, And, of course, cards can be illustrated!

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What other ways can you think of to present information in a way that is more useful and/or acceptable than having it only in the rulebook? What information works best with what method? Are you willing to pay for game aids like these, whether that be in a higher price for the basic game that comes with them or as an add-on? Do you prefer physical products over just having PDFs of these game aids to print out on your own?
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Guy McLimore
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