Savage Worlds Customizable GM Screen (S2P10002) Hardcover – January 1, 2003

Fist off, let's get real. This is about a big as 3, 8.5x11" sheets of paper. If you want to know what that would look like, grab three sheets of paper and some tape. Now know how big it is.What I love about this screen is that it IS just 3 sheets of 8.5x11" sheets of paper. I have made up my own GM inserts based on what I need. I laminated them so ink doesn't stick to my screen if I change them up as I go.I've learned this from having other screens.Secondly, I now swap out the player facing pages per pro-DM sessions as needed. Also laminated. I DM for my friends, and I DM for venues that need a DM and want to encourage players to show up at said venue. Having the ability to swap a perfectly fitting 8.5x11 ink jet printed and laminated page looks very professional in my opinion. The lack of height also lets me see over the screen and not have to stand up too much. The lack of width aides in me having to play at small tables as most venues provide.I've seen others say the price isn't worth it, and if you are focused on price, I'll agree. But if you to pre-print your own screens and want a screen that looks like it was made for your 8.5x11" printed papers without all the weird blank space around it, there isn't an alternative that I have found so far. So, to me, it's 100% worth it.I would have said 1000% worth, but that's just mathematically impossible.

I'm going to go ahead and say that any GM that uses a screen should buy this now. Seriously. I mean it when I say I wish I had one years ago. It's weird to me that nobody, including myself, thought of this sooner. Anyone that's used notebooks with the clear plastic pockets on the outside knows exactly what this is: The mutant love-child of a GM screen and a vinyl notebook! It is precisely that. No rings, an extra cover panel, and all pockets all the time!A usage recommendation I have is to print any player-facing information large enough for your grandmother (borrow one if you don't have one) to read without her glasses, so your players can use it without a spyglass. It's only useful if they can read it from their seats. I also keep a list of known NPCs, place names, etc on one of the player-facing panels. When you go a month between gaming sessions, who can remember the blacksmith's name or the tavern last session ended in?One caveat... I would avoid storing printouts in it for long periods of time. I would expect the ink of photocopies or printouts to adhere to the plastic and mark it up when you remove the sheets. I haven't had it happen yet, but I have had probably a dozen GM notebooks ruined by that over the past 30 years of running games.PROS:- It's the perfect size. Since it's made for 8.5"x11" pages (Letter size not Legal size, as some have said) turned sideways, you can see over it much better than traditional taller screens. WAY less having to stand up to see what's going on as players move their miniatures around on the battle mat. Horizontally, it's also the perfect size, in my opinion. Just the right amount of room behind it for all my secret stuff. (Let's be honest, your beer and pumpkin seeds don't REALLY need to be shielded from most players.)- Seems pretty durable. I've only run two sessions with it so far and it's sturdy and seems built to last. (I'll update if it fails)- There's a good amount real estate on this thing for your charts and cheat sheets.CONS:- It's over-priced at the $29.99 that I paid. But not so much that it's not worth paying too much for.- It's VERY shiny, so there can sometimes be some glare issues when trying to read stuff on it. And mine has already scuffed in a couple spots. (both totally minor gripes.)- Since it's notebook technology based, we can expect it to hold up to damage and use just as well. (Probably not REALLY even much of a con.)VERDICT: Are you a GM? You should buy it now. Do you have a GM that you love? (or even like?) You should buy it now. For them. I would give you SO MUCH secret bonus XP for a gift like this!UPDATE: It's been a few years since I bought this thing. It's still going strong. I haven't even had any issues with printout ink adhering to the inside. No cracking in the "hinge" areas or anything. I've bought additional ones as gifts for GM friends and they've loved them. I would add another star after all this playtesting, but they won't let me give it six stars.UPDATE 2: Seven and a half years later and it's still excellent. No cracked "hinges". No printouts sticking to the clear plastic. (laser printer. maybe that matters?) No problems at all. Seriously, buy it.

I like that you can change out what is in the clear pockets on the inside and outside of the GM screen.That being said, I wish 2 things were different.1. I wish it was "Quad-fold" and that there were 4 panels. It's wide, but not wide enough for what I'd like.2. The clear pockets deform when opening the GM screen up. The more open and "flat" you make the screen, the more it deforms the clear pockets.

I've only had this for about 6 weeks now, but I really like it. Sturdy and customizable are the two things I appreciate most. It has a decent spread that works for me, but it may not be a large enough screen for everybody.There were no issues with inserting my GM pages or switching them out. It's just like your typical 3 ring binder with a clear overlay. Easy-peasy there.My biggest issue has been getting the things to stay put. The sides are so used to being folded in that they tend to track that way if I have it set up on a smoother table, like my game store's 6ft conference table. I now carry two coasters with me to be able to prevent that inward swing. It works alright as a fix.That aside, though, I enjoy having a screen that I can use for both D&D and SW, switching the display info easily. Oh, I almost forgot, the ability to alter player facing content is also great. Things like possible actions in combat, or reminders of certain actions, or just alternating cool pictures/art pieces has been very beneficial.Highly recommended.