Judging a Book by its Cover--On GM Screens and Dismantling Table Power-Dynamics

03 Oct, 2026

I'm the type of guy who cares a lot about the kinds of tools I use. This should hardly be a surprise to anyone who knows me. What?? The fountain pen guy with opinions about coffee brewing who has a preferred notebook type (A4 dot paper, of course) cares about the tools he uses?? Who could have seen that coming? Next you'll be telling me he's also into Linux and is considering purchasing a dumbphone!¹

So it shouldn't surprise you also to know that I think a lot about my GM screen.

Jump-scared by a GM screen manifesto²

The GM screen is present near-ubiquitously when "D&D" is represented in popular culture--second probably only to the d20. It's a ritualistic social signifier. When I set up a game in a public space like a bar, a game-store, or a library, the presence of a GM screen immediately signifies what Our Deal is to outside observers. And, to the players, the GM screen signifiers what is "public" and what is "private" knowledge. Knowing when to roll in front of and when to roll behind the GM screen can be the difference between a satisfyingly tense combat encounter or an unfair railroad.

I also think that a GM screen can signify, consciously or not, what kind of GM the person behind the screen is. A plot heavy GM might have their screen filled with post-it notes of plot points or character backstories. A mystery-focused GM might have physical props taped up to the front so that players can better see the clues being described. An improvisational storyteller, or a fairness-obsessed referee, might forgo the GM screen entirely. I once had a PBTA GM who displayed the faction clocks on the front of the GM screen. I think we as the players used that screen more then they did, but that's neither here nor there.

A particularly noxious style of screen that I've been seeing more and more are what I like to call the "Fortress" screens. You know the type--the wood-worked behemoths that span 6 panels and have, like, magnets and shelves and things.³ They're one of those types of products rampant in the 5E space--bespoke and customisable, yet uniform and identical. And expensive as hell, of course. As if my grandchild will care about an "heirloom" dice box with cumbersome resin dice I purchased at a farmer's market or something.

A side tangent about Reddit (sorry)

I've also seen on the internet over and over again a similar complaint. It usually goes something like this:

"Hey Reddit. So I'm running my game, but my players don't do anything! I give them plot hooks, bespoke NPCs to talk to, but they just want to be told where to go and when to roll the dice! What do I do???"

Such complaints also talk about the seemingly widespread opinion that it is a GM's responsibility to "provide" enjoyment for their players. Unengaged players, some will say, are the result of a "bad" GM. Trying to reach these expectations lead many to experience the, again seemingly widespread, feeling of "GM Burnout." I'm extremely puzzled by this feeling. GMing is something that I find recharging. Heck, I wrote a whole post about how I need to GM to maintain my energy levels. So, what gives?

According to Reddit, it's the players' fault. Players don't want to play any more! Players just want to sit there and passively consume a story without contributing to it. Heck, sometimes they don't even know the rules! It's their fault or maybe Matt Mercer's. They say it's beyond our ability as GMs to do anything about it.

I think that's bullshit.

A theory of disengagement

I often remark that the two halves of my public life--teaching and GMing--are actually the same thing. And I'm reminded of a professional complaint I've heard in staff rooms at every school I've ever taught at--teachers complaining about "the kids these days" and their profound apathy.

According to these teachers, it's the kids these days. The kids don't want to learn any more! The kids just want to passively sit there and get graded for nothing. Heck, sometimes they don't even remember material from previous years! It's their fault, or maybe the cell phones. They say it's beyond our ability as teachers to do anything about it.

I teach Senior English, and I always see, at the start of the semester, similar non-engaged behaviour in my students. And, time and time again, I get the same story out them once I get them out of their shell--that they didn't know how to participate in class! Previous classes taught them that they needed to listen to the teacher uncritically, and just jump through a hoop on command when test day came. The idea of agency in the learning process is secondary to the "goal" of "succeeding" (read--get high mark) in class.

I've coached many teachers who have had the "apathetic student" problem, and I always see the same thing reflected in their classroom setup--anxiety. A podium fortress, barricaded by books and tables. A physical separation between them and their students--the manor lord behind their walls on one side and the peasants working the field on the other. No wonder those teachers aren't connecting with their students--they have made the choice to physically separate themselves. They didn't mean to do that, but it's what happened, and the kids pick up on that dynamic. They sense that they aren't important. So they passively listen.

The solution, invariably, is to break down those barriers. There's a lot of BS in my profession about building "student centred" classrooms, but that's not the answer either. To get people to open up, you have to decenter the environment entirely, to encourage active collaboration instead of passive listening. Get the kids seated beside each other. Put your desk in the corner facing the wall, not the students.⁴ Open yourself up and be vulnerable. That's how to work collaboratively.

So let's loop back to the GM screens.

The GM with a fortress screen is the same as the teacher who has barricaded themselves behind their podium. Consciously or unconsciously, they feel like the screen protects them from the rabble outside who want to ruin their story. They are lording down on the peasants below, regardless of their intent.

In this way, the GM screen is imposing a power dynamic--separating the "leader" and the "followers". I played a Curse of Strahd campaign with a GM like this once. It's kinda the perfect Ur-Example of this phenomenon--basically a parody. This GM had: 1. A "fortress" screen. Purple-heart wood, of course, with their name laser carved into it in "Tolkienesque" font. 2. An official 5E screen, OVERLAPPING the "fortress" screen on their right side, the leftmost panel behind the "fortress" screen. 3. The official "Wilderness Exploration" screen, overlapping on the other end (for a combined total of 8 GM facing panels.) 4. Every single officially published 5E book available at the time (this was right when Xanathar's had been published) piled in in front of the screens. 5. A separate table for all of this. The GM was literally at their own separate table. You can't write the metaphor better then that.

And, yes, that game was legendarily bad. Our characters quickly become second fiddle to the "real" protagonist--a pair of vampire maids who worked for Strahd. Man, the games I played in while at Uni were weird.

The GM didn't mean to run a game where we did nothing but follow a bunch of big-anime-tiddy NPCs around, but that's what happened. I literally fell asleep at the table during the finale, and I know I wasn't the only one. I should have left, and I actually legitimately feel bad for not being upfront about my feelings. Very WASP of me, as I've recently learned⁵.

So, is it just the screen?

No, it's more then that. I think, basically, that the roots of the problem are the unconscious hierarchies we make when we set up our gaming spaces. Let's look at another factor: where the GM sits at the table.

The default position for a GM is at the head of the table, but this seemingly natural position is actually a trap for fostering player engagement. I read an article not too long ago about the social hierarchy of dinner tables⁶. Where somebody sits at a table can drastically change how they are perceived by those around them. The head of the table is reserved for the one at the top of the social hierarchy, as everyone else needs to physically turn their head to speak to them, while they can remain in their "natural" seated position while they speak. It's another power dynamic.

It's no wonder players see themselves as a passive observer when at such a table! The GM has, consciously or not, set themselves up as the "leader", as the "storyteller". So, storyteller, are you gonna tell a story? You've given yourself a stage, are you going to use it or not? Trying to run a collaborative game at such a physically hierarchical table is working against the physical layout of the space. We can do better if we want to get players engaged in the game and actively participating.

So, what do we do?

Man, you know what GM screen sucks ass? The Dolmenwood Screen⁷. It's a full A4 page size tall! It lines up nicely with the books on your shelf, but come on. I feel like a toddler at the wheel of a car behind this thing--I need a phone book to see beyond the dashboard. Don't get me wrong, I love the art, but get that thing outta here!

Get yourself a small screen. I personally use one of these⁸ half size screens from Hammerdog, but recently I've noticed more and more games are coming out with A5 size screens--Mork Borg,⁹ Cairn 2E,¹⁰ and Shadowdark¹¹ all have shorter GM screens. I strongly believe that a shorter GM screen creates a smaller power dynamic between the GM and the Players. Or make your own!

Sit in the middle of the table. Don't make your players turn their necks to look at you in your position of power. Be among the masses, not the lord of the manor.

Change what you call yourself. I'm on the fence about this one. I've always used the term GM to refer to what we do, but more and more I'm thinking about the implication of a "master." Other people have written on this, but mostly in the context of "GM-Less" games.

Maybe I should start using the term "referee"?

Footnotes