[RPG] What’s the name of cardboard wall DMs use to hide their part of table

terminologytools

What's the name of this thing? Inside part looks like a cheat sheet, but I have seen images with different content inside these "walls".

That's the thing
Photo by Sargoth is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported (model rights reserved) / Red arrow added to original

Best Answer

That would be the Dungeon Master's Screen. Sometimes referred to as a DM Shield, or Game Master's Screen (especially in non-D&D games), they are designed to give the Dungeon Master quick access to frequently referenced rules, and to obscure dice rolls the DM doesn't want to players to see.

They are usually filled cheat sheets to status conditions, more obscure but frequently referenced rules such as how much light a candle generates, or how protected a target is with cover, etc. They also sometimes come equipped with tools for quick generator of names, items, or even encounters!

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