In Dungeons and Dragons, the story teller that runs the game is called the Dungeon Master (DM). They build the circumstances that the players interact with. This can range from encounters with town folk in a tavern to fighting beasts in a dark forest. There is a lot to keep track of and much of it needs to remain secret from the players they are guiding. Enter, the Dungeon Master Screen:.

DM Screen built by the Mulenicorn.

Screens can range from card-stock folders to elaborate installations with tons of storage and features. The one I build folds so it’s easy to transport, includes metal strips to magnetize paper to, and has an initiative tracker to help organize combat.

Cut from 1x pine with French Oak ends.

Laying out storage and potential inlays.

Front inlay and roughed routing.

Designs can get away from me a bit, so I really tried to narrow the scope of this screen. I believe this helped me to focus on the details more and actually allowed me to finish the project in a reasonable amount of time. I made this over a month by stealing away an hour every couple days.



The front inlays were created using French Oak staves stained from a dark red wine. The staves were steamed in a PVC pipe and straightened out quite a bit. While not completely flat, I was able to cut a 1/4 inch facing off to get the colour without using the entire stave. It was a way more complicated process then really needed to be. I hope to refine the process so I can create long inlays in tables.

Barrel hoops cutting!

Using a barrel hoop to get the metal strips helps give a more rustic look. With a large supply of the (free) metal, it also keeps the cost down. A Diablo metal cutting disc in an angle girder cuts the metal well and I used a girder to finish the shaping.



Staves are bent in two directions, so the straight shape must be cut out and it must also be bent as flat as possible. Moving the stave through the vise and slowly bending gets a lot of the curve out.

Staining and Clamping.

Gluing the metal strips down and clamping the crap out of them finishes flattening out the curve in the metal. The stain was a hard choice for me. While a lighter stain would allow the inlays in the front to pop more, the dark stain felt more D&D.

Initiative Trackers.

In combat during D&D, players and Non-Player Characters (NPCs) take turns, the order of the turns is called the Initiative order. Some write it down on a white board, other’s use paper clips. I opted to make magnets that would stick too a metal strip. The order would start at the top and work it’s way down. Players get their names on the indicators while the NPC’s get colour and shape combinations.



Left over French Oak from making the inlays was almost the perfect width for the trackers. With the wood cut to size and a hole drilled for magnets, all that was left to do was paint them! The fun part!

The entire back side with all the trackers and magnets.

The routed slots have just enough space to fit the initiative trackers with extra magnets to hold the paper in place. Each space has metal strips along one wall so the magnets can stay in place when they are not being used. The metal bar across the bottom is removable and is cut to fit a slot on top of the DM screen. This will be the strip the Initiative markers will attach too.

What the players see.

What the DM sees.

There is a sample Initiative order in the photos. All the players markers are on one side while the NPC markers are on the other for clarity. Overall, I’m pleased with the final outcome. I learned a lot about making inlays and steaming wood. It’s only been used during one session so far, so excited to see what improvements could be made and to get feedback from my DM (pictured below).

Screen in Action! About to mess up some goblins!

Cheers,

James aka “16” the Warforged Cleric of the Forge Domain