The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I've always been a fan of GM's screens. Ever since I got my first one (for Marvel Superheros) I've loved them. They were my shield of righteousness as a GM. I could paperclip (or postit note) notes to them to keep track of stuff (or fill in gaps on them).

Of course, a GM's screen is just as subjective as any other tool. For example, does it have any info on the player's side (such as Top Secret S.I's did)? Are there any useless pieces of info on it (do we need character generation info on it (ditto))? Does it include a useful GM's notebook? Or a useless one?

Is it big enough for you to hunker down behind, taking cover from various player projectiles (including, but not limited to, dice, elastics, cushions, and smaller players)? Can you roll dice at it without it tumbling to the ground, exposing your Diet Coke (or Tab, if you wish)?

The Babylon Project's Gamemaster Screen kit on many of those levels, and fails at others.

The player's side has no useful game information, but it DOES have a nice drawing of a space battle & an explorer class ship.

The inside has a panapoly of useful info. It has a section that could be used for chargen, or could just be fore in game reference. Difficulty levels are there, as well as the necessary charts (which take up most of the space) for combat. The weapon values table seems kind of pointless (shouldn't a prepared GM have that kind of info handy?).

The included stuff is also VERY useful. The book details some more data on the major races (Earth's explorer class ships, the Centauri & Narn politics & colonies, Minbari politics, the Non-Aligned Worlds, Raiders, and an event on Mars). This is probably the most useful thing in the kit. There's even a couple more antagonists included to help spice things up.

The neatest candy in the kit is the colour logos included with it. You get patches for the Achilles & Charon, all five Babylon stations, section icons, the Earthforce postal service, and the five races on the B5 advisory council.

Also included are a character sheet & a character construction worksheet, so players can photocopy them to their heart's content, and have something they can use.

All in all, the GM's Kit is a useful supplement for TBP gm's, providing both handy info and good cover.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Babylon Project Gamemaster's Kit
Author: Joseph Cochran, Heather Grove, Ronald Jarrell, Steve Long, John R. Snead, and Zeke Sparkes Category: game Company/Publisher: Chameleon Eclectic Entertainment Cost: $14.00 ISBN: 1-887990-07-0 Capsule Review by Justin Mohareb on 07/13/98. Genre tags: none	I've always been a fan of GM's screens. Ever since I got my first one (for Marvel Superheros) I've loved them. They were my shield of righteousness as a GM. I could paperclip (or postit note) notes to them to keep track of stuff (or fill in gaps on them). Of course, a GM's screen is just as subjective as any other tool. For example, does it have any info on the player's side (such as Top Secret S.I's did)? Are there any useless pieces of info on it (do we need character generation info on it (ditto))? Does it include a useful GM's notebook? Or a useless one? Is it big enough for you to hunker down behind, taking cover from various player projectiles (including, but not limited to, dice, elastics, cushions, and smaller players)? Can you roll dice at it without it tumbling to the ground, exposing your Diet Coke (or Tab, if you wish)? The Babylon Project's Gamemaster Screen kit on many of those levels, and fails at others. The player's side has no useful game information, but it DOES have a nice drawing of a space battle & an explorer class ship. The inside has a panapoly of useful info. It has a section that could be used for chargen, or could just be fore in game reference. Difficulty levels are there, as well as the necessary charts (which take up most of the space) for combat. The weapon values table seems kind of pointless (shouldn't a prepared GM have that kind of info handy?). The included stuff is also VERY useful. The book details some more data on the major races (Earth's explorer class ships, the Centauri & Narn politics & colonies, Minbari politics, the Non-Aligned Worlds, Raiders, and an event on Mars). This is probably the most useful thing in the kit. There's even a couple more antagonists included to help spice things up. The neatest candy in the kit is the colour logos included with it. You get patches for the Achilles & Charon, all five Babylon stations, section icons, the Earthforce postal service, and the five races on the B5 advisory council. Also included are a character sheet & a character construction worksheet, so players can photocopy them to their heart's content, and have something they can use. All in all, the GM's Kit is a useful supplement for TBP gm's, providing both handy info and good cover. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Babylon Project Gamemaster's Kit