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This is the official Dungeon Master's Screen for the latest incarnation of Dungeons & Dragons.

I don't usually use GM screens, but some games seem to work better with one. 4th Edition seems to be such a game. As points of reference, my favorite GM screen ever was the one published for Call of Cthulhu 5.0, which had some minimally creepy artwork on the players' side, and sat the long way, with four panels in landscape orientation, instead of the traditional way, creating more “real estate” for all the super secret GM stuff, and also being easier to look over onto the tabletop. The absolute nadir in GM “screen” design was the confounding thing released for AD&D 2.5, which consisted of two separate three-panel dealies randomly covered with a bunch of tables front and back. (I have no experience with the People's Champion, the Hackmaster screen.) Mostly, I'm of the opinion that GM screens are a rip-off for what you pay, especially when you can print one at home that's basically just as good. Right? Actually, I'm not even sure why I wanted to buy this one, but I guess I didn't want to have a screen from some other game in front of my face, and the price seemed okay.

Upon breaking the shrink wrap, I was pleasantly surprised to find something much nicer than I had expected to get. Breaking with past D&D screens, the screen is four panels laid out the long way, as with my beloved Call of Cthulhu screen, which is a big plus if you like being able to see the battle mat without standing up every time. While the back of the packaging describes this as “heavy cardstock,” that's really an understatement. This screen is made from noticeably sturdy cardboard, which is wrapped with the glossy printed material. It's like that stuff those "board books" for small children are made out of. Not only is this a well-manufactured product for ten bucks, I can also note with a touch of cynicism that—unlike every other 4th edition release—the ink on the product does not smudge if you rub it with your fingers. (This product is made in China, in case that sort of thing influences your purchasing decisions. This may account for its surprising value compared to those "printed in the USA" rulebooks.)

The contents of the screen itself are about what one might expect to find on such a product. The side facing the players has some suitably atmospheric artwork by Francis Tsai, depicting an Underdark panorama with no less than fifteen favorite D&D monsters standing around looking cool. The business side of the screen shows all the useful tables for the game, printed in the same color scheme as the rulebooks. The condition summary table, which I find to be the most useful to have at hand, occupy the rightmost panel along with the death-and-dying rules. It seems to be the optimal selection of tables to include for this edition of the game. I had been keeping the “quick-start” booklet from Keep on the Shadowfell around as my crib sheet for running the game. I can now retire that, as this has everything I need in one place.

On a somewhat embarrassing note, Wizards of the Coast actually released errata for this product before it even hit the shelves. This is due to the popularly-demanded revision to the Target DCs listed on page 42 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. In fairness, Wizards has actually released a literal “patch” you can print, cut, and paste over the original table, so you don't have to write these in with a pen or something. It's not a deal-breaker for the screen itself, but in light of the number of errata already published for a line that launched a mere three months ago, it isn't helping the publishers' credibility any.

Conclusion

It's pretty easy to make a recommendation on this. If you DM fourth edition Dungeons & Dragons, and have even the slightest interest in using a screen, just go get this. It's as good as it gets, with a reasonable price tag. If you aren't playing 4e, you obviously do not need this and I have no idea why you would buy this, or even why you're still reading this review.

Appendix: Tables included

Experience Point Rewards
Damage By Level
Food, Drink, and Lodging
Light Sources
Character Advancement
Actions In Combat
Attack Modifiers
DCs To Break Or Burst Common Items
Target DCs (already outdated)
Fall Severity By Character Level
DCs For Commonly Used Skills
Rules summaries for

• Rolling Attacks and Checks
• Cover
• Concealment
• Conditions
• Healing a Dying Character
• Death and Dying