Pathfinder Advanced GM Screen

Ooh, advanced rules from the Gamemastery Guide. This is what I thought an advanced GM screen would be. I'll definitely be picking one up come January.

I've already added it to the cart!

Talk about non-descriptive product descriptions:

What does this "Advanced" GM screen do that the original screen does not do and what does it forfeit in return?

GM's likely will not use two screens at a time, especially not if one if portrait and the other landscape. So please tell us more allow for an educated buying decision.

I am not sure that anything they tell us now will make much sense before we know more about the Gamemastery Guide.

What does this "Advanced" GM screen do that the original screen does not do and what does it forfeit in return?

Designer Logan Bonner said on yesterday's Pathfinder Friday twitch stream that they're still making the Advanced GM Screen, so please comment here or in the forums on what you don't need from the basic screen, or things you think would be useful to have on the advanced screen! A lot of the info on the basic GM screen is useful to inexperienced GMs but isn't necessary for GMs who are really well-versed in the game, like the key that tells you what the action icons look like.

Weissrolf wrote:

What does this "Advanced" GM screen do that the original screen does not do and what does it forfeit in return?

Designer Logan Bonner said on yesterday's Pathfinder Friday twitch stream that they're still making the Advanced GM Screen, so please comment here or in the forums on what you don't need from the basic screen, or things you think would be useful to have on the advanced screen! A lot of the info on the basic GM screen is useful to inexperienced GMs but isn't necessary for GMs who are really well-versed in the game, like the key that tells you what the action icons look like.

The Advanced screen is supposed to have material from the Gamemastery Guide, which is out in january too, so it isn't possible for us to know exactly what would be most useful to put on it. ;-)

Quick monster creation/adjustment rules would maybe be a good idea, as these are supposed to be in the GM Guide...

I have no use for the XP info on the GM screen as I use milestone leveling.

I'm a little disappointed that may "basic" GM screen will be obsolete six months after I bought it, but if the info on the Advanced screen is that much better, I guess its okay. The most important factor for me is that the advanced screen is available in landscape format. I have been asking for (complaining really) a landscape format ever since the original 1E screen was released and have to say I was really aggravated when Paizo chose not to provide that option despite reprinting the 1E screen twice. I was extremely pleased when the 2E screen came in both version as my g/f prefers portfolio format. Its hard to tell from the image and the description of the advanced screen has no indication of its format. Hopefully when it is released, there will be both versions available to appease all GMs. If it is limited to portfolio, I doubt I will buy it even if the content is better than the basic 2E screen.

I'm a little disappointed that may "basic" GM screen will be obsolete six months after I bought it, but if the info on the Advanced screen is that much better, I guess its okay. The most important factor for me is that the advanced screen is available in landscape format. I have been asking for (complaining really) a landscape format ever since the original 1E screen was released and have to say I was really aggravated when Paizo chose not to provide that option despite reprinting the 1E screen twice. I was extremely pleased when the 2E screen came in both version as my g/f prefers portfolio format. Its hard to tell from the image and the description of the advanced screen has no indication of its format. Hopefully when it is released, there will be both versions available to appease all GMs. If it is limited to portfolio, I doubt I will buy it even if the content is better than the basic 2E screen.

I'm not seeing how the original will be obsolete as this is for the new rules info presented in the GMG. If anything I'd say you'd be using them together, if you use GMG content at all.

They have already indicated there is Core material contained in the GMG. It will be a bit more of an essential buy than the 1E version. Given that the info on the current screen is extremely basic and much of it will become memorized in short order, especially by a GM, the advanced version will likely become a more important reference. Thus the rules contained on the original screen are still applicable, but its functionality for my purposes will likely render it obsolete. I don't nee two screens on the table.

I'm not seeing any "core, mandatory" rules in GMG as it was described in tin the recent stream. I guess this screen will feature subsystems which you might want to have summarised in the screen if you're running a game using chase/duel/research rules.

I think that the information we have confirms the hunch I posted earlier. We can easily come up with a list of things to omit from the Advanced GM Screen, but I am not sure that we know enough to propose things to add to it in their place.

I understand there will be details/rules for NPCs, spellcasting services, monster building, etc. All things that many GMs will consider core. It hard to say what we think should be on the Advanced screen given we don’t exactly know what is contained in upcoming products like GMG, Advanced Player’s Guide, etc. I would agree that the action symbols could be removed without trouble as well as maybe the sections “turns,” “basic actions,” “hero points.” Those are things that will be memorized soon enough, IMO. I really don’t need the “skills actions” section since it doesn’t do more than give you a page reference which is easy enough to find on your own. I want things on the screen in just enough summary detail that I don’t need to look up the actual rule in any but rare corner cases.

I think we can disregard the Advanced Player's Guide for this purpose, as the Advanced GM Screen comes out at around the same time as the Gamemastery Guide and several months before the Advanced Player's Guide.

I understand there will be details/rules for NPCs, spellcasting services, monster building, etc.

Did they state anywhere that it's what's going to be on the screen? I, for one, can't imagine monster and NPC building fitting on to a screen.

Apparently they are still open to suggestions about what to put on the screen. The problem, of course, is that we don't have a good idea of what material from the Gamemastery Guide would be a good fit -- but I suppose we could still nominate items from the Core Rulebook that didn't make the original GM Screen.

Hi. Should I post suggestions here ?

The one thing I keep adding to GM screens are notes with questions I should ask my players. For example, "is that what <insertcharname> would do ?" or "will <insertcharname> stay here doing nothing and let that happen ?"... Maybe there are a few good ones we could have to help GMs handle specific situations (like helping people roleplay more, ...). That's probably a bit weird but that's something I would use.

I also write tips like "how can this NPS make players shine ?" or "what makes this NPC memorable ?" to remember that :)

Cheers

One thing I've always added via post-it note or otherwise is a size scaling chart.

Now I don't have the current screen because I wanted to wait and see what this one had to offer, so I don't know if it's there.

But if we are taking suggestions...

Using Medium as the base, a chart listing how all stats and dice change going from tiny to huge.

I'm so excited to see what will be on this screen! I popped on to grab the PF2 screen, and now I'm like hmm...I guess I can wait a little longer....

I agree that the Icon Key for action symbols, the Hero Point section, and the Turns section can be removed as they're easily memorized by a GM.

I believe the XP Awards section could be removed as well. In my experience, this is something done in between sessions and not on the fly in the middle of one.

Two absolutely critical (for me) sections are the Detecting Creatures section and all of the Conditions. The DC Charts (Simple, By Level, Adjustments) are also insanely handy to have right in front of my face.

Speaking of being in front of my face - I'm quite petite so I desperately hope this version of the GM screen also comes in landscape so I can actually see over it without having to sit on two pillows.

I am looking forward to this if only for the art on the front of the screen.

Since it appears that the GMG was pushed back to February, I am assuming this will be pushed back as well?

Not so far. At this point, it looks like this product may be out before the product that its information content comes from.

And it looks like it has been pushed back to March, so they can describe this item to us in terms that will make sense to anyone who get the Gamemastery Guide in February.

For those wondering if there will be a portrait version of this product, the answer is: yes! Now available for preorder.

Can we get a preview of the contents of the screen?

Can we get a preview of the contents of the screen?

+1

I won't be ordering another screen without knowing whats on it.

There looks like lots pf product that has moved release dates.

I wonder if they will be taking this off the New Releases on the main page since this is not a new release until May?

I hope it will be in landscape format!

I hope it will be in landscape format!

It is. The portrait version is a separate product.

sooo, when will be finding out what information is on this?

Update: This product has been moved to a June release.

Lyz on the PaizoCon Online Q&A just said that the tables, etc., on this and the original GM screen were online at Paizo.com so we can decide which screen we prefer, but I'm not seeing a list of the contents.

I was hoping to see what would be on this screen as well after hearing Lyz said it would be available.

The advanced screen will be released in close to two months. Plenty of time to update the product description(s).

I don't see a list of the contents of the original GM screen either, though.

Update: This product has been pushed back to an August release.

Update: This product has been pushed back to a September release due to some shipping delays.

Can we please get more info on what is on this screen? I have a normal GM screen, and would love to know what is the difference. I wouldn't order unless this info is available somewhere.

Can we please get more info on what is on this screen? I have a normal GM screen, and would love to know what is the difference. I wouldn't order unless this info is available somewhere.

"This four-panel horizontal screen has a lavish illustration on one side and a wealth of useful charts and tables on the other, referencing a number of the advanced rules systems first presented in the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide."

The normal GM screen only contains charts and tables from the Core Rulebook.

Not sure what "horizontal" means in this context, but if I'm not mistaken the distinction between "portrait" and "landscape" referenced by someone early in the thread refers only to the picture on the back of the screen, not to the tables on the inside.

Not sure what "horizontal" means in this context, but if I'm not mistaken the distinction between "portrait" and "landscape" referenced by someone early in the thread refers only to the picture on the back of the screen, not to the tables on the inside.

There are two versions of this screen:

and this other one which is not part of the Accessories Subscription line and has vertical layout and a height of ~11 inches.

It's not just the picture; it's the entire layout of the 4 panel screen. The cover design is deceptive.

My 'horizontal layout' 8.5 height GM screen for the Core Rulebook also has an outside covering that is laid out in portrait orientation (like the image for this screen), but the screen itself is laid out horizontally.

Hm. I would swear that both my CRB screens are the same height. Now I have to figure out whereinhell I put them so I can check.

Looking at the three pdfs I have I see these page sizes:

Advanced GM Screen: 47.8x12.41 inches
GM Screen: 44.02x8.63 inches
GM Screen (Alt1): 34.45x11.25 inches (this is the "portrait" version).

Each screen pdf consists of two pages, the front (picture) and the back (tables, etc.).

The advanced screen gives up the Icon Key table, turns, basic actions, specialty basic actions, hero points, skill actions, specific skill dcs, detecting creatures, exploration activities, replacing them with:

creature numbers, hazard numbers, reputation, and victory points.

All of the screens list, for each table/item, the page number and rulebook where it can be found.

So is the PDF with the entire screen formatted incorrectly? It looks like the tables are landscape, but the page is portfolio so the image is smashed horizontally to fit with large white-space strips along the top and bottom, similar to how a letterbox movie doesn't fill the screen. If this is the case, should we be expecting a corrected PDF soon?

So is the PDF with the entire screen formatted incorrectly? It looks like the tables are landscape, but the page is portfolio so the image is smashed horizontally to fit with large white-space strips along the top and bottom, similar to how a letterbox movie doesn't fill the screen. If this is the case, should we be expecting a corrected PDF soon?

No fix, yet. The Advcanced GM Screen also appears odd/ incorrect to me.

I've asked on the forums, where a CS member told me they forwarded the issue and that it would be resolved soon. I wanted to ask for an update in that thread, but apparently that makes me go back to the end of the line. :/

LoL. The use of soon(tm) by Paizo staff has become a meme. Another example of customer care

It done been a meme for a hot minute.

The Pathfinder Advanced GM Screen gives you the tools you need to keep the game fast and fun: conditions, death and dying rules, tables for setting DCs, baseline numbers and adjustments for creatures and hazards, Victory Point guidelines, and more.

I will work with the Store Manager to get an image of the cover on the page.

You can find an interview with Logan Bonner about the Pathfinder Advanced GM Screen here.

Any idea when this will come back instock