DIY: Make your own DM screen

Link at the bottom with the entire build process.
I've never DM'd a D&D game before, and I figured I would need a game master screen. I bought one, but alas, it was specific to the "Storm King's Thunder" campaign (didn't do my homework!), and I needed something that would provide me with generalized stats and tables.
I decided that I wanted something I could customize. There are products out there that can do this, but hey, let's DIY it, right?
I've seen some projects that used cardboard, but I find cardboard to be a bit light/flimsy and prone to warping. These art canvas panels are super rigid and are very durable.
Materials used:
4 ct. of 9" x 12" Artist Loft Canvas Panels from Michael's (hint: go to their website and take advantage of the 40% off coupon) - ~$6.60 (after 40% off)
White duct tape - ~$2.00
Adhesive dots (I used 'Zots' brand, also found these at Michael's - or use Elmer's double-sided adhesive tape) - ~$3.48 (after 40% off)
8 x Standard sheet protectors (either Letter or A4) - ~$10.00 (from office supply store)
X-acto or other sharp knife (box knife would also work) to trim the binding edge from the sheet protectors
Straightedge or ruler to act as guide when you trim the sheets
Note that some of these supplies can be reused for other things - obviously, making a DM screen for simply the cost of these materials would be more than others you can purchase. For example, use the sheet protectors in your campaign binder to hold some stats tables or character sheets.
Find the printed out cheat sheets for your panels here:
/ final_version_of_my_5e...
or
www.enworld.org...
(there's others, but these were the two I liked the best)
Or, make your own - here's a great place to start, please donate if you use their resources!
www.5edmscreen....
See the build process on Imgur: imgur.com/gall...

[@valerietb]

Just finished making this for my son's birthday. He's using a cardboardbox right now. Won't he be surprised! Thanks a bunch!

[@uphold2001]

Awesome! I hope he likes it! What a great gift for a budding DM :)

[@FlutePlayer777]

Happy Birthday!! His idea using the canvases is brilliant.

[@chubtoad01]

In all my fifty years of life, it never ceases to amaze me how awesome duct tape is. What can’t it to?

[@panagiotisarkomanis]

You look 30

[@amaliomontana]

Fix my marriage 😢

[@JasonCorfman]

I don't have pictures yet, but just last night I finished my GM screen mostly following your instructions. One change I did make is I took some metal floral design wires (18" long wires folded in half, using sets of two each time) and taped them under the duct tape to the top of all of the inside panels and the top of the two middle outside panels (and bought some cheap small magnets at the dollar store), giving me magnetic strips for temporary notes or pictures that I don't want to create full inserts for. I also used wood grain pattern duct tape so it looks like I made it from wood. Mine doesn't close quite as flat as yours does (it was fine until I decided to re-enforce it with one long duct tape strip across the bottom and one long duct tape strip across the top), but I'm pretty happy with the result. I'll be trying it out with my session this evening. I've been wanting to make my own screen for a while but didn't really have the need, as I had an official, non-campaign D&D DM screen. But I'm going to start GMing Pathfinder 2E in January and I found myself needing a screen with Pathfinder info on it. With this screen, I can swap back and forth between game systems in minutes without needing a bunch of different physical screens.

[@uphold2001]

This is exactly why I posted this video! I'm glad you are able to make improvements for whatever game engine you are using and also that addition for magnetic notes is pretty awesome and a clever idea! It's simple and doesn't add much to the overall bulk of the build. Nice :)

[@purplepotato2612]

I made my first dm screen when I was 14 in South Afrika. In south africa Dungeons and Dragons merchandise is impossible to find so I made my own with cardboard and 2 rolls of tape. It was horrendous and looked awful but it served me well for 4 years. But now its time to build a new one

[@IHateNumbersOnNames]

A beautiful story, with a beautiful profile picture. Because of _your_ sacrifice, Hollownest lasts eternal.

[@armaansewduth4261]

Dude I felt your pain

[@1983SpringBonnie]

Also: If you can't print out pictures, remember you're working on a canvas! I chose to make some paintings on the other side after marking out where the tape would be. Thanks for this dude!

[@cansayita]

Hey, this video pushed me and my friend to make campaign-specific DM Screens for the both of us. Thank you for that! If you do something like this again please show more of the actual process of putting everything together, we had to find out the finer points by trial and error. Still was great inspiration.

[@redomagnus4762]

Just wanted to say that this is still in awesomely relevant video. Thanks for making it!

[@d-bomb17]

Just got into D&D and this gave me the concept for my first screen. I'm impressed that you're still active on this 6 years later. Good thinking and best of luck to you!

[@bradleysmeltzer6696]

Made myself one of these, and my only regret was why didnt I make one of these before! So simple! I ended up trimming the whole thing in white duct tape, and it made it anti skid on tables. Thanks for the idea!

[@asktokeatzen3689]

This looks really awesoeme! I hope you still play and that you're doing great :)

[@PoroMancer]

7 Years later, and still inspiring people. Thank you! Making mine tomorrow!

[@criseastman6503]

This was great! We are running a Dungeons and Dragons club at our local library. We will be making screens for our tables. Thank you so much for this great video.

[@aliceblanchette1291]

This was a very helpful video!! My DM doesn't have a game screen, and he just uses binders! I recently had a revelation and decided to make him one for his birthday! Thank you for a better process than what i was going to do (cardboard from cereal boxes)

[@Pleasantmsp]

I just created my own using this method and supplies and it looks awesome. This idea was the best, cheapest and easiest to make of all the ones I've seen before so thanks!

[@JoshuaGoudreau]

Two things. 1. Lost Mine of Phandelver is great. I've run it through twice and the first two chapters on their own two additional times. 2. Thanks for the build, this will be super helpful for me. I have a 5e screen but my Chronicles of Darkness screen is portrait and it is WAY too tall to use so I stuck a bunch of sticky notes inside an old 4e screen. If I make one of these bad boys, I can make a screen for use with whatever I run, such as Chronicles of Darkness or Shadowrun.

[@ThatOneGirlThatPlays]

Thanks so much! I'm a new DM myself and was out looking for DIY ideas on custom screen. As an artist, I think I'll go one step further and paint the side facing the players, but I also love the idea of being able to change both sides with the sleeves too! Off to the store!

[@uphold2001]

Awesome! Please share what you end up with - I love seeing the creations...the canvases just beg for painted artwork. I've been considering cutting out a thin cardboard D&D logo, gluing it on, and painting it on the outside...I'll be sure to make a follow up video if I do. Good luck!

[@uphold2001]

@@ThatOneGirlThatPlays hey! Thanks for commenting, I just checked out your screen, it is EPIC. I love the art! To clarify, that's not me - Webb Pickersgill is another guy, but I've referenced his materials before. Again, that screen is fantastic!

[@austinulen9274]

This is EXACTLY what I needed to see! Thank you so much for this idea!!!

[@matthewpahnke2613]

This is great. I was able to make one for myself during my daughter's nap yesterday. Easy to do and cheaper than buying one.

[@usajir7347]

Thanks so much for this. It's super helpful for people like me and my friends who don't have the budget to buy an official DM screen. Life and money saver.

[@kadentaylor1]

Dude I was looking to make my own and this is a near perfect example thank you! Hope your a pro GM by now

[@Louisexe-od7ml]

The Duct Tape idea is genious!

[@avitusxenoi4378]

I’m looking to make my own screen and I was thinking “why doesn’t he just use foam core?” At the end you demonstrated why, I’ll definitely use something thinner and more rigid in my build now. Really love the idea of attaching sleeves to the panels so you can customize your screen accordingly 🤘🏻

[@medalliongamer]

I just watched this video, and I want to say thank you for makeing it. This is perfect for what I was looking to make

[@LesHaskell]

I watched this last night and today went out and got all the stuff. My rpg of choice is usually Steve Jackson's The Fantasy Trip. It came out back in the late '70s and I was way into it. A few years ago it was modified and rereleased. I bought everything in the Legacy Edition which is all pdfs. The screen is four two-sided landscape panels just like this. My biggest obstacle was cropping the pdf of the screen into individual 8.5x11 pages. I figured it out last night and that's when I went looking for a diy video. The only difference is while shopping at Michael's I found some rectangular glue dots (couldn't find the Zots brand, though) along with the round ones, and I got Staples Heavy-Duty sheet protectors (they also had canvas boards - you might want to compare prices). I'm getting excited about GMing some TFT again!

[@ptolemaeaaa]

Have never played d&d before, but recently got it. When i opened the box, I was very shocked to see the amount of rules (i knew there was a lot but not that much), and to see that there’s no “figures” or a board, or even the DM screen. now i’m going all over the internet to find out diys for a board or the dm screen, and this video has been helpful as the starter DM screen is out of stock at my local games store so thanks!!

[@lenonmaguire480]

Thanks for this. Just made my first screen so I can run the Starter Set. Cut cardboard, duct tape, and print outs!

[@bluepiggaming204]

the artist loft canvas are a great solution to building panels. instead of out of the card board stuff and what not from scrap booking.

[@johnydecali]

Nice! Thanks for sharing. I too am getting back into D&D after not playing for years, last time I played was AD&D!

[@NathanMcCready]

Loved this and just finished mine! Dm'd my first session and it worked great. I have added little binder clips to the top to clip extra things to the screen but I does work well. I am a big power point fan so I just keep creating new layouts for anything I might need for a session. (but yes canava would work as well!)

[@badgerchillsky535]

I love this, and I think I might have a few of those canvas blanks! One idea I just had watching this, I might try adding a couple protectors that are taped just at the top so they can be flipped up. That way I can have a couple more reference pages available for things maybe I don’t need as often, but would still like to have handy. A list of items and their prices comes to mind as an example.

[@jeremiahkool1]

Nice job man, really useful that you slot different sheets in based upon which system you are running.

[@uniqueyoutubehandle]

Being able to customize the inside makes the extra cost worth it to me. Got the 11x14 size ... 6 for 9$ and had the rest. Thanks for the video.

[@frickerjohn]

This is going to change my life. Thank you so much already looking so much better than what I had ( some lever arch files & lots of blue tac)

[@jeffstormer2547]

Perhaps adding 2 additional page protectors in the middle panels, attached at the bottom, so they drop down onto the table top for those extra stat sheets. This is a great DIY option even for more advanced GMs--customization is great and readily portable! I've seen some truly spectacular screens--sculptures--with built in dice towers and all, that were perfect for a permanent gaming table. But definitely would not want to lug it anywhere! Same with the Tech Tables on which/under which the maps are projected. Also cool, also not portable. a great build here!

[@kelticladi]

OOO i like the idea of the additional pages in the middle

[@graphicnovel10]

Thank you! I've been a DM for a short time, but I'm not fond of the screens myself and friends have. I'm excited to use this guide to create my own. Thank you!

[@uphold2001]

It seems to come in handy for me the most when I need to prep materials for "what's coming next" since we like to work with maps, props, and other physical items. Thanks for the comment and please comment back with how it went for you!

[@mostlyghostey]

Yo! Using canvas for your screen is brilliant!

[@sorusoaeti]

hey thanks for the show and tell, i didnt wanna spend any money, so i just used your technique with cardboard, superglue, buff tape, and hole punches sleeves...which i then cut off. Looks homemade, but still functional. Thanks again!

[@ravenshadowz2343]

For making foam core more tougher paint both sides with modpodge that will keep it from breaking.

[@jasonh7128]

I just made my own using this video. I think I used a different canvas; the brand is the same but they're about half an inch thick. I also designed them for portfolio inserts, but that works better for the size of my table. I think it'll work pretty well though. We'll see when I run my game. What I like most is customizing the inserts on my side of the screen so I don't have to flip through as many pages, and I can put maps and other helpful info on the player's side.

[@taillesswolf]

Very helpful, I would have made the same mistake just buying a random screen thinking any would do. I got some sturdy cardboard that would do for this. Thanks!!

[@funsiesfinest8137]

This is amazing! I start my first game in a week and have been trying to find a way to get a dm board without spending a whole lot of many. It may be close to the price, but I like that I can customize it for what I need

[@PointHazard]

Dude Honestly a really good video tomorrow I’m gonna do this myself so thanks for helping me

[@johnzorzy6608]

This is perfect, I was planning on making a foamcore one but the artist canvas seems like a way better solution. Will be using that myself. 10/10 video

[@dagaspadini]

I think I'm going to use your idea, but I'll add magnetic sheets so that I can change the reference depending on what I'm running

[@matthewmulloy815]

Thanks for the video. I have been into MtG for years, but have hat a D&D set for just as long. I really am looking forward to using this when I finally get to play!

[@lutalassard]

I just finished making a screen using your method and it worked out perfectly! Thanks for sharing this!

[@friendlyfire9788]

thank you homie ! i will be using these tools to make my own screen :D

[@LunaSomno]

This looks really good! Very helpful. Thank you!

[@HelloKarcus]

Very cool! I'm just getting into dnd myself and this is really simple and customizable. I'll give it a go soon. Thanks for sharing!

[@mwooding42]

This is EXACTLY what I was looking to do! Thank you for posting this!!!

[@stevedowning3892]

Great idea. I would put the game notes for each session in the panels facing me. I say 'would' because I've just invested in a cheap tablet. Very efficient way to do D&D business

[@ironfae]

I made one myself out of hard backing boards and duct tape. The art on the back shows four different maps of Forgotten Realms, Waterdeep, Greyhawk, and Ravenloft. The other side has all my stats and references in sheet protectors. My players always like seeing the maps to help them choose where to go in their games. 👍

[@staticHam]

Thank you for the video! I just saw a post on Reddit where a guy used a the mechanism in a 3 ring binder to add much more space to his screen

[@amccaig]

Great DM Screen! Definitely going to try this out!

[@writeheroics7490]

In 2024, I picked up four 9x12 artist panels for about $7 + dollar tree white duct tape $1.25 for 10yrds + dollar tree with white Velcro pack $1.25 (I did Velcro so if over time the pocket rips, I can replace it easily) = ~$10 to make mine as I already had sheet protectors for our recipe binders. I now have a customizable 8-pocket screen. Sometimes the simplest are the best.

[@pamm2230]

Suggestion, you could add a second sheet protector to layer the sheets for information sheets. This would allow you to just flip up or turn one page for the bottom layer page.

[@Nurgleprobe]

Was just out looking for material to make a GM screen, and basicly found the same material, gonna be using hinges instead of tejp tho (and actually paint up the canvases). Glad to see it in action to see that it works well. :D

[@TheDarthHater]

I really like this design, about to make one today.

[@anacoanagoldenflower]

Yo I REALLY really like this, I'm about to DM my first campaign (I've been playing for like a year and a half and my author brain has been itching to DM) and don't have a lot of money and this is fantastic, I'm absolutely gonna be doing this.

[@MackShake]

Thank you very much! I made one with your instructions but instead of the adhesive dots/sheet protectors, I have used adhesive magnets :)

[@robertspears8301]

Great idea to use the artist canvas panels.

[@alaskankare]

canvas boards.....BRILLIANT!

[@ViperCommander]

Thank you so much! Great video! I need to D.M. tonight, and this video saved my butt. Thanks again.

[@lightbrightofficial5755]

Thank you! I'm making a paranoia DM screen for my partners birthday. Hope you enjoy dm'ing!!

[@notactuallyADJ]

Im new to DND bt our group has very few DM's so now im having one on one sessions with some DM;s and im gonna try doing my own once off very soon, and this is axactly what i needed as my little cheat sheet.

[@JamesMichaelStClair]

Thank you so much for this; clear and easy to follow instructions, even for a craft-challenged individual such as myself. I didn’t have any zots to use, so I ended up putting a hot glue gun into use, and it seems to have worked out great (I did sort of fudge the final protector, so that may be something I think about correcting in the future). This was the perfect solution and saved me a bunch of headache/money. Again, thank you!

[@ALaughingMagician]

Wow man, its looks really cool, great job!

[@delb0y1967]

Excellent, I am definately gonna make myself one of these, thank you for this upload :)

[@cru2006]

im gonna use this holy crap it looks so good too

[@AlexGaiger]

I just made one for 7th Sea, this is awesome!

[@merry1251]

Fantastic. I can't wait to try it out. Thank you for sharing this.

[@naganogard5068]

Fantastic. Just made mine, and can't wait to try it out. Thank you for sharing this.

[@jcmakes5977]

Great idea! Definitely going to copy that.

[@burnnieholliday]

Thanks for making this! I plan to try something similar using 9x12 bristol board.

[@Vokalplus]

This is awesome, thanks!

[@neutronjack7399]

I was looking at creating my own DM screen, using cardboard, duct tape and document protectors too. Your is better organized idea. I was looking at putting document protectors on the front of my screen also and instead of artwork, inserting information that would be helpful to players. For instance a list of all the things a player can do during their turn, or a list and description of Conditions. I am hoping this information is useful to new players and useful to experienced players trying to decide what to do.

[@peterelfman]

I made something similar using clipboards, but the canvas boards is a much better idea. I also put adhesive magnet strips on mine so I could tack up any on-the-spot info I needed to display, on both sides, so I could make notes for myself or show a map to my players. Duct tape for the win!

[@freestyl2oo7]

Did you run it behind the plastic or on top...or was the board larger than 9x12?

[@peterelfman]

@@freestyl2oo7 I only had plastic on the outside for the artwork. I used magnets and the clips to hold my charts and notes on the inside.

[@kapmando]

Appreciate the video.

[@The.Greene.Dragon]

Sick video! I am going to give this a shot. Thanks!

[@GianKout20]

I just made my own screen for about 10€ (12.4$ at current exchange rate) and i have to say investing some time in this is really worth it. Apart from the fact that i saved from 20€ to 30€ i own a screen that's fitted to my needs, and since i designed it myself i squeezed a lot of info in there.

[@melissaskellern]

Dude! Thank you for this! It is near impossible to get a DM screen in South Africa - totally going to try this! :)

[@guillermoalvarez2373]

Gonna build this before Easter. Thank you.

[@50plymouths]

I just picked up 8x10 thin canvases from dollar tree they are $1 each so this becomes cheaper and even more compact cause your dealing with only 8x10 size... I have yet to attempt to make it into a screen per se... I just thought i would give that tid bit...👌... Like the video very helpful

[@Rindoshi]

You, sir, are awesome.

[@KaraMedema]

I did a similar thing but with three-ring binders. The hardest part was hack sawing the three ring part off the binders. I am planning to cover it in pink insulation foam panels that I carved to look like brick. This will make it non-foldable, but I don't expect to play much out of my house anyways :)

[@uphold2001]

That sounds awesome! There's definitely a few different varieties of screens out there. Mine is very utilitarian, but I absolutely love the creative constructs people come up with!

[@Will-km8jp]

I just made this with old binder panels. They come with document protecting slots but you lose out on the customization if you face them inward. Ripping out the binder rings just takes a good set of pliers and some elbow grease. Its kinda bulky like your portrait built screen but that sense of durability will go a long way I think

[@ArtfullPuffin]

This gave me great ideas for my cardboard screen I am making thnx soooo much!!

[@uphold2001]

You’re welcome 😊!

[@Asadlemon]

holy shit man you are a genius

[@Badwolf_82]

I'm going to try to make this! Thank you so much!!!

[@rworrick8037]

This is great.

[@paulsusac4839]

Thanks for this video. This gave me the perfect info for my project!

[@pamm2230]

Suggestion, for the foam board dm screen is to give it a coat of the protective mixture as many use for foam board builds. It is a mixture of paint and either pva glue or Mod Podge. You could also use a sealant coating of varnish or polycrylic to give protection and strength. There are many channel videos to learn the specifics.

[@uphold2001]

I did think about doing something like that, but it would greatly increase the build time/difficulty for some folks, so I opted for the canvases instead. I do like the lower profile of the panels vs. the foam core too. Great tip either way!

[@jasonbabiarz491]

Looks great, I may try this

[@a.d.254]

So awesome... looks good!!

[@crewsayer]

Made mine based on this and I love it, but I wish you made a point of getting non-glare sheet protectors. The ones I got had way too much glare and it was a problem. One alternative to sheet protectors is to use Scotch Reusable Tabs For Lightweight Mounting instead.

[@uphold2001]

That's great advice! I just happened to pick up the non-glare variety prior to the recording.

[@Raphaelus13]

Pretty Cool. Landscape orientation is the way to go. I'd just say that the materials don't come thaaat far from the ~22$ that the custom screens cost. A new brand of good cheap ($15) custom DM screens came up this year, Master's Tome, but they are all portrait.

[@uphold2001]

Yeah, it makes sense to build a few and either sell/give them away as gifts. You get 5 canvases for $9 before the coupon, so maybe $5.40 for those (40% off yo!) and then maybe $10 for the sleeves (you get about 50) and $3.50 for the Zots (300 ct), and $3.70 for a roll of 3M 20yd duct tape, you're looking at the same price as a custom screen. But, a bit of this material you could use for other things for your game our around the house, so you might have some of this lying around already, or could use the page sleeves for a campaign binder, etc. Sorry for the super delayed response, I just had a moment this morning and thought I would chime in!

[@mally61]

Good stuff! Thanks for that.

[@pappinr]

This is really good!

[@FdA4099]

Hi Mr. Dunn. I appreciate your idea: with about $20 (or less) is it possible to make a custom DM screen, similar to the one produced by Doctor Frikistein. Thought, I suppose your project can be improved. In fact, it is uncomfortable using the common sheet protectors in combination with a landscape DM screen. In fact, these protectors are opened on the shorter side and so papers can be easily changed only when the screen is completely extended. I suggest to buy different protectors. People should also consider that American letter format is 216x279mm while A4 is 210x297mm so it is possible that they have to buy a different format of canvas (the 10"x14").

[@bigdream_dreambig]

The reason to choose protectors that open on the short side is so the pages they contain can't fall out while carrying the folded screen. By choosing a long-side opening, if the protectors aren't snug enough to hold the contents by friction alone, you'll have to worry about what orientation the screen is in when you carry it.

[@poopondesk1710]

I need one of these in my life...