DM Screen Setup: Reference Tables, Init Tracking, and Condition Rings
By Morgan Ashby . 7 min read . Updated June 2026
A well-configured DM screen turns the start of every session from a scramble into a calm setup. The screen hides your notes, but more importantly it keeps your most-used reference tables within a glance so you are never breaking the narrative to flip a rulebook. Adding a magnetic initiative tracker and a set of condition rings turns the screen into a command center. This guide walks through how to set that up from scratch.
The short answer
Place your most-referenced tables on the inside panels: conditions, action types, common DCs, and creature sizes. Attach a magnetic initiative tracker to one panel face. Set condition rings in a labeled tray at your left hand. A customizable screen with insert pockets, like the Hammerdog World's Greatest Screen, makes iterating your layout between sessions fast without permanent changes.
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Choosing the right screen for your setup
Before configuring a screen, pick the right physical platform. The Hammerdog Games World's Greatest Screen Reincarnated is the most practical starting point for most DMs because its four panels of insert pockets on both the inside and outside faces let you swap reference sheets for any system without permanently printing or laminating anything. If you run multiple systems, or if your table's favorite system changes over time, this flexibility pays dividends.
New DMs who only run one 5e-compatible campaign and want to plug in immediately can use the Ultra PRO Dungeon Master Screen Deluxe , which ships with pre-printed 5e-compatible reference tables and atmospheric art on the player-facing side. It is functional without any setup and costs under $25.
DMs who run a regular home game and want a long-term investment should consider the Minva Tabletop Design Wood DM Screen as a mid-range wood option or the Wyrmwood Modular Game Master Screen if budget is no object. Wood screens set the table atmosphere from the moment they go up in a way that cardstock cannot match, and they outlast any number of cardstock screens.
Hammerdog Games World's Greatest Screen Reincarnated
Four-panel landscape DM screen with customizable insert pockets on both sides, works for any RPG system with swappable reference sheets.
Ultra PRO Dungeon Master Screen Deluxe
A 5e-compatible four-panel landscape screen with full-color interior reference tables and atmospheric player-facing art.
Wyrmwood Modular Game Master Screen
Premium handcrafted wood DM screen with magnetic panel connectors, available in multiple hardwood species including Maple and Purpleheart.
What to put on the inside panels
The inside panels are prime real estate. Every table inch you give to a reference sheet is an inch you are not spending breaking the narrative to look something up. The most consistently useful tables, across virtually every system, are: conditions and their effects, common DC thresholds, action types and their costs, creature size categories, and improvised weapon damage.
With a system like the Hammerdog Games World's Greatest Screen Reincarnated , you print these tables in a format that fits the insert pockets and swap them out when the campaign changes. Many DMs use one panel for system rules, one for the current adventure's specific tables (encounter random rolls, NPC names, weather), and one for personal notes. Leaving one panel blank for session-specific scratch is underrated.
For the outside panels, the Hammerdog Games World's Greatest Screen Reincarnated also has pockets. Some DMs put the current session's faction information, encounter summaries, or player character quick-stats on the outside facing them. The player-facing side is most useful as art or as a low-info display that does not accidentally reveal plot.
Hammerdog Games World's Greatest Screen Reincarnated
Four-panel landscape DM screen with customizable insert pockets on both sides, works for any RPG system with swappable reference sheets.
Attaching an initiative tracker to the screen
The FableTop Magnetic Initiative Tracker Cards are designed to attach to the player-facing side of a metal DM screen, keeping combat order visible to the whole table rather than only to the DM. This is a meaningful quality-of-life shift: players who can see where they are in the order do not need to ask every round.
If your screen is not metal-backed, the Paizo Combat Pad Magnetic Initiative Tracker works as a standalone board sitting on the table to the side of the screen. Its 78 magnets in four colors separate player characters, enemies, and NPCs visually at a glance. Write each combatant's name on a magnet at initiative call, order them, and advance the turn arrow. The whole setup takes under two minutes at the start of combat.
For DMs running smaller encounters, the The Ultimate Game Master Initiative Tracker Cards (4-Pack) clip directly to most landscape DM screens without magnets and offer wet- and dry-erase surfaces on the same card. A four-card set is enough for most standard encounters. For larger groups, move to the Paizo Combat Pad where the 30-magnet capacity handles anything short of a mass-battle scenario.
Paizo Combat Pad Magnetic Initiative Tracker
A magnetic dry-erase board with 78 included magnets in four colors for player characters, enemies, and NPCs, the standard for physical initiative tracking.
FableTop Magnetic Initiative Tracker Cards
Magnetic dry-erase initiative cards that attach to any DM screen, keeping combat order visible to all players across the table.
The Ultimate Game Master Initiative Tracker Cards (4-Pack)
A four-card set of magnetic turn-order cards with wet- and dry-erase surfaces and a design that clips to any landscape DM screen.
Integrating condition rings into the table workflow
Condition rings work alongside the initiative tracker to answer the two questions that interrupt most combats: whose turn is it and what is this creature's status. The Kraftex DND Condition Rings 96-Piece Set set ships with a labeled storage box. Keep that box at your left hand during sessions so condition application takes three seconds: pull the ring, slip it over the base.
If you run encounters with groups of identical creatures, the CZYY Numbered Creature Markers 1 to 30 Set are the essential companion. Number each goblin 1 through 6 at the start of combat, then track that goblin's HP and conditions independently. Without numbered markers, every table argument about which creature took damage from which attack is resolved by whoever is most confident rather than who is correct.
For DMs who frequently run encounters with heavy spellcasting, the ALIZERO Condition Rings and AoE Template Set kit adds acrylic AoE templates alongside condition rings. Placing a physical fireball template on the battle mat eliminates the table argument about which creatures fall in range. The templates are acrylic and can slide on smooth vinyl mats, so place them with light pressure after the ring goes down.
Kraftex DND Condition Rings 96-Piece Set
96 acrylic condition rings across 24 conditions in a labeled storage box, fits standard 25mm miniature bases with clear condition text on each ring.
CZYY Numbered Creature Markers 1 to 30 Set
Acrylic rings numbered 1 through 30 for tracking individual creatures in groups, eliminates confusion when running multiple identical enemies.
ALIZERO Condition Rings and AoE Template Set
96 condition rings in 24 statuses packaged with a set of acrylic area-of-effect damage templates for visualizing spell zones on the battle mat.
Featured in this guide
Hammerdog Games World's Greatest Screen Reincarnated
Four-panel landscape DM screen with customizable insert pockets on both sides, works for any RPG system with swappable reference sheets.
Paizo Combat Pad Magnetic Initiative Tracker
A magnetic dry-erase board with 78 included magnets in four colors for player characters, enemies, and NPCs, the standard for physical initiative tracking.
Kraftex DND Condition Rings 96-Piece Set
96 acrylic condition rings across 24 conditions in a labeled storage box, fits standard 25mm miniature bases with clear condition text on each ring.
CZYY Numbered Creature Markers 1 to 30 Set
Acrylic rings numbered 1 through 30 for tracking individual creatures in groups, eliminates confusion when running multiple identical enemies.
FableTop Magnetic Initiative Tracker Cards
Magnetic dry-erase initiative cards that attach to any DM screen, keeping combat order visible to all players across the table.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the most useful reference table to put on a DM screen?+
The conditions table is the single most-referenced sheet for most DMs. Knowing what blinded, grappled, incapacitated, or poisoned actually do without opening a book speeds every combat meaningfully. After conditions, common DC thresholds and action type costs are the next highest-value tables. These three alone make the screen worth using.
Should condition rings go on miniatures or beside them?+
Rings designed for 25mm bases go on the miniature base, which keeps the status physically attached to the creature across the table. If a creature is too large for a standard ring, place a disc token or a labeled marker beside the model instead. The goal is unambiguous association: every player at the table can see which creature carries which condition without asking the DM.
How do I track initiative for a 15-creature encounter?+
Group identical creatures under one entry where possible. Six goblins become a single Goblins entry unless individual HP tracking is important. With that grouping, a 15-creature encounter often reduces to 8 to 10 tracker entries, which the Paizo Combat Pad handles easily. If you need individual tracking on every creature, label each magnet with a number and maintain a separate HP scratch sheet.