Shouldn't it be here already? With the release of Fourth Edition, one would think the production line would have been set, with the first few books ready to roll out within a few months of one another.

*braces for a barrage from harried writers*

Jane, you must become a student of the Tao of FanPro.

There are products, but no release dates.

There are release dates, but no products.

When you can snatch the D6 from my hand, your training will be complete.

Right-o. Makes sense now, at least in a vague sort of way.

The longer you hang around, the more sense it makes. It's like becoming institutionalized. Like in prison.

FanPro couldn't hit a release date with a flamethrower. So they've given up on release dates, and now everything is just "upcoming". Trust me, I want Arsenal real bad, too.

I agree: organizing things for a strong launch of the line with the first couple of expansions coming out quickly would make a lot of sense. C'est la vie.

Well normaly it makes a little sense...But...you've got a 20 page book...and a screen that has...charts...already printed...

My iBook is my GM screen

I dont think your iBook got cool Shadowrun Artworks on the players side...

When has the GM Screen ever had *cool* artworks? When has there ever been a *cool* piece of Shadowrun art? You look at some other RPG's and the art in their books and then you look at Shadowrun... sad.

I've run SR4 exactly three times so far, and most of that time has been spent flipping back and forth, looking for how to roll an attack on IC or what the difference between a narrow and a wide burst are.

I've been putting together a GM Cheat Sheet, in the absence of a GM screen, but it's far from finished. Would anyone else be interested in contributing to this, as a community project?

I'm not interested in taking money from FanPro or infringing on anyone's copyright, but I need some kind of quick-reference or my players are eventually going to kill me

Seriously, is there Someone In The Know who has a vague date in mind for this release?

The GM Screen, along with On the Run, are both in the final stages of production and will be going to press within the next couple weeks. On The Run will probably hit first, as the GM screen has multiple components, has to be shrinkwrapped, etc.

All I know is that you can pre-order it still.

Such an inexcusably long span between core-book release and supplement release doesn't look very professional. I realise that the publishers were driven by a "let's get this out by GenCon" agenda, but I should rather think releasing a game without support isn't a good business move. Instead you take the time to write and complete the first few books in the line, then release them in orderly fashion to build and sustain a readership.

This is my problem with the gaming industry (exacerbated by the glut of haphazard D20 companies), and sadly FanPro seems to have fallen victim to it.

Ahem. Still no print GM screen.

Scanner + printer + tape = genius!

Well, it looks shabby, but I can quickly switch my MacBook Pro from 'college' mode to 'Gamemaster' mode- and super bonus, I change the picture every time, appropriate to whatever I have the 'runners doing that day!

... that, and I'm a little wary of painting my MacBook. It's sort of like tattoos. The idea always seems neat, then I ask myself if I'll think it's still cool in a few years.

Just use something a little mineral spirits can take off

(hopefully it won't eat your case in the process)

I don't use a GM screen for any of my gaming. It just limits my area of moment. If there are tables printed, I pick up the page/stock where it's printed, read it, make my call & we move on.
I would prefer there be some (however minute) amount of mutual honesty between myself & my players. A GM's screen just causes a barrier & infers some mistrust to all involved parties.

Like for instance;

GM: "OK, you need 4 successes to make that leap."
Plyr: "OK *rolling dice sound* I got the sucesses, plus a natural six!"
GM: *doesn't even peer from behind screen* "I didn't see you get them. You fail to make it. You drop to the ground six stories below."
Plyr: "HEY! You're cheating!!!"

but instead;

GM: "OK, you'll need 4 sucesses to make the leap."
Plyr: "Ok, here goes. *rolls dice* Hey, I got the sucesses, plus a natural six!"
GM; *looks up at the dice* "I see that, man, good roll." *checks charts* "You make the leap, with a few centimeters to spare. Some of the corporate guards chasing you stop themselves from following you, piling up like in a bad LoneStar training trideo."
Plyr: "Allright! I take a second, look back, give a small salute, then head for the exit."

At least that's IMHO.

Hmmm...well, I have used GM screens before, but mine have never been 4' tall:)

I don't see the screen as a barrier (again, unless it is 4' tall) and I always am able to see my players and their rolls...the two biggest things the screen is useful for IMO are:

1) quick reference for tables, reducing page flipping and such and,
2) hiding the GM's rolls

SR4 certainly has a handful of tables that are important, at least until you become better accustomed to the game, and they are in various places in the book. So having one handy reference to view them all quickly is a bonus. I could simply make a cheat sheet myself, but then I lose point 2)

And maybe I am in the minority in this, but when I am running a game, I don't want to dice to control my game. Its just my style, but I have rarely, if ever, killed off a character unless the player knew ahead of time, so when I roll dice that may mark the end, I tweak things...and I would rather the players not know I was tweaking things, hence the benefit of the screen. And it works the other way too, sometimes I need an enemy to succeed in something to further the story, add intrigue or excitement...and I don't want to rely solely on luck to tell my story...

Now, I want to see the player's rolls and want them to be honest, but they don't need to be seeing mine...and I have actually had many of my friends/players actually request I not roll the dice on an open table! Granted, I have not had troublemakers as players and knocking a character unconscious is just as bad as killing them, maybe a bit worse as now they can't focus their time creating a new one:)

Had a GM grab an old GM screen from another game to hide his rolls after started making an unusually high number of rolls that indicated a trend that would kill off the entire party.

Having important charts where you cand find them quickly and not have to look them up in the book, causing more wear to what could easily be an already well-read book is somewhat important.

The GM screan can also help hide the fact that you just rolling dice to make the players nervous. Ex: Gm rolls multiple dice only 6 of which count during a important portion of combat getting 2 successes, he then picks 4 of the dice and rerolls, and then 2 of those. Player whom test is against panics and decides to spend Edge. What was turning into a walk through suddenly seems more dangerous.

And for some reason people say I have an evil streak.

Union Jane:

Gosh, it has been six months, hasn't it? No screen yet, and Runner Havens is barely on shelves.

Aye, it's been a while since my original post. And whether or not GMs prefer a screen isn't the point. The point is: Who's running this outfit, anyway?

From FanPro's Retailer Newsletter:

The screen isn't so much to hide your dicerolls as it is to hide your maps and GM-only info that you need out for reference.

True, yesman.

It's a little of both, in my opinion. I happen to like not having my players look across the table at the number of successes I've rolled and decide whether or not they need to use Edge.

Or evaluating a threat based on how many dice they see me pick up.

I'm still waiting for a Retailer entry for Augmentation.

ANy GM that doesn't looks at the dice his players roll isn't doing his job. It's ok to fudge your own dice rolls (especially to keep the party alive done that dozens of times) but make sure the players actually roll what they say they roll.
Yeah I'm getting really annoyed about the lack of product on this game system. It's been close to a year and all that's come out is one lousy module (not lousy in that it was no good, but lousy in that it is the only product in nearly a year of waiting.

you all try that electronic one? I had the strangest time getting it printed, then cut apart and glued to an old Mage screen, but the results are pretty cool. The elctronic one also contains a secondary "lite" version that has no back cover art, but has a few extra tables that are not on the cool one with the art.

I could imagine a GM could just print that one out and use the loose pages, or even get them laminated and use those for reference, especially my fellow G's that don't use the screen to conceal your dice rolls.

OMG.
It's just a damn GM Screen Fanpro! I mean seriously, it should have came out simultaneously with the core book. WTF is the hold-up? If expense is the issue, couldn't it be contracted out to some print shop in Zimbabwe or something?

On a mildly related note, I've noticed Fanpro is run like a bootstrap, cashstarved start-up. Why is this so? I'd imagine they'd have more than a little cash to burn... are the royalty fees eating up their profits?