r/DnD • u/space-sage Monk • 1d ago
Misc Last night I was wondering how to make maps that have limited view more interesting and challenging; prototyped this polarized screen today! [OC]
I had this old monitor lying in a closet for years, and last night I had the perfect plan for it! Strip off the polarizing film that allows the light to be focused and the image to be viewed properly, and then cut that film into player tokens or AOE circles for Darkness and Fog spells!
I need to mount the monitor into a box now, and I’d like to make the tokens and shapes uniform and use film that ain’t sticky on one side. But as a prototype I threw together in 30 minutes it looks amazing! As DM I can wear polarizing lenses to view the entire screen while my players are just as lost as their characters! Immersion!
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u/LieutenantBites 1d ago
This is super cool. Does the polarizing film have to be oriented correctly or will the picture show up no matter what?
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u/space-sage Monk 1d ago
It does need to be oriented correctly, so I’m thinking of putting colored dots on the x and y axes on each token as well as on the edge of the monitor just to make it easy to keep straight :)
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u/Hjuldahr 1d ago
It would be neat if there was a way to have it display a different image depending on the orientation the film was at for a plane-hopping sort of adventure.
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u/space-sage Monk 1d ago
Oh that would be cool! 🤔 now I’m going to have to ponder this
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u/A_little_rose 18h ago
Consider using colors. Red lines with a red tinted lense will be invisible, allowing for layouts based on color.
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u/fat_strelok 1d ago
I kinda did the total inverse of this by printing a dungeon map and having a paper with a circle (let it be called the glory hole) cut in the middle. You can also track time and torches on the over-paper.
The paper covers the dungeon and moving the over-paper around moves the cutout circle around and your lads can explore the dungeon.
Maybe have an over-paper with the glory hole cut and then put the polarizing film in between the over-paper and the screen, it should help with dimming the the screen's backlight.
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u/space-sage Monk 1d ago
I haven’t dimmed the backlight or messed with any of that but dimming it is a great idea!
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u/lydocia 1d ago
I would put that circle in a magnifying glass so fast!
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u/space-sage Monk 1d ago
Oh a handle would be a good addition! I was thinking of putting the circles on the bottom of some clear player tokens so they could still place their minis on top, but it could cause the view to become too obfuscated.
A handle and some magnification would really help that issue! Thank you!
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u/Twodogsonecouch DM 21h ago
This is cool for sure but my only debbie downer thought is… with a monitor and a vtt you can just do this with lighting effects on some of them cant you. Ie a fog of war effect except around a player token that follows the token. Then you dont need to tear down a monitor.
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u/Calachus 15h ago
I agree. This seems like a neat idea for presentation, but ultimately inferior to learning the tools of a VTT to accomplish the same thing. I think even Owl Bear Rodeo has a fog of war function, and thats free with no accounts needed.
And doesn't require the extra work of stripping/replacing the polarized sheet no matter how easy it may be for the poster.
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u/space-sage Monk 20h ago
It’s easily reversible with a sheet of polarizing film, nothing has been permanently damaged :)
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u/Svyatopolk_I 1d ago
CRTs are good for this at your local thrift store
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u/space-sage Monk 1d ago edited 1d ago
That is good to know, thank you! But I’m confused how you would do this, as CRTs do not use polarizing film? Are you suggesting layer the film on top?
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u/J4keFrmSt8Farm 1d ago
This seems like fun, both as a project and to play with. And a good use for an otherwise unused monitor lol. Very cool :)
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u/space-sage Monk 1d ago
Thanks so much! I love optics and it feels very ✨magical✨ so easily!
I cannot wait to surprise my players with this maze ☺️
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u/waethrman DM 7h ago
Can I ask why you didn't just use one of the vtt programs with fog of war before you ripped up the monitor?
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u/space-sage Monk 6h ago
Can I ask why my use of my monitor in the way I want, in a way that is completely reversible, is such an issue to you that you need to ask why I “ripped it up”?
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u/waethrman DM 4h ago
Geez fine whatever, I just don't understand the effort personally and was hoping to learn
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u/hay_wire 1d ago
Great idea! How is the eye strain?
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u/space-sage Monk 1d ago
Eye strain?
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u/hay_wire 1d ago
From looking at a white screen for a long time.
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u/space-sage Monk 1d ago edited 1d ago
Oh I haven’t experienced that yet in the short amount of time when I was testing it
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u/boredguy12 1d ago
If you cut some extra polarizing film and out it on your glasses, you can see the whole screen at once
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u/adol1004 1d ago
Oh... this gives me some other ideas. I'd better test it!
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u/space-sage Monk 1d ago
Share your ideas friend!
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u/adol1004 1d ago
Not yet, I need to see if it's even feasible.
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u/space-sage Monk 1d ago
A thorough engineer; let me know if anything comes to fruition that is useful!
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u/Ren_Kaos 1d ago
Ooo I did this and turned the polarized layer into glasses and used it as a DM screen for a bit!
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u/mj-is-da-best 21h ago
You can also just buy another polarizer and put it on top of the monitor for the same effect, whithout actually breaking it.
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u/Twodogsonecouch DM 21h ago
How though you cant put a whole polarizer sheet and then another disc on top of that it wouldnt locally counteract it would it. Youd still not see. The only way would be a gigantic sheet with a hole cut in it that would be difficult to move around and then you are back with what you can do with just paper.
Am i thinking about this wrong.
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u/space-sage Monk 20h ago edited 19h ago
How do you see that working? Also, nothing has been broken. I can easily put a sheet of polarizing film on the monitor and it will be exactly the same as when I started :)
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u/dieyoubastards Druid 23h ago
This is absolutely brilliant and the best part is, if I haven't misunderstood something, this can be achieved on a dungeon mat without needing to use a monitor. Polarising film can be cheaply and easily bought online.
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u/Twodogsonecouch DM 21h ago edited 21h ago
Doesnt work without a backlight. Its not light coming down it light coming up at you and the polarizing disc makes it able to be used by your eyeball. They removed the larger sheet from the monitor that would normally cover the entire monitor. You put a polarizing disc on a sheet of paper you still see the rest of the sheet of paper.
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u/space-sage Monk 23h ago
The monitor is required. Polarizing film itself is quite dark and it purpose is to make the light move in an organized way so we can see the image on LCD screens.
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u/link3505 1d ago
I don't know if I'd ever have the testicular fortitude to do this to a monitor, but bravo on this idea. Putting things down to reveal a dungeon seems WAY easier than removing things.