Roll20 vs dm-screen.com for a table TV
Compare Roll20 and dm-screen.com for in-person games, from player views and digital tokens to uploaded maps, manual fog, and physical miniatures.
Roll20 and dm-screen.com can both support an in-person game with a TV. Choose around what happens on that screen: a virtual tabletop where you operate digital pieces, or a shared scene that supports the people and miniatures at your physical table.
This comparison is written by dm-screen.com. External features were checked against Roll20’s documentation on 27 September 2026. It isn’t a claim that either product is best for every group.
Roll20 offers a broader virtual tabletop
Roll20’s Tabletop Overview describes separate map backgrounds and movable tokens, plus pan, zoom, and tools for pointing players toward an area. Those distinctions are useful when movement happens digitally. Its help center also documents character sheets, dice, journals, and in-game communication.
If your group already relies on those tools, a TV doesn’t require you to start over. Keeping the same tabletop may save you from preparing a second version of the encounter. If some players participate remotely, their need to see and operate the game is another reason to evaluate the full tabletop workflow.
Roll20 has a separate Player View
Roll20’s current Player View opens a specific player’s perspective in another browser tab. You access it through View Controls, then Open Player View, and select a player. It replaces older advice that depended on a second account or repeatedly rejoining as a player.
The distinction between a real player’s view and an approximate preview matters. Roll20 says its approximate view reflects GM permissions rather than a specific player’s permissions. For a shared screen, verify the selected player’s perspective before showing the map. Player View also permits actions on that player’s behalf; it isn’t a read-only presentation window.
Roll20’s Dungeon Scrawl has a separate Send to Tabletop workflow for displaying a live drawing on a TV or projector. That is a Dungeon Scrawl feature, not the same control as Player View in the Roll20 VTT.
dm-screen.com starts with your shared display
In dm-screen.com, upload a map to a campaign and choose the display you want from Game screens. Full screen map gives the map and overlay the display; Open game screen combines the map with character cards. Mark the TV’s session using Set as main screen so its dimensions guide the shared view.
You then work from the DM interface: select the active map, position it for the table, and uncover fog as the party explores. The map tools support manual fog and rectangular shapes. They don’t supply token-based movement, automatic vision, or rules enforcement. The miniature you pick up and move is still yours to track.
That can fit a table where dice, character sheets, and most conversation already happen away from the laptop. You can also display initiative and conditions using the character tools, without treating those records as complete character sheets.
Preparation looks different
Imagine a ruined chapel with two unexplored rooms. In a digital-token workflow, decide who controls each token and what each player can see. In dm-screen.com, prepare the uploaded chapel image, hide those rooms with fog, and frame the section your group will use. Reveal the next room when you decide the party has seen it.
That manual approach leaves visibility judgments with you. If automatic vision is central to your game, don’t assume manual fog will replace it. If everyone shares one view and you’re happy to reveal rooms yourself, you can concentrate preparation on the scene you intend to show.
There is no automatic Roll20 campaign migration in this workflow. Use original map files you can upload, and recreate any desired session information. dm-screen.com needs internet access and an authenticated display with campaign access; it isn’t an offline replacement. Its core tools are free with optional paid extras. Check Roll20’s current terms for the particular features your game needs.
Compare the work you repeat
Before moving anything, run one short encounter through the setup you already have. Count the actions that interrupt you: adjusting the TV view, revealing rooms, switching maps, or finding the current turn. Then try those same actions in dm-screen.com.
Keeping Roll20 makes sense when your prepared game and digital tools are working well. Try dm-screen.com when you want to organize play around one shared screen and manual map control. The map-management guide shows how to prepare that workflow before the group arrives.