Based on these search results quite a few have at least opinions on music at a game. Some folks embrace ambience, other find it a distraction and tonal railroading, music is generally seen as particularly problematic in online play. And so on.
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Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Yeh our dm always uses music and it’s pretty awesome and immersive. He does go all out with like dwarven forge and smoke though lol. Btw I like those tracks! Are they royalty free? I assumed they are, but I wanna use them for some content I’m gonna make
Whilst I find music to often be distracting for both players and the Dungeon Master, especially when it comes to changing tracks, digital tabletop play is an improvement regarding this. Individual players can turn up or down the volume without everyone having different ideas of it being too loud or quiet at a physical table, or wanting it gone entirely because it's too distracting. I'm autistic, I can't balance the sound of electricity humming in the walls, water and gas running through pipes, the whirring of my PC's fans, and the DM's music and their talking. It's a shame because I love the music going on, but I have enough things taking my attention away from what's being said on top of disassociation. :(
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Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
As the DM at my table, I do like to play battle music and some sfx in say a busy market. I tell my players to lower the volume or mute my discord bot if they find it distracting. So far, I haven't had any complaints, though it has been a while since I asked. Otherwise, it's really hard to have music for everything so I put "sometimes".
I've used it on Roll20 where loading different maps/screens can be set in advance to control music/sfx. I know one of my players liked it, but I think others were indifferent or just turned it off in their individual settings. I spend a lot of time preparing games, and just found it to be more work that was better spent elsewhere.
When playing in-person, I have a fantasy music (mostly film, television, and video game scores) playlist I can put on in the background on shuffle and then forget. I only play the music at low volumes, just at the edge of hearing, so there is no distraction. I also am careful to focus on songs that were designed for the background of shots/overworld of games--songs that were designed not to be intrusive, so they can quietly fade into the background and just provide general ambiance.
This, of course, does not work well virtually--it interferes too much with the voice coms to have music going on all the time.
I try to have ambiance music for tavern, wilderness and combat as well as some sound F/X sometimes.
I just finished playing a one shot with great sound and music effects uploaded from Roll20 library and it really help set the mood of this Kelemvor complex exploration and enhance the overall experience i think ! I made sure to thank the DM for that ☺
We used to, back when there were working Discord bots for pulling music from YouTube videos. I guess YouTube decided that was piracy, so they died.
It's nice, but it's only nice enough to justify a smallish effort. Having to listen to a library of unknown tracks, or learning new software, is too much effort.
I run a group over discord and always have something in the background. Players are able to change the volume or turn it off if it gets distractive. The player having that control over it makes it a non issue.
I had a keeper (Call of Cthulhu)who had people record voiceovers for the handouts in the published content he ran for us. He also played music and SFX too. One DM I have plays music a lot, mostly in combat but also during other points of the game.
The keeper played it in roll20, and I have had a couple other GMs play it on it as well, but usually people use discord music bots for music when they play it. I usually have roll20 and the music bots muted however, unless I know the DM uses music/SFX and that it will be important to the game.
As a DM myself, I've done it a few times but it isn't a usual thing. As I always forget to control the bot and change the music, and I don't have enough space on roll20 to put it there. It also has the same problem with me forgetting to add more music when it runs out.
I can see it being problematic in online/discord play. There is already too much for the DM to manage. Ive been spoiled by in-person games for 2 years, but went on a hiatus after my child was born. The recent one-shot plus the right music at the right time really brought those feels back. Fortunately, it was a positive experience for me but I get that it varies by group and medium.
I had a keeper (Call of Cthulhu)who had people record voiceovers for the handouts in the published content he ran for us. He also played music and SFX too. One DM I have plays music a lot, mostly in combat but also during other points of the game.
The keeper played it in roll20, and I have had a couple other GMs play it on it as well, but usually people use discord music bots for music when they play it. I usually have roll20 and the music bots muted however, unless I know the DM uses music/SFX and that it will be important to the game.
As a DM myself, I've done it a few times but it isn't a usual thing. As I always forget to control the bot and change the music, and I don't have enough space on roll20 to put it there. It also has the same problem with me forgetting to add more music when it runs out.
My DM apparently looped some of the tracks so it felt seamless. It didnt just end abruptly. I told him I appreciated all his efforts coordinating and controlling the tracks.
We used to, back when there were working Discord bots for pulling music from YouTube videos. I guess YouTube decided that was piracy, so they died.
It's nice, but it's only nice enough to justify a smallish effort. Having to listen to a library of unknown tracks, or learning new software, is too much effort.
In person, we've never used audio.
Thats a fair point. DMs do a lot of work prepping already and music is definitely icing on the cake.
My DM thought of doing it, we gave it a try but it's just so much more work that we just decided not to.
Maybe someday, if a player wanna handle it, but with all being virtual (can't meet around here), the issue with volume is something bothersome and we're not gonna have a fun time and game become work for us.
I used to. I had the official soundtrack somewhere on cd once upon a time. I thik I still have the cd somewhere, but no longer a player for it. I hadn't thought to do it again this time, but I might give it a try. Will need to put a playlist together I think from some youtube music. They have several tavern music themed videos and such.
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Thank you for your time and please have a very pleasant day.
I used to. I had the official soundtrack somewhere on cd once upon a time. I thik I still have the cd somewhere, but no longer a player for it. I hadn't thought to do it again this time, but I might give it a try. Will need to put a playlist together I think from some youtube music. They have several tavern music themed videos and such.
Lol I hear ya. I don't have a CD player anymore either, but they are cheap enough that it might be worth ripping all the music from CDs onto your computer.
In any case, check out the play the spotify album I posted. I like that they have simple names which I imagine is meant for ease of use.
Talking D&D music, anyone has good bot suggestion for Discord?
Currently we use mee6, because that's the only bot that still play youtube videos (that we have). But it's absolute garbage. If you use spotify or soundcloud, I recommend chipbot instead. That's what we used before youtube ruined them.
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Er ek geng, þat er í þeim skóm er ek valda.
UwU
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My DM started using some music from this playlist on our NYE game. I thought it sounded pretty cool.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5mLuFg5imSKTo4CvV5yRl3?si=cGOykXXGRmaAF1XkENjhvQ
Based on these search results quite a few have at least opinions on music at a game. Some folks embrace ambience, other find it a distraction and tonal railroading, music is generally seen as particularly problematic in online play. And so on.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Yeh our dm always uses music and it’s pretty awesome and immersive. He does go all out with like dwarven forge and smoke though lol. Btw I like those tracks! Are they royalty free? I assumed they are, but I wanna use them for some content I’m gonna make
Whilst I find music to often be distracting for both players and the Dungeon Master, especially when it comes to changing tracks, digital tabletop play is an improvement regarding this. Individual players can turn up or down the volume without everyone having different ideas of it being too loud or quiet at a physical table, or wanting it gone entirely because it's too distracting. I'm autistic, I can't balance the sound of electricity humming in the walls, water and gas running through pipes, the whirring of my PC's fans, and the DM's music and their talking. It's a shame because I love the music going on, but I have enough things taking my attention away from what's being said on top of disassociation. :(
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
As the DM at my table, I do like to play battle music and some sfx in say a busy market. I tell my players to lower the volume or mute my discord bot if they find it distracting. So far, I haven't had any complaints, though it has been a while since I asked. Otherwise, it's really hard to have music for everything so I put "sometimes".
What about a poll option of never, and I don’t wish they did. Some of are quite happy without music, thank you very much.
I've used it on Roll20 where loading different maps/screens can be set in advance to control music/sfx. I know one of my players liked it, but I think others were indifferent or just turned it off in their individual settings. I spend a lot of time preparing games, and just found it to be more work that was better spent elsewhere.
When playing in-person, I have a fantasy music (mostly film, television, and video game scores) playlist I can put on in the background on shuffle and then forget. I only play the music at low volumes, just at the edge of hearing, so there is no distraction. I also am careful to focus on songs that were designed for the background of shots/overworld of games--songs that were designed not to be intrusive, so they can quietly fade into the background and just provide general ambiance.
This, of course, does not work well virtually--it interferes too much with the voice coms to have music going on all the time.
I try to have ambiance music for tavern, wilderness and combat as well as some sound F/X sometimes.
I just finished playing a one shot with great sound and music effects uploaded from Roll20 library and it really help set the mood of this Kelemvor complex exploration and enhance the overall experience i think ! I made sure to thank the DM for that ☺
We used to, back when there were working Discord bots for pulling music from YouTube videos. I guess YouTube decided that was piracy, so they died.
It's nice, but it's only nice enough to justify a smallish effort. Having to listen to a library of unknown tracks, or learning new software, is too much effort.
In person, we've never used audio.
I run a group over discord and always have something in the background. Players are able to change the volume or turn it off if it gets distractive. The player having that control over it makes it a non issue.
I had a keeper (Call of Cthulhu)who had people record voiceovers for the handouts in the published content he ran for us. He also played music and SFX too. One DM I have plays music a lot, mostly in combat but also during other points of the game.
The keeper played it in roll20, and I have had a couple other GMs play it on it as well, but usually people use discord music bots for music when they play it. I usually have roll20 and the music bots muted however, unless I know the DM uses music/SFX and that it will be important to the game.
As a DM myself, I've done it a few times but it isn't a usual thing. As I always forget to control the bot and change the music, and I don't have enough space on roll20 to put it there. It also has the same problem with me forgetting to add more music when it runs out.
Er ek geng, þat er í þeim skóm er ek valda.
UwU
I had one GM who liked to do so and his taste in music was terrible.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I can see it being problematic in online/discord play. There is already too much for the DM to manage. Ive been spoiled by in-person games for 2 years, but went on a hiatus after my child was born. The recent one-shot plus the right music at the right time really brought those feels back. Fortunately, it was a positive experience for me but I get that it varies by group and medium.
My DM apparently looped some of the tracks so it felt seamless. It didnt just end abruptly. I told him I appreciated all his efforts coordinating and controlling the tracks.
Thats a fair point. DMs do a lot of work prepping already and music is definitely icing on the cake.
My DM thought of doing it, we gave it a try but it's just so much more work that we just decided not to.
Maybe someday, if a player wanna handle it, but with all being virtual (can't meet around here), the issue with volume is something bothersome and we're not gonna have a fun time and game become work for us.
Hyrkali
Full DNDBeyond.com in Dark Mode? Yes please!
I used to. I had the official soundtrack somewhere on cd once upon a time. I thik I still have the cd somewhere, but no longer a player for it. I hadn't thought to do it again this time, but I might give it a try. Will need to put a playlist together I think from some youtube music. They have several tavern music themed videos and such.
Thank you for your time and please have a very pleasant day.
Lol I hear ya. I don't have a CD player anymore either, but they are cheap enough that it might be worth ripping all the music from CDs onto your computer.
In any case, check out the play the spotify album I posted. I like that they have simple names which I imagine is meant for ease of use.
I play ambiance music and other additional effects in person, I sometimes use music on games over calls, and use nothing on pbp
My homebrew content: Monsters, subclasses, Magic items, Feats, spells, races, backgrounds
Talking D&D music, anyone has good bot suggestion for Discord?
Currently we use mee6, because that's the only bot that still play youtube videos (that we have). But it's absolute garbage. If you use spotify or soundcloud, I recommend chipbot instead. That's what we used before youtube ruined them.
Er ek geng, þat er í þeim skóm er ek valda.
UwU
