If you do themed music targeted by situation, I highly recommend pawning this duty off to a trusted player. While I agree it CAN be a complimentary bit of environment to the game, I don't feel it's generally important enough to distract the Dungeon Master from other, more important duties, such as seeing to game rhythm and continuity.
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PBP "Beregost Blues" - Dungeon Master of Gnome Slaying +5
Absolutely true, and effective multi-tasking is a critical skill set for a Dungeon Master. However, that being the case, I am also acutely aware that a human being has only so much bandwidth and those areas that receive the most focus and attention, no matter an individual's level of proficiency, will always be delivered at a higher level.
It's about priorities, not proficiency, and more than thirty years and tens of thousands of hours experience in preparing and running role-playing games of all varieties have led me to the viewpoint that, to deliver sufficient quality in the highest priority areas, certain tertiary tasks should be pawned off to someone else in the group. Thematic music, in that viewpoint, is one such task.
;-)
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PBP "Beregost Blues" - Dungeon Master of Gnome Slaying +5
Friday night D&D is usually accompanied by 90s hip hop. Killed many a kobold while chillin' to Snoop.
There are some really decent music videos on YouTube dedicated to this kinda thing. The World of Warcraft music + ambiance series is nice, all the videos are an hour, and Blizzard doesn't seem to care, so enjoy it while you can.
Friday night D&D is usually accompanied by 90s hip hop. Killed many a kobold while chillin' to Snoop.
There are some really decent music videos on YouTube dedicated to this kinda thing. The World of Warcraft music + ambiance series is nice, all the videos are an hour, and Blizzard doesn't seem to care, so enjoy it while you can.
Friday night D&D is usually accompanied by 90s hip hop. Killed many a kobold while chillin' to Snoop.
There are some really decent music videos on YouTube dedicated to this kinda thing. The World of Warcraft music + ambiance series is nice, all the videos are an hour, and Blizzard doesn't seem to care, so enjoy it while you can.
Not so much the hip hop for our group, but I get it. Youtube is definately your friend for Music to game by, whether you like hip hop, thematic stuff, or metal - like we do!
My group brings a Bluetooth speaker every week and one of the players is in charge of music/sound effects. As I (theDM) describe a new location or interaction, they have a soundboard pulled up and select new types of ambient sounds and tunes. It's a lot of fun and gives them control over the game.
When it comes to music I have it prepared before the session so it's quick to access and play. I play it all from my phone. The table is wood so the sound reverberates fairly well so everyone can easily hear it. Though currently I only do it during fights. I have a few tracks I swap between depending on the tension/ nature of the fight. Though when the party reach certain fights they do get special boss music. Last one I used was Titan's them from FF14. They were in fact fighting Titan so it felt correct to use it haha.
I do want to break into more ambient music. Though with the ambient stuff I feel I have less time to set it up. I have a fairly large party so I don't get many chances to stop and change it. Fight music is easy as I just set it up while everyone is placing their mini's on the battlemat.
I have been using Spotify before and after sessions to set the mood, using stuff like the Dragon Age soundtracks, and http://tabletopaudio.com during the sessions for ambient sound and music. I prep custom sound boards in advance, themed to the settings we'll be in. My players seem to really dig the extra level of immersion that it provides, especially on attacks and spell casting.
Don't be afraid to cross genres a bit too--I use the Westworld-esque "Theme Music" from the Wild West collection for Phandalin, and layer on the ambient market and blacksmith stuff from one of the fantasy collections. The future wasteland-ish collection has a bunch of good things to pull in as well, like desolate winds and crows and a shaker rhythm that adds a nice tension to many of the non-combat musics. It's got a pretty good zombie noise too.
I collect soundtracks and scores and have been using music in my game for YEARS.
During the pre-digital days I used a CD changer and the music would be my random encounter dice... something intense comes on? ROLL INITIATIVE! :)
However, now that we have more control, I may short playlists to go with each area or encounter (including a longer "this combat's gonna take a bit" playlist) and then use my Apple TV to sort through them as we play. I can't imagine not having music at a game... as long as it enhances game play.
Hi guys, Friends and I are working on a DM's Toolkit, and we have a module called Soundscapes, its is an awesome music player where you can select out certain instruments to play, with sound atmospheres and effects! You can also import in your own content in a hassle free process ! Check it out : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQOUtEPwCH4
Elder Scrolls, Zelda, and most other fantasy game soundtracks are my go-to's. Two Steps from Hell, David Arkenstone, and a butt ton of London Philharmonic covers are also pretty varied for peaceful and action filled moments. One thing I've also wanted to do was take Blind Guardian's instrumental of "The Wheel of Time" as the background for a huge encounter, but my players are pretty fresh and I would want to save it for something more deserving and grand. Maybe someday...
I think what your looking for is often called the Score, not the Soundtrack in a movie.
In a movie the Soundtrack is often the music that is external to the movie (popular songs) and played as part of it.
The score is the music written for the movie to set a specific scene, to create a mood.
Videogames don't seem to different between the two, as they often don't have "Soundtrack" music and instead their Soundtrack IS the Score.
The great the thing about Videogames is you can pick and choose on style? Are you wanting horror music? grab music from a horror game. Action/Battle music? Real Time Strategy Game. That aside people have posted places where you can get "background" sounds, like low background noise of a tavern, outdoor noises for walking outside are easy to find with "soothing nature" searches, etc...
One cool thing a GM did was after characters were established. He picked "Theme Songs" for each character. He'd put that one when that character was doing something particularly epic.
I fighter's theme song was Dope's "Die mother ******, die."
It's integrated with Roll20. Lots of great stuff. Does a pretty good job of replacing soundcloud.
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"Orcs are savage raiders and pillagers with stooped postures, low foreheads, and piggish faces with prominent lower canines that resemble tusks." MM p245 (original printing) You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
I almost forgot and am ashamed that I forgot. I also like to use some of the tracks from the Nobuo Uematsu Final Fantasy VI and Chrono-Trigger Orchestral CDs. Those two games have some of the best music ever created for a video game IMO, and the orchestral versions are just amazing.
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If you do themed music targeted by situation, I highly recommend pawning this duty off to a trusted player. While I agree it CAN be a complimentary bit of environment to the game, I don't feel it's generally important enough to distract the Dungeon Master from other, more important duties, such as seeing to game rhythm and continuity.
A proficient DM can multi-task ;-)
Forever Dungeon Master & Storyteller
Absolutely true, and effective multi-tasking is a critical skill set for a Dungeon Master. However, that being the case, I am also acutely aware that a human being has only so much bandwidth and those areas that receive the most focus and attention, no matter an individual's level of proficiency, will always be delivered at a higher level.
It's about priorities, not proficiency, and more than thirty years and tens of thousands of hours experience in preparing and running role-playing games of all varieties have led me to the viewpoint that, to deliver sufficient quality in the highest priority areas, certain tertiary tasks should be pawned off to someone else in the group. Thematic music, in that viewpoint, is one such task.
;-)
Friday night D&D is usually accompanied by 90s hip hop. Killed many a kobold while chillin' to Snoop.
There are some really decent music videos on YouTube dedicated to this kinda thing. The World of Warcraft music + ambiance series is nice, all the videos are an hour, and Blizzard doesn't seem to care, so enjoy it while you can.
https://dreadweasel.blogspot.com/
Forever Dungeon Master & Storyteller
My group brings a Bluetooth speaker every week and one of the players is in charge of music/sound effects. As I (theDM) describe a new location or interaction, they have a soundboard pulled up and select new types of ambient sounds and tunes. It's a lot of fun and gives them control over the game.
When it comes to music I have it prepared before the session so it's quick to access and play. I play it all from my phone. The table is wood so the sound reverberates fairly well so everyone can easily hear it. Though currently I only do it during fights. I have a few tracks I swap between depending on the tension/ nature of the fight. Though when the party reach certain fights they do get special boss music. Last one I used was Titan's them from FF14. They were in fact fighting Titan so it felt correct to use it haha.
I do want to break into more ambient music. Though with the ambient stuff I feel I have less time to set it up. I have a fairly large party so I don't get many chances to stop and change it. Fight music is easy as I just set it up while everyone is placing their mini's on the battlemat.
"Toss a coin to your [Insert class here]"
I've recently found this site http://tabletopaudio.com/ that has a lot of good atmospheric tracks for all kinds of genres.
I have been using Spotify before and after sessions to set the mood, using stuff like the Dragon Age soundtracks, and http://tabletopaudio.com during the sessions for ambient sound and music. I prep custom sound boards in advance, themed to the settings we'll be in. My players seem to really dig the extra level of immersion that it provides, especially on attacks and spell casting.
Don't be afraid to cross genres a bit too--I use the Westworld-esque "Theme Music" from the Wild West collection for Phandalin, and layer on the ambient market and blacksmith stuff from one of the fantasy collections. The future wasteland-ish collection has a bunch of good things to pull in as well, like desolate winds and crows and a shaker rhythm that adds a nice tension to many of the non-combat musics. It's got a pretty good zombie noise too.
I collect soundtracks and scores and have been using music in my game for YEARS.
During the pre-digital days I used a CD changer and the music would be my random encounter dice... something intense comes on? ROLL INITIATIVE! :)
However, now that we have more control, I may short playlists to go with each area or encounter (including a longer "this combat's gonna take a bit" playlist) and then use my Apple TV to sort through them as we play. I can't imagine not having music at a game... as long as it enhances game play.
I DM in Fantasy Grounds, I'm currently using Syrinscape, and I'm enjoining very much.
Hi guys, Friends and I are working on a DM's Toolkit, and we have a module called Soundscapes, its is an awesome music player where you can select out certain instruments to play, with sound atmospheres and effects! You can also import in your own content in a hassle free process ! Check it out : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQOUtEPwCH4
Elder Scrolls, Zelda, and most other fantasy game soundtracks are my go-to's. Two Steps from Hell, David Arkenstone, and a butt ton of London Philharmonic covers are also pretty varied for peaceful and action filled moments. One thing I've also wanted to do was take Blind Guardian's instrumental of "The Wheel of Time" as the background for a huge encounter, but my players are pretty fresh and I would want to save it for something more deserving and grand. Maybe someday...
#OpenDnD. #DnDBegone
I think what your looking for is often called the Score, not the Soundtrack in a movie.
In a movie the Soundtrack is often the music that is external to the movie (popular songs) and played as part of it.
The score is the music written for the movie to set a specific scene, to create a mood.
Videogames don't seem to different between the two, as they often don't have "Soundtrack" music and instead their Soundtrack IS the Score.
The great the thing about Videogames is you can pick and choose on style? Are you wanting horror music? grab music from a horror game. Action/Battle music? Real Time Strategy Game.
That aside people have posted places where you can get "background" sounds, like low background noise of a tavern, outdoor noises for walking outside are easy to find with "soothing nature" searches, etc...
One cool thing a GM did was after characters were established. He picked "Theme Songs" for each character. He'd put that one when that character was doing something particularly epic.
I fighter's theme song was Dope's "Die mother ******, die."
Fanburst https://fanburst.com/
It's integrated with Roll20. Lots of great stuff. Does a pretty good job of replacing soundcloud.
"Orcs are savage raiders and pillagers with stooped postures, low foreheads, and piggish faces with prominent lower canines that resemble tusks." MM p245 (original printing)
You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
Cryo chamber on spotify whenever you need creepy tension https://open.spotify.com/user/marsh-p/playlist/1af9jIXZsJsxGV5r0DVZlR
If you're interested in my videos please check out my Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrQhmONbi_UpoLWk8yJ7uag
I useally use 2 to 3 hour long instrumental music until they get to a boss fight then i break out One Wing Angel from final fantasy 7.
I almost forgot and am ashamed that I forgot. I also like to use some of the tracks from the Nobuo Uematsu Final Fantasy VI and Chrono-Trigger Orchestral CDs. Those two games have some of the best music ever created for a video game IMO, and the orchestral versions are just amazing.
Welcome to the Grand Illusion, come on in and see what's happening, pay the price, get your ticket for the show....