Welcome to another edition of Burning Questions. Today’s query What are some great ambience actions I can take that will add excitement and value to my Dungeons and Dragons role-playing get-togethers?
This is an interesting question with multitude of answers. Creating a pleasant and fun ambiance for a D&D game is highly subjective. In the past, I've used Syrinscape, video game music, film soundtracks, instrumental music and various sound effects to set up the mood and play in the background during the adventure.
For free options, YouTube and Tabletop Audio can be the DM's best friend and staunchest ally. There is a wide range of lush, well-produced ambient music on these sites suitable for any game.
For paid options, Syrinscape has a cornucopia of high-quality music available, along with an app. I haven't used it much beyond the free trial—it doesn't really suit my dungeon mastering needs—but it can be a good option for newer DMs or folks who may prefer the unique style of their tunes. If you have paid subscription to sites like Spotify, Pandora or Google Play Music (doubles as a YouTube Premium sub with some carriers like T-mobile), you can find a plethora of pre-made D&D playlists, curated by players and DMs alike.
Now, here's where things may get a little bit weird—my taste in music is a bit eclectic and all over the place. I've used variations of the following suggestions in my two most recent campaigns. In my current Dragon Heist campaign, I use everything as outlined below. I’ll keep the music a bit low so my players can hear me and play each piece as appropriate to the game’s action.
Admittedly, some of my musical choices are a bit different than what one may expect for a RPG setting. However, in the context of my various campaigns, the music just seems to work for me. To that end, I love using a combination of Super Nintendo era video game soundtracks, the soundtracks to my favorite 1980s films and Frank Zappa instrumental tracks to create
For general, game-length ambiance, my go-to the Chrono Trigger OST. The music from this classic Super Nintendo RPG is ideal for traveling, battles, dungeon delving, tension, drama and just about any application you can think of during your game. The original Super NES music is great, but Google Play features a great version of the soundtrack by White Knight Instrumentals that Ifind works ideally for my games. It can be found here.
For travel music, I prefer something from the soundtrack to either Conan the Barbarian or (silly, I know) Ladyhawke. With the former, everything from “Anvil of Chrom” to “Orphans of Doom” is an amazing fit for my D&D games. On the latter, I find the mix of synths and guitar only contributes to the fun of the game for my players and me. I especially like using “Main Title,” “Phillipe’s Escape,” “Tavern Fight” and “The Search for Phillipe.” The soundtrack for Ladyhawke can be found here and Conan can be found here.
For battles, I like to use Zappa's Guitar and Trance-Fusion albums, specifically the cut “Chunga's Revenge” from the latter record. Holst’s The Planets is also great for battle and dungeon ambiance.
Aside from musical ambiance, I keep the lighting dim and use a grid table, along with minis and homemade terrain to create a visual reference. Occasionally, I'll create props for use during the game as well, but I’ll keep this to a minimum due to my substantial lack of crafting skills. If the game calls for it, I sometimes make scrolls, burnt maps and similar items for my players. But on the overall, ambiance in my games is predominantly musical.
How about you, EN World? What do you do to set the right mood for your D&D, Pathfinder or other role-playing game sessions?
Contributed by David J. Buck (Nostalgia Ward) as part of the EN World (ENWC) program. When he isn’t learning to play or writing about RPGs, he can be found on Patreon or Twitter.
This is an interesting question with multitude of answers. Creating a pleasant and fun ambiance for a D&D game is highly subjective. In the past, I've used Syrinscape, video game music, film soundtracks, instrumental music and various sound effects to set up the mood and play in the background during the adventure.
For free options, YouTube and Tabletop Audio can be the DM's best friend and staunchest ally. There is a wide range of lush, well-produced ambient music on these sites suitable for any game.
For paid options, Syrinscape has a cornucopia of high-quality music available, along with an app. I haven't used it much beyond the free trial—it doesn't really suit my dungeon mastering needs—but it can be a good option for newer DMs or folks who may prefer the unique style of their tunes. If you have paid subscription to sites like Spotify, Pandora or Google Play Music (doubles as a YouTube Premium sub with some carriers like T-mobile), you can find a plethora of pre-made D&D playlists, curated by players and DMs alike.
Now, here's where things may get a little bit weird—my taste in music is a bit eclectic and all over the place. I've used variations of the following suggestions in my two most recent campaigns. In my current Dragon Heist campaign, I use everything as outlined below. I’ll keep the music a bit low so my players can hear me and play each piece as appropriate to the game’s action.
Admittedly, some of my musical choices are a bit different than what one may expect for a RPG setting. However, in the context of my various campaigns, the music just seems to work for me. To that end, I love using a combination of Super Nintendo era video game soundtracks, the soundtracks to my favorite 1980s films and Frank Zappa instrumental tracks to create
For general, game-length ambiance, my go-to the Chrono Trigger OST. The music from this classic Super Nintendo RPG is ideal for traveling, battles, dungeon delving, tension, drama and just about any application you can think of during your game. The original Super NES music is great, but Google Play features a great version of the soundtrack by White Knight Instrumentals that Ifind works ideally for my games. It can be found here.
For travel music, I prefer something from the soundtrack to either Conan the Barbarian or (silly, I know) Ladyhawke. With the former, everything from “Anvil of Chrom” to “Orphans of Doom” is an amazing fit for my D&D games. On the latter, I find the mix of synths and guitar only contributes to the fun of the game for my players and me. I especially like using “Main Title,” “Phillipe’s Escape,” “Tavern Fight” and “The Search for Phillipe.” The soundtrack for Ladyhawke can be found here and Conan can be found here.
For battles, I like to use Zappa's Guitar and Trance-Fusion albums, specifically the cut “Chunga's Revenge” from the latter record. Holst’s The Planets is also great for battle and dungeon ambiance.
Aside from musical ambiance, I keep the lighting dim and use a grid table, along with minis and homemade terrain to create a visual reference. Occasionally, I'll create props for use during the game as well, but I’ll keep this to a minimum due to my substantial lack of crafting skills. If the game calls for it, I sometimes make scrolls, burnt maps and similar items for my players. But on the overall, ambiance in my games is predominantly musical.
How about you, EN World? What do you do to set the right mood for your D&D, Pathfinder or other role-playing game sessions?
Contributed by David J. Buck (Nostalgia Ward) as part of the EN World (ENWC) program. When he isn’t learning to play or writing about RPGs, he can be found on Patreon or Twitter.
