Using mood music properly in RPGs- looking for advice

[Gundark]

I'm starting up a fantasy campaign and would like to use mood music in the campaign. I have tried doing this before and found that it never really seemed to work. Either the music seemed to annoy the players or either would use the music either for too long. I just never seemed to get the hang of using it properly. So who here has used music in their campaigns and how and what did you do to make it a successful experience? Looking for advice.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Mixere works well, and there are quite a few similar apps, for a number of operating systems, including all forms of Windows.

As it seems you might have already discovered, having at least most of your music subtle and inobtrusive is key. Soundtrack are often the best first place to look. Also, some kinds of classical. There's a recent thread about some deal for dark classical tracks, only for those in the US. But still.

Not sure what else is relevant. Hm.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

This and related questions pop up frequently here, so much so that another poster has started a thread compiling some of the better ones:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/174448-game-related-music-threads-links.html

Personally, I use music a few different ways:

1. Background music appropriate to the game's overall genre, played low
2. Music to help set the mood for a particular scene- dramatic for a big battle, spooky for a graveyard scene, etc.
3. General background music everyone would enjoy, played low

 

[Orius]

Here's a recetn topic on the subject, or at least something closely related:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/295798-guide-music-your-campaign.html

 

[ArghMark]

Playing a medieval themed game ATM, but we generally play medieval music at a low volume, so it isn't intrusive, and it suits us enough.

Used to have major pitfalls... Lord of the Rings soundtrack, I'm looking at you. Too much epic drumming!

 

[thejc]

I have found that it is also directly related to light sources. Tried to insert cool music for the longest time. I have only ever done it once successfully.(In one campaign) we were epic level and the culmination had breaking benjamins "So Cold" rocking it out.

 

[thejc]

Oh I didn't explain the light source thing. It seems the brighter and more light we had(which people want so they can see maps, books, and such) the more intrusive or a distraction it was. The dimmer light it seemed to work.

 

[nedjer]

Just so long as none of this involves fake Irish pan pipe music eulogising the virtues of hobbits' hairy feet - otherwise known as the LotR soundtrack

 

[ArghMark]

Light I find is an interesting conundrum. As I'm in Australia, most of the time its pretty light in the day, and at night putting an electric light on is far from mood inspiring.

Candles or something is a good option, done with Cthulhu games. I've done enough Medieval feasts to realise a bit of darkness doesn't hurt anything. Candles cost a little though, and its not something you'd do all the time.

 

[Ryltar]

My honest opinion?

Do away with the pseudo-medieval lighting if you don't play entirely diceless.

Especially when playing long sessions, you will either need a lot (and I'm talking about 30-50, depending on room and table size) of candles to provide adequate illumination, or the strain on the eyes will just become too great and keep you from having fun. When everyone's squinting at their dice rolls just to try and guess what faces have come up, the result isn't a better roleplaying mood, it is annoyed players and GMs. What I would go for, instead, is indirect lighting. Ideally, each player has a dimmable lamp near his or her seat and can adjust brightness as needed (e.g., more when combat comes up, less when everyone's just roleplaying a conversation).

With regard to the OP (because I don't want to derail this thread):

What worked extremely well for me was taking a cue from serialized television programmes and coming up with a 'theme' music for the PCs, major organizations of the setting, primary antagonists and certain locations whose uniqueness I wanted to convey not only through description, but through music/sound effects, too. This method only works if you have recurring characters and locations, of course - no sense in wracking your brain for a possible evil theme if the relevant character will in all likelyhood die in the first encounter.

A nice perk of using themes is that it allows you to subtly foreshadow connections between certain characters or events. For example, you might play the Faction A theme during a scene when the characters haven't interacted with that faction yet, and then play it again, later, once they meet up.