Burning Questions: How Can I Add Ambience to D&D Sessions?

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?

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Photo by Jonas Zürcher on Unsplash
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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.

 

[CydKnight]

I have had playing background music during sessions to have reactions from players that reach both ends of the spectrum. Some have absolutely loved it while others have said it's too much of a distraction. I think a DM should probably poll the players beforehand to see what they feel. If just one hates the idea, it could effect the entire group, if it's that big of a deal for the one player.

 

[Harzel]

As I get older, I am less impressed by attempts to create ambiance. I keep coming back to a more minimalist play style. The great thing about TTRPGs for me is that it exercises your imagination. The more props and special effects you add to it, to less your mind has to do. That's why I don't feel compelled to spend a fortune on ultra-realistic terrain. In terms of ambiance-creating gimmicks I've tried or have been subjected to, here are how I stand on them:

• Background music works best when it gets out of the way of your imagination.
• Scented "gaming candles" can be interesting--at first, but you can't change scents as easy as music, making it hard to support scene changes with scents. Also, many people are sensitive to scented candles, so ask your players before lighting up candles.
• Lighting. You'r playing a game not having a themed dinner party. Keep the lighting bright so people can easily read and write. If you play with digital devices, maybe this isn't as important, but I would think all the lit screens would ruin the effect of your ambient lighting anyway.
• Digital aids. I will use RealmWorks and VTTs for showing maps but I rarely show pictures of NPCs, locations, etc. Usually I prefer good verbal descriptions.

For new DMs asking about all this stuff, I tell them to forget about it. Get the core rule books, and adventure they are interested in running, some dice, pencils, and character sheets. As for creating a good game ambiance, bring together a good group of players and the "ambiance" takes care of itself.

Without disputing your personal preferences (or even, in many cases, disagreeing with them), I'd be careful with the generalizations. Physical objects such as minis, 3D environmental representations, and physical representations of in-game objects can be a big part of the enjoyment for some players. That said, it does seem likely that getting really fancy yields diminishing returns.

 

[MNblockhead]

Without disputing your personal preferences (or even, in many cases, disagreeing with them), I'd be careful with the generalizations. Physical objects such as minis, 3D environmental representations, and physical representations of in-game objects can be a big part of the enjoyment for some players. That said, it does seem likely that getting really fancy yields diminishing returns.

Sure, I have thousands of dollars of battlemaps, tile sets, terrain, minis, spell AOE templates, alea tools base markers, mini counters, flight platforms, measuring sticks, laser pointers, and other toys to show that I enjoy these things as well.

My point was more about knowing your fellow player's preferences, especially with things like music and scents. But even with terrain and minis, some players will not like "wasting" game time on fancy battlefield setups. Other players will be disappointed with theater of the mind.

But now that you raise the issue, I do think that there is a balance between aid an crutch.

First, I know people who have not tried DMing because they don't want to make the investment in minis and terrain. I always encourage them to just try running the game theater of the mind.

Too much emphasis on terrain and minis can lead to railroading because you don't and to waste all the time and money on prepping your session.

Not having minis and terrain may dissuade a GM from running certain kinds of encounters or certain settings.

I've played with an watch great DMs who use impressive sets and those who use nothing but the books and pen and paper. Good DMs can go either way. Chris Perkins or Mat Mercer can run a great game with or without physical aids.

In my personal game, I try to mix it up. I don't use battlemaps and minis for every encounter and when I do I sometimes just draw out basic obstables on the Chessex battlemap, sometime lay down some generic terrain (a felt "grass map" and a road and trees, for example), and sometimes I prep for a set piece, which can be a fully prepped physical battlemap and terrain, tiles sets, or digital.

 

[chillybones]

In my experience, using video game soundtracks can be hit or miss. I would suggest trying to pick more obscure titles because if your players know what game the music comes from, it ruins the immersion. It's sort of like being called out for stealing a plot from a movie or something.