D&D General Using Music in D&D

[Aaron L]

I have ADD. This would not be fun for me. But if it works for your group, go for it.
I did once start a Star Wars campaign with the instrumental Star Wars score.

Yeah, I thought it would be really rad to have a nice soundtrack to the game and that it would heighten the experience... but I have ADHD and all it ended up doing was causing me so much distraction that my attention was too split to focus on anything. Some low-volume orchestral music in the background, however, seems to not be too distracting for me, but anything with words just pulls my attention too much; we also once did the Star Wars score thing for a D20 SW game and it seemed to be OK for me as long as it wasn't too loud.

 

[robus]

I use a variety of selections from video game soundtracks to evoke the mood of the moment, one my new players recently commented “oh wow this music is perfect!” so mission accomplished.

Soundtrack compilations I rely on: The Witcher series, Descent series and Dragon Age.

 

[Richards]

We often play various episodes of "Music from the Hearts of Space" (a radio program of "contemporary space music") in the background during our gaming sessions. Whenever possible, I try to pick themes appropriate to the adventure, so if the PCs are going to be fighting undead I'll go with some of the spookier stuff they play around Halloween or if they'll be trekking through a jungle I'll play rainforest music and so on.

One session, however, started with about half a dozen giant beetles attacking an elderly woman in the forest, which gave me a pun-worthy reason to play the Beatles album, "Help!"

Johnathan

 

[RobJN]

I tend to go for the "not iconic" movie scores. If the music is too well known, it pulls the players out of the situation.

Go-to composers: Yuki Kajiura (.hack//, Noir), Yoko Kanno (Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus, Macross Frontier), Sawano Hiroyuki (Guilty Crown, Kill la Kill, Attack on Titan, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress), Taku Iwasaki (Read or Die! Ruroni Kenshin, Witch Hunter Robin), Keiji Inai (Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Heavy Object, Alderamin of the Sky)

 

[Nebulous]

Yeah, I use music every session with RPG soundmixer. I think my current D&D folder has over 100 songs and sound effects. The best stuff is from movie soundtracks. Remember that lame movie Jupiter Rising? Well, the soundtrack is phenomenal.

 

[Scott Christian]

In the background only.
I find Elder Scroll soundtracks work well, as well as trans music.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I tend to go for the "not iconic" movie scores. If the music is too well known, it pulls the players out of the situation.

It may be group or even player specific. For us, the more familiar the music, the less attention got devoted to it.

 

[Legatus Legionis]

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[Bupp]

A lot of great replies! Thanks everyone.