Good day everyone! How are you?
I recently shared an article about the importance of music in games. Just like in video games, music is very important in tabletop games too! Today I will talk to you about how I find music in my own dungeons and dragons tabletop roleplay game. If you have followed my previous posts you know that I am a dnd nerd. For me, this game is very valuable and music is always very important in a game. I carefully choose the music I use to give my friends a better experience. It is very important to choose the music carefully to give your friends a beautiful and unforgettable experience in a tabletop game. Today I'm going to tell you about this list, and I can tell you that I highly recommend to you support the people on this list on Patreon or any other platform they use. Let's get started!
Peter Gundry – Dark Magic and Tense Moments
I wanted to start directly with a name. The artist I recommend to you is Peter Gundry. He is a very good composer. I can think of many games to use his music in. I used his music in Curse of Strahd dungeons and dragons game. My friends liked it so much that sometimes I was silent and let the effect of the music pass to the players. You can use Peter Gundry's music for your dark and gothic games. However, it can also be used in your space obscurity-themed games as it has a horror element.
He also composes music that you can easily use in your Call of Cthulhu games. Also, if you want to listen to a depressing and high-quality song in your free time, Peter Gundry might be for you. I'll give you an example, there was a death scene in our game and I used the Goëtia song and it was on repeat throughout the scene. For a few minutes, the characters in our Dungeons and Dragons game were able to roleplay how precious their friend was and how much it hurt to lose them. The biggest goal of us dungeon masters is to provide an environment where our players can roleplay with feeling. Then one day we went camping in nature with one of these friends of mine and I had this song on my phone. I connected my phone to the speaker and turned on the song and this friend of mine told me that he felt very bad. He said he couldn't understand why he felt that way but he didn't like the song at all. Then I told him that I played this song in the death scene that we experienced in a previous game of Dungeons and Dragons. He was incredibly surprised. He started listening to the song carefully and remembered it. Then he asked me to start it again. That's how profound the impact of these songs can be.
Don't forget to support him!
Travis Savoie – For Your Full Campaign
The music I listen to the most when I'm preparing for a game is background music. But after a while, it's not nice to listen to repetitive music while preparing for another game. Because you have already experienced and used the feeling it evokes in you. That's why you want different background music. That's when Travis Savoie comes to our aid. He has incredible compositions.
My friends and I were going to go to a winter-themed area in a dungeons and dragons game. So I needed different music. That's when I discovered his composition Winter's Wrath. When I started listening to it and the whole album, lightning started to flash in my mind. I was much better prepared for the game and I understood better that we were going to play a different theme. During the game, my friends also subconsciously felt that they were going to have a new experience because they were listening to different music. I remember very well that during the climaxes of some songs, players were afraid to even look around.
Travis Savoie makes custom music for the Dungeons and Dragons books. He releases quality stuff every so often. He is one of my favorites. Sometimes he even releases new songs for his old albums. That means fresh songs all the time. I used his music for the Wild Beyond the Witchlight tabletop game in an encounter with a Hag. Very versatile and very thematic and really well done. He's someone who deserves a lot of support. I would recommend him if you are looking for theme-specific music and you want to use it throughout your tabletop game.
Music from Other Games
Of course, there are times when the music above is very good quality. If I discover it, I will share with you the composer friends or bands later. Now what I want to continue with is the music you can get from other video games and use in your own tabletop roleplay games that you play at home. Of course, if you are broadcasting on Twitch or Youtube, you cannot use this music. Because you would be violating copyright rights. But no one can interfere with you in the game you play at home! There is a lot of music you like in other games. You can use this music as background music. I can share the 5 examples I use the most with you as follows;
- Skyrim – Morrowind and Oblivion Exploration Musics
- Witcher 3 Ambient Songs
- Final Fantasy Background Musics
- The Legend of Zelda Series
- Divinity Series Songs (usually best tavern songs)
Final Thoughts
In fact, even if you prepare different music for each game, most of the time you may need to change the music because of what your players are doing. For example, let's say a robbery needs to be done. If they want to play secretly hiding, you play a different song, if they are planning a guns-blazing heist, you play a different song. That's why tabletop games are great! You don't know exactly what is going to happen when and there is no written script! I hope everyone will have this wonderful experience one day and we will have the opportunity to read more blog posts here about tabletop roleplaying games like dungeons and dragons, Pathfinder, etc.
Thank you so much for reading!