7 Ways I Use Music In My RPG Sessions

It's not mandatory but it's a lot of fun

Music is powerful tool that enhances immersion. It sets the tone and can signal shifts in narrative or mood but it can also prepare people for the game itself.

I was setting up one of my games at my local FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store) and one of young people scheduled came into the room with his dad and said, “Cool, he’s got music playing and everything!” Clearly he had some ideas of what he wanted his first D&D experience to be and I was happy to not disappoint.

This certainly wasn’t the first time I used music in connection with my sessions but I don’t like players walking into a cold, lifeless room which is

the FIRST, and may be the best, way I use music

because it requires zero timing.

One of my favorite styles I like to play, pre-game, is lo-fi fantasy music, it’s just chill, head bobbin’ music.

This doesn’t mean I won’t have Conan’s Anvil of Crom or Brass Buttons from the Hobbit playing, at times. Sometimes I use the music as a clue to the kind of adventure we are going to have. The clue could also be the title of the song.

Quick Tip: To maintain immersion, don’t use music on free music apps because there is nothing worse than hearing an insurance ad right before the first blow is struck.

If you’re using Youtube, play the whole song through to make sure no ads pop up.

The second way I use music is for taverns and events

This could be music for the tavern, inns, towns, or festivals. There are great medieval versions of modern songs you can find online. Your players might freak out when you say, “A bard get up on stage and begins to play” and suddenly they hear Wake Me Up Before You Go Go. Or, they might not notice all.

Quick Tip: Before you decide on the music you want to play, consider the kind of game your players want to play.

If they’re looking for immersion or a grittier game, then funny or lighthearted might not be the music you want to choose. If you are playing a gonzo style game, and everyone is down for a crazy time, then all bets are off.

The third way I use music is for travel

Travel music can include walking through the countryside, in the forest or while dungeon crawling. You can also use music to reflect the region or season you are traveling in: snowy mountain vs. haunted forest, spring, winter, etc.

Music can also include noise like a crowded bar, nature sounds, the wind blowing, rain and thunder to indicate a bad storm.

Quick tip: Volume matters. Don’t make the music so loud so you can’t hear the players or the players can’t hear each other or you.

The fourth way I use music in my game is combat

To be honest, I don’t use music in combat very often because I forget to use it. When I get dialed into a game I’m thinking about things like ambushing, initiative and keeping the pace of the game moving along.

Quick Tip: You don’t have to be the one running the music. Maybe one of the roles at your table, along with note taker or treasure wrangler, could be the role of DJ.

If you are playing with a group of experienced players, and by experienced I mean older, they are likely to have a diverse pallet of music. Ask them, at the begging of your game or a week prior, “What kind of music would you character want playing during a tavern brawl?”

These are always my favorite scenes in a movie, when a fight breaks out and the band or the jukebox is playing a certain song.

Scenes that illustrates good music + good fight might be A Bronx Tale or Best of the Best.

The fifth way I use music is to build suspense or horror

Maybe you love horror movie themes or maybe you like Scooby Doo creeping around music, both can set the mood based on the kind of game you are wanting to play.

Movies and tv shows are great sources for music but so are video games. The sound tracks for Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Dead Space are all good choices when you are sharing a found letter or during the Big Bad’s “this is why I did this and this is how you’re going to die” speech.

Quick Tip: You can have too much of a good thing. You don’t have to use music 7 times in your game session, in fact I don’t recommend it.

Choose the best encounters or moments to use music like when a player’s character achieves their character arc or the party is fighting the final boss.

The sixth way I like to use music in my session is cinematic or emotional moments

“If you character dies, what music would you want played if any?”

If your players are on board with music in the game, this might be a fun question to ask them. Think about the the movies you’ve seen where a major character has died. Did they die heroically? That needs a certain kind of music. Like when Tony Stark (Iron Man) dies in End Game (which is a great soundtrack) you could play You Did Good or The Real Hero.

Once again, video games have sad, even tragic, music you could use like Bloodborne: Gehrman, The First Hunter or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Coup de Grace, both could be played while characters offer their farewell speech.

Quick Tip: Don’t let music get in the way of the moment. Players and character make the moment, music only enhances it.

The seventh way I like to use music is when the game is over

I like to have soft, fun music playing in the background when I wrap up for the same reasons I like to open with music, it just makes the room buzz a little and it’s a chance to lighten the mood in case the session was heavy.

The right music can put a period, an exclamation point or a ellipses (…) at the end of your session or campaign.

Here are a few ways to collaborate around musical choices

• At the beginning of a campaign, or session zero, ask players to write down their character’s choices for death/dying music, battle music, etc.

• For one shots, conventions, etc. Ask players, “If you are chosen MVP of the game, what will your closing song be” and then create a playlist with all the songs chosen. This motivates players to play their character well so their song is chosen,

• Ask players to write down a good closing session song and drop it in bowl. At the end of the session, pull out a slip of paper and play that song.

Last Quick Tip: Create scene-specific playlists before sessions, don’t waste game time searching for a song.

Do you like to use music in your game sessions?

Do you have music/playlist suggestions for certain genres of games?

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