How to use Music Effectively in Roleplaying

Dave here!

I’ve recently tweaked the Unlimited Realms’ Spotify playlists, with 61 uniquely themed playlists, and it got me thinking a bit more about how we use music effectively in TTRPGs to create moments that are as cinematic as they are immersive.

Musical Power

Music doesn’t just ‘set a mood’; it invokes a theme, an emotion, or a message. When used smartly, it’s a fantastic asset for GMs that can personalize your players' experiences, and using select soundtracks can induce waves of nostalgia years down the road.

(Personally, I can never listen to John Murphy’s dramatic Sunshine (Adagio in D Minor) without picturing my character Cullus sacrificing himself at the crescendo of a cherished campaign, or Jamin Winan’s melancholic Into the Fray without reflecting on the lowest moment of Stra-Tu’s existential crisis.)

Tips & Tricks!

Any GM can press ‘Play’ on Spotify, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to immerse their players - in fact, it could ruin the experience for them (and yes, I’ve made some of these errors before, myself!) Over the years of building cinematic role-playing experiences for my players, I’ve learned a lot about how to effectively incorporate sound into my games.

Here are some notes I’ve accumulated over many games, and I hope these will come to help you, too!

• Build categorized playlists!

  • We all listen to orchestral scores from time to time; whilst you’re getting your creative juices flowing, why not categorize them into playlists at the same time? This gives you instant access to plenty of music that fits a certain dramatic moment!

My DnD playlist on Spotify!

• Embrace Subtlety!

  • Quietly looping a peaceful chime as the players explore a friendly neighborhood town is enough to invoke a sense of mood among your players. Use these quiet tracks smartly: by keeping that theme unique to that town & residents, your players may start to recognize it as you incorporate it in different ways.

  • For example, maybe a villager leaves and reunites with the party in another part of the world: when you start playing the village’s theme, it can subconsciously remind the players of that village, refreshing their memory of details associated with it!

• Download DnDify - FREE!:

  • DnDify is a mobile app that can only be used by Spotify members, however, this nifty app contains a selection of pre-built playlists with simple categories to make music playing at your table quick and efficient!

• Keep Checking Online!

  • r/DnDPlaylist showcases a wealth of content to help find that perfect track.

  • Searching YouTube for ‘ambient music’ and ‘fantasy soundtracks’ will also yield a lot of options, but be warned, it’s really easy to find yourself having spent a couple of hours stuck in a music-scrounging session! 

• Music Transitions!

  • Nothing is more awkward than being completely engrossed in a scene when all of a sudden - the music stops. A five-second pause. Has the music stopped? Let me che- oh wait, it was just transitioning! Look into your playback settings and enable track transitions, giving a 5-7 second overlap to avoid such cases!

  • Also, look into albums with music tracks that are designed to be repeated flawlessly, such as Final Fantasy 7’s or Valkyria Chronicles.

• Use Dramatic Sparingly!

  • Some music pieces work as great, dramatic themes - but will quickly lose their impact when used every couple of sessions. Know which pieces to use only in very particular circumstances.

  • Sometimes, no music works far better than with. Watch this edited end scene from Star Wars: The Force Awakens without music: it’s a completely different feeling!

• Add Ambience!

  • Adding music is great, but adding ambient sounds? Even better! When roleplaying with friends online, I can’t emphasize enough how important this is to maintaining their immersion and, consequently, their concentration.

  • YouTube is a wonderful and fast way to immediately gain access to all kinds of ambiance sound effects, whether it’s heavy snowfall, howling winds, busy port towns, or a silent cathedral. 

• Visit Tabletop Audio - FREE!:

  • Tabletop Audio is a very quick way to create atmospheres on-the-fly. Though lacking any customizable options, it’s definitely worth bookmarking for when your players go in a completely different direction from what you were planning!

• Download Syrinscape - FREE!:

  • Syrinscape is a fantastic and easy-to-use sound design software for your mobile devices and PC. Simply select one of the preset mixes or create your own to really nail down the aesthetics of your setting, or mix and match different sound mods! This is a really intelligently-designed tool that’s built for customized experiences and has been used by Critical Role & the Glass Cannon podcast. It has some wonderful (and free!) introductory soundscapes to tempt you, so check it out today and see if this works for you!

• Beware of the Volume!

  • Remember, ambience & music should never distract your players. Preparing in advance is essential to avoid those awkward moments of the GM trudging through lists of music to find the most suitable track. 

• Don’t Ruin the Flow!

  • Your players have suddenly taken a dramatic action that you weren’t expecting - you may want to whip out that one piece of music you’ve been saving for, but just be sure you’re not going to interrupt the flow of the roleplaying between you and your players. It’s not worth pausing a really immersive roleplaying moment, as the players could find it hard to jump back into it at your whim.

  • Also, regarding ambiance, it's never worth slowing the pace of your game just to play a single sound effect. Trust me, we all know what a creaky door sounds like!

I truly do hope that these tips and tricks will help you out, and maybe even encourage you to experiment with sound more in your games!