Music as a DM tool?

[OwlbearUltimate]

I recently purchased the soundtrack to Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, and it's great and highly recommended by me. After listening, I came up with the idea to use the music as a mood setter.

Many songs often set the mood and allow for greater imagery, the Mary and Pippin's "Green Dragon" song for a tavern or the "Siege of Gondor" when describing a battle scene. As my campaign with be battle heavy, these songs to present the different situations, like "The Sacrifice of Faramir" for when an NPC's son dies.

I was wondering if anyone else had ever tried anything like this, and if so, was it effective to help with picturing the scene?

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Music in general is used all the time. Usually, quite stuff is good, without any lyrics. If it's too loud, or has lyrics, it get's distracting. If you have an intense scene, just play intense music, but still quite music.

[Crow]

I used the song from the fight scene between Hector and Achilles from Troy last session for a duel between a PC General and NPC Leader. It was fantastic.

[expirement10K14]

Another that is great is the Orange Box Soundtrack. It has 94 songs, almost 3 hours worth of music, all of them amazing.

[Enlong]

Ah yes. Music can be quite a good DM tool. Standard "Deserty" music a la "Gritzy Desert theme" to make a hot sandy trek less tedious, and eerie suspenseful music can help set the mood for a deep dungeon.

Also, I think that an ipod player would be a good tool for a Bard as well. For example, you can't go wrong with having the bard break into one of the classic Final Fantasy battle themes; Big Bridge Battle and Decisive Battle (V and VI, respectively) are great choices.

Combine the two, and you can have the Bard override the DM's setting-music with his own. Bonus points if it's Trombe.

[Ascension]

Combine the two, and you can have the Bard override the DM's setting-music with his own. Bonus points if it's Trombe.

OBJECTION! Trombe Override is a bardic music ability only available to truly EPIC bards. Come back when you hit 21st level!

[Dr Bwaa]

The only thing you may want to be careful about is using music that your players know or is easily recognizable. I, for instance, would probably recognize most of the LOTR soundtrack at least as being LOTR, if not actually placing where it came in the movie. This can be distracting if your PCs start veering off on tangents every time someone recognizes a song.

There were a couple threads on this general topic not long ago; they have a lot of good music suggestions and links.

[skywalker]

The only thing you may want to be careful about is using music that your players know or is easily recognizable. I, for instance, would probably recognize most of the LOTR soundtrack at least as being LOTR, if not actually placing where it came in the movie. This can be distracting if your PCs start veering off on tangents every time someone recognizes a song.

There were a couple threads on this general topic not long ago; they have a lot of good music suggestions and links.

Seconded. Last session, "To Zanarkand"(from Final Fantasy X) came on and a side discussion started with the DM about whether or not it was appropriate battle music, along with wonderment why the song that normally follows it wasn't next on the CD. Kinda bad.

[AslanCross]

OBJECTION! Trombe Override is a bardic music ability only available to truly EPIC bards. Come back when you hit 21st level!

Gosh, the thought of hearing Trombe! in D&D gives me goosebumps.

I use music too, though I realized that it only really works in the first few minute s of the encounter. If the encounter takes too long it tends to fade into the background of rules banter/RPing.

[Kredine]

I generally use the midnight syndicate and the ff10 soundtrack for my music. The players seem to like it.

[random11]

Nothing better than the soundtrack of Dune for a desert adventure.

And a DM once used two themes that really matched a forest adventure. It really surprised me when I discovered he took it from the soundtrack of the second or third Rockie movie.

[Proven_Paradox]

I've been wanting to add that to my in-person games for a while now, but never really got the chance--several of the tracks I want to have are currently out of my reach.

Stuff that was made for video games is usually good for this kind of thing, since video game music is usually composed with the intention of being background music from the beginning. As others have cautioned, though, be careful about using tracks the players know, and if it looks like things are going to get off track, intervene quickly.

[mustaju]

The only thing you may want to be careful about is using music that your players know or is easily recognizable. I, for instance, would probably recognize most of the LOTR soundtrack at least as being LOTR, if not actually placing where it came in the movie. This can be distracting if your PCs start veering off on tangents every time someone recognizes a song.

There were a couple threads on this general topic not long ago; they have a lot of good music suggestions and links.

Did you have this in mind?

[valadil]

I really want to use music as a DM. I used it the first time I ran a game, but it was just a little too distracting for me to manage that and the players. Maybe I could handle it now.

Yes, I agree that you want music that isn't easily recognized. The Terminator theme song is awesome and powerful, but everybody recognizes it. It'll make them think about the movie instead of D&D.

I highly recommend Vangelis for background music. He composes music in a hollywood soundtrack style, but not all of it is used in actual movies. Oh and 99% of it is instrumental so you won't have players getting distracted by lyrics.

[Oeryn]

I really want to use music as a DM. I used it the first time I ran a game, but it was just a little too distracting for me to manage that and the players.

That's the main problem with using music as a DM. Generally speaking, a little soft music CAN help to set the mood, but what usually happens is you get a piece that's inappropriate for the moment popping up at the wrong time, or the song you WANT at a certain time isn't ready, and you spend time searching your iPod or whatever, and stop the game at a moment that -by definition- should be dramatic and tension-filled.

I don't really recommend it, for that reason. But if you DO use it, I'd second the opinion that you use something a little obscure and unrecognizable, without lyrics, and turned down pretty low.