Soundtracks: for the DM

I love incorporating music into my RPGs. I make whole playlists of hundreds of songs from dozens of soundtracks. I pull from all sources: tv shows, films, video games, classical music, rock, pop, anything that fits. Sometimes my soundtracks are classic epic fantasy fare, like The Lord of the Rings, The Witcher, Dragon Age, and Narnia. Other times I make it a bit more Scott Pilgrim, adding in heavy guitar riffs and pulsing beats to keep the action going. Sometimes I draw on Sci-fi to give the music a bit of a modern edge. My current Gloomwrought campaign features a lot of Midnight Syndicate, to give it that proper creepy feeling. I find that music rounds out a game session, and helps keep the focus and energy up during the particularly long 4e combat rounds.

When making a soundtrack as a DM, I divide it up into three playlists. One is the At-Peace soundtrack: this is made up of more peaceful tracks that fill out the down-time PCs experience. I put this one on for basic roleplay, low-stakes exploration, and PC interaction. Ambient tracks are very good (see the Skyrim soundtrack for a plethora of these). Slow tempos, basic melodies, and relaxing tones make up this playlist.

The next playlist I call the Dungeon soundtrack. It is comprised of moodier pieces, with a bit more of a malicious edge to them. They are for the higher-stakes moments outside of combat, such as searching a room for traps, negotiating with Vampires, or exploring a dungeon (hence the name). By putting this soundtrack on, you instantly put the Players on edge. Without any flavour text, you can add creepiness to a room just by pressing play on iTunes.

The last playlist is the Combat playlist. This is the most important playlist of all, so spend most of your time building it. Since 4e combat can get insanely long, I recommend several hours worth of music to keep it from getting repetitive. Fortunately, good combat music is very easy to find. Any action film soundtrack is a good bet. Video game soundtracks almost always have incredible fight music. And if all else fails, getting some natty techno in the mix doesn't hurt either. You can find all kinds of great soundtracks for your game session in places you might not have expected.

If you like, you can add even more playlists. I have one specifically for Taverns, with a lot of medieval instruments and mellow guitars. I have a triumphant combat playlist and a s***-your-pants-scary one. I often like to pick a theme song for the campaign. My Neverwinter campaign's is "Assassin of Kings" from the Witcher 2, and occasionally when it's happier some Skylanders.

Don't judge me: Hans Zimmer wrote the theme. Also, Spyro is adorable. So shut up.

By building a comprehensive and engaging soundtrack, you can drop your players into the action with the click of a mouse. Once you get good at it, you won't be able to go back. Everything will seem a bit more boring. I hope some of these examples grabbed you, and that you have fun building your own soundtrack for your campaign!

Thanks, and happy gaming!
-DS