Music in Gaming

An often-ignored aspect of role-playing is the music that's playing in the background, and that's often because it's not actually there. While lack of background noise can be conducive to roleplaying at some times, and indeed switching around between CDs and cassettes can be extraordinarily distracting to a GM, music remains a fundamental part of storytelling, and the right music can change a game from "what we do on Wednesdays" to "the story we're all collectively writing."

The first trick to use is one stolen from movies and *gasp* CRPGs - get together with your players and decide on theme music for each character. This helps a lot in character definition, and when one character comes into focus, that music helps keep things that way. You can also use this as a prelude to bringing back an NPC, as having his theme music playing just before he walks in adds a touch of drama to the scene.

Oddly, this is greatly useful in online games and PBEMs. In a non-face-to-face setting, naming tracks and themes can help a good deal in setting a mood; a description of the room the characters are in needs aural atmosphere as well as visual and tactile surroundings.

The second trick is avoiding the oldies-but-goodies. When you're in combat, high-speed pulsing backbeat heavy metal may be appropriate, but it's so clichéd it's disgusting. Try some Holst - Mars works - or perhaps the Rites of Spring. Combat music doesn't have to be fast-paced; what it has to be is forceful. On the other hand, you can use music like Vivaldi's "Spring" or the Skaters' Waltz to make the combat more surreal; this often works well in fantasy games due to the already-alien nature of the game, and dark-and-gritty games because of the contrast it provides.

The third trick - related strongly to the second, actually - is using the soundtrack to either lead your players on or throw them off. Building mood is extremely appropriate, and the right kind of music might be enough to convince players and characters that although everything seems fine, Something's Not Quite Right Here.

On the flip side, you can use your CDs and tapes to your advantage, "crying wolf" with tense, pulsing music when nothing's actually happening. It's a psychological trick, and often only good for use on players - but if you're a sadistic GM, it's a lot of fun.

Free Trader EDG, who is way too tired to be writing something like this, signing off.