I love using music in my RPGs. One of my earliest campaigns as a teenager in the 1980s featured the Led Zeppelin song, Kashmir. Their lyrics informed the idea of the adventure:
Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face
And stars fill my dream
I’m a traveler of both time and space
To be where I have been
To sit with elders of the gentle race
This world has seldom seen
They talk of days for which they sit and wait
All will be revealed
Talk in song from tongues of lilting grace
Sounds caress my ear
And not a word I heard could I relate
The story was quite clear
Even today just reading these words causes my imagination to race as I think of the lines “traveler of both time and space” or “elders of a gentle race.”
Like pictures and physical objects, music can do a lot of the heavy lifting of description in our RPG games. It also invites emotion and feeling which can set the right mood. Simply put, music is a powerful tool at the table. So how can we tap into players who excel at Musical Intelligence in our RPG groups?
Game Masters can harness the power of Musical Intelligence by recognizing players with this strength, using music and rhythm, and then allowing players to engage with music during the game.
Recognizing your Musical Intelligence Players
Music has the power to evoke strong emotions, set the mood, and enhance storytelling in all players. However, some of your players may feel a deeper connection to music than others. Perhaps these players played instruments in high school or took part in the choir or musical theater. They might have some great stories dealing with music class shenanigans. They can read music and might even have a little music theory under their belts. These will be your most obvious MI players.
Yet these outward signs are not the only way to tell that someone has Musical Intelligence. Watch for your players who almost always have music playing in the background–in life or in the game. This music can be from any genre from heavy metal to Broadway musicals, from classical music to cathedral choir numbers. As the Game Master, you might ask this player to share some of their favorite songs. This could open new avenues of creativity for you. I have one player who loves Mongolian throat music and introduced it to me. This introduction to deep bass music led me to use some basso profundo in my 7th Sea Christmas-themed game last year. So watch for those who are tapping their fingers, because they might just have some music playing in their headset as you play with them online.
Finally, do not look past your poets. They are also strong in Musical Intelligence. They know the melody of word choice and have their own sense of rhythm. They can also be a great source of inspiration as they share with you their favorite poems.
Incorporating Music into Your Games
I have a friend and fellow gamemaster who is famous for his use of music in his roleplaying games. In fact, when he ran campaigns in his college D&D club, his players lovingly referred to his style as D&D: The Musical. Yet you do not have to base your entire campaign off of a series of songs to include music in your game. With a little planning, you can include music that will deepen the feelings you hope to invoke in your game.
A few ways to use music in your game include:
- Listening to songs to find inspiration for your game then playing these songs during the game
- Setting the mood with soundtracks
- Create musical motifs and themes in your game
- Incorporate musical challenges or puzzles
- Invite players to share their musical talents
Inspiration
I love to find inspiration from songs as I plan my adventures. At times, I know which songs I want to use to spark creativity in my preparation. Yet at other times the inspiration comes while I am listening to music while doing something else. For example, I was grading some papers and the song Book of Love (sung by Peter Gabriel) started playing in the background. While this song might be familiar to many, it was the first time that I remember hearing it. The simple melody and the playful lyrics drew me in. At the time, I was running a highly modified version of Storm King’s Thunder and I knew that this song would now be the love song between King Hekaton and Queen Neri. It was very emotional for me (and I hope for my players too) when they found King Hekaton singing this song while sitting on the burial cairn of his murdered wife.
If a song is well-loved on Youtube, you might find different versions of it that might better fit the feeling of your adventure. The Modest Oda cover of Book of Love led my characters to the plane of Mechanus, where they liberated the spirit of Queen Neri (I told you that the adventure was highly modified). When the character finally reached a portal to take them there, this version of the song greeted them and they knew they were on the right path. Later on, I used another version as they approached a house-sized clockwork music box that served as the container for the giant queen’s spirit. The different types of music really worked to tie the whole adventure together.
Soundtracks
In addition to music that has a direct impact on the story, you can also utilize music to enhance immersion. For decades, movies and television shows have used songs to elicit emotion from their viewers. Seeing that this heart-stringing-pulling music has already been created, it is perfect for us to use as the background of our games. Choose appropriate music genres, styles, or themes that match the setting, tone, and atmosphere of the game. This will help players get the feeling of the game you are trying to run. Imagine if you played an appropriate song as the opening credit scene for your game as a signal that it is time to start.
During the game itself, you can use soft background music to continue establishing the mood. You might prepare a couple of playlists to play during different parts of the game: combat, exploration, or social. Fortunately, a quick internet search will also help you find already curated playlists to help you get started.
Thomas over at dramadice.com gives some great advice about playing music at the table. He wrote: “Music is most effective when it’s being started, after a long period of silence.” Our brains will notice the change in stimulus and pay more attention to what is going on. However, we usually start to tune it out after a few minutes and the effect is over. I like his suggestion of silence. We might plan for a few minutes of silence in our background music in preparation for the big musical reveal to come.
Musical Motifs and Themes
This next suggestion is a tough one for Game Masters because they have so much to do at the table. However, remember that you have others at the table who can help you to run the music. With that in mind, you can connect musical themes to your PCs and NPCs. If you go this route, you might stick with the most important NPCs or factions. But a musical motif might emphasize their importance in the game.
Of course, the PCs are the most important characters in the game, so you might ask players to provide a riff from a song that they feel represents their character. Give them with some guidelines so that their song choice will reflect the feel of your game and don’t be afraid to ask them to suggest several possibilities. Once you have gathered up those songs, you could invite a player to help you cue up short clips of these songs and then play them when a character does something impressive. All of this might take a little more work, but if you can swing it at your table it could really make for memorable moments.
Musical Challenges and Puzzles
Just as you can incorporate spatial and mathematical skills into puzzles, you can also put musical skills to the test. For example, you could introduce rhythm-based sequences or patterns that players must replicate in order to overcome an obstacle (this is making me think of that old Bop-it game). In addition to rhythm, you can create puzzles that require players to identify musical notes or melodies.
During my Storm King’s Thunder musical game, I presented the players with a picture of six bells and the lyrics, “You should bring me wedding rings.” A quick glance showed them that the bells G and C were the most well-used. I then gave the characters access to an online piano, which had the letters for each note on the keyboard. The bard played the notes on the keyboard and recognized the interval for “Here Comes the Bride.” I then challenged him to play out the rest of the notes, which he was able to do after a few moments of trial and error. It was a fun challenge and targeted an ability that he enjoyed.
If you have a skilled musician in your group, you might even push them to share those talents during the game. These musicians could play or sing a song during the game. Don’t put them too much on the spot and, if possible, give them some time to prepare. However, it can be fun when a player invests in a game at this level. (I surprised the player of the bard by inviting him to sing in order to release the captured spirit of Queen Neri. He was brave and did a great job.)
Maintaining Focus with Musical Intelligence
In the other installments of this series, I have tried to put things into the hands of players that will help them focus. This might be a little more difficult for Musical Intelligence because (by their very nature) the kinds of objects that would help the musically inclined focus might break the attention of other players. With that in mind, these suggestions should only be used if it does not cause additional problems with maintaining attention.
- Put the player in charge of the music. Give them guidelines and then let them act as DJ for the session
- Allow the player to play an instrument quietly in the background
- Introduce new music in the course of your game
Conclusion
By tapping into musical intelligence, Game Masters can elevate their RPG sessions to new heights of immersion and emotional impact. From setting the mood with soundtracks to creating musical themes and interactive challenges, music has the power to enhance the gameplay experience. Recognizing players with musical intelligence allows game masters to tailor the adventure and create a collaborative space where the magic of music intertwines with the storytelling. Embrace the power of musical intelligence and witness the symphony of emotions that unfold within your tabletop RPGs.
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