Tabletop Soundscapes

The required materials for a tabletop roleplaying game are: paper, pencils, and dice. That's a common formulation. Except, of course, you need a surface upon which one can write. You also need a physical space (that will include that writing surface) in which the game's actors assemble and partake (I'm not going to address online games, like the one I'm in right now). Food is often a part of the rpg experience, as are character miniatures, battlemats, terrain things, beer, computers, books, outlets for those computers, etc.

Having access to a "good" space for tabletop rpgs is a question of privilege - a table in the cafeteria will suffice, but there are a number of factors that are desired, including physical isolation (allowing you to play without casual interruptions by passers-by) and sonic isolation (insulation from non-game-related sounds). The first is fairly straight-forward - everyone understands that playing a tabletop rpg does not work well in an environment full of distractions and interruptions, which leads to us playing in dorm rooms, basements, classrooms late at night, or (most desirably) within the comfort of our own home.

Sound is a fundamental part of the experience - having a sonically static environment facilitates communication as everyone is able to speak at the same volume and be equally heard. The shuffling of character sheets, scratching of graphite, clacking of keys, and clattering of dice underscore the conversational interaction that is the heart of the rpg experience.

This sonic underscore or soundscape interacts our behavior, as we associate specific habits with a specific sonic environment. Imagine the differences between the background sounds of an ER, coffee shop, and office - our impressions of that space, the feelings these spaces trigger in us can be summoned by listening to an audio recording of that place.

Some DMs like to use music's ability to evoke a sense of place consciously, by playing music appropriate to whatever game situation is at-hand. A cursory search for "rpg music" yields a number of sites offering themed tracks (medieval tavern, graveyard, battle music, and so on) to aid the musically-inclined DM in choosing appropriate music.

There are some structural problems with the repertoire given - each track, rather than being the soundscape of whatever environment is referenced, gives a musical representation of that soundscape. If you listen to the "Lost Mine" track, you'll see what I mean. There's very little that's 'mine'-specific, and a whole lot of chromatic brass descents - it sounds like a film score, not the sounds of an actual place. Now, film music is awesome, but it necessarily works to drive tension in the foregrounded activity, building towards a particular moment. In a movie, you can tailor the music to work alongside the events displayed. In a live rpg, though, that kind of synchronization is impossible, and what we're left is an awkward tension build-up communicated by the music that is totally separate from the actual game-playing itself. At best, the players don't notice it. But what usually happens is the music distracts from the experience of playing - it pulls focus from the character's actions (out of the game world) into the real one, a concrete [albeit sonic] reminder that we are engaged in the act of playing the game. This decreases immersion, breaks dramatic tension, and so on. And then, of course, there is the question of what to do when the track ends. Does it loop? Is there a playlist that seamlessly plays a bunch of 'similar' music in a row, at least until the scene changes and we need a new playlist for the new game environment?

The reason for these problems is how the DM conceives of music in their game. While music can evoke a time and place, the players are already doing that in their heads. Those of them who can see mental images have built some visual representation of the described space, those of us who can't have figured something else out. The music does not need to do this work for us. Instead, the function of music during a running is to discipline the rpg soundscape - to maintain a constant sonic environment (changing enough that the static-ness is not a noticeable feature), a series of sounds that underscores every game interaction. Having music (quietly) playing in the background, covering the silences, helps keep players focused because there is now no silence to fill with awkward jokes or tangents that pull players out of the game world.

If the bulk of the music touted as being "for rpgs" is schlock for this kind of work, what can we use? I like to use music that falls into the "ambient" genre - Alva Noto and Brian Eno right now, and more as I acquire it. The tracks are usually sonically-similar (facilitating a more seamless ending of one track and beginning of the next) and don't often feature the kind of volume or rhythm intensification found in most of rpg tracks (which reduces the music/tension conflicts). The downside is that they are entirely electronic music, which can unnerve some people (it can have a strong association with horror films) and can trouble people with expectations that "music" should mirror or reflect the game environment rather than reflect the fact that the game is playing.

But, music can be a valuable DM tool, just as battlemats, custom miniatures, and game props  (they can also be terrible - it depends upon the quality of the product). It's important to know that we have more choices than Yes music and No music.