Critical Role is Geek & Sundry’s live Dungeons & Dragons show featuring Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer and his troupe of fellow voice actors. Catch them every Thursday night at 7:00 PM PT on the Geek & Sundry Twitch channel and on Alpha.
If you’re a Dungeon Master and you want your Critter players to feel right at home at your table, you might try adding some familiar music to set the scene. Whether it’s the driving beat of “Welcome to Wildemount” or the peaceful background melody for some of Critical Role‘s most pivotal scenes that you’re looking for, we’re here to help you find the perfect musical cue–with the generous help of Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer.
Playlist Setup
Matt recommends creating playlists based on moods or locations, rather than artist or album, to help you set just the right atmosphere at the speed of your players’ decisions.
“I have a playlist for small battles,” he revealed on Game Master Tips, “one for big battles, one for boss battles. I have a playlist for ‘creepy,’ I have a playlist for REALLY creepy areas, I have a playlist for a mysterious scenario, for when it’s peaceful… That way it’s just really easy for me to just click any one of these playlists for a specific moment.”
Matt also took a moment to share screenshots of those playlists in 2016; while they’re not updated for the current campaign, they seem to be relatively unchanged, and can give you some hints for how to set up your own campaign music. He also recommends using other video game background music or your favorite fantasy movie soundtracks if you’re playing at home.
Find Your Favorites From Critical Role
Looking just to click and download your favorites from both the Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein campaigns, even if you’re not a Dungeon Master? We’ve got you covered with a few picks you can buy right now.
- Critical Role Theme – The original theme by Jason Charles Miller and the groovy remix can get game night started right.
- “Welcome to Wildemount” – A fan-written tribute to the second campaign currently heard every week in the fan art reel, composed by Colm McGuinness.
- “Twin Elms” / Pillars of Eternity soundtrack – The music previously used in the fan art reel, and a cornerstone of the Peaceful playlist.
- Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Often used for Peaceful/Town and Creepy playlists, particularly during the second campaign.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Music from this video game series is used often, although “Silver For Monsters” — also known as the “lelelelelele” song — is a particular favorite of both the cast and the Twitch chat during combat.
- Plate Mail Games – Music for your campaign including “Dread” and “Madness” from Matt’s Big Creepy/Creepy playlists.
- Midnight Syndicate – More music for your creepier moments, including “Darkness Descends.”
- Kevin McCleod – Set the stage for combat with “Prelude and Action” and “Volatile Reaction,” which immediately brings some of Vox Machina’s biggest battles to mind.
WANT MORE CRITICAL ROLE?
- Catch up from the very beginning of the first campaign, and keep up with the new one, with the Critical Role Podcast.
- Tune into the official aftershow, Talks Machina, live on Alpha and Twitch, Tuesdays at 7pm PT.
- And don’t miss new episodes of Critical Role LIVE on Alpha and Twitch, Thursdays at 7pm PT.
Featured Image: TheArtingAce
Jester/Caleb Illustration: sonschmarn.tumblr.com