Music Album for D&D 50th Anniversary

Plus ElfQuest and Jason Charles Miller - Music and TTRPGs

According to this Gaming Nexus article, composer Michael Gatt will be orchestrating “a Forgotten Realms-themed music album for the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons.” The release will be a double vinyl record called Dungeons & Dragons – Bardic Inspiration: A Musical Journey Through the Forgotten Realms and is scheduled to be released sometime this Fall.

This Pop Insider article provided additional details about the release:

Inspired by his own real-life odyssey, composer Michael Gatt uses unexpected instruments, otherworldly textures, and even a 40-person choir to give the record a unique spellbinding sound worthy of the momentous occasion.

ElfQuest TTRPG and Music

Chaosium has recently announced the reissue of the ElfQuest tabletop roleplaying game. The game was first published in 1984 and the relaunch version will be available via Kickstarter. You can learn more information about the project from this article from The Fandomentals.

There was once an ElfQuest music album called A Wolfrider's Reflections - Songs of ElfQuest. According to the ElfQuest.com website, it contained “22 tracks of ElfQuest-inspired music, sung folk (or ‘filk’) style, by some of the best-known names in filk music including Mercedes Lackey, Leslie Fish, Cynthia McQuillan, Julia Ecklar, and many others.” You can learn more information and see scans of a corresponding out-of-print songbook from this article.

Sign up here to be notified when the ElfQuest TTRPG crowdfunding campaign launches.

Jason Charles Miller on Music and RPGs

In a recent CBR interview, musician Jason Charles Miller discussed his role in creating theme music for Critical Role. Miller is a longtime TTRPG player, and I appreciated this quote about his gaming origins and the way there was an early connection to music:

My cousin first introduced me to it, and then I got the first red box Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set. Then I started getting the AD&D stuff. I never really stopped playing. There was a time when I didn't play too much 4e, but I played 3.5e and Pathfinder. When 5e came out is when I went back to really playing it. But I played lots of other RPGs, like Gamma World , Star Frontiers , Traveler , Shadow Run . I tried to play as many things as I could.

Vampire (the Masquerade) first edition used some Godhead song lyrics in one of their expansion books, and I thought that was the coolest thing ever to have that. I think it was just sort of well known among the people who knew that has always been something near and dear to my heart. When you have those things imprinted on your DNA it's just something you don't have to think about. This is part of your personality and your life.

He also discussed the role of music when he is playing or running games:

You know, honestly, when I'm playing, I often have ambient music in the background, but I don't really hear a soundtrack at the moment because there's a lot of stopping and starting, rolling dice, checking for tables, rolling for damage, and that can all slow things down. So, I'm not thinking about a soundtrack necessarily while I'm playing, but then if I think back to what happened during the day, then i definitely do. If I'm scoring something, I definitely do.

But while I'm DMing, so much of my brain is being used to make sure everyone is having a good time because I am a people pleaser. I want to make sure everyone at my table is having an amazing time, so I put an incredible amount of pressure on myself to make sure that's happening. So, the wheels are definitely turning at all times.

Jason Charles Miller’s latest single “Digging in the Dust” has a cool sci-fi themed video: