Hi everybody! I've just released my newest EP, Into the Wilds. This collection of music was made possible by my friend Tom Cartos, an excellent map maker and tabletop creator. He made a stellar collection of RPG maps organized by biomes and then commissioned me to create a unique track for each. This is that collection!
This EP is available...
2023-02-03 15:16:09 +0000 UTC View Post
I've been meaning to tweak my combat playlist for quite some time now. Some folks like to get really granular with how they score each of the modes of combat; they'll have separate playlist for skirmishes, duels, goblin fights, etc. I don't think it's valuable to get QUITE so specific, but I do think it's worth distinguishing between "regular" fights and actual boss battles.
Ipso facto: here's 2023-01-11 15:33:15 +0000 UTC View Post
Don't lie to me! Your players are idiots! It's just true! Don't you friggin' lie to me! They're going to do dumb stuff constantly. Hijinks, tomfoolery, etc. And when they do, it'll probably feel pretty discordant if you have some Epic Skyrim Soundscape playlist on loop. That's just... not the right vibe.
So that's where DnD Antics comes in. This collection of silly tabletop ...
2022-11-18 22:39:38 +0000 UTC View Post
For those of you who use Foundry for your DMing, I would love to point you toward A House Divided, the newest first-party adventure from the team that makes Foundry. This is a massive project, bringing a D&D party from level 5 to 10. It takes advantage of all of Foundry's systems (of course!), and I was honored to write the title track for the adventure. My track "A House Divided" (clever name, eh?) will...
2022-10-29 17:34:49 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey all! I've got a new album out today. Music d20: Shadows is a collection of spooky tunes. Lots of dungeon ambiences, villain theme songs, and stealth tracks. This is my Halloween album, and I'm very stoked about it.
If you're a patron, you already have access to all of these tracks except one. "A House Divided" is a a part of a big collaboration that's running just a biiiiit behind schedule. I'll get that to you ASAP once the collab is completed. If you're not a patron...
2022-10-28 18:19:33 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey folks! Hope you're doing well!
Before I start: I should say Music d20 is still mostly dormant (see this post here if you're new). However, I've signed onto a couple projects that will see me returning to Music d20 a bit over the next 3 months. In that time, you'll be seeing:
Steampunk rules. It does! It is very cool! Victorian fantasy + anachronistic mechanisms is just a winning formula. There's also decidedly little intentionally steampunk music. I feel like lots of RPG composers (myself included!) will occasionally release a track with some gear sounds and the occasional anvil hit and say "word, that's steampunk." And like... yeah, I guess it is. ANYWAY! I've compiled a bunch of those sorts of tracks along with other more "mechanically minded" fantasy ...
2022-10-05 14:18:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey folks! I'm still alive!
I banded together with Wythe (creator of the excellent TTRPG Stilfleet) to help bring you Stillfleet: Original Soundtrack, Vol. 1! This album was made along with Sam Tyndall, Joo-Young Kim, James Brasswood, and XeroPulse. We made 11 wonky sci-fi tracks to help score my favorite indie tabletop game. 4 of the tracks are mine (one under the name Borough Bound, *ahem*), so thos...
2022-08-19 13:20:14 +0000 UTC View Post
I've been meaning to make this one for a long time. Weirdly, it seems most of my peers in the "music for tabletop" space haven't really put out too many Western-themed tracks. I really like running frontier adventures in my own campaigns, and it's surprisingly difficult to find good Western tracks without relying on the various Red Dead OSTs over and over again.
So here's DnD We...
2022-07-08 15:14:40 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey all! I've got a double header for ya today: a new Spotify playlist, plus the OST for an indie video game I scored
First up is my newest Spotify playlist. DnD Emotional is an oft-requested category of RPG music. This playlist is filled with moody, somber tracks that can highlight character deaths, romantic moments, tearful goodbye...
2022-06-04 13:29:15 +0000 UTC View Post
Underwater music rules. My favorite tracks in video games are often the tunes that play for the absolute most miserable levels, because those jazzy / ambient / arpeggiated soundscapes are just so my speed. Underwater adventures in RPG also rule! You gotta play a bit fast and loose with the rules in 5e to make it fun, but the deep unknown is a GREAT place for forgotten cities, creepy-ass dungeons, or unusual merfolk encounters.
For all of your underwater needs, I've got (y...
2022-04-08 13:49:14 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey all! Happy April!
I'm happy to announce that my latest album is out today! Music d20: Multidimensional is the biggest hodgepodge release to date, featuring a bunch of my best 2021 tracks, plus many of your favorite variants. The theme here is "diverse settings," so we've got Sci-Fi ("Subtle Fluid"), Western ("Lawless Wooster (Western)"), Cyberpunk ("Ako (Yakuza)") and so on. These are decidedly not the most "universally useful" tracks in my library, but soo...
2022-04-01 14:28:56 +0000 UTC View Post
I realized recently that I don't really have anything in my library for that specific form of high fantasy trope: the epic, noble, majestic, powerful, proud, royal sound. Dwarven strongholds and vast war camps and the like. They all sound kinda the same. Big frame drums playing slowly, hurdy-gurdy drones, far-off horns, maybe a bit of baritone oohs and ahhs. I've made plenty of tracks like that, but we need a playlist for when your party is explori...
2022-01-22 19:59:34 +0000 UTC View Post
My newest album is out now! Music d20: Strike is a collection of 16 combat tracks, half of which I've released since Vol. 5, the other half of which are various combat variants of standard tracks in my library. Combat tracks always take me much longer to write than other music, so this album represents the culmination of a lot of work. I'm proud of what I've got here!
As y'all know, I feel very strongly than no two battles should ever feel exactly the same. A f...
2022-01-14 14:36:47 +0000 UTC View Post
TL;DR: I've dropped one of my favorite releases from my new Patreon below. Borough Bound has also updated its licensing agreement, meaning podcasters / streamers / YouTubers can now nab the same deal I offer here: become a patron, and use as much of my music as you'd like!
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Hey folks!
Today, I've got two updates for you. For those of you who don't know, I've been dedicating 99% of my energy to 2022-01-13 13:41:36 +0000 UTC View Post
Hola folks! I'm alive!
Today I've got a rad new adventure for y'all from Kelfecil's Tales and longtime collaborator Venatus Maps.
The Crystal Coliseum is... well, it's what it sounds like! An epic and legendary coliseum in the frozen north where noble gladiators fight for honor. Venatus Maps never disappo...
2021-12-31 19:52:11 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey all!
I just wanted to let you all know that I've just done dropped my first full album with Borough Bound, my primary RPG project going forward. This album is all about the city of Ancora Bay, a fully-realized port town that we designed, complete with a massive map, plot hooks, NPCs, and—of course—oodles of music. The album has 13 tracks, including a brand new version of Mus...
2021-12-19 13:12:41 +0000 UTC View PostHey Music d20 peeps!
First of all, here's your quick reminder that I'm going to be resuming payments on November 1. If you don't want to get charged, please just unsubscribe.
As I said before, my releases are going to continue dropping at a mere trickle. I will still be releasing the occasional new Music d20 track / collab / bonus goodies, but you should not stay subscribed thinking that the total content you'll rec...
2021-10-29 17:10:58 +0000 UTC View PostHey patrons! I've got another stack of incredible RPG composers for you to check out. In case you missed my last post, please check it out! It has pitches and sample tracks from some of my wonderful colleagues. Below, I've got even more of the good stuff. Without further ado:
Hi Music d20ers - I'm Alex - A.K.A The Boy King of Idaho - composer and fellow longtime Music ...
2021-10-19 12:31:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey all! Welcome back to "I will never stop releasing albums." Today's new release is Music d20: Odes! This is a just a little EP with "Ancora Bound," "Viriline," and "Caro's Song," my three collaborations with the incredibly talented vocalist Clare Grall (who also happens to be my wife).
Look: these songs are real good. I don't quite know how often you'll get a chance to weave them into your actual campaigns. Personally I never used tracks with ...
2021-10-15 16:38:05 +0000 UTC View PostHey y'all! Long time no chat. In case you missed my previous message, Music d20 is going dormant! You aren't being charged for this month, and going forward I will be releasing content at a much slower pace. Go read that linked post if you have no idea what I'm talking about.
That said, while I still have your attention, I'd love to introduce you to some of my wonderful peer...
2021-10-12 12:03:02 +0000 UTC View Post
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Hi all,
As of today, Music d20 will be entering into its dormant phase. I've spent over 2 years pouring my heart and soul into this project, and I'm extremely proud of what I've been able to create. I've released almost 300 tracks, 6 albums, 16 or so Foundry modules, and cou...
2021-09-29 20:40:29 +0000 UTC View PostI know that lots of you love just throwing on some pure percussion tracks during combat, so that the intricate melodies and harmonies of my battle music doesn't interrupt the flow of the game. I love that! I'm so glad I can make those sorts of tracks to help not bother you during the game. That might sound like I'm joking, but I'm really not! I think it's crucial to have music that won't disrupt your focus when gaming, and pure percussion tracks often do the trick.
With that, h...
2021-09-27 14:27:56 +0000 UTC View PostI've said it before, and I'll say it again: not every RPG battle needs to sound like "epic end of the world cataclysm apocalypse final duel." A lot of combat either has lower stakes or more nuanced antagonists. A common theme of battles in campaigns I GM is just dealing with a single extraplanar threat. Maybe some ghosts are haunting a house and need to be expelled, maybe a genie is wreaking havoc on a community of halflings, or maybe some skeletons just friggin' teleported to the ma...
2021-09-27 14:22:41 +0000 UTC View Post
Here's something different! Thus far, all of my albums have been these sort of hodgepodge affairs featuring tavern tunes, combat tracks, and all sorts of niche usage RPG music. This is, however, the first in a series of themed released that I will be dropping over the next year or so. At this point, I figure my random backlog of tracks is just so large, tackling big chunks of it is the way to go.
First up is Music d20: Atmospheres! This album is all about am...
2021-09-24 12:24:21 +0000 UTC View PostTime for more minis! That brings the total to 8 for this month, and the total number of minis to 29! That's... a lot of bonus music. Hopefully these are helping you to fill out those missing gaps in your RPG music toolkit. God knows a lot of these might only see some niche usage, but when you need 'em, you'll be glad you have 'em! Alright, on to today's batch:
Sometimes the best music for an RPG sesh is that which is least distracting. No drums, no big brass and spiccato strings, and maybe even no melody at all. For sessions where planning, puzzle solving, or intense conversations are key, a neutral valence textural playlist is what will suit the scene best. Alternatively, maybe you just want to keep your players guessing! Is this room calm? Threatening? Unimportant? The key to everything? Detached soundscapes allow you to avoid spelling o...
2021-09-20 13:28:11 +0000 UTC View PostI really liked the underlying harmony and melody from "Valda's Spire of Secrets," so this week I decided to give it another visit. This solo piano tune pairs perfectly with the other two versions, and put together, I think this trio of tracks could score the majority of a totally-not-Hogwarts magic school campaign arc. Throw this one on when the adventurers are just casually exploring the grounds or...
2021-09-19 22:22:11 +0000 UTC View PostCongrats to the winner of this month's track request poll: 4 time winner (I think?) podcast Dice Will Roll! You voted for "Dastardly Villain's Maniacal Monologue" to be your September track request. This one was a challenge! There are so many ways that a villain can present their master plan: have they already succeeded? Are they rambling about crazed ideals? Do they simply believe the ends justify the means?
2021-09-19 22:15:38 +0000 UTC
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Something about Valda's Spire of Secrets just screamed "hard rock cover" to me. Why? I have no idea, but here ya go!
If you want to tackle a Hogwarts-style mage duel with a bit of anime flair, this is the hyper-specific track to help you accomplish that. Distorted guitars and big fat stadium drums fill out the magical score. Intense arcane battles, big baddy betra...
2021-09-11 17:06:26 +0000 UTC View Post