Pod Cast
Dead King’s Dream
2018, Brave Mysteries
Welcome to Pod Cast!
Whoo boy, this is some next level stuff. But what can we expect from someone such as Troy Schafer, who’s cut his teeth as a versatile composer and musician in Evening of Light favourites such as Kinit Her, Rain Drinkers and Nachtlaub.
Dead King’s Dream is superb narrative dungeon synth, the way it should be done. The basis is of course inspired by old game soundtracks, as all music in the genre tends to be, but this is a D&D session through a surreal psychedelic lens: playful, a good balance of light and dark, seriousness and humour. Think arcane dice, even more so than usual—d32 anyone?, dreamlike attribute inversions, gambling halflings, and creepy crypts.
Schafer’s DM voice is strange yet soothing, the instruments are on point (harps, brass, woodwinds, chants, etc.), and there are plenty of battle sounds, rattling coins and chains, and monster voices. Not content with being a backdrop for a gaming session, this album wants to be its own adventure, and it succeeds admirably at that quest.
I sincerely hope that this session is just the first, and the there’s a whole campaign coming. Onwards!

