Your DND music soundtrack

[Arnwyn]

Ah, the bi-monthly obligatory music thread.

Yes, I use music all the time. My HTPC/music server is loaded with all my soundtracks (more than 360) - and with my remote, it's easy to choose what I need when I need it, all from behind the DM's screen.

Most used are movie, video game, and anime soundtracks - many of them already listed above. (Everything from Final Fantasy, Record of Lodoss War, Trigun, Suikoden, Chrono Trigger/Cross, Xenogears/Saga, to LotR, First Knight, Fifth Element, etc etc).

I don't play music 'just in the background' - I always set music to the scene.

 

[Rika]

Nice choices everyone!

After reading the word "playlist", it just occurred to me that I could use an iPod or whatever media player I have on my laptop and set up a pre-arranged list of songs, categorized according to the situation. From there I could just select and play the appropriate as the game progresses.

I'm sure this is what all of you were thinking, but since I've never used music in-game before, I really didn't know how to go about implementing it, hehe.

Gladiator is great, though it has the "death" music. Whenever it's played someone dies. It actually strikes more fear in our players than anything else.

The only music I have to add is Piffaro's Music from the Odhecaton here's a link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t..._1_3/103-1014912-3339810?v=glance&s=classical

This is the best fantasy incidental music we have. It blends easily into the background and we can just let it play. One of our players gave it to us one year for Christmas and we've used it in every game since and almost every game night.

My husband recently started using realplayer to keep track of all the music he uses. It works much better than having to fumble for CDs in the middle of combat.

 

[Remathilis]

D&D Soundtrack + Eberron Soundtrack
All the LotR movie Soundtracks
All the Star Wars Soundtracks
Sleepy Hollow Soundtrack
Various Final Fantasies (4, 6, 9 are favs)
Icewind Dale Soundtrack
Danzig's Black Aria
Pirates of the Carribean
Soul Calibur 1 and 2 Soundtracks
Some Misc music from various movies, TVs, and games.

 

[Arc]

For battle music, I'm always satisfied with the two Black Mages albums, which are essentially rock remixes of classic Final Fantasy combat songs. As far as other music goes, I find Cowboy Bebop and Fullmetal Alchemist to provide a solid soundtrack, but most of the time, I just let iTunes work on random. It has a tendency to find some very interesting and appropriate stuff.

Recent finds -
"Bizzy Bone - Da Roof is on Fire" started playing just as the party accidentally blew up an alchemical supplies warehouse.
"Final Fantasy VI - Dancing Mad" started just as we fought an insane warforged murderer.
""2pac - How Long Will They Mourn Me" began just as my rogue took his max hp in damage from a pair of flanking skum.

I don't know why, but random selections from my entire collection (which spans plenty of genres) always turn out more appropriate than any attempt at a premade playlist. It's also a lot easier to do.

 

[tetsujin28]

When running a game, do you ever think of having music play in the background to help set the mood?

No. See the next answer.

Just very softly so it doesn't distract from gameplay.

That just makes it even more distracting.

 

[Immak Antunel]

I'm gonna try to run my next game with the Diablo II ambient soundtrack on in the background. It's plenty creepy and atmospheric, and legally free! Poke around the blizzard website, it's all there, with liner notes and everything.

Besides that, and all the things already mentioned, Manowar would be great, especially for barbarians faced with ridiculous odds. Blue Oyster Cult has a nice DnD vibe usually. Saxon has some wonderful songs, Crusader would be a perfect paladin theme.

And if I ever run a desert-based campaign, Ennio Morricone music will sound triumphantly over the wasteland!!

 

[Ryltar]

I don't ever use music with lyrics that are more than an undefined ahh-ohh chant kind of thing. I just don't think it fits.

 

[Testament]

I use heaps of anime and video game soundtracks. The Evangelion (OST 1, 2 and EoE) and Princess Mononoke soundtracks get used, as does a large selection of songs from Guilty Gear and Final Fantasy.

Some tracks I use a lot from Mononoke are "Journey to the West", "Kodamas", "The Demon God" and "The Battle Drums". From Eva I use "Marking Time, Waiting for Death", "The Beast 1-3", "Borderline Case", "Emptiness Runs" and "Uneasiness and The Hidden Moon".

Final Fantasy and Guilty Gear are great for combat music, GG especially has a lot of tracks that really get the blood pumping. FF gave me two great songs, "J-E-N-O-V-A" from VII and "Dancing Mad" from VI. Guilty Gear has tracks that fairly scream BBEG Fight, "Awe of She", "The Midnight Carnival", "Meet Again" and "Noontide" are great songs with a real air of finality to them. That they're amazing rock tracks doesn't hurt either.

Oh, and if anyone can show me a suspence/chase scene track as good as "Existence" (Guilty Gear X2 soundtrack), I'll show them HATEFUL LIES!

I will use Cradle of Filth's "Cthulhu Dawn" some time soon for a showdown with a Squidhead though!

 

[Nazerel]

Nice choices. Aside from the LotR movies, 13th Warrior, Conan, Braveheart, Willow, and Gladiator, a few choice pieces from Star Wars (the Vader death theme is appropriately sad), anime and video games have a few good ones too. Record of Lodoss War was mentioned as was the various Final Fantasy games (the orchestrated versions of various themes from 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are great, particularly the overworld and battle themes, plus the Black Mages remixes are awesome, even if they don't fit a very traditional fantasy mood). The soundtrack to Escaflowne (the Vision of OVA series and Girl in Gaea movie) is nicely done too (the movie opening has a mood-setting arabian/middle-east type of theme, and of course). The soundtracks from games like Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy Tactics are under appreciated too. I also recommend the soundtracks from various Hayao Miyazaki films, such as Nausicaa, Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke), and Spirited Away.

 

[saethone]

for a newer setting (world of darkness/shadowrun etc) collide's "Some Kind of Strange" and "Chasing the Ghost" albums rule