Gaming music

Q

Quasqueton

First Post

• Mar 28, 2003

• #1

I usually don't like to have music while playing RPGs because it tends to interfere with or distract from the play. But I've decided to try using background music for an upcoming campaign. I just want instrumental music for standard background sounds, or sound effects for specific situations (like rain and thunder).

Going through my collection of CDs, I have only one album that would work well with D&D:

Glen Danzig's Black Aria

What other CDs would you suggest (just instrumental, not distracting)? Can you suggest where to get sound effect CDs?

For those who play d20 Modern, I found some great background music on my Half-Life game CD and Opposing Forces game CD.

Quasqueton

 

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Pigeon

First Post

• Mar 28, 2003

• #2

Film soundtracks are often best.

Gladiator is good, as is Lord of the rings. The disadvantage to suic film soundtracks is that some of your players may recognise them and be put off, especially if you are crossing genres such as using star wars attack of the clones soundtrack in a D&D game.

I've recently stopped using music in my game as I got a bit frustrated that the wrong mood music came on at the wrong time (i.e. cheery inn music during fight scenes, dramatic Duh Duh DUHHHH as the party shops for new arrows). Sometimes it does go right however. The way round it would be to make everything into MP3's and then select appropriate music to appropriate situations - seems a bit to much bother to me. The other way around it I guess would to only use music at dramatic moments rather than on all the time.

 

X

xrpsuzi

First Post

• Mar 28, 2003

• #3

another good one

The Conan soundtrack is another good one. My DM doesn't start the CD until we enter into combat, so the first thing we hear when we are rolling initiative (or when we get surprised ) is the drum of the first track.

We don't keep the music running all the time. But like Pavlov's dog, he's got us trained when we hear that music.

Occasionally he sticks in old metal, like Celtic Frost, just to keep himself occupied while we schim, but I don't think this counts as mood music.

suzi

 

J

Joseph Elric Smith

First Post

• Mar 28, 2003

• #4

THe bonus sound track CD from IWD is great for gaming music
kne

 

buzz

Adventurer

• Mar 28, 2003

• #5

The only soundtrack I ever found appropriate for gaming is Peter Gabirel's Passion soundtrack from The Last Temptation of Christ. A GM I knew in college used it for our CoC games, and it was perfect. You could just pop it in and let it play continuously.

Other than that, I've used Gladiator and some ambient Brian Eno... but, for the most part, I find music during games way too distracting. That, and as a GM, I've got enough to worry about wihtout having to swap CDs around all night.

Of course, as Pigeon said, having a bunch of MP3's of specific sound cues at your fingertips would be very cool, but that essentially requires having a laptop or desktop at the gaming table, and not everyone can do that. Not to mention the added prep time. If I ever get a laptop, I'll give it a shot, though.

 

Zander

Explorer

• Mar 28, 2003

• #6

At UK GenCon, one DM played the LotR:FotR CD. That worked well, but it does have a couple of tracks with vocals, which you mentioned you didn't want. Still, I liked it so much, I went out and bought the CD (and I don't buy many CD's).

 

J

Joseph Elric Smith

First Post

• Mar 28, 2003

• #7

Well for us we have the 5 cd player in the gaming room, and load it up on random shuffle and set the volume on low just enough to possibly inspire and encourage but not so loud as to take over, and with it preloaded before the game not worry or fuss.
Ken

 

Pigeon

First Post

• Mar 28, 2003

• #8

http://www.paradoxplaza.com/files/eu_music.zip

Is a bunch of music sutable for roleplaying from the computer game europa unversalis2. Or at least thats what one of my players tells me.

 

Orryn Emrys

Explorer

• Mar 28, 2003

• #9

I used to use mood music quite a bit, and I've collected an impressive array of instrumental film soundtracks. Unfortunately, my hearing's going south... now the music has to be so low to keep from being a distraction and an impediment that there's really little point. I will frequently play music up until game time, however, and sometimes the mood is too good to interrupt....

Gladiator is good. So is Jerry Goldsmith's original score for Legend, Michael Kamen's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Three Muskateers, and Trevor Rabin's Armageddon soundtrack. I've used Interview with the Vampire and Bram Stoker's Dracula for Ravenloft games, David Arnold's Stargate soundtrack for a desert adventure, and of course Star Wars music for our Star Wars games.

Other great soundtracks include Deep Impact, Titanic, Independance Day, Glory, Far and Away, Braveheart and a multitude of others.

 

H

hong

WotC's bitch

• Mar 28, 2003

• #10

I just got these last week, and I have them on a loop on Winamp:

Princess Mononoke soundtrack
Spirited Away soundtrack.

Awesome, awesome stuff. Miyazaki rocks my world.