Adventure Ideas from Songs

[Jehosephat]

Here's a song that I always thought was beggin' for an RPG adventure

Rock And Roll Children
by Dio

It was starting to rain
On the night that they first decided
It was blinding with snow
On the night that they ran away
They were found in the dark
But they never returned
Just like somebody slammed the door

She was meant to be wild
He was nearly a child
But they only could feel each other
They were paper and fire
Angel and liar
The devil of one another

Then they were thrown to the ground
With a terrible sound
Just like somebody broke a heart

Rock 'N' Roll Children
Alone again
Rock 'N' Roll Children
Without a friend
But they got Rock 'N' Roll

It was starting to rain
On the night that they cried forever
it was blinding with snow
On the night that they screamed goodbye

They were lost in the dark
And they never returned
Just like somebody slammed the door

On Rock 'N' Roll Children
Alone again
Rock 'N' Roll Children
Without a friend

 

[Rel]

Just to be different - a little country in all this metal -
I was listening to The Dixe Chicks "Landside" when writting and adventure to retrieve a magic mirror from a town called Dokle -
actually based on a the town of Dingle, Ireland (18 bars in a town of 2,000)
three singers calling themselves Dokle Chicks were crucial to the adventure, and I had the CD playing in the background during when ever they were performing.

Just for the record, "Landslide" was originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac. You probably knew this though and it makes your "Dokle Chicks" no less amusing nor relevant.

As for country music, I have made a slight nod in the direction of Bluegrass as the prevalent style of music played in the outlying regions of my campaign world. When one of the PC's died and they held his funeral in his (small) home town, they played "Celestials Bear Me Away" which was basically a version of "Angel Band" from the Oh Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack.

And then there was the time when country music inspired me to convert a song about how I Love This Board

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

As for basing adventures on songs, I've done that on at least two occasions:

1. The girl with april in her eyes - Chris DeBurgh

In the middle of the summer the pcs stumble across a small forested valley, locked in deep winter. Due to ancient magic the seasons are antropomorphic in the valley, and spring has been imprisoned for ten years, unable to bring new life to the valley. Winter has gone mad and roams the forest, blind with rage. A tale of love and loss, despair and hope.

Maggan

Nice one, I thought of doing something similar some time back based on this song, but never got around to it. I've also had some ideas based on Chris DeBurgh's The Leader/The Vision/What About Me? triad from his Into the Light CD. Standard apocalypse stuff.

I have also used Dido's Hunter as inspriation for one I've been working on for a little while. A woman of minor noble blood gives up life as a Ranger to marry as her family wishes to make a political alliance. Her noble husband, who is very controlling and a chauvanistic pig, has no idea of this aspect of her life. One day she disappears from their estate and the Lord hires the party to find her. He assumes she's been kidnapped by a political rival. In fact she has gone out to hunt the bands of creatures that that have been attacking the people on their lands lately, slipping away since she knows her husband would not stand for her to do so with his knowledge. The creatures (have not set what they will be until I know the level of the party in this adventure) will be a favored enemy of hers, which will be the motivating factor for her return to the life of a Ranger.

 

[Buzzardo]

Ha! I am blown away by this thread. I am amazed at some of the bands mentioned by enworlders here. The most surprising is Blue Oyster Cult, which I have been a HUGE fan of for 20+ years (Fire of an Unknown Origin was the very first album I every bought (on 8-track no less) and I have seen them almost 20 times. I have never seen them in a venue larger than a bar with 300 people in it. I had always pegged them as the ultimate esoteric band, and I am just amazed at the number of mentions here. They are the ultimate sci-fi/fantasy band. Some bands do concept albums, but BOC did a concept career. Songs from every album are part of one huge lovecraftian story. Brilliant. Perhaps there is something that resonates between RPGers and BOCers? (You hardcore BOC fans will note my userid and sig file!)

Anyway. Also amazed by mentions of Blind Guardian, Stratovarius, Rhapsody, Iron Maiden, et al..

Anyway the tie in to the thread is.... I am co-writing an adventure path campaign called "Cult of Yex" (out from Troll Lord in the fall) which is peppered with hidden clues from the three best bands in the world... Rush, Blue Oyster Cult and Iron Maiden.

Heavy Metal... Heavy Metal's not dead... Yeah.

 

[Elrik_DarkFury]

If this:


Dark Avenger

(R. Friedman/J. Demaio)
He broke the laws of the elders
So they blocked out his eye,
Took his land and fortune,
Left him to die
Bound on the shoreline,
Left for the tide,
Seizes life, blood leaving...
Circling lower, the vultures fly
His bones may be broken
But the spirit can't die
And the Gods see his anguish
And give him a sign
From the floor of the ocean
The ship of the lost souls rise
And they take him where no one sleeps while the undead cry,
Where no one sleeps while the undead cry...
And in the world above
The elders sing,
On his land they live...
Let death bell ring
Narration:
He was met at the gate of Hades
By the Guardian of the Lost Souls,
The Keeper of the Unavenged
And He did say to him:
"Let you not pass
Abandon
Return to the world
From once you came
And seek payment
Not only for thy known anguish
But vindicate the souls
Of the Unavenged"
And they placed in his hands
A sword
Made for him
Called: Vengeance
Forged in brimstone
And tempered
By the Wolf in tears of the Unavenged
And to carry him up on his journey
Back to the upper world
They brought forth
Their Demon horse
Called: Black Death
A grim steed
So fiercely might
And black in colour
That he could stand as one: Darkness...
Save from his burning eyes
of grims and fire
And on that night
They rode up from Hell
The pounding of his hooves
Did clap like thunder !
Chorus:
Burning, death, destruction
Raping the daughters and wives
In blood I take my payment
In foul with their lives
No one can escape me
On Black Death I ride
When kissed by the sword of Vengeance
Your head lays there by your side
I take the lives of all that I once knew
The torn flesh of a slow death waits for you
Chorus:
Burning, death, destruction
Raping the daughters and wives
In blood I take my payment
In foul with their lives
I spare that land of servants
My wake is slow dead there
I take their wives and daughters
They stand there watching, watching
Hoping to get my life
But when I'm through they know they must pay
Chorus:
Burning, death, destruction
Raping the daughters and wives
In blood I take my payment
In foul with they lives
With they lives
With they lives
With they lives
---MANOWAR

can't get you into mood for DND then what?!!!!!
--sorry about the size but i just couldn't resist.

HEAVY METAL DAZED

___________________
The Wizard

 

[Jack Hunter]

I like a little more newer metal, but some older stuff comes to mind as well.

I'm partial to anything from Godsmack's Other Side CD. A few depressing songs mixed with some pretty upbeat stuff. ""Voices", "Re-align", and "Keep Away" immediately spring to mind.
I also dig BOC's "Astronomy", "Don't Fear the Reaper" and "Veteran of the Psychic Wars".
Metallica has some good stuff like "The Four Horsemen", "Disposable Heores", "Damage, Inc", and "Through the Never".
Jimi Hendrix's (Or Bob Dylan if you prefer) "All along the Watchtower" has shaped more than a few of my games.
And old Black Sabbath. Can't forget them.

 

[Bloodstone Press]

I didn't read through the thread, so it might have mentioned already, but Jethro Tull songs have a lot of inspireing ideas. THe Minstral in the Gallery has shown up in one of my games (slightly altered),and the 45 minute version of Thick as a Brick is all about a young prince who is too young to go off to war with his Father and Brothers. While they are gone he is left in charge of the castle. When they return, he decides to fight them and keep power for himself.

Read the central parts :

The Poet and the Painter casting shadows on the water
as the sun plays on the infantry returning from the sea.
The do-er and the thinker: no allowance for the other
as the failing light illuminates the mercenary's creed.
The home fire burning: the kettle almost boiling
but the master of the house is far away.
The horses stamping, their warm breath clouding
in the sharp and frosty morning of the day.
And the poet lifts his pen while the soldier sheaths his sword.
And the youngest of the family is moving with authority.
Building castles by the sea, he dares the tardy tide to wash them all aside.
The cattle quietly grazing at the grass down by the river
where the swelling mountain water moves onward to the sea:
the builder of the castles renews the age-old purpose
and contemplates the milking girl whose offer is his need.
The young men of the household have all gone into service
and are not to be expected for a year.
The innocent young master - thoughts moving ever faster -
has formed the plan to change the man he seems.
And the poet sheaths his pen while the soldier lifts his sword.
And the oldest of the family is moving with authority.
Coming from across the sea, he challenges the son who puts him to the run.
What do you do when the old man's gone - do you want to be him?
And your real self sings the song. Do you want to free him?
No one to help you get up steam
and the whirlpool turns you `way off-beam.

Edit: Added this bit:

I've been tempted to write an adventure based on the Charlie Daniels Band The Legend of Wooley Swamp

That showed up in our game just a few weeks ago.... We're still too scared to go into the swamp though....

Also, Black Sabbath's Supertzar. Its an intrumental, but it always reminds me of marching demon armies. It just kicks so much a$$!

Led Zeppelin, of course. The Battle of Evermore inspired whole campaigns for me when I was a teenager. Beware the Dragon of Darkness.

Recently, I've been thinking of writing a d20 Modern adventure based on some of the political issues raised by Rage Against the Machine. "Violence is in all hands, embrace it if need be...."

 

[WmRAllen67]

Just add Stats...

If your campaign is mostly Medieval English or Celtic-based, the English folk-rock band Steeleye Span is almost tailor-made to steal ideas from.

Which isn't that surprising, I guess...

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

Edit: /me is reminded of the Dio lyrics generator:
http://www.rpg.net/forums/phorum/pf/read.php?f=5&i=111483&loc=0&t=111483

THAT is awesome!!!!!!!! I love it!

 

[Fimmtiu]

And "Scissorman", too.

Snipping, snipping, snipping comes the Scissorman...

Based on an English bogeyman, so I hear.

(offtopic!) That may be a double meaning, but it was actually about the censors at the BBC, after they had a lot of trouble with getting Statue of Liberty on the air.

One song I've always wanted to make into a D&D plot ever since I heard it was "Poor Edward" by Tom Waits, but apparently one of the Harry Potter books used a similar plot, which would kind of ruin it for some of our group. Shame.