Campaigns inspired by songs

[Dannyalcatraz]

There's even an RPG for the setting (one edition is named Storbringer, the other Elric!) - Chaosium BRP powered.

I have both, but there’s actually more. Chaosium also did Corum and Hawkmoon…which I also have.

(But I only ever got to actually play Stormbringer.)

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Once I had this idea though I went back and listened to some more of his stuff.. and Damn.. X was really... I mean REALLY homophobic. So It had me second guessing my decision.

I mean, he was a product of his time - my impression is there was a lot of homophobic content in 90-00's hip hop (in addition too or perhaps hand-in-hand with the endemic misogyny)

I have listened to some of my 80's 90's punk, and some of it had similar content that I would not be into today

So there's nostalgia, but then there's us now in 2024 - and I don't think I'd use the Meatmen (as an example) lyrics as inspiration for any of my games

All of which to say - if his lyrics inform your villain template, your players may in fact really want to kick his a$$ - so... mission accomplished?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

This could definitely lay the groundwork for an “against the Antichrist” type campaign.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Songs like Motley Crüe’s “Doctor Feelgood” could lay the groundwork for a campaign centered around taking down some kind of criminal organization/kingpin.

Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” and Yngwie Malmsteen’s “Ships Are Burned” & “I Am A Viking” are great gateway for getting inspired to run a Norseman-centric campaign.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Tool’s “Ænema” could inspire a campaign centered around an apocalyptic flood, either in fulfillment of an ancient prophecy or as the plan of a death cult.

 

[pemerton]

I was thinking - campaigns inspired by songs! Song lyrics or the music or whatever.
Doesn't have to be one you've already run, although maybe that gets bonus points
Doesn't have to be fantasy - any genre of any type for any game

A link to the song lyrics might be helpful too

Dylan's "Isis" has the lines,

We came to the pyramids, all imbedded in ice. He said, "There's a body I'm trying to find. If I carry it out, it'll bring a good price." It was then that I knew what he had on his mind.​

As a GM, I've used pyramids embedded in ice twice. The first time, there also was a body. The actual situation was so-so: the system was Rolemaster, and play was at a level (somewhere over 20th) and scope of fiction that were stretching the limits of the system and of my ability, a that time, to GM it.

The second time was in Classic Traveller. There was no single body, but the PCs were looking for evidence of aliens and their psionic powers: https://www.enworld.org/threads/classic-traveller-actual-play.676307/

 

[Committed Hero]

Blue Oyster Cult's "Veteran of the Psychic Wars." Bonus points because it was part of the Heavy Metal soundtrack.

In only 8 lines, Donald Fagen's "True Companion" in that movie is another of a long list of Traveller inspirations:

Crewmen of the True Companion
I can see you're tired of action
In this everlasting twilight
Home is just a sad abstraction

Just beyond the troubled skyways
Young men dream of fire and starshine
I've been dreaming of my own green world
Far across the reach of space time

Don't forget Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner. I'd absolutely play him in a campaign

I did run a campaign in 1960s Congo.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The lyrics from The Black Keys’ “Strange Times” tell of a country in turmoil. The rulers are using every tool they have- including fearmongering- to keep the people in line. But the people are not paying their leaders heed…

 

[Committed Hero]

Every Night's Black Agents game I run is inspired by these emo nerds.

 

[Xenophon223]

I had a multi-night adventure arc based around The Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson. One player had offened the Crimson King, who is the soverign of murderous fae and had to travel to his court in the Feywild in order to work out a truce. The party ended up having to convince his former consort, the Fire Witch to return to court. She would only do so if they killed the Yellow Jester who had offended her When not performing for the Crimson King he ran a murdous play house on the edge of the Fall/Winter dived in the Feywild. It was a ton of fun.

The black queen chants the funeral march
The cracked brass bells will ring
To summon back the fire witch
To the court of the crimson king
The yellow jester does not play
But gently pulls the strings
And smiles as the puppets dance
In the court of the crimson king