The Greatest of RPG music

[Nyaricus]

Since I am the official EN World Metalhead (see, sig, self-titled ), I'll chime in here.

Power Metal and Movie Soundtracks are your friends

I personally am a huge fan of metal, but boy, nothing says 'D&D' like having some Rhapsody, Symphony X, Kamelot (the one with the 'K', not the 'C' ), Blind Guardian or some selective Manowar or even a couple Rammstein tracks (well, only Mann Gegen Mann and Mein Herz Brent and arguably Sonne) playing in the background. Some awesome, awesome gamer music right there

Also, I've found a variety of the Hollywood Epics have some great soundtracks for D&D - Lord of the Rings (of course), Star Wars, Braveheart, Gladiator, etc etc. Some great stuff in there.


***Tangent alert*** I was actually DMing this one game session with the Return of the King playing in the background, and it was really creepy: then entire games feel went with the sound track. Get into battle? AN epic-sounding track comes up and keeps up throughout the flow of combat, ending when the last orc dies. Suspenseful moment when dealing with the highups in town? The music hovers on the edge of complete silence and the feeling that something has to happen surges inside of you. Big, bad suspensful part which is the climax of that games session? The music gets faster and faster and more epic then it has all night! Finally I said, after we had stopped playing, that "geez guys, isn't it weird that the music has been following our every move tonight?" They all immediatly started talking at once saying how creepy it was, and about how it was SO weird that EVERY LITTLE THING that we had done that night in the D&D game had been, essentually reflected in the music, and we agreed it had been a great session. It was then we realised that music hadn't been playing since we stopped playing

 

[Fishbone]

I normally don't play music for everybody unless they want it. Some bands that have worked for me in the past
Immolation
Anthrax
Diamond Head
Overkill
Death
Kataklysm
Vader
Iron Maiden
Queen(Great to game to, one of the best)
The Beastie Boys
House of Pain(A lot better than expected)
Some comedy albums(Kinnison, Hicks, and Carlin, mostly)

 

[Nyaricus]

Maybe Manowar if I'm feeling a bit silly (come on guys loudest metal band and you sing about winged unicorns?).

Manowar is pretty ridiculous, but I love 'em nonetheless

"In the beginning there was silence and darkness all across the earth
letting the wind in the hole in the sky
thunder and lightning came crashing down, hit the earth and split the ground
fire buring high in the sky

from down below, fire melted the stone
the ground shook and started to pound

the gods made heavy metal and they saw that it was good
they said to play it louder than hell, we promised that we would
when losers say it's over with, we know that it's alive
the gods made heavy metal and it's never gonnna die"

from the song The Gods Made Heavy Metal.

 

[BadMojo]

I hate --no, really, I mean [smallcaps]hate[/smallcaps] the idea of playing any type of metal, rap, or any other type of "pop" music whatsoever during D&D.

Not a big fan of it myself. Kind of pulls me out of the moment. Don't get me wrong, I like all kinds of music and would use classic rock, rap, metal, etc. if I was running the right type of game (D20 Modern, Unknown Armies, etc.).

Anyway, excellent list J-Dawg.

I can add that Marco Beltrami's "Hellboy" and "Underworld: Evolution" soundtracks are good stuff.

 

[Captain Tagon]

A two band rotation. Between the two of them their music covers every genre and era I'd ever RP in.

The Showdown
Appleseed Cast

 

[MarkB]

I like to use actual RPG music. At one point, the soundtracks for the games Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II and Planescape: Torment were available for free download, and I still have all the tracks. They make for good backing tracks for tabletop gaming.

 

[Tsillanabor]

I find the entirety of Carmina Burana good for playing and/or writing adventures. Also nearly anything by Wagner.