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smashbro
2012-06-11, 11:56 AM
I've heard some GMs will have music playing in the background all of the time during their adventures. Some GMs use it during boss fights. I used to like to play music whenever I was using my bard's instrument, and one campaign I played in had music playing most of the time.

So how do GMs you know use music? Is it effective? Do you like having ambiance through some music? I'm starting up an adventures (possibly campaign) in a couple weeks, and I'm trying to find music that would be good, but it just seems like I'd need a lot of music for even a night, so that we won't get sick of the same songs over and over.

Ulysses WkAmil
2012-06-11, 02:00 PM
When my characters were setting fire to a bandit camp (with some monstrous Ghost Sounds from the wizard) to get their stuff back, I played campfire and Godzilla ambience. I also play music sometimes, it can make heroic moments feel more heroic. Also, when the characters run into a trick-trap or fake BBEG, Rick Astley really helps :smallbiggrin: . You don't always need adventury B-Roll music, a dramatic rock song can work just as good. But that's if you are fine with changing qthe mood a bit. If you are looking for old adventure style stuff, Gary Gackstatter, a locally famous composer in MO, writes some exciting stuff. It sounds excellent.

Deepbluediver
2012-06-11, 03:11 PM
I played with a GM who had a playlist set up on his laptop (to make finding and playing things straightforward); most of it was video-game music, which usually doesn't include lyrics and is easy to loop. He would have it running in the background to help set the scene.

The music added a nice touch for atmosphere and immersion, but it was one additional thing that the GM had to keep track of, and sometimes if he forgot to change it it could be kind of jarring when everyone stopped talking for a moment and you noticed the "spooky haunted house" music was still playing during our victory celebration.

If you think you can pull it off I heartily recomend giving it a try, but make sure you keep it simple.

Libertad
2012-06-11, 04:50 PM
I played with a GM who had a playlist set up on his laptop (to make finding and playing things straightforward); most of it was video-game music, which usually doesn't include lyrics and is easy to loop. He would have it running in the background to help set the scene.

The music added a nice touch for atmosphere and immersion, but it was one additional thing that the GM had to keep track of, and sometimes if he forgot to change it it could be kind of jarring when everyone stopped talking for a moment and you noticed the "spooky haunted house" music was still playing during our victory celebration.

If you think you can pull it off I heartily recomend giving it a try, but make sure you keep it simple.

+1. Video game music is very good to use.

Dragon Age battle music is highly appropriate for combat. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_X9LxEgM2Q&list=FLczTGzJu5gcIVkE7mWJ5Y6w&index=53&feature=plpp_video)

Magus' Theme is good theme music for a villain. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfCV1bVOiGc&feature=BFa&list=FLczTGzJu5gcIVkE7mWJ5Y6w)

Adventure music! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNGfBEHEfOQ&feature=BFa&list=FLczTGzJu5gcIVkE7mWJ5Y6w)

That's all I've got for now.

Doc_Pippin
2012-06-11, 06:21 PM
Ok lets see without more details on the tone, time, geographical setting, and/or your prefered choices ill make a short list of music:

Two steps from hell- Discography (yes all of it)
Nightwish- Most albums
Nox Arcana- any and all you can find
Apocalyptica- any you enjoy

Chrono Trigger sound track
Starwars sound track
LotR sound tracks
Baldur's gate sound tracks
Warcraft 3 sound tracks
World of warcraft sound tracks (personally dislike the game but it does have outstanding music)
Ex Deo- Romulus album (for the 'The end is incredibly f*ck*ng nigh' feeling)
Gustav Holst- The planets
Gladiator sound track
Kingdom of heaven sound track
Pirates of the caribbean soundtracks
Anything by Hans Zimmer or Klaus Badelt really
Samurai champloo soundtrack
Final fantasy soundtrack
Kingdom Hearts soundtrack
Loreena McKennit- Discography (AMAZING IRISH MUSIC)
Deadly Premonition soundtrack
Rhapsody- Tales of the Emerald sword saga album
Rhapsody of fire- Any album but espescially The frozen tears of angels album
and of course classical like Vivaldi, Mozart, Wagner, Carl off, Lux Aeterna, the 1812 Overture, Stravinsky, and Beethoven

Also my BBEGs are almost always designed and played against to the songs PET and Counting bodies like sheep to the rythme of the war drums by A Perfect Circle


Note I have even more just ask

Gunpowder
2012-06-11, 07:59 PM
The issue with music during play is that you really need to plan ahead to make it work, which either results in railroading or ill fitting music.

My DM came up with a novel way to solve this.

See, he's been working night shift for a while, with very few other people around. So, while he worked, he had an old laptop that he had FILLED with ambient music; video game osts, movie background tracks, and a whole bunch of other stuff that we'd found on bandcamp. And he listened to it all, every single track he had.

And renamed each and every one.

So now, he has an ipod with tracks separated into artists (eg: Boss Fight, Travelling, Investigation), albums (eg: Machine, Arctic, Murder) and songs (eg: Giant Robot Fight, Across Empty Tundra, Cult Sacrifice). It's goddam genius.

So now, he'll generally have a plan for the music he's going to using, but if we go off track? He can pretty much find something that'll fit in a moments notice. The upshot of which is that we now pretty much have background music going on for our entire session, every session, and the roleplaying has never been as good.

Anxe
2012-06-11, 08:13 PM
I like Gunpowder's GM. That sounds super cool.

What I've had in the past is a giant playlist of 350 or so songs. I get them from video games, movies, and old orchestral stuff. 50 of the 350 are lyrical songs that sometimes fit the mood better. The lyrical ones are usually violent songs (Bad to the Bone, Through the Fire and the Flames, etc). During a session would just put the playlist on shuffle. If something came up that was inappropriate I would just skip it. If I knew something I wanted to play at a certain point I'd find it while the players were talking and have it ready for that moment.

Now that we play online we can't use as much music. I'm really looking forward to using Roll20 because it looks like I can upload my music and use it there. In anticipation I have separated the playlist out a bit. Now there is a song associated with every major NPC and PC in the campaign. If that person is doing something cool I can just play the song! I'm excited for it.

newBlazingAngel
2012-06-11, 08:34 PM
Gunpowder, that is absolutely the most brilliant musical solution I have ever heard.

For background music, the two biggest sources I would look to would be old video games, and lord of the rings. Both have amazing, lyricless pieces designed to set a mood. The final fantasy victory music. The shires picolo solo.

Frenth Alunril
2012-06-11, 08:47 PM
I had a DM in Michigan who used to play music in the BG. The game got pretty intense (because it was an intense game) and he had a stack of dice like you wouldn't believe. If I remember, this was 2nd ed, forgotten realms... whatever.

He would put on a lot of heavy rock and industrial. There is a song from Skinny Puppy that samples the words, "Your in very big trouble" and every week that would come up, and we would all get terrified as the dice would drop behind his DM screen, and he would smile wickedly about the random encounter he had just loosed upon us. Nauturally, we all failed whatever spot check we needed to notice that the song had started irl, which means the game was going perfectly...

6 hour games are a great thing, especially with a sound track.

smashbro
2012-06-11, 08:50 PM
Thanks for the help everyone!

Right now I'm planning on searching through youtube for songs I think would work well, and then putting them into a few playlists, ready to be changed fairly quickly. Playlists I'm working on are traveling, town, tavern, dungeon, and battle.

Also, the songs I plan on using would be string, preferably lyricless. BUt aside from that, I'm not too picky. The pieces I found range from a string cover of Through the Fire and the Flames, to a string cover of Alejandro.

I'll probably look through more video game music, and shows/movie soundtrack (have a couple Avater the Last Airbender songs already).

And gunpowder, yeah, your DM does sound awesome.

Ulysses WkAmil
2012-06-12, 12:42 AM
Here's some that would probly work for background music and boss fights:
Illumunations (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8nNBmVdxQQ)
Here Be Dragons (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZkdOuRE_1E)
Alchemy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijz5Em8ODeQ)
The Sky (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR4A6_Xwems)
The People (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wIDVBGKgR4)
He conducts the last two, and composed them all, I've met him a few times, really cool dude. I've played 3 of them with my highschool band.

Anxe
2012-06-12, 10:38 AM
If you're trawling youtube, check out makkon06. I've used about half of his stuff.

Gunpowder
2012-06-14, 06:04 AM
If you're trawling youtube, check out makkon06. I've used about half of his stuff.

Well, I've just started adding everything he's ever made to my attempt to copy my DM's idea - some of those are just fantastic. Especially given the amount of machine noise he puts into the background of some of those. The Little Toyshop is going to be particularly useful for a steampunk mystery I have planned - as a guy who really favours steampunk games, I can never get enough background music that uses engine noise in the background.

And to all those saying it was a great idea - yeah, it really was. I've DMed with music before, but I always saved it for the points where I knew my party wouldn't mind a little railroading - like having a theme for certain towns (that I knew they'd visit), or making a battle playlist for big finales. This guy basically changed my entire view on music in RPGs.

Gettles
2012-06-14, 06:37 AM
If I can make a suggestion, consider using some stuff from the soundtracks from the Silent Hill games. A lot of semi-acoustic instrumentals that are good for general ambiance as well as some more out there sounds for more specific situations.

Promise (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qalGezr76o)
Theme of Laura (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LB7LZZGpkw)
White Noiz (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS6HX2m-HNY)
Please love me once more (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEx8qcy3Gss)
Clockwork Little Happiness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdVCo57BO_Y)

Blackknife
2012-06-14, 06:41 AM
I've heard some GMs will have music playing in the background all of the time during their adventures. Some GMs use it during boss fights. I used to like to play music whenever I was using my bard's instrument, and one campaign I played in had music playing most of the time.

So how do GMs you know use music? Is it effective? Do you like having ambiance through some music? I'm starting up an adventures (possibly campaign) in a couple weeks, and I'm trying to find music that would be good, but it just seems like I'd need a lot of music for even a night, so that we won't get sick of the same songs over and over.

Using music can really help set the mood. It can also draw a lot of really funny looks and uncomfortable body language from the group if they aren't used to it. Let them know what you are thinking about doing and if they are okay with it, go for it. If not, at the least reconsider it. And of course pick theme appropriate music.

For a typical D&D campaign, I recommend something Celtic and catchy, like Blood of Cuchulain No words to it and I am pretty sure there is some kind of extended version of it, so after a few minutes it becomes awesome ambient white noise.