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Chainsaw Hobbit
2012-06-22, 10:14 PM
What are your favourite movie and game soundtracks to play during D&D games as background music?


My lists ...

Movies

Hellraiser.
The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy.


Games

The Binding of Issac.
Bastion.
Age of Conan.
Silent Hill: Downpour.

SowZ
2012-06-22, 11:54 PM
Sometimes one of the people I play with puts on hammer dulcimer or lute music in the background which is fun. Some of the more mellow and better Castlevania songs can be good, too.

DeIdeal
2012-06-23, 04:25 AM
Silent Hill soundtracks by 山岡晃 / Akira Yamaoka are great for the horror-esque moments, Dragon Quest soundtracks fit the more light-hearted moments well and LoTR soundtracks (obviously) sound awesome when used during the epic BBEG-moments and such.

Come to think about it, instrumental folk rock / folk metal (not just soundtracks) could also work pretty well in some situations.

Well, that's what I think, anyway. I don't think my group really liked using music (or maybe I just overdid it), so I kinda stopped doing that.

Grail
2012-06-23, 04:34 AM
Not a game, nor a soundtrack, but I've played Wolves in the Throneroom a bit in the past.

Dragrun
2012-06-23, 10:44 AM
I've played the final fantasy 8 boss theme during BBEG moments

Dr paradox
2012-06-23, 12:41 PM
many parts of the Doctor Who score. try "all the strange, strange creatures" and "I am the Doctor," I've had great success with them.

LoneStarNorth
2012-06-23, 01:10 PM
Two Steps from Hell (http://www.twostepsfromhell.com/) does music for movie trailers. They've released only two albums to the public. One of them, Invincible, is absolutely perfect for a D&D soundtrack. Haven't heard the other, Archangel, but it's probably also good. ANY of their music you manage to get your hands on is probably also good.

DeIdeal
2012-06-23, 01:18 PM
many parts of the Doctor Who score. try "all the strange, strange creatures" and "I am the Doctor," I've had great success with them.

Really? Huh, for me most of the DW soundtracks have always seemed too goofy, recognizable (the same way the Imperial March is too recognizable) and/or sci-fi to use in a "typical" D&D game. Maybe I'd be fine with them if I hadn't watched Doctor Who, but as of now,no, just no.

Man on Fire
2012-06-23, 03:09 PM
Can I throw anime in it? Because fate/Zero has some soundtrack that works well for D&D - The Battle Is To The Strong (http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=FLaeoX3CApple3apt_n02XTA&NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=vs7qCeYkUk8), Rule the Battlefield (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt5BBVoaZYU&feature=relmfu) or Lets The Stars Fall Down (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLvt6ZtXadk&list=FLaeoX3CApple3apt_n02XTA&index=12&feature=plpp_video) can work great for D&D game. (hell, most of this Greatest Battle Music of All Time series can).

Also, Skyrim and Diablo 3.

Totally Guy
2012-06-23, 07:10 PM
I really like all the Lost soundtracks. As the show went on and on and on there's twelve hours of the stuff!

Hendel
2012-06-23, 07:33 PM
Hands down it would be Conan the Barbarian from 1982 (Basil Poledouris)!!

We have been using that for thirty years now!

To be honest I think music starts to make things too loud so we have only used it at certain times or keep it way down.

Still, there is no better way to start an adventure than by saying "Let's ride!" and then hit play on The Anvil of Crom!! The drums start and then the horns and even the soft part make it sound like an epic adventure has just begun.

Chainsaw Hobbit
2012-06-23, 08:09 PM
The Silent Hill: Downpour soundtrack has really been working out for my undead-themed D&D game. I strongly recommend it.

Manly Man
2012-06-24, 06:43 PM
Depending on the theme of the campaign, many songs from the Chrono series would be great for various D&D scenarios. The Black Omen, Zeal Palace and Ocean Palace themes from Chrono Trigger would be great for if you were exploring a cave loaded with aberrations, especially if you did Black Omen for a mind flayer adventure. The song sounds so alien, it fits too well to not use it.

Griffith!
2012-06-24, 07:03 PM
Two Steps from Hell (http://www.twostepsfromhell.com/) does music for movie trailers. They've released only two albums to the public. One of them, Invincible, is absolutely perfect for a D&D soundtrack. Haven't heard the other, Archangel, but it's probably also good. ANY of their music you manage to get your hands on is probably also good.

Seconded. And I can vouch for Archangel, too, because that's the album I usually draw from.

I also use music from Berserk and dark fantasy titles like Solomon Kane, Conan the Barbarian, and, from time to time, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. The soundtracks from Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War and it's sequel can both work well, too.

And for modern campaigns I use Nine Inch Nails and Johnny Cash, among others.

But I love using music. Done right, it really helps set the tone and mood. Done wrong it's distracting. Luckily, I've done it both ways.

Yora
2012-06-25, 05:51 AM
I like the Warcraft soundtracks for my Ancient Xen'drik campaign.

And you can never go wrong with Icewind Dale. :smallbiggrin:

Saintheart
2012-07-05, 08:25 PM
And you can never go wrong with Icewind Dale. :smallbiggrin:

The theme from Kuldahar has ascended to my personal MP3 playlist, actually. Since it's winter down here in Australia at the moment, it makes walking to work an epic experience. :smallbiggrin:

CET
2012-07-06, 10:45 AM
Things on my D&D playlist (that haven't already been mentioned):

- Blackhawk Down OST. Great for horror and ass-kicking in Near-east or desert settings.

- Garmarna, Gjallarhorn, and sometimes Corvus Corax. Not soundtracks, but Scandanavian (and German) folk music that has a strong medieval feel to it. Great for Viking games especially.

- Gregorian Chant - Good as a mellow filler for medieval soundtracks. Also works ok for horror.

Honorable mentions: Master and Commander OST and Sherlock OST - both good, but more of a Napoleonic flavor than most of my games. Kingdom of Heaven is pretty ok for medieval filler music, but not something I listen to for kicks.

Nero24200
2012-07-06, 10:58 AM
Just about anything from Nier or The Last Remnant. I'm at a point where I believe the best buisness strategy for Square Enix is to forget all about making games and just make music.

Though it depends on the type of campaign. The Last Remnant has a lost of music which I would use for kick-in-the-door style games, Nier would probably work better for a darker campaign of some kind due to the music's style - which is almost hauntingly beautiful.

Swooper
2012-07-06, 11:32 AM
Games: Baldur's Gate series including Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment. World of Warcraft actually has some nice ambient music too. The Might&Magic series. Diablo series even.

Movies: Any Miyazaki film (Princess Mononoke, Nausicaä, Spirited Away etc.). I've used the Pan's Labyrinth OST in more horror-esque situations to good effect. Pirates of the Caribbean as someone else mentioned.

Other: +1 for Two Steps From Hell.

Generally, any vaguely fantasy game or movie soundtrack will probably work fine. Some are better than others, of course, but few are bad enough to just not work at all. Maybe the older more synthy game soundtracks, like from old FF games, are most likely to break the mood for me, but YMMV.

Zilant
2012-07-22, 11:49 PM
The Myst III soundtrack is pretty cool.

Sometimes I'll play turisas albums of have random select tracks from folk metal or black metal bands. My group tends to like it.

zorenathres
2012-07-23, 03:48 PM
i still like the tristram track & the crypt ambient tracks from diablo (Matt Uelman)... i use silent hill music for the creepy stuff too. altogether some good suggestions in this thread.