Music/Ambient noise

[Viachi]

So when I play GURPS or DnD, usually the game master plays ambient music such as movie soundtracks or the DnD roleplaying soundtrack or other ambient noise based on our setting (crashing waves and gulls during a sea campaign, for example). It really livens up the atmosphere and I'd like to add it to my own games.

So for a basic nordic/europe set adventure, what kind of music should I find? I have access to the Skyrim soundtrack and the DnD soundtrack, but what other places should I look or are there any really good sountracks/playlists oyu use?

[Big Fau]

I personally like Hans Zimmer for this stuff (Sherlock Holmes, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, etc). Yeah, my players recognize it nearly instantly, but it really does set the mood for something like a dungeon crawl. The various LoTR soundtracks are naturally good for D&D games.

For combat-related encounters I typically switch over to BlazBlue, Guilty Gear, Battle Phantasia, and some other video game soundtracks. My players have never played Serious Sam, and they freak out something fierce when I start playing the Serious Sam 3 soundtrack.

[Suikadon]

I find videogame soundtracks to be an excellent source for music to use in RPGs. You can usually find really good music that fits the mood you want to create (for example, using horror game music for a horror themed adventure). You should be able to find a lot of soundtracks on youtube. I generally try and avoid recognizable soundtracks, but if it doesn't throw the players off the game then go for it.

Also, if you're looking for some epic and inspiring music be sure to check Two Steps from Hell. There should be some good stuff for a nordic adventure among their work. The music can be a bit overwhelming though, so it won't be such a good option if you're going more for a mood/background music.

Regarding a nordic adventure, Beowulf's soundtrack comes to mind See if it fits what you want.

[HerrTenko]

Two of the soundtracks I've pillaged most are Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles' and Portal 2's OSTs. The second one mostly for really dire situations. The contrast worked really well, particularly in an Amber one-shot where everything was fine and dandy until my players met with a pissed off ghost of Oberon.

For my current game though, my go-to soundtracks are The Wind Waker and Ôkami. This is for a game of Exalted set in the West, giant ocean and spirits gallore. Ôkami in particular is full of great tracks.

I've pondered the idea of a Mobster-themed game using the Midnight Crew's Drawing Dead album. Might work pretty well.

[supermonkeyjoe]

There was a kickstarter that has just finished to provide looping ambient tracks specifically for RPGs.

I tend to avoid using tracks from films or games unless I'm certain that no-one in my group has seen it, otherwise it usually ends up with the players halting mid-activity and trying to guess where the music's from.

You should definitely check out the Shadow of the Colossus videogame soundtrack though, some beautiful BGM on that

[00dlez]

Youtube "Two steps from hell" - not great for a tavern scene but it should be a fresh take on the battle scenes

[Slipperychicken]

This one, and this one are pretty awesome. Music from The Witcher is good stuff.