Dang. Don Cornelius and Gary Gygax, that's a combo full of win. Same here. I used to play the Conan soundtrack, etc... but when the group got to about 10, it was a distraction. That, and my wife started hearing the drums in her sleep..... Now that I'm just DMing for the kids at the kitchen table, I don't play any.
Love music, but have zero talent. Never used it for gaming. These days, most any noise is distracting for me, but I'm an old rock n roller. First love is the blues, though. I like a lot of genre but never got a handle on opera. Techno rock, "death" rock and head banger stuff grates on my nerves. Some rap has an infectious beat, but I don't care for it and some of it I out-and-out despise.
Maybe it is the first time I read something about Dr.Corelious... I'm distracted by music at the table but I appreciate music for "Live" RPGs for the atmosphere given at the relative low economical effort.
Progressive rock/metal are my favorite genres. If you're a fan of the genre, check out the Internet radio station: www.morow.com.
Thanks for that. I'm a big Dream Theater fan so I'm sure this will be pretty good. I'll check it out when I get home from work! Edit: Just browsed the site a bit and saw some stuff I recognize like Spock's Beard and Transatlantic. I think I saw Spock's Beard with DT a few years ago at a Prog Rock show in DC.
I've never really used music when gaming but if I did it would have to be instrumentals. The Conan soundtrack also sounds like a good idea. I remember a time or two when some rock music was playing in the background and I just found it distracting....especially when something came on that I liked. With my gaming buds, it could easily turn into a bad karaoke session and that's not a good idea. :shock:
My tabletop group always listens to the same thing during game sessions...Monty Python's The Quest for the Holy Grail. Dont ask me why. There are handful of songs in the movie but my favorite is the board carrying monks.
Depending upon the game, back when I was living in Japan, my Call of Cthulhu group would often play old scratchy jazz and big band music during parts of the game. It added to the mood. I've considered putting together some MP3s of those on my ipod to play for my Gangbusters events as well. And for Star Frontiers, I could see using classical music, something that could deliver a moody feel like Beethoven's, Allegretto, which I think would be perfect as they zoom through space and I am describing things like giant stars, nebulae and black holes.
Went and saw two really cool local KC bands last night. The headliner was THE MUSICAL BLADES. You seriously need to check em out if you are into the pirate theme. My sailor NPCs are all familiar with the BLADES fun songs and my gaming group sometimes plays them during sessions. The opening act was a pleasant surprise and are now one of my favorite groups. Flannigan's Right Hook. Wow, their website doesn't do them justice. The live show was unreal. They do cover songs mostly. I heard Pink Floyd, Metallica, Beatles, The Crannberries and Charlie Daniels all done up with a ROCKIN Irish fiddle feel. Had to do a post about them both....check it out... THE MUSICAL BLADES and FLANNIGAN'S RIGHT HOOK. Both have music available for download. Search 'em out, you wont be dissapointed.
When my old gaming group was together we just turned on the T.V. & listened to it while gaming. In honor of this previous group, & because I was just plan bored today, I have compiled a large list of television & movie themes (MP3's) which I will be more than willing to play for anyone willing to listen. I plan to play some of these during the 8-hour Axis & Allies mega-tourney on friday. Sort of like a "Keeper's Name That Tune," & it keeps people awake. (The game within the game.)
Any musicians on this forum? I'm looking for a percussion gong to use during the convention. Whenever someone's avatar is killed during SPELLSNSTUFF, the gong is rang. Unfortunately my saxophone just doesn't feel right and I don't want to carry around two big aluminum alloy wheels to clang together. Anyone have any old bells they would like to display? Any suggestions or help there? Thanks.
being a fan of good music - primarily rock and metal - all of my life, and being a Music Promoter and Booking Agent for the past 5 years, I figured I'd finally take some time to weigh in on the subject of 'background music while gaming'. Personally, I love it! But it has to be the right stuff and played at a low enough level as to not distract from the game itself. In all my years of gaming I don't believe I have ever shared a table with anyone who said "that's too loud - I'm distracted - turn it off!". It's usually quite the opposite during my sessions. Most players who are unfamilar with my background music commend me on my 'soundtrack' choices. Some have even asked me to burn discs (or in the old days, record mix tapes) of the various artists. In the old days the soundtracks ranged from Dio, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden to Queensryche, Manowar, and Savatage, and to lesser known heavy metal acts such as Malice, Warrior, Sanctuary, and Fates Warning. All of these bands had choice songs in their catalogs which set the mood for epic quests and great climactic battles. Many folks outside of the Heavy Metal Fan community might furrow their brow at the idea of "loud headbanging music" in the background while gaming, afraid a mosh pit might break out at any moment. But remember, I played choice songs at low enough volumes so as not to disturb the game yet still add atmosphere. Take for example this song from ManOwaR. A few lyrics: Build a fire a thousand miles away to light my long way home I ride a comet My trail is long to stay Silence is a heavy stone... I fight the world and take all they can give There are times my heart hangs low Born to walk against the wind Born to hear my name No matter where I stand I'm alone Stand and fight Live by your heart Always one more try I'm not afraid to die Stand and fight say what you feel Born with a heart of steel I could talk about this for hours. But flash forward to the late nineties and throughout the beginning of this new millenium, and there are so many wonderful new bands who could provide a perfect soundtrack for a fantasy RPG environment. Bands such as - but not limited to - Nightwish, Blind Guardian, Therion, Wuthering Heights, TYR, Korpiklaani, and Rhapsody (of Fire). Here are a few excellent examples of what I would consider great atmospheric background music for an AD&D game... Nightwish - The Islander (and their early material is amazing also! Blind Guardian - A Voice in the Dark for an example of 'battle music'; also look up 'The Bard's Song - In the Forest' for something that is perfect for fantasy gaming. Therion - Kali Yuga for an amazing mix of heavy guitar, soaring choirs, & bombastic symphonies. Therion is my favorite heavy metal band. Wuthering Heights - Tree, an epic druidic song if there ever was one. TYR - By the Sword in My Hand, another great battle song! Korpiklaani - Kultanainen... not sure how or why I got into this folk-metal band, but I did. Can't understand 90% of what they're singing about, but I dig it! \m/ Rhapsody - Emerald Sword is what happens when you take fans of Basil Poledouris who also happen to be power metal musicians from Italy: Perfect D&D Soundtrack! and there's a hundred more bands I could list along these lines. But it's late. And you likely stopped reading as soon as you got to the part about me being a Music Promoter anyway. heh heh. Hopefully you'll find something new to enjoy with one of the bands listed above.
On my iPod, primarily various kinds of rock and metal from all periods, but also some folk, blues, bluegrass, classical and even a country tune or two. I tend to relax to doom metal and folk when I'm on my porch drinking beer and smoking a cigar, saving thrashier, upbeat stuff for when I'm working or exercising. I read to it all, but tend to settle on one album or artist for any given book or series. I like the idea of background music during a game, but have not really used any like that since high school.
Not going to quote your entire post. Heart of Steel is a great song, started to learn how to play it but I don't have time to pick up a guitar or play the piano anymore. Man O War reminds me a lot of playing D&D and is one of my favorite bands. Hell I have Ross as a friend on facebook. My last Marvel Super Heroes character's name was Eric Adams, heehee. I gave anyone bonus karma if they could tell me who Eric Adams was. No one got it. But back to the topic, I have tried music before but just like others here I find it to be too distracting. I've tried just about everything from John Williams' Star Wars stuff for ....Star Wars, to my own music, to playing the Transformers Soundtrack (1986 - not that crappy Michael Bay stuff) for my custom Transformers game. I've tried just about everything to give my games more flare but they just end up as a distraction. Some of my more creative attempts were different color lights (I used a light blue light when we were on Hoth, and a green light when we were on Endor) to candles, to sound effects with my laptop. I do account for most of these failures to the lack of maturity in those players. I'm old school though. I prefer the minis, battle mat, dice, paper, and pencils. I won't protest if someone else is running a game with music as long as it is only background noise.
