Best Soundtrack for your FH sessions?

[TheTemplar]

I'm curious how many other GM's and Players out there find that music can really help to set the mood while you're gaming. I know when I'm playing CRPG's like Neverwinter Nights for instance, that sometimes the music track can really add alot to the game. I've gathered a few CD's that I think will really add drama and feel to a FH game.

The LOTR Movie Soundtracks. I've got both Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers and there's some GREAT tracks for an FH game on them. (Having "The Bridge of Khazad Dum" playing behind any battle makes it epic.")

Conan The Barbarian. Obviously a wonderfully orchestrated movie. Great battle tracks here, too.

Anything by Karl Orff. "O Fortuna" specifically comes to mind...but he's got a great Epic style.

Any other good suggestions?

[keithcurtis]

Von Holst's "The Planets", particularly "Mars, the Bringer of War". There's a reason you hear that on movie trailers before they hvae an actual score.

The Bakshi version of LotR actually had a very good soundtrack. Superior in some ways to the current crop of LotR soundtracks (Ducks head and covers).

Some ballets have a good feel. "Des Sylphides" is one.

Gregorian Chant

"Academic Festival Overture" by Brahms is very good. I even had my original fantasy campaign scored to it in my head. In fact, most of the Romantic composers. Some of that old Program Music fits very easily into a FH campaign.

Ooh, "Scheherezade", by Rimsky-Korsakov.

Most of John William's more epic scores, as long as you can divorce them from their original imagery.

Keith "More when I have time" Curtis

[Killer Shrike]

Basil Pouledoris's Conan soundtrack (the 1st one), and the 13th Warrior Soundtrack are faves of mine.

[War Admiral]

Peter Gabriel's "Passion"

[Blue]

Yup standard stuff here.

Fantasy: Conan, LotR, Braveheart, Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl.

I own Gladiator, but it doesn't give the same impact as it does with the movie.

[projecktzero]

I've read many who like the Conan soundtrack, so I picked it up. It just doesn't do it for me.

The LOTR soundtracks are good.

I do remember Bakshi version of LotR, and the soundtrack was pretty good.

David Arkenstone's Celtic Book of Days

Jethro Tull

I'll probably think of more after I click the submit reply button.

[Thag13]

Hermanns 7th voyage of sinbad and Mysterious Island are great to adventure to.

Danny elfman's NightBreed, Darkman and BettleJuce soundtracks are wonderful for setting different moods.

Rick Wakemans Journey to the Center of the Earth is a great music to adventure to

Eric Kudzils collection of Movie themes (especally the Sci fi ones are fantasic recording of all of the SF movie themes we have come to love. Look fo them in the classical section of your record store. These soundtracks are not only well played and composed, but the sonics will make your sound system sound like a million bucks.....

[Sketchpad]

For fantasy games, I typically use the following:
LotR (both the animated and movie versions)
Conan
Starship Troopers
D&D Soundtrack (both the movie and the Midnight Syndicate stuff)
Meditations on Middle Earth
Music Inspired by Tolkien (can't remember the actual title atm .. but that's the tag line)
Legend (The Score)
Princess Bride
Pirates of the Carribean
Star Wars Series (especially Duel of the Fates)
Gladiator
Harry Potter Series

[badger3k]

I've got two music styles for gaming:

80s for nostalgia, since that's when the best games came out :)

Celtic/Ren-faire:

Brobdingnagian Bards (free plug for friends!)
Clannad
Owain Phyfe
Heather Dale
Loreena McKinnet
Laura Powers
Lee Holdridge (Mists of Avalon soundtrack)
Blackmore's Night
The Bilge Pumps and the Corsairs for pirate shantys

South Park for a laugh (the BBEG singing "I can change")

Also Jethro Tull (Songs from the wood is appropriate), ELP, classical (the rhinegold and others), fantasia soundtrack (night on bald mountain). Midnight syndicate (the ones who did the D&D soundtrack) have some good music.

I've got them all on a hard drive, along with 400+ sound effects (unfortunately, they're all cheesy and not too many are appropriate for fantasy games). That way I can insert sound effects if I want too (hey, it works, sorta :p .

[Lord Mhoram]

Originally posted by keithcurtis
The Bakshi version of LotR actually had a very good soundtrack. Superior in some ways to the current crop of LotR soundtracks (Ducks head and covers).


I don't think it is superior to the Shore, but I do comment to friends "The only good thing to have come out of the Bakshi LoTR is the soundtrack". The only problem is that Leonard Rosenman has only one soundtrack in him. His LoTR and his Star Trek IV scores are almost identical.

Other really nice music bits...

For sinister music The Omen- it is amazingly good mood music.
Lawrence of Arabia and the Ten Commandments have the granduer and sweep in the music for epic fantasy. So do The Mummy scores. The Black Hole by John Barry is also very nice.
I'll use selected Mannheim steamroller pieces.. Small wooden Bachses or some of the pure piano music.
Gregoran Chant as mentioned earlier.
If you want to strech a little Ladyhawk and Dune. A little less traditional but the music is very nice.
Brian Eno can work sometimes.

I have a 10 CD box set of Laserlight Digital (tm) Classical music CDs called "power classics - high energy classical music for your active lifestyle" that I picked up for 20 bucks. Overtures, marches and bombastic classical music. I use that a lot. In that vein there are "cappucino classics" and "Classical music for home improvement".

[Susano]

The soundtrack to Kevin Branagh's version of HENRY V.

[keithcurtis]

Hey badger3k,
You are friends with the Brobdingnagian Bards? I've only heard a little of their music on internet radio. Fun stuff. I've got to learn "Fairy Story" for Ren Faire.

As for sound effects. I tried to do that for my SF game. It was always a hassle for them to go off at precisely the right time. Even a half second pause destroys the verisimilitude.

Keith "Ex-Madrigal singer. Really." Curtis

[keithcurtis]

Originally posted by Lord Mhoram
I don't think it is superior to the Shore, but I do comment to friends "The only good thing to have come out of the Bakshi LoTR is the soundtrack". The only problem is that Leonard Rosenman has only one soundtrack in him. His LoTR and his Star Trek IV scores are almost identical.

I can certainly agree with that. I have to check to make sure which one I'm listening to.
Have you heard the Deluxe edition, though? It has been re-edited into the order heard on the film, and some parts have been expanded. Much better, IMHO. I find for game inspiration purposes, I like it more than the Shore verion(s).

For some types of games, the Broadway version of the Lion King has some great Lebo M music.

FWIW, Weiss and Hickman credit Fresh Aire V with inspiritaion for Dragonlance.

Keith "Fa-la-la" Curtis

[TheTemplar]

Why "Scheherezade" (awesome for a desert or middle eastern style setting!!) and "The Planets" had not occured to me sooner I have no idea. Thanks for the tip. Those are going in the mix. "Jupiter" would be great for the Royal City theme. Very regal. Seems like Rimsky-Korsakov had another piece that would lend itself nicely to gaming...can't for the life of me think of the name of it though (And I've got a music degree, for crying out loud!!) It's a very regal processional type piece...the theme behind it was that the listener was progressing through a Great Hall, or perhaps a museum. Please....somebody throw me a bone on that piece before I bash my head into my desk trying to remember what it was called! Thanks!!

Oh..and incase I forgot to mention it...gaming to Wagner is top-notch, too.

[Lord Mhoram]

Originally posted by Susano
The soundtrack to Kevin Branagh's version of HENRY V.

I can't believe I forgot that one, it's one of my 2 or 3 favorite soundtracks.
*Clears throat*
Sings "Non Nobis Domine, Domine"


Anything by Patrick Doyle is amazing. His Much Ado is great music for a lighthearted game.

[Lord Mhoram]

Originally posted by keithcurtis

Have you heard the Deluxe edition, though? It has been re-edited into the order heard on the film, and some parts have been expanded. Much better, IMHO.

No I haven't. I'm actually fairly ambivalent about the whole soundtrack, I just love the main theme. I recorded the last track to my computer and edited out the start of that track, so I just have the overture/theme. That is one of my favorites.

I thought it would be cool if a bit of that or "Where there's a whip there's a way" could have been worked into the Jackson movies as an homage.

[Trencher]

The Hulk soundtrack
Pirates of carabian.

[Yogzilla]

Virtually any soundtrack from a Japanese cRPG does nicely; though I've always been particularly fond of Chrono Trigger and the sequel Chrono Cross. Burn your own CD with tracks from various FF games and you've got yourself a party...! :)

-Yogzilla

[The Mad GM]

A long time ago I picked up a CD called "Fright Night: Music That Goes Bump in the Night" It's classical creepy music:
Night on Bald Mountain
Danse Macabre
In the Hall of the Mountain King
Funeral March of the Marionette
Mars-Bringer of War
Mephisto Waltz
Ride of the Valkyries (probably my favorite, smells like victory)
Toccata from D-minor Toccata & Fugue (most people think of it as the Phantom of the Opera background)
Great stuff for setting a mood, and I got it for like 5 bucks in a bargain bin.

The only problem is that every time I hear classical I think Bugs Bunny.

As for sound effects. I tried to do that for my SF game. It was always a hassle for them to go off at precisely the right time. Even a half second pause destroys the verisimilitude.


I had a friend who bought one of those keychain sound effect do-hickeys with like 8 sounds, and he used it for emphasis. Of course it was occasionally the wrong sound because of the small buttons, but usually he could hit it right on cue.

[badger3k]

Originally posted by keithcurtis
Hey badger3k,
You are friends with the Brobdingnagian Bards? I've only heard a little of their music on internet radio. Fun stuff. I've got to learn "Fairy Story" for Ren Faire.

As for sound effects. I tried to do that for my SF game. It was always a hassle for them to go off at precisely the right time. Even a half second pause destroys the verisimilitude.

Keith "Ex-Madrigal singer. Really." Curtis

Got all their stuff (well, except for Mark's solo cd (the soul of the harper)). Met them a few years back, and they go to the same fairs, and come to where I live and perform. They're cool and good guys - lots of fun. You should see them do the unicorn song - Andrew can get real mean (in a fun way) about the unicorns dying. Hilarious stuff. If you're interested go to thebards.net, it's their home page. They also have links to a lot of celtic music you can get online.

As for the sound effects, yeah, it's been a hassle, but sometimes I can use it to add a little flavor to the game.

There's also a program that I found on another site: http://www.rpgsoundmixer.com/. It's a german site that has english, and its a sound program that has theme stuff (tavern brawl, etc). It doesn't seem too bad, but then again I haven't tried the program, just looked at the site.

Doh - can't believe I forgot "The Planets" - Holst is great for atmosphere!

[shadowcat1313]

the Planets makes for great backround music, I also have a few odd things for some games...

Hawkwinds 2 CD set based on the Elric Books
Rick Wakemans Knights and Legends of King Arthur
Assorted songs by Tempest and Wolfstone


I have a fairly goodsized collection of filk music by various artists
and have found uses for some of it

Filk is such a wonderful genre by itself, but thats another topic entirely, some sf and fantasy authors write and perform their own music.

[badger3k]

But then again, maybe it is:

The legend of Bilbo Baggins, sung by Leonard Nimoy
Rocketman, sung? by William Shatner

If that doesn't kill, er set, the mood, I don't know what will. :D

[shinrin]

I've burned selected tracks from various soundtracks onto CDs to make "Fantasy Game Music Mixes" I've used LOTR, Record of the Lodoss Wars, Giant Robo, Alien 3, Dead Can Dance, Gladiator and even a Batman Beyond soundtrack CD I found.

I picked up the LOTR: Return of the King soundtrack (haven't seen the movie yet...) and it is good. Definitely some tracks I want to use during our next fantasy game session.

[Dinofreak2000]

i'd have to say, the best music i find for my Fantasy games has been the soundtrack to Lord of the Dance, the Final Fantasy Games and movie, and the list of the classical masters is just to long.

in the last sci-fi game i ran (DnD Dragonstar) i used tyhe soundtrack to Batman Beyond the Cartoon and Mortal Kombat.

for my L5R games i used crouching tiger, hidden dragon and some shakuhachi flute.

so much good music out there. and to silence a room quickly, i used the pokemon soundtracks i own. Yes, i admit to owning every pokemon and digimon soundtrack out there, even the imports... and i listen to them regularly.

[Lord Mhoram]

I generally go for orchestral stuff (as can be seen previously) but another really great band for mood music is Ozric Tentacles. Really spacey instrumental stuff.

[MordeanGrey]

Music goes a long way in setting the mood for fantasy games.

Here is a list of some of my favorites.

Last of the Mohicans
Conan
X-MEN (dark)
13th Warrior
Gladiator
Bram Stoker's Dracula (dark)
Sleepy Hollow (dark)

Dark means that the music is particularly suited for a gothic/horror themed adventure. Excellent stuff for the party's exploration of a haunted castle, etc.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few, but I recommend and use all of the above titles.

[keithcurtis]

For gothic horror, the Dracula soundtrack from the movie with Frank Lengella works very well, too.

Keith "I do not drink... wine" Curtis

[BlackSword]

Originally posted by TheTemplar
Why "Scheherezade" (awesome for a desert or middle eastern style setting!!)
For a middle eastern setting I would suggest Kronos Quartet Caravan. When running a Lot5R game, the GM played the soundtrack to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

[Greenstar]

Some suggestions that I've not yet seen amongst all the really great ones:

- Stavisnsky (particularly "Firebird Suite")
- Some of the "gradiose" themes from 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail"
- The music track from the old PC Game "Fantasy General" - the best game music I've ever heard.
- Glass Hammer (some of it, anyhow)
- Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sighs" - parts of it.
- Tangerine Dream
- Wishbone Ash
- Loreena McKennant

[Toadmaster]

Originally posted by TheTemplar
Seems like Rimsky-Korsakov had another piece that would lend itself nicely to gaming...can't for the life of me think of the name of it though (And I've got a music degree, for crying out loud!!) It's a very regal processional type piece...the theme behind it was that the listener was progressing through a Great Hall, or perhaps a museum. Please....somebody throw me a bone on that piece before I bash my head into my desk trying to remember what it was called! Thanks!!

Oh..and incase I forgot to mention it...gaming to Wagner is top-notch, too.

I wonder if you are thinking about Mussorski's Pictures at an exhibition? It is often put together with Rimsky Korsikov music in collections.

Carmina Burana by Orff is good (used in Excalibur), Wagner's Ring (ride of the valkarie etc) has several good bits (several also used in Excalibur). Gloria by Vivaldi (particularly if you can get the version done for the movie Runaway train). Joe Satriani's surfing with the Alien has several good songs (particularly the second side, I've always thought Hill of the skull would be good for a last stand Boromir vs the orcs kind of scene). The sound track from Backdraft also has some useful stuff.

[TheTemplar]

Ahhh....MUCH thanks, Toadmaster. I stand corrected. That piece IS by Mussorski. I KNEW it had to be one of the Big 5 in Russian Composers. Yes...Pictures At an Exhibition. I believe it's either the first or second movement...Standing at the Great Gate, or something along those lines. It's a wonderfully regal processional for giving the feel of a Royal Castle or something along those lines.

(Not to throw this discussion on a tangent..but I dig the avatar, Toad. I keep my fingers crossed for a sequel to that game someday.....someday...)

[chaos_engineer]

the Best Soundtrack for a sword & sorcery game is caustic Death Metal, like Gorgasm, Teen Cthulhu, Nile, and the like. if the players complain that they can't concentrate because of "that @!*# racket", just turn it up louder and throw more eldrich horrors at 'em!

[Toadmaster]

Originally posted by TheTemplar
Ahhh....MUCH thanks, Toadmaster. I stand corrected. That piece IS by Mussorski. I KNEW it had to be one of the Big 5 in Russian Composers. Yes...Pictures At an Exhibition. I believe it's either the first or second movement...Standing at the Great Gate, or something along those lines. It's a wonderfully regal processional for giving the feel of a Royal Castle or something along those lines.

(Not to throw this discussion on a tangent..but I dig the avatar, Toad. I keep my fingers crossed for a sequel to that game someday.....someday...)

Glad I could help, I think its The great gate of Kiev or something like that. That is an advantage to having a Dad who really likes classical music, I got a good informal education on the subject. Throw in a younger wife who grew up in a rural area (country and rap :confused: ) and my growing up with 80's rock and I've got quite a weird CD collection. Someday I'm going to have to burn a CD combining a little bit of everything just to annoy the neighbors, perhaps as a celebration for the release of Starcraft 2 "I am about to distribute some indescriminate Justice!!!" :D

[Speedball]

When I was playing D&D waaay back when, the guy running the game had us trained to start either screaming or whimpering every time he hit 'play' on the Terminator soundtrack. We knew something nasty was about to happen. To this day, hearing it gives me images of thieves getting hacked to pieces by relentless hordes of kobolds or some such nonsense.

[Jhereg]

My FH campaign gets kind of dark and gritty.

-We use the Soundtrack for Stoker's Dracula quite a bit.
-We use O Fortuna almost every climactic combat.
-For a lighter mood, the Score from Princess Bride.
-I tried LOTR Soundtrack but found it to be a little too specialized. I use a couple of the more powerful tracks.
-I avoid Danny Elfman like the plague. Everything he writes sounds exactly alike to me. I don't want my players thinking they're Batman.
-If you can make the mental seperation, the Star Wars score has real potential. Don't knock it till you've tried it.

Now the stuff you didn't expect:

-The score from Crimson Tide (Players' favorite)
-If you think you're up for it, try Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I know what you're thinking, and true, it looks incongruous before you try it. But it lends a great fantasy feel, and creates the perfect role-playing mindset, and other-worldly atmosphere (without the need of psychoactive substances).

[Susano]

Originally posted by Plastick Hero

-I avoid Danny Elfman like the plague. Everything he writes sounds exactly alike to me. I don't want my players thinking they're Batman.

I agree completely. *Everything* he does sounds like his original Batman score.

[Toadmaster]

Originally posted by Plastick Hero
-I avoid Danny Elfman like the plague. Everything he writes sounds exactly alike to me. I don't want my players thinking they're Batman.

Even Nightmare Before Christmas? :rolleyes:

"That's right, I AM the Pumpkin King"

[Jhereg]

Originally posted by Toadmaster
Even Nightmare Before Christmas?

OK, I can kind of see that for a Fantasy game. Just not mine.

[Foxx!]

Heroes!

I can suggest 2 CDs.

1. soundtracks for Myst and Riven by Robin Miller
2. Cathedral Oceans vol. 1 + 2 by John Foxx

They are background music with no melody, but they help create a mysterious fantasy atmosphere. BUT Sunset Rising on Cathedral Oceans is really moving if you listen to it loudly. Cathedral Oceans was made to be background music for a cathedral. If you buy it, be sure to get 1+2, because originally only volume 1 was released.

This site has some sound samples if you want to listen.
Myst (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47816DD4CA87F20D7952A53C6BB77D201D157 F78F172C0456D3B82D4C821F77EC55FB8E81B0FB6AB166ADFF 2EA0160ED2C0ED53F6DC662D5DF0&sql=10:av6ftr8wkl7x)
Cathedral Oceans 1+2 (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47816DD4CA87F20D7952A53C6BB77D201D157 F78F172C0456D3B82D4C821F77EC55FB8E81B0FB6AB166ADFF 2EA0160ED2C0ED55F6D86E2D5DF0&sql=10:5ykqiknsbbf9)

Say, can anyone recommend some CDs of authentic European medieval music? Not medieval music fused with modern music, and not Celtic folk music.

Cheers!

[tkdguy]

I have lots of Medieval and Renaissance music CDs, as well as classical music. Unfortunately, my friends don't care much for period music, so I use sound scores from Conan, Gladiator, and Return of the Jedi. I also use the Big O score and some oldies when I run my noir campaign.

I agree that Myst has a great soundtrack. I also recommend Arcanum and Heroes of Might and Magic IV as good soundtracks.

[Korvar]

I found some nice Medieval stuff for download at very reasonable prices on http://www.magnatune.com/, so for those of you who do get to use that for their groups...

As for soundtracks, Gladiator is very good, and so is Troy.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Soundtracks I've used often:

The Planets (I used this a lot when I was in the Navy)
Clannadde
XenoGears
FFVIII (EXCELLENT!)
Heroic Legend of Arslan
Excalibur
Various classical collections.

I haven't used the LotR soundtrack yet, but I probably will next time I run fantasy. It is quite excellent.

My all time favorite fantasy sountracks to use are:

Record of the Lodoss War. This sountrack is fantastic! I suggest tracking it down, its well worth the effort

Vision of Escaflowne. Beyond excellent! This soundtrack is so good I found myself using this more often than anything else in recent years.

#1 all time favorite: Conan the Barbarian (and Destroyer too). Simply classic. There is no better battle music than The Anvil of Crom.

[DRThrush]

I use a number of the scores listed here, including, but not limited to: Last of the Mohicans, Conan, and LotR.

Additionally I have: The Omen (part 3), the Patriot, Silence of the Lambs, Aliens (though I need to go get a new copy...), and a few others.

Speedball mentioned a Pavlovian-like response to the Terminator soundtrack. I have trained my players to a similar response with Pink Floyd's Dogs of War from their album A Momentary Lapse of Reason. They hear that and they know that the Black Company is marching. 20 giants who are mercenaries and hardened veterans, riding chariots pulled by teams of gigantic bears. What's to worry about? :fear:

EDIT: The funny thing is this, my players have not even been threatened by these guys. They just figure I threw these dangerous guys into the world to beat them down eventually. Hehe, paranoids.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm off to buy some new CDs today. :)

-Dave

[tkdguy]

I found some nice Medieval stuff for download at very reasonable prices on http://www.magnatune.com/, so for those of you who do get to use that for their groups...

As for soundtracks, Gladiator is very good, and so is Troy.
Thanks for the link Korvar. I'll rep you once I'm able to do so.

[Yesman]

The Arjuna soundtracks by Yoko Kano
1492 score by Vangelis
anything by Rasa Devotion
Voices of Light by Eric Rhienhorn
Mary Shelley's Frankenstien soundtrack by Patrick Doyle
Aria 2 by Paul Schwartz (arias sung over techno)
the Dot.Hack soundtracks (mix of techno and fantasyesque)
Jubilee collection, Music of the Crusades (best mixed in with more orchestral stuff.. IMHO)
Nostradamus soundtrack by Barrington Pheloung
Escaflowne soundtrack by Yoko Kano
hell.. anything by Yoko Kano.
Passion by Peter gabriel
The Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles soundtracks are good for a more honest, playfull, and innocent sound.

[DRThrush]

As mentioned above I went to buy some music.

I looked for, but could not find O Foruna or Record of the Lodoss War. I'll just have to do an internet search and buy them online, I guess.

I did get:
Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - It's good but has such a nautical sound to most of it's music that it's sorta campaign specific. I know this 'nautical sound' is just a cultural bias, so YMMV. I knew this was the case but bought it anyway because I have some nautical stuff in a lot of the fantasy games I run. Composed by Klaus Badelt and 'Overproduced' (thier word, not mine) by Hans Zimmer.

The 13th Warrior - Pretty good but with a number of the pieces being so neutral that it's more of a background setter, so far. It has some good action/combat music too. I'll give it a deeper listen over the coming weeks. Composed by Jerry Goldsmith.

King Arthur - A really great soundtrack for all things heroic and martial. Very inspirational for me because I'm a sucker for that sound. I used it for a couple fight scenes in last nights game and my players liked it too. Composed by Hans Zimmer.

Rocketeer - I had this in the past but needed to re-buy it. It's got some powerful stuff in there that could be overused so easily... in fact a lot of movie companies do just that. The main theme on this disc has been used for the music in MANY previews over the years when a movies own score is not yet ready. About half of the tracks are useable for Fantasy or super-heroic adventure. It's all very upbeat. There's very little darkness here, even for the bad guys in the film. Composed by James Horner.

Thanks for the suggestions guys... $75 well spent. Ouch. :straight:

Maybe I should just start downloading music.... nah.

-Dave

[keithcurtis]

As mentioned above I went to buy some music.

I looked for, but could not find O Foruna


"O Fortuna" is one of the movements from "Carmina Burana". Look for it by that name.

Keith "Fortunate enough to have heard it performed live" Curtis

[DRThrush]

Thank you!

(Don't ya hate it when someone quotes you on a forum and THEN you see your typo? I know I do.)

-Dave

[Foxx!]

I have lots of Medieval and Renaissance music CDs, as well as classical music. Unfortunately, my friends don't care much for period music, so I use sound scores from Conan, Gladiator, and Return of the Jedi. I also use the Big O score and some oldies when I run my noir campaign.

I agree that Myst has a great soundtrack. I also recommend Arcanum and Heroes of Might and Magic IV as good soundtracks.
Cheers. Can you tell some names of the Medieval CDs you have?

I found some nice Medieval stuff for download at very reasonable prices on http://www.magnatune.com/, so for those of you who do get to use that for their groups...

As for soundtracks, Gladiator is very good, and so is Troy.
Thank you. It's a helpful site.

[tkdguy]

Medieval and Renaissance (up to the 17th century) Music I have:
Music for a Medieval Banquet, by the Newberry Consort
From Spain to Spain, by Vox
Richard Coeur de Lion, by Alla Francesca
Crossroads of the Celts, by Altramar
Joan of Arc: Music of the 15th Century, by the Amadis Ensemble
Music of the Crusades, by The Early Music Consort of London
Stadtpfeiffer: Music of Renaissance Germany, bu Piffaro
Folias Festival, by the Belladonna Baroque Quartet
Monteverdi: Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi, by The Consort of Musicke
Gregorian Chant: Sequences, by capella antiqua Muenchen
Gregorian Chorale, by various choirs (Esxcelsior)
A Concert of Early Music, by the Musica Reservata of London
The Art of the Bawdy Song, by The Baltimore Consort and The Merry Companions
Elizabeth's Music, by the Toronto Consort (Dorian Recordings)

[Foxx!]

TkdGuy!

Thank you. I'll investigate those.

Cheers!

[tkdguy]

TkdGuy!

Thank you. I'll investigate those.

Cheers!
My pleasure Foxx!

[Foxx!]

TkdGuy!

I finally listened to sound samples of your suggestions. Piffaro and Alla Francesca are just what I was looking for, and now I have them. Thank you again.

I found 2 more CDs that have good fantasy music.

Mannheim Steamroller, Fresh Aire Christmas 1988. There are a few Fresh Aire Christmas CDs, but the 1988 version has many tracks done in medieval style. Some tracks have a modern sound, but I still think the CD is good.

Mannheim Steamroller, Renaissance Holiday. For some reason, I couldn't find this listed under the artist name when I went to buy it. It was under Chip Davis and the London Symphony, but I found it by the title.

(How many times do I need to give reputation before I can give it to you again?)

Cheers!

[John T]

Another thread I'd've liked to have noticed earlier. :rolleyes:

Anyway:

Unearthed, by E.S. Posthumus. Excellent RPG music for nearly any genre. I've never seen it in stores, but you can find it here (http://www.esposthumus.com/), along with some MP3s from the album. One note: the remix of the track "Tikal" does NOT do the original justice, which can be heard as the background music for the trailer of the remake of "The Time Machine".

One a related note, "The Time Machine" score, by Klaus Badelt is very good.

John T

[Theron]

Jeeze...doesn't anyone here play Manly Fantasy? I mean, where's the Man O' War? Where's Blind Guardian's, "Nightfall in Middle Earth"? Where's the Cradle of Filth?

Bunch o' pansy dandelion-eating elf-lovers... :rolleyes:














What? :D

[John T]

Jeeze...doesn't anyone here play Manly Fantasy? I mean, where's the Man O' War? [etc, snipped]
"The Demon's Whip" is my favorite song by them.

John T

[Trencher]

The sacred soundtrack is good.

[Curufea]

In general, any kind of Baroque music is good for dark age fantasy / early medieval. Classical is good for high medieval and later.
I've found it quite difficult to find historical music - mainly because thy had no method of writing it in the middle ages and earlier. It was learned by rote.

Other than that, soundtracks are good for me - of various fantasy movies. John Williams, Danny Elfeman, Basil Poledouris etc..

[Foxx!]

Heroes!

I found another good CD.

The Queen's Good Night by Nishiyama Marie and Raphael Bonvita. It's harp and lute only, and all the tracks are from the renaissance, 16th and 17th century. It's all gentle music, so you can use it only in certain situations.

Does anyone know any other good medieval harp CDs?

Cheers!

[shadowcat1313]

I might get hurt for this but I couldnt resist

www.sabbatum.com

14th century latin covers of a dozen Black Sabbath classics
with period instruments

[Curufea]

There's a really good track on "Wagner's Rinse Cycle" album where they turn the Customs And Quarantine Act of Australia, 1972 into a Gregorian Chant. And it actually sounds like one - if you listen carefully, and start to make out the words, then you realise :)

[GamePhil]

I rather enjoyed the sound track for Ultima IX, though the game itself was rather disappointing. Probably hard to get ahold of, though.

[The Comet]

How about Wagner? "Ride of the Valkyries" Perfect for an aerial assault by dragon riders! Or Helicopters of course! (LOL).

Prokpfiev. "The Montagues and the Capulets."

Orff. "Carmina Burana : Opening Chorus"

Mussorgsky. "Gopak" "St Johns' night on the bare mountain"

Mendelssohn. "Hebrides (Fingals' Cave)

To name a few. Maybe some have already been mentioned. If so, it won't hurt to give them another plug!

[Curufea]

I love the Hebrides Overture. Lots of nice buildup in there for tension.

Revelations of nemeses or badguys go well with Tocata and Fugue in D Minor .

Various Adagios and Canons are good too for general sombre tone.

[Enforcer84]

I grabbed a 4 cd version of the FF VIII soundtrack and was hooked. I love crpg soundtracks. i 've been desiring the Crono and the Xenosaga soundtracks but have been unable to get past the 40$ I need to purchase them...
oh, Valkyrie Profile is another one I want...

[Errandis]

Conan The Barbarian

[TheQuestionMan]

I grabbed a 4 cd version of the FF VIII soundtrack and was hooked. I love crpg soundtracks. i 've been desiring the Crono and the Xenosaga soundtracks but have been unable to get past the 40$ I need to purchase them...
oh, Valkyrie Profile is another one I want...


Send me a Link of where to find said CDs?

PLEASE

QM