Konji Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Greetings Heroes! I was wondering. Does anyone use theme music to set the mood of the game? I ran a campaign a year or so ago and to begin the session I played the theme to the X-Men animated series. I pointed to each player and asked for a heroic pose. It got everyone into the mindset of there character. I hope to be playing again soon and was wondering what music (if any) you folks used? It can be anything. I just would like your suggestions. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent 13 Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Theme music I was wondering. Does anyone use theme music to set the mood of the game? I ran a campaign a year or so ago and to begin the session I played the theme to the X-Men animated series. I pointed to each player and asked for a heroic pose. It got everyone into the mindset of there character. I hope to be playing again soon and was wondering what music (if any) you folks used? I ran a game using Mr. Bennie's Getstalt setting once, and the character who was one of the gestalts of Pro Wrestling, Warhammer, had the Distinctive Feature that his theme music (AC/DC's "Thunderstruck") would play anytime he went into action, which made him somewhat useless for anything that required stealth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterhawk Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Theme music I just ran a retro session set in 1967. I played a 60s compilation disc and Sgt. Peppers for mood. I've done the same thing with a 70s one shot that featured a Shaft-like hero. Used a funk compilation for that one. I find that music works really well in putting players in the time period. I'll have to find a big band compilation for my Golden Age session I'm planning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rbezold Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Theme music Not quite like you did. I tricked my players into a golden age time travel scenario. They went from the basment of a library today to the same basement 60 years ago. When they left there were some kids dancing to some music upstairs (I had the radio on). When the players went upstairs, not knowing they had travelled, I secretly hit the cd remote and put on big band music. The look on their faces was priceless. If I could ever get ahold of it, I would like to use the old Hanna-Barbera stock background music they used in all their '60s adventure 'toons. I would play it during a fight/chase sequence and tell the players they have to be done with the rolling BEFORE the music ends, or the bad guys win. Im curious as to how something like that would work out. And some Hanna-Barbera stock sound effects would be cool too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koshka Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Re: Theme music I've never done much with background music. Some of my early gaming was done with partially hearing-impaired people, and background music would have interfered with hearing the GM. However, dinner normally precedes my golden age game. One night, I arrived to find my 4 CD set "Swing Tanzen Verboten!" had just come in (I'd combined an order with the person hosting the game so we could save on postage). We put one of the disks in, and had nice European swing music with dinner to set the mood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BNakagawa Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Re: Theme music I had a Powered Armor character who built a boombox into his suit and would play the opening of BOC's Godzilla at the beginning of any confrontation... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrosshairCollie Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 Re: Theme music When the opportunity presents itself (which isn't often), I'll put on some background music. It's hard to find anything, though, between finding stuff that's appropriate, stuff I like, and stuff that's available. For example, playing the Star Wars soundtrack during a Star Wars game usually works, provided I program out the Ewok 'Yub Yub' song. I'll probably bust out my Incredibles soundtrack for my next game, but program out the 'Life's Incredible Again' track (the music that played when Mr. I was getting back into shape, etc.). With my luck, the happy upbeat music will come on in the middle of a funeral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 Re: Theme music My rpg group is currently in hiatus, but I'm trying to put a mix together. It includes Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out for a Hero, the Moody Blues' Other Side of Life, and Neil Diamond's Solitary Man. I know th selections are a bit dated, but I'm kinda old myself, and I prefer older music anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konji Posted December 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 Re: Theme music My rpg group is currently in hiatus' date=' but I'm trying to put a mix together. It includes Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out for a Hero, the Moody Blues' Other Side of Life, and Neil Diamond's Solitary Man. I know th selections are a bit dated, but I'm kinda old myself, and I prefer older music anyway.[/quote'] As I know the artists for those songs, I prefer the term "more mature" as opposed to "kinda old". That is a good idea for a mix tape. I could make something that would be like a theme of the night type... or the current "season" of the game. Anymore suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDad Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 Re: Theme music Soundtracks to pretty much any Superhero Movie works well - most everyone recognizes them. Very few people cannot recall the Superman Batman, SpiderMan, X-Men themes. Doesn't matter if you liked a particular movie - it works. For Fantasy Hero, I like using the Bakshi LOTR, CONAN, and Excalibur Soundtracks. Star Hero - Star Wars, Star Trek, Alien... You get the idea. The fewer lyrics, the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sketchpad Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 Re: Theme music I use a multitude of scores, instrumentals and industrial stuff for my superhero games (as well as some varied music for other genres). Currently in my CD player from last week's game is: Cowboy Bebop Soundtrack Mortal Kombat Soundtrack Hellboy Score The Incredibles Score Toonami Soundtrack Some City of Heroes music Transformers: The Movie Score (Something they gave at a BotCon) In the past I've used a lot of music from the Crystal Method, Propellerheads, Juno Reactor and Apollo 440 ... as well as scores from 007, Star Wars, Gundam, Final Fantasy VII, Street Fighter EX and a plethora of others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 Re: Theme music I would add the Big O soundtrack. For my modern noir campaign, I use a lot of the oldies. Stuff by Lena Horne, Dave Brubeck. Rod Stewart's Great American Songbook is a good one. It's set in 2004, but I'm mixing the new look with the old sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Major Tom Posted December 15, 2004 Report Share Posted December 15, 2004 Re: Theme music I haven't actually had the opportunity to run a game, but there are a few tracks that I'd probably use in one. Some of the ones I'd use: "You Have The Power": From the Dark City OST, this is the music that was playing throughout the final, apocalyptic battle between Murdoch and Mr. Book, and would make a good background piece, especially if it's cued to kick in just as your major villain and the primary PC are about to go at it big-time. "Neodammerung": From The Matrix Revolutions OST, this is another "Main Hero and Main Villain have their final fight" instrumental piece. "The Flash Theme": This fast-paced piece by Danny Elfman is virtually de rigeur for speedster PCs. There are some others I'd use, but I can't remember their names at present. Major Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted December 15, 2004 Report Share Posted December 15, 2004 Re: Theme music Here is a link to a collection of classical music MP3s. http://www.magnatune.com/genres/classical/ And the lyrics to the top 40 hits from 1930 to 1998: http://www.ntl.matrix.com.br/pfilho/html/top40/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted December 15, 2004 Report Share Posted December 15, 2004 Re: Theme music And this: http://www.hhdarma.addr.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted December 15, 2004 Report Share Posted December 15, 2004 Re: Theme music I'm a classical fan myself. Although this may be more appropriate for fantasy campaigns, I dare say that Gustav Holst's The Planets could definitely add some flavor. Mars would work especially well for your head villain. *MuhahHahAHhAhha* Almost anything by John Williams or Danny Elfman would be a sure bet as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediklingon Posted December 16, 2004 Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 Re: Theme music The only time I've ever been able to do this was in a Star Wars game, where I played the soundtrack in the background. Although I am going to try using a certain song when I finally introduce the big, mystical villain I've been building up to. Oh, I also find "Duel of The Fates" from SW:TPM works very well for a surprise entrance by a big villain (go figure). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediklingon Posted December 16, 2004 Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 Re: Theme music Oh! And my group says that U2's "I still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" should be our group's theme, as every session seems to start out with the GM (whether it's me or someone else) searching for something or other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomGM2602 Posted December 16, 2004 Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 Re: Theme music Not quite like you did. I tricked my players into a golden age time travel scenario. They went from the basment of a library today to the same basement 60 years ago. When they left there were some kids dancing to some music upstairs (I had the radio on). When the players went upstairs, not knowing they had travelled, I secretly hit the cd remote and put on big band music. The look on their faces was priceless. If I could ever get ahold of it, I would like to use the old Hanna-Barbera stock background music they used in all their '60s adventure 'toons. I would play it during a fight/chase sequence and tell the players they have to be done with the rolling BEFORE the music ends, or the bad guys win. Im curious as to how something like that would work out. And some Hanna-Barbera stock sound effects would be cool too! There's a Way you can get some themes and more if you have a MP3 Player. Just go to http://soundamerica.com and download any of the wav. files that you select you might find some old HB tunes from thier shows to maybe current and old Nicktoons music. BTW did a little rediting on the URL try iot again this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuraiko Posted December 16, 2004 Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 Re: Theme music I use music a great deal in my game (I run 7th Sea, hubby and RebeccaRed50 run Champions) for inspiration. Regarding my game, the music helped inspire scenario ideas or else I used the pieces to help solidify the feeling I was going for in the game. On occasion I play the appropriate pieces in the background while my PCs and NPCs wander all over the landscape. In rough order of use, the track listing is as follows (plus the scenario title): 1. Der Name der Rose - Main Titles [scenario: Honour is My Guide] 2. The Lion King - To Die For [scenario: Secret Agendas] 3. Braveheart - Revenge [scenario: The Court of the O'Bannon] 4. Doctor Who: The Curse of Fenric - Evil from the Dawn of Time [scenario: Alekto's Ghost] 5. 1492: Conquest of Paradise - Monastery at La Rabida [scenario: Knight versus Knight] 6. The Truman Show - A New Life [scenario: Wanderers of the Waves] 7. The Princess Bride - Once Upon a Time/Storybook Love [scenario: High Society] 8. Quest for Glory V - Dance of Mystery and Intrigue [scenario: The Greatest Lover in Theah] 9. Quest for Glory V - The Rite of Justice [scenario: A Long-Awaited Duel] 10. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra [scenario: A Night at the Opera] 11. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - Escape from Venice [scenario: Days of Wine and Roses] 12. The Princess Bride - The Friends' Song [scenario: ... But Never Noble Memory] 13. 1492: Conquest of Paradise - Conquest of Paradise [scenario: Destiny Has No Secrets] (This is also the group's theme song, as it were... I play this and you see all the Knights straighten up in their seats) 14. The Mask of Zorro - Stealing the Map [scenario: Las Munecas Rotas] 15. The Truman Show - Truman Sets Sail [scenario: La Familia] 16. Glory - The Whipping [scenario: Blood of the Martyrs] 17. 1492: Conquest of Paradise - Hispanola [scenario: Sanctuary] 18. 1492: Conquest of Paradise - Light and Shadow [scenario: Dying for the Faith] 19. Gladiator - Sorrow [scenario: Dying for the Faith, Part II] 20. The Hunt for Red October - Putin's Death [scenario: Dance of the Fireflies] 21. The Shadow - The Hotel [scenario: Alekto's Ghost] 22. The Truman Show - Underground/Storm [scenario: Time's Tapestry] 23. The World is Not Enough - Pipeline [scenario: Running Out of Time] 24. Dark City - You Have the Power [scenario: The World is Unmade] 25. Shrek - Transformation/The End [scenario: Free to Die at Last] 26. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust - Charlotte's Love [scenario: I Could Not Save Her] 27. The Last Unicorn - Haggard's Unicorns [scenario: One Man's Honor] 28. Quest for Glory IV - The Rusalka [scenario: Rusalka] 29. Hook - You are the Pan [scenario: Immortal Love] 30. Shrek - I Object [scenario: Punishable by Death] 31. Gladiator - The Might of Rome [scenario: Into the Heathen Lands] 32. Romeo and Juliet - Escape from Mantua [scenario: Race Across the Desert Sands] There are many, many more... I actually burned these onto CDs (as Volumes I and II for the game). I can recommend a great deal when it comes to film scores (and I have/had a lot of them to speak about) for those who want inspiring music. For upbeat, we're-about-to-kick-the-crap-outta-someone music, one of my personal favorites is "SSJ3 Transformation" from Dragonball Z. It just so signifies someone about to open a can o' whoop-ass. Or a lot more intense from the same show, "Vegeta Super Saiyan" totally rocks. John and I are also lobbying that the opening theme from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm be the theme song of our Champions group... Cheers, Michelle aka Samuraiko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sketchpad Posted December 16, 2004 Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 Re: Theme music John and I are also lobbying that the opening theme from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm be the theme song of our Champions group... B:MotP has some of the coolest music ... I also recommend the two Batman Beyond CDs that are out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuraiko Posted December 16, 2004 Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 Re: Theme music B:MotP has some of the coolest music ... I also recommend the two Batman Beyond CDs that are out We've got them both. For a while, I was contemplating "Farewells" from the first Batman Beyond CD as the theme for Midnight, my Champions character. Still not sure, though, what I'd want to use. So many things work. Grr. (Although, "Original Sin" and "Turn of a Friendly Card" are the theme songs for Midnight's alter ego, Maureen D'Arcy.) John's theme is "Pikkon's Theme" from Dragonball Z, which was SO him that it was almost frightening. Michelle aka Samuraiko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sketchpad Posted December 16, 2004 Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 Re: Theme music Cool A few of my player's have kinda gained themes by actions. We have a martial artist who gets "Name of the Game" by the Crystal Method. One of the characters had an unexpected power change and I started playing the Hellboy theme for him ... good stuff all together Now I just need to get some more CDs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuraiko Posted December 16, 2004 Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 Re: Theme music Hmm... other themes... Kakita Nasami (my L5R character) had the theme "Flash of the Blade" by Iron Maiden. TaraLeila MacIntyre (my 7th Sea) character has the instrumental theme "7th Child of a 7th Child" by John Victor, from the Lifescapes' Scottish Moors CD. Jessica Murdock (aka SR-71, my Shadowrun character) had the theme "Welcome to the Machine" by Pink Floyd. Christian Apollyon (my Mutant Chronicles character) had the instrumental piece "Escape from Mantua" from Romeo and Juliet, and the song "Burning Times" by Iced Earth as her themes. Can't remember my Star Wars character's theme, which really annoys me. Michelle aka Samuraiko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 16, 2004 Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 Re: Theme music I created a double CD soundtrack for my KAZEI 5 campaign. Naturally, it used a lot of music from other anime soundtracks. CD 1 is Neo York, CD 2 is The Zone. The music includes the following tracks (not in order): More Human Than Human -- White Zombie Escape From The Underground Fortress -- AKIRA OST Spaceship In The Dark -- PROJECT: A-KO OST Hey Boy -- DOMINION OST The Only Thing That Shines -- Shriekback Welcome To The Machine -- Pink Floyd Big Money -- Rush Mad Machine -- BUBBLEGUM CRISIS OST Konya Wa Hurricane -- BUBBLEGUM CRISIS OST The Mob Rules -- Black Sabbath Veteran Of The Psychic Wars -- Blue Oyster Cult Life Is A Lemon -- Meatloaf and so on. I can post the full list if people want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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