TerribleSorcery
Should be playing D&D instead
OK guys. I have an idea for a thread that will be difficult/impossible to degenerate into edition-war horseshit.
I like to play music during the game. I listen to black metal, ambient music and a lot of soundtracks.
I have found that anything too recognizable is usually a bad move - unless you are trying to trade specifically on the imagery and everyone's collective memories of that thing. I listen to a lot more music than my players do, so it's usually not too hard to stay ahead of them, but film soundtracks can be tricky sometimes. Also, I haven't been doing this too much LATELY since I don't run games in my living room right now, for obvious reasons...
Here are a few examples.
Conan the Barbarian -
If "Anvil of Crom" doesn't make you want to roll dice, check your fuckin' pulse pal. I don't play it during the game, but usually blast it while I'm getting my books, laying out character sheets, pouring drinks, etc. It's a bit too bombastic to actually have going during conversation.
Silent Hill 2 -
I love this game and fewer people remember it than you might think these days. I used to play this for spooky dungeon music until one of my players said "I can't play D&D while listening to rap!" I will have to go through it and cut out the trip-hop pieces, leaving just the ambient & industrial tracks. The first game would be better for that.
Silence of the Lambs -
Great stuff but the melodies aren't so distinctive that people pick it out right away. Howard Shore is a genius. Skip "goodbye horses" or you'll give the game away instantly. His other soundtracks for movies like "Crash" or "Se7en" are great, but the latter might be too noticeable.
Dark Ambient. Pretty much everything that Cryo Chamber puts out is amazing. Just check their bandcamp: https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/
Atrium Carceri especially will work for you, and the big lovecraftian compilation albums.
https://tabletopaudio.com/
This site has come in handy once in a while for things like 'rainforest background' or whatever. I use it sparingly though because it can be a pain to fiddle-fuck with at the table.
So what do you guys use? Let's have it.
I like to play music during the game. I listen to black metal, ambient music and a lot of soundtracks.
I have found that anything too recognizable is usually a bad move - unless you are trying to trade specifically on the imagery and everyone's collective memories of that thing. I listen to a lot more music than my players do, so it's usually not too hard to stay ahead of them, but film soundtracks can be tricky sometimes. Also, I haven't been doing this too much LATELY since I don't run games in my living room right now, for obvious reasons...
Here are a few examples.
Conan the Barbarian -
Silent Hill 2 -
Silence of the Lambs -
Dark Ambient. Pretty much everything that Cryo Chamber puts out is amazing. Just check their bandcamp: https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/
Atrium Carceri especially will work for you, and the big lovecraftian compilation albums.
https://tabletopaudio.com/
This site has come in handy once in a while for things like 'rainforest background' or whatever. I use it sparingly though because it can be a pain to fiddle-fuck with at the table.
So what do you guys use? Let's have it.