Author: Nicolas L. Clement (---.sympatico.ca)
Date: 10-15-2001 16:13
Hello guys,
This message will only be a big list of my CD recommendations for any high fantasy epic games (medieval, renaissance, oriental, deserts, etc). So you won't find much related to Cyberpunk, Shadowrun or "modern" settings.
This is what I use/used in my games from what I can recall. (I also blended some suggestions of people who posted on this topic).
It's long, but maybe worth it to have everything under one roof :)
ARTISTS
-Enya
-Lorena McKennit
-Dead can dance
-Glen Danzig "Black Aria"
-Vangelis
-Era "Ameno"
-Jean Michel Jarre
-Ennio Morricone "The Legendary Italian Westerns"
-Tangerine Dreams
SOUNDTRACKS
-Last of the Mohicans
-Braveheart
-Cuthroat Island
-Indiana Jones
-Conan the Barbarian
-First Knight
-Batman
-7 Samurai
-Once upon a time in China
-Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
-Gladiator
-Dragonheart
-Cyrano De Bergerac
-The 3 Muskateers (Disney)
-The Man in the Iron Mask
-Once upon a time in the West
-Star Wars
-Dances with Wolves
-Mortal Combat
-StarGate
-Titanic
-Space Odysee 2001
-Jurassic Park
-The Dark Crystal
-Dune
-The Mummy
-Blade Runner
-Elyzabeth
-The Omen
-Robin Hood Prince of Thieves
-Highlander
-Star Trek (any)
-Willow
-Final Fantasy soundtracks (or other squaresoft games)
-Princess Mononoke
-Disneys (Lion King, Alladin, Pocahontas, etc)
-any Anime imports
MUSICAL COMPOSERS
-Mozart
"Requiem" , also practically all his work :)
-Beethoven
"Symphony No9" "Für Elyse"
-Handel
"Water Music" , "Royal Fireworks music"
-Holst
"The planets"
-Prokoviev
"Paintings for an exposition" , "Romeo&Juliette"
-Tchaikovsky
"Swan Lake" *HIGHLY recommended*, "The Nutcracker"
-Strauss
"The Blue Danube waltz" , "The Emperor's waltz"
-Bach
"Tocata and Fugue" (or any work on organ for that gothic feel)
-Vivaldi
"The 4 Seasons"
-Karl Orff
"Carmina Burana"
-Grieg
"Under the mountain king"
OTHER SUGGESTIONS
-Gregorian Chants (or Tibetan monks etc)
-Music of Islam
-Peruvian panflutes
-Music of Asia
-Tribal drums
-rip offs from tons of great VideoGames (you can find on the web)
-Sound FX cds or wavs
-Relaxation music like "Rainfall" or "Ocean wave crashes"
Theeerrrrrre you go :D
On the generic ideas, here's a few suggestions to make things work:
1) Rip everything on MP3. Make your games next to a computer and use it as your jukebox (it's fast and convenient if all your mp3s are placed in logical directories) like "City", "Heroic", "Dungeon", etc
2) If you want to use a CD player:
-Try to create your own CDs "Combat", "Dungeon" etc and just plug it in when a situation arise. (fast)
-If you can't create your own CDs then put little stickers on each CD case noting which songs is good and why.
-Portable CD radios make wonders (no need to jump to the CD player across the livingroom). A remote control can be cool too..
-3 or 5 deckers are also wonderful since you can have multiple CDs.
-A replacement for a portable CD radio is a plain Discman plugged on small speakers (like your PC speakers?)
3) As your GMing, try to switch CDs or choose your songs WHILE describing and roleplaying. I know it may sound hard to multitask and it is, but it's worth it as your not "cutting the mood" by stoping the action to change the CD.
4) Maybe putting an assistant GM as the DJ is an idea (fast for you) but the downfall is that he/she may not choose that *perfect* song that you wanted to put that would fit *perfectly* with the great scene you have in your head... So personally, I do NOT recommend it.
5) Do NOT put the volume too high! And do NOT choose songs with lyrics or catchy commercial songs (backstreetboys anyone?). The last thing you want is your players paying more interest to the song than to what your saying. Remember this is suppossed to be BACKGROUND music people ;)
6) Prepare in advance and know your stuff. If you listen to your CDs for personal enjoyment, you prolly know allready which song is cool or not on the "Dances with Wolves" soundtrack. When you get into the game, it will become an instinct to choose track #2 for something sweet and melodious when you enter the Hobbit Village filled with gardens of flowers. :)
7) Finally, try to have fun. Putting music in a game in my experience TRULY enhance the feel of the game. It boost atmosphere beyond measures and create memorable souvenirs. (Just imagine a sad scene in a movie without the sad violins playing in the back. Or a x-wing flying high in the stars with Tie-fighters blazing all over without John William's theme on) imagine that and you'll see how lame the movie would suddenly become. Why is it different from your story?
There :) I hope that all this was usefull for some people. Comments are appreciated and OH, if you have any other suggestions to complete this list, please please do :) We all want to know :)
Sincerly Yours and happy gamming,
Nicolas L. Clement
-FATE rpg creator
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