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Josep Maria

"Soundtracking" your games... turn on the radio!

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Hi people!

 

Well, the main idea about this post is to share suggestions about what OST do you use on your game sessions or in concrete scenes to feel more intense moments. I just catalogued a few ones. Of course my main songs came from SW universe (movies, series, games) but also I have other fonts.

 

Just enjoy and post your own :D

 

PS: I use "Intensity" value to determine the importance of the scene

 

Name                                                                       Level (Intensity)        Directory

EPIC/STRENGHT

- I am the Doctor                                                                            3        Doctor Who/5
- Brave Heart - Breath of Fire 4                                                        1        BoF4/CD1
- Rose Defeats the Daleks - Doctor Who                                          2        Doctor Who/1
- This is Gallifrey- Our Childhood, Our Home - Doctor Who                3         Doctor Who/3
- Words Win Wars - Doctor Who                                                     1        Doctor Who/5

EPIC/BATTLE

- Epic Music Mix III - Immediate Music                                            3        ROOT
- A Warring God    - Breath of Fire 4                                                2        BoF4/CD1
- Bastard Sword - Breath of Fire 4                                                   2        BoF4/CD1
- Dragon's Blood - Breath of Fire 4                                                   2        Bof4/CD2

SADNESS/HOPE

- The Doctor's Theme - Doctor Who                                               3        Doctor Who/Root
- Father's Day - Doctor Who                                                          2        Doctor Who/1
- The Lone Dalek - Doctor Who                                                      2        Doctor Who/1
- The Doomsday - Doctor Who                                                      1        Doctor Who/1
- I can't save her - Doctor Who                                                      2        Doctor Who/Christmas
- The Course of my Life - Doctor Who                                            2        Doctor Who/Christmas
- The Doctor Theme - Doctor Who                                                 3        Doctor Who/4

BATTLE/BOSS

-

VOICES/ANGEL

- Chr. Carol - Silence is all - Doctor Who                                      1        Doctor Who/Christmas

PEACE/STRENGHT

- Secret of Mana (Orchestrated) - Fear of the Heavens                  2        ROOT

DANCE/PARTY/HOT

- Sweedish House Mafia - One (Your Name)                                 1        ROOT
- Good Charlotte - Keep your hands out off my girl                         2        ROOT

CHASE/TENSION

- Run Straight - Breath of Fire 4                                                 2        Bof4/CD1
- Slitheen - Doctor Who                                                            2        Doctor Who/1
- Tooth and Claw - Doctor Who                                                  3        Doctor Who/1
- The Cybermen - Doctor Who                                                   2        Doctor Who/1
- The Master Tape - Doctor Who                                                2        Doctor Who/3

DARKNESS

- A God's Beast - Breath of Fire 4                                             2        Bof4/CD2
- A Raging Emperor's banquet - Breath of Fire 4                         2        Bof4/CD2
- The Daleks - Doctor Who                                                       2        Doctor Who/1

ZEAL

- The Rising - Chrono Symphonic                                             2        Chrono Series/Symph
- Beneath the Sueface - Chrono Symphonic                              2        Chrono Series/Symph

*Chrono Series...
*Doctor Who Series...
*Mass Effect Series...

Edited by Josep Maria

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To be honest, i only use SW soundtrack when i GM a game.

It's always more immersive for my players.

 

Only during Deathwatch games did i change other kinds of musique (and games that don't have "real" soudtracks).

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The only other music I might consider using is Mass Effect music (because that soundtrack is godly.)

But, since I have a bajillion Star Wars songs on my computer at any given moment, I try to stick to that for immersion.  It really helps engender that Star Wars feel.

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Does having a soundtrack actually work for folks?

Saw it start to appear in roleplaying books years ago, think Vampire might have been the first place I saw it. Thought 'what a great idea'. But few attempts we had didn't seem to work either we'd turn the music on for first encounter that completely forget about it and not notice when it's stopped or more often someone would complain they couldn't hear what DM or other player was saying or the music was annoying them.

How do folks get it to work for them?

Does it enhance your game?

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@Josep

 

Now this is just a shot in the dark... But I'm gonna guess that you really like Doctor Who. Am I right? :P

 

I know I do, but although Murray Gold may well be this generation's John Williams of television soundtracks, he just isn't the John Williams of Star Wars.

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I may use some SW music to start/end a session and maybe for transitions but I doubt I would use any during actual play. Background music can be very distracting and irritating to me, unless a musical genius like JW is picking the right music at the right moment.

I do not like when podcasts have music playing while the are talking. The Skill Monkey segment of Order 66 podcast is a perfect example. There is great info in those segments that I don't listen too since the background music irritates me,

Edited by fjw70

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I always played the soundtracks when I was running games, but at such a low volume that they were pretty subliminal to what was going on. Like fjw70, I'm very particular about music, and playing the right cue at the right time could end up being a full time job... and playing the wrong one can mess with the impact of your scene. 

 

As much of a (borderline psychotic) music enthusiast as I am, when it comes to roleplaying, I prefer to let the people set the mood! :)

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I tend to use a lot of Star Wars music, as well as some music from sci-fi television series like Firefly and Battlestar Galactica (the original), plus other movies like some of the Star Trek stuff and The Last Starfighter. I think I've even used some music from Gundam once that worked well. However, when looking for music, I always tend to look for tracks that would fit in with the campaign I'm running.

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There are just so many amazing cantina songs for me to not abuse the hell out of them :P.

But I have the entire soundtrack from SWTOR between the Collector's Edition and the free online songs, so I have star wars songs for literally any situation I'd need, especially when I include the original scores and such.  There's really no reason not to spice up the perfect moments with the perfect songs.

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I always played the soundtracks when I was running games, but at such a low volume that they were pretty subliminal to what was going on. Like fjw70, I'm very particular about music, and playing the right cue at the right time could end up being a full time job... and playing the wrong one can mess with the impact of your scene. 

 

As much of a (borderline psychotic) music enthusiast as I am, when it comes to roleplaying, I prefer to let the people set the mood! :)

 

cueing the songs is an issue because, unlike the movies, we don't have the full story done and are just creating a score that fits the already preset timing of the events.

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@Josep

 

Now this is just a shot in the dark... But I'm gonna guess that you really like Doctor Who. Am I right? :P

Doctor What??? XDD

 

Yep I love it. At my startups I haven't considered the idea, cause I was almost 7/8 years old and my game sessions where pretty "simple"... I'm a guy with a sword and a shield that kick evil person butts XDD (When you are a child roleplay is the advanced form of saying "I'm Superman! But rolling dices :D )

 

But after a few years I began to play more intense roleplays, with accurated characterizations and more intense ambientation. I begin to use music when I was 14 or above and since today (28) I cannot play without music or it takes to me a big effort (a player of mine hates me for that XD).

 

My first sessions where low level soundtrack appliactions like "A battle you say? Duel of Fates!" XD

 

After a few years I refined the use of sountracks, for example, depending the planet or situation I use a slow volume background music, for example, in a non-so-high civilizated city or place I use "Dantooine Grasslands/Outback" from KOTOR 1, and it stills there until the scene changes.

 

Tense, romantic, battle... at every point I change the soundtrack and, maybe the "fully world immersion thing" we use dialogs between players and NPC's that fit with tempos... so cinematic, I love it! XD

 

For the people who already tried it I really suggest to put a bit effort on it. I use to play about 5-8 hours a week, so I want to feel immersed on SW universe, or in the story self.

 

Jack Wall, Murray Gold, Zimmerman, Uematsu, Williams... thanks! :D

 

PS: For Cantina OST trackers, Force Unleashed and KOTOR online and KOTOR 1 & 2 have a pair of alternate good Cantina songs... sorry Max Reebo XD

Edited by Josep Maria

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I set up a playlist of star wars tunes on Spotify - let it run in the background and skip/backtrack to specifics when needed. People seem to like it so I will keep doing it.

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I will use the Star Wars soundtrack for my games, especially my convention games but I do say at the start for the players to let me know if it is too loud or intrusive. So far the only time in a con game I have been asked to turn the music off was the last Doctor Who game I ran where the Dr Who soundtrack I had running just really didn't work with the scenario as it was working out. My regular star wars group however prefer to not have the music running, so I suppose it is different strokes for different folks.

 

E

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I use iTunes to make music loops for my Star Wars games. What I do is, I right-click on a track and choose "Get Info", then I go to the Options tab and set the end playback time to where there's a lull in the music (if possible). With that being done, I set my tracks to repeat themselves and then just start one playing. The trakc then loops just the part that I want, and I have it playing relatively quietly in the background.

 

This works well for combat music and also for ambient background stuff. It's basically the same schtick video games have been doing for years.

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