I'm working on my first ravenloft module, and was thinking it would be cool to have some mood music to write too. Not sure why, but I like having music going in the background when I write. Can anyone think of some appriately eerie, moody music to listen to?
The accoustic guitar theme the first diablo game played when you were in town comes to mind... Anything like that?
As for actual songs... I would definitely go with instrumentals since I found music with lyrics sometimes distract players. Maybe the pure moods CD would be worth picking up. It has an interesting mix.
Also the music would have to fit the scene. Can you give us a little run down of the setting and things like that, it might help if we know what type of mood you’re going for.
The domain the adventure is set it could mean the difference between something medieval, something gothic or something classical. Toccata and Fugue in D minor would work when the party is wandering the halls of a castle, Ave Maria would be a nice touch for a forest setting, and Fantasia in D minor would be interesting for a setting not quite fully evil but not where the players can't be at ease either. And the theme from the Godfather would be interesting for a couple of settings.
Gregorian chant is a personal favourite, and I've also recently discovered the Mediaeval Baebes. They're a group of British hotties that do amazingly cool medieval/rennaissance/olde english/welsh/etc. choral music.
VNM
Dead Can Dance - pretty much anything from them
Wimme - this is a finnish band whose music is quite inspiring (4 minutes of wolves howling for example)
Midnight Syndicate - eerie and forboding
I'll be sure to check out some of these suggestions, thanks everyone!
Or Tiamat (swedish metal).
We look forward to hearing about this new domain.
Since you mentioned that you're looking for music to WRITE to (and not to play to), I would recommend the following for inspiration (band name on the left, album title on the right... 'cos the distinction isn't necessarily evident!):
Tiamat -- A Deeper Kind of Slumber
Tiamat -- Skeleton Skeletron
Type O Negative -- Bloody Kisses
Type O Negative -- October Rust
Apocalyptica -- Cult (they gradually move away from Metallica and other instrumental covers of metal bands to make their own very atmospheric music on this album)
VAST -- Visual Audio Sensory Theatre is highly recommended ("Music for People" and "Nude" also have appropriate selections, but these items tend to be less somber)
Dead Can Dance -- A Passage in Time (mostly medieval/gothic... not rock music or metal at all... this stuff would work well as a soundtrack during the game)
King Diamond -- Abigail (be warned... some people have a hard time swallowing the King's vocal style -- from bizarre falsettos and high pitched wails to lower growls)
King Diamond -- "Them" (haunted house, insanity, spirit possession)
King Diamond -- The Eye (inquisition and witch burning)
Glenn Danzig -- Black Aria (instrumental; the theme is the Fall of the Angels from Heaven)
Bauhaus -- Burning from the Inside
Loreena McKennitt -- any album (although they're more Celtic/medieval in flavour than Gothic... good in-game music)
Rest assured that none of the albums listed above consist of listerine gurgling death metal... but some of the music defenitely is on the heavy side. King Diamond's albums are all "concept" albums (I only listed what I thought were his three best... he also sings for another band called Mercyful Fate, which I don't care for as much)... in other words, all the songs on his albums link up to tell a story... I've even considered turning the three King Diamond albums listed into a full length mini-campaign some day.
I hope this helps you find information...
Soundtracks are definitely the way to go.
- Dead Can Dance...yes, especially the instrumental stuff.
- Medaeval Baebes is cool, but not too much at once, and it's not particularly creepy.
- Other good sountracks include The Others (very tense), The Messenger (also tense and dramatic), Portrait of a Lady, The Ninth Gate. Many more out there, too.
- Also, if you can get a hold of the sountracks to the Baldur's Gate games, Planescape: Torment, or Icewind Dale, they've got a wealth of appropriate moods.
I tend to agree about the heavy metal post by ashlock, but thanks for the ideas!
Another group of music I like to use is the Castlevania - Symphony of the Night soundtrack... It works really well, just not as atmospheric as Diablo.
http://www.classicgaming.com/castlevania/media.htm
Originally posted by TwiceBorn
I've even considered turning the three King Diamond albums listed into a full length mini-campaign some day.
Oooooo, wow! A "King Diamond"-themed RL adventure series would be fantastic ... heck, you could even create an itty bitty micro-Cluster based on his concept albums! 8-)
If you are looking for military style music a great one to listen to is the soundtrack to "Starship Troopers" Didn;t really like the film, but the sountrack is g.reat
The Midnight Syndicate seems to be pretty much what I'm looking for.
Also, have any of you tried John Dowland's lute music?
Some varying themes to the music.
Also "Rush" chronicles double cd album is good to write to.
To play to, i would go with anything more background unless your able to time your game so it runs with the tempo of music. Nothing worse than just having a vistani fortune teller giving the group their doom in a nutshell and having bobby mcferrin "dont worry, be happy" coming on...
Lord of the rings: Fellowship of the ring has some good sounds on the album, relaxing and inspiring.
i also like to write with mood lighting, turn lights down low and/or have candles going.
HTH
Originally posted by Ashlock
Even though I like a fair amount of it myself, I've never understood why people think heavy metal works with D&D, much less Ravenloft.
Yeah, agree with that too, and you certainly can't use it while you play. The abyss maybe but not Ravenloft. Industrial might work but I think its too modern whereas RL always strucj me as more "period" or however you put it than the rest of the D&D line (Planescape in particular, oddly enough).
Originally posted by TwiceBorn
King Diamond -- Abigail (be warned... some people have a hard time swallowing the King's vocal style -- from bizarre falsettos and high pitched wails to lower growls)
No kidding. I saw King Diamond last November (I went for the supporting band Nocturne, not for King Diamond), and his ridiculously high-pitched voice left me deaf in one ear for a full day afterward.
Anyway, here are a few of the things I use for D&D "mood music." Likewise, band on the left, album on the right:
Mortiis - The Stargate (there are a few vocals, but you really don't notice em unless you concentrate)
Mortiis - Crypt of the Wizard
Dargaard - The Dissolution of Eternity (how can you go wrong with a band who has the same name as Soth's keep?)
Dargaard - In Nomine Aeternitatis
Grim Faeries - Disenchanted Forest (I wouldn't use this during D&D itself because there's singing and I know the songs well enough that they would distract me, but it's very good mood music)
Also, many metal bands tend to have instrumental intro tracks that are very gothic-sounding. Here are a few (band - song - album)
Dimmu Borgir - Fear and Wonder - Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
Dimmu Borgir - Perfection or Vanity - Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
Hanzel und Gretyl - Overture - Uber Alles
Cradle of Filth - A Bruise Upon the Silent Moon - Damnation and a Day
Cradle of Filth - A Scarlet Witch Lit the Season - Damnation and a Day
Cradle of Filth - Damned in Any Language (A Plague on Words) - Damnation and a Day
Cradle of Filth - End of Daze - Damnation and a Day
Cradle of Filth - The Mordant Liquor of Tears - Damnation and a Day
Originally posted by Ashlock
Even though I like a fair amount of it myself, I've never understood why people think heavy metal works with D&D, much less Ravenloft.
Why does heavy metal work well with D&D/Ravenloft? Going back to the question initially posted in this thread (about music to write to, not play to), many goth and heavy metal bands deal with themes (e.g., fantasy, black magic, witch hunts, historical epics) that DMs can use as a source of inspiration. Also, out of all musical styles, the imagery that is found on the covers of many heavy metal albums (as well as in their lyrics) is closest to the imagery found in fantasy RPGs. Yes, some of the music/lyrics/imagery may be cheesy, but much of it is actually quite creative. I don't see too many rap, hip-hop, Dixie, country, etc. artists coming any closer to D&D/Ravenloft in themes than do metal/goth bands!
Still, I will agree that metal is not useful as background for a gaming session, and that sticking to classical and other instrumental music (or medieval/Celtic music like Dead Can Dance or Loreena McKennitt) is best for setting the mood in-game.
Originally posted by JinnTolser
I quite like what songs from Switchblade Symphony I know, but I really can't picture them as D&D music. Of course, I only know a few songs of theirs, so I probably don't have enough to tell accurately. What songs in particular do you find usable?
I got a little single CD with a comic that I bought that had the songs Drool(Mother), Clown, and Soldiers on it. They sounded just right for RavenLoft. What have you heard that you didn't like?