Music

Artists

  • Arcana – Instrumental music inspired by medieval music.
  • Bal-Sagoth – If you aren’t into metal this isn’t for you probably. They’re one of my favorite bands and work nicely for any game.
  • Clannad – Celtic music for easy going background when there isn’t a trouble at sight. Be sure to check their music for tv-series Robin of Sherwood.
  • Corvus Corax – Medieval music with some bizarre effects. Not for all but I like them.
  • Erdenstern – “professionally compose and produce soundtracks for roleplaying games.”
  • Finntroll: Visor Om Slutet – Metal again but this time I think anyone could find this great for background. Recommended setting could be an old swamp. Perfect for the Witch’s Song.
  • Jeremy Soule – Soule has created a lot of good PC game soundtrack and all of them are perfect for role-playing games as well. Dawn of War is my favorite as Elder Scrolls: The Oblivion is too familiar for my players.
  • Midnight Syndicate – Midnight Syndicate calls their music “gothic horror fantasy soundtracks”. What could go wrong with that? All their albums are great for background music which isn’t a big surprise as they have even made a soundtrack for playing Dungeons and Dragons.
  • Nine Inch Nails: Quake – Industrial soundtrack for a 1st person shooter sounds like an odd choice before you try it out.
  • Nox Arcana – Instrumental gothic sounds. Anything from Nox Arcana works like a charm. Carnival of Lost Souls and The Necronomicon Mythos have been playing quite a lot in our group.
  • Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach – All the classical composers are classics for a reason. Harmonious music will soothe you and thus it could be recommended for all but battle scenes. Running a noble ball with one of these chaps work quite well.

Soundtracks from movies

  • Basil Poledouris – Conan the Barbarian
  • Elmer Bernstein – The Black Cauldron
  • Dracula
  • Gladiator
  • Harry Gregson-Williams – Kingdom of Heaven
  • Howard Shore – Lord of the Rings (As with Conan the Barbarian this might be too familiar for the players thus creating false atmosphere.)
  • James Horner – Braveheart
  • Last of the Mohicans
  • Sleepy Hollow
  • 13th Warrior
  • 28 days later
  • 300

Soundtrack from games

  • Age of Conan
  • Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
  • Baldurs Gate
  • Dante’s Inferno
  • Diablo (1,2 and most likely 3)
  • Dragon Age
  • The Witcher (both 1 & 2) – Highly recommended!
  • Thief
  • Warhammer Online – Download the songs for the MMORPG
  • World of Warcraft

Other

One thought on “Music

  1. I like to use ambient sounds in my games and thought I would share some of them with you in case you or anyone else would like to use them. I play them as background sounds so I have them low so they aren’t distracting but they really add to the atmosphere of the setting.

    Some I use include:

    Rain & Thunder

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhwB2ddPUVA&feature=relmfu

    Reikland Forest

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzJMPHe-STI

    Market/Town

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNoX632Adi8

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_8ieAQqeLY

    Tavern

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