Soundtracks for a DFRPG game

[Andinel]

What kind of music would be good to use for background music in a DFRPG game? I have a lot in my collection for running various games, but most of it doesn't seem to work too well - it's typically more suited for high-fantasy or science-fiction, of which DF is neither.

[evilnerf]

Battlestar Galactica soundtrack works pretty good.  I've found.

[Fedifensor]

It really depends on the type of game.  For example, I'm drawing inspiration from the TV show Supernatural, which means I'll be playing a fair amount of 80's music.  "Carry On My Wayward Son" is a particular favorite, as is a slightly more obscure song by Triumph called "Fight the Good Fight".

[Nyarlathotep5150]

    The supernatural soundtracks are a good source(both stories have alot of overlap in theme and content). Any modern rock or metal can work(things like Nine Inch Nail and stabbing westward worked well). As well as old Jazz if you want to accentuate the Chandleresque undertones of the series.
     Also, if you have a laptop and don't mind the extra hassle, a plan from my old WoD games that really worked was to choose a themesong for each major NPC/Location, a song that evoked the feel I wanted that character to bring to the story, and played it whenever that character was in the scene.

[Wyrdrune]

i seldom use music during play. i learned that some of my players tend to get distracted by it.

but in some of my role playing campaigns i release some sort of "soundtrack" to my players. often i find myself inspired by a song - could be the lyrics, could be the melody, or just something i was thinking when i heard that song. normally i write down the stories we played after playing and there i use a quote from that song.

that would something like that:

11 Warlock!

Somebody please say a prayer for me tonight
I'm feelin' lost and there's no hope in sight
Tryin' to hold on... to the vision
So hard.. when you're down
I'd trade an ounce of hard-earned wisdom.. just to get out!
(Broken - Warlock)

Karl [player character, an alchemist practicioner], who was killed in the battle with the Red Court Duchess Marianne last night, is brought by the others to Stefan Ritter's [our wizard character, who until now avoided being a lawbreaker, even under direst situations] lab, where he shuts the others out an after several days manages to resurrect Karl with the help of the Kemmlerite Skull [a mighty focus item the group found several stories ago] and Wurm's Grimoire of Necromancy [also an artefact secured by the group]. [...]

[as the story goes on, they will see that the resurrection was kinda botched and Karl is now a living undead, which he will be for another 10 to 15 stories, until Stefan finds a way to properly resurrect him. until that Karl will have the Living Dead power with all it's merits and flaws. think

(click to show/hide)

owen in the second season of torchwood

. ]

at the end of a "season" i will make a music CD with the songs and give them to my players to remember, enjoy, relive...

@ Fedifensor: i found that a lot of the music i use that way, or which uses me that way, is also played on supernatural. no wonder - it's a good show, it's good music and the themes of the music fit well to a world with occult and supernatural themes. (and hell yeah, carry on my wayward son is a favourite).

@ Nyarlathotep5150: i remember when we played old WoD, everytime the group met the rogue Men In Black John Courage, I played (a different version of the) Secret Agent theme music. in the story it was some kind of paradox flaw the guy had and everytime he appeared a radio or tv in his vicinity would play the song.

[Wordmaker]

My collection of music ripped onto my PC is measured in days....

I use "Higher Power" by Boston as the theme song for my Secrets of Boston campaign. And I use a variety of music from different film scores and Immediate Music, such as The Dark Knight, Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, and Steve Jablonski's score from the new Transformers films.

[finnmckool]

It's really scene dependant for me. I've been trying to use opening theme music (different every time) to cultivate a sense of what's coming in my players. They may not know yet, but for instance, any game that opens with a cover of "I Put a Spell On You" is directly related to certain behind the scenes character. But any cover of I put a spell on you is good opening stuff (i recommend nina simone or screamin' jay hawkins).

When we're dealing with the ghetto i use lots of relevant rap music. onyx and jedi mind tricks are appropriately angry but not so well known everyone's singing along. the roots are good too.

for fight scenes there are tons of suggestions. if it's a good brawl i like new awesome like parlor mob or wolfmother. parlor mob's favorite heart to break is good drama music. Often good quiet sweet songs can make nice juxtaposition for a violent death, it's heart breaking if they liked'em, hilarious if they didn't. I'm considering a good heart breaking death for an npc they haven't met yet that'll be set to lovin' spoonful's "darlin' be home soon." go for things that build. I'd suggest writing up your flavor text for those times when you're just describing and practicing it over the track so you can time it with the music. it's really effective.

spiderbait and chemical brothers are good car chase music, depending on setting. so's motorhead.

ugh..yeah. that's it. hope that helps.

[CMEast]

I personally like Explosions in the Sky or Aphex Twin; no distracting lyrics or catchy melodies, just intense and slightly disturbing background music.