Geek Music Done WELL

While cruising YouTube I found a heavy vein of covers of music from various geeky sources such as the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and even Skyrim. Here are a few to get you started...

The Lure of The Wastelands

Peering into the dusty night, the man felt the call of the savage world beyond the safety of the Civ Zone. Out there he had seen horrors and terror to fill many lifetimes. The howls and shrieks from the blasted expanses beyond sent chills through him, but not the sort he would have thought since he find her and his place among The People. The chills were not those of fear but of exhilaration, beckoning, alluring that his former life of struggle and survival had provided him...

Post apocalyptic settings have always been a favorite of mine and I used to play the crap out of them in my younger days. Despite new games like Mutant Future and the reincarnated (won't say resurrected because it ain't the same!) Gamma World, I haven't really been able to play such games.

Finding a group to play with is hard. So many popular media sources for PA games seem to have polarized fans into liking one version or another of this genre. Some want Gamma World, some Fallout. Others want Border Lands or The Road. What they don't seem to realize is that with a little bit of cooperation and the up-front concession of a little of your own personal fun, you can get it all in in a campaign. Any concessions you make up front will be rewarded over the course of a game.

If you are wondering why the sudden jaunt into the blasted reaches of my imagination, I blame this video...

Pirate Metal?

In a world of fusion musics, this is an amusing discovery...

Music and Gaming

   Greetings again, ladies and gents.

   I was just perusing another blog (gasp!), and ran across a clip to some music from YouTube. The song was "Men of Harlech," along with video from the classic film Zulu - an old favorite of yours truly, both song and film. One of the comments attached to said post got me to thinking about music, its ability to set moods, and how often it is, or at least should be, used for such when gaming.

   I have used music in the past while playing games, both as simple background music to highlight the social aspect of wargaming or roleplaying, and as specific music for tone of the game. Nothing makes a game of Call of Cthulhu better than playing late at night, by candle or, even better, oil lamp light, with some spooky music playing low in the background. Or the soundtrack from, say Conan the Barbarian while playing Old School D&D. Or Carmina Burana ("O Fortuna" especially) during the climactic cult sacrifice scene. All that Latin chanting that is obviously not part of a Catholic Mass... seems sinister to me.

   For Car Wars, I'll play road songs: "I Can't Drive 55," "Radar Love," "I Want You to Want Me," that sort of thing. Fast paced stuff. For cyberpunk games, I like punk music (duh!).

   Anyway, for me, it is all about helping to set a mood, something which music is well known for doing. Don't believe me? Play some Barry White next time you're feeling romantic. Oh yeah.

   Until the next time I rise out of the muck that is lurking... have fun!