First of a new series to help game masters better use music at their gaming table.
Music can be an incredible tool and with today’s laptops and iPods, it’s pretty easy to bring a lot of music right to the table with minimal fuss and space. So, without further ado, the first installment:
Midnight Syndicate
These guys excel at mood music. It’s a no-brainer to start with them. It’s no wonder Wizard’s tapped them to make the “Official” D&D soundtrack. Use their music for anything from creepy ambiance to high-energy fights.
- Dungeons & Dragons – Official Roleplaying Soundtrack
- The 13th Hour
- Gates of Delirium
- Vampyre: Symphonies from the Crypt
- Realm of Shadows
Nox Arcana
Sounding so similar to Midnight Syndicate, it’s creepy (and that’s a good thing). Doing some further checking, it turns out the band was formed by an ex-producer of the aforementioned band. At any rate, it’s good stuff for your horror or fantasy campaign. Some of their stuff (Carnival of Lost Souls and Necronomicon for example) are better suited for a modern horror setting. Be sure to skip the first track (unless the opening narration fits your game).
- Darklore Manor
- Carnival of Lost Souls
- Blood of the Dragon
- Transylvania
- Necronomicon
- Winter’s Knight
- Shadow of the Raven
- Grimm Tales
American McGee’s Alice by Chris Vrenna
Hey, didn’t you just say something about soundtracks? Yeah, but game scores are far more obscure, and few people played this game when it came out way back in 2000. Which is a pity. Maybe when the long-gestating movie version finally gets made. It will forever alter the way you look at Wonderland.
Sleepy Hollow by Danny Elfman
One of Danny Elfman’s best pieces and great for scaring the willies out of your players.
Ten Years of Resident Evil: The Official Soundtrack
For those outside, the U.S., you know the game as Biohazard, but whatever the name, it inspires fear and terror in even the most steadfast of gamers. Skip using it if your players are avid fans of the series, otherwise you risk them getting flashbacks of the games.