Sitting here listening to MC Frontalot‘s “Secrets from the Future” while writing this post, it hit me that I’ve never tried doing game prep to music.
You can build soundtracks for your game — so why not have background music keyed to your prep? I’m not very musical, and I usually need quiet when I write (and by extension, prep), so I think that’s why it’s taken me so long to think of this on my own.
I’m willing to bet that plenty of GMs have been doing this for years. Are you one of them? Do you have specific CDs or playlists of background music that you use to get yourself in the mood for your games — to get your ideas flowing get into game mode? And if so, can you share some of your favorites?
I usually listen to classical or techno music while prep. And also when doing chores around the house.
Oh, yeah … and it varies wildly depending on the section I’m writing. I utilize my entire musical library.
And there’s nothing like music from western movies when prepping chase and battle scenes.
Occasionally I listen to music while prepping. I don’t usually decide actively to do so, it just happens. It can be dangerous however, because sometimes music can affect your prep very much and cause you to do really rash things. What I mean is that you are immersing yourself in your own world while listening to music and that creates an association which may cause ideas to ‘leak’ from the music into your prep. The double immersion is fun but it may encourage you to do stuff like killing off a PC.
As to what I listen, supposing that I intended to prep, is a CD which I like and that inspires me. For me that is usually something by King Crimson.
Yup. Doing Fading Suns game prep while listening to the “Emperor of the Fading Suns” game soundtrack is pure nirvana. Pretty much writes itself.
The 1989 Batman score (Tim Burton) is a biggie for me when I’m preparing anything – writing, adventure, or just getting ready to open up my mind a bit.
I just wanted to say woohoo for the Front!
Nerdcore can rise up! It can get elevated!
I have a playlist in iTunes with all three LOTR soundtracks back to back, in order. I find it’s a nice background for game prep AND for during gameplay. It matches the theme of the material and it has some nice highs and lows.
However this week, I have a theme. Last game, one PC was turned to stone by a Medusa and the rest of the night was spent trying to restore her to both flesh and life (failed the fort save of the Stone To Flesh spell). So all the music this week has Rock, Roll, Stone or Dead in the title.
TMan
I built a ‘headnotic’ (Not quite dance, not quite slow) playlist on last.fm and it sets a nice groovy tone in the game.
You should also give Muse’s last album a look. Knight of Cydonia, under it’s cheesy beat is a great combat song! (And the video is just plain crazy coolness!)
I usually listen to the Blue Man Group’s “Audio” when doing any kind of writing or brainstorming, including adventure prep. Also: “Trust” by Patrick O’Hearn, “ConstruKction of Light” by King Crimson, and lately, the soundtrack to A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Pretty much anything quirky, moody and slightly left of center works well for me. Instrumental music is better, but not always necessary.
Hey, Martin, when you do prep, is it more of a deliberate, conscious process or do you just let your imagination run wild?
I ask, because a blogfriend and I had a discussion about background music and the subconscious vs. conscious activity a while ago. When you’re letting your imagination run the show, this is a subconscious process and I think many people like to have some kind of background music or white noise or something when this is going on. But when they are doing something that requires a lot of deliberation, they tend to turn the music off so they can focus.
I taped myself farting, and I listen to it while I prep, now seriously, couldn’t you come up with anything better to post in this forum? If inspiration is running low, why not take a break?
*farts*
Almost always:
Holst’s The Planets
Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major
Respighi’s Pines, Festivals and Fountains of Rome (Pines of the Alps is amazing)
Conan the Barbarian soundtrack
LOTR soundtracks
J. Ralph’s “J.Ralph Presents the Illusionary Movements of Geraldine and Nazu”
Occasionally, depending on the game I’m prepping for:
Fifth Element soundtrack
Once Upon a Time in the West soundtrack
Legend soundtrack (old-school Tangerine Dream)
I usually head over to Radio365.com and listen to one of the stations over there. I listen to the SciFantasy channel for high adventure or space opera, Radio Praetoria for social fantasy, or Radio Dismuke or Absinth Radio if I’m doing something pulpish or noir. Since I can play it over my computer or over the TiVo, I can do my prep anywhere, which is nice.
JOhn.
I tend to like to have the music playing loud when I’m prepping. I usually pick a random cd and let it rip. Now that I have Itunes file I usually pick random and prep away.
I always have a playlist themed to a particular game and I invariably listen to it while prepping. I often use it during the game as well but I sometimes put Pandora on or something else just for a little variety. In some cases I have separate playlists for prep and play but usually I use the same playlist for both.
And yeah I’ve been doing this for years.
Yeah, I find it helps to listen to fantasy-inspired music when preparing for a game, in order to conjure up the mood. Nightwish, Manowar, and even tangentially related music. On occasion you can take direct inspiration from the lyrics – when this is done well, your players will not spot the connection unless it is pointed out to them, and even then they will only vaguely see the resemblance.
I’d give a big shout out for Bach’s cello suites if you ever need to do anything that involves any kind of thought. Any time I can tell I’m not concentrating, I’ll put them on.
But otherwise, it’s just any music that I like and know well. I have to not be able to think about the music, in order to do anything, so that’s nothing new or amazingly good or bad.
I’d give a big shout out for Bach’s cello suites if you ever need to do anything that involves any kind of thought. Any time I can tell I’m not concentrating, I’ll put them on.
But otherwise, it’s just any music that I like and know well. I have to not be able to think about the music, in order to do anything, so that’s nothing new or amazingly good or bad.
While I don’t use music during my gaming sessions, I listen to a variety when brainstorming my sessions. Everything from movie scores to classic rock to classical helps me to visualize events that will take place.
Recently I’ve been running mostly horror adventures, and writing that stuff does not come naturally to me. I’ve found it really helps to have some music to set the mood; my favorite for that purpose is the soundtrack from Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
I have a couple of Winamp playlists that I use. Mostly they’re instrumental stuff from movie soundtracks or heavy metal such as Dragonforce, Hammerfall, Lacuna Coil, Nightwish, Amon Amarth, etc. Oddly enough though,I was inspired by “The Arockalypse” by the Finnish band Lordi for the start of my present campaign (actually, inspired by one of their music videos, “Hard Rock Hallelujah”). Whenever we get a chance to play again, the party will be facing evil bards whose music turns people into zombies. Thank you Lordi!
Mike Says:
Oddly enough though,I was inspired by “The Arockalypse†by the Finnish band Lordi for the start of my present campaign (actually, inspired by one of their music videos, “Hard Rock Hallelujahâ€).
I must admit I’ve toyed with the idea for a supernatural supers campaign in which the monstrous forces of good must battle the beautiful forces of evil… With the power of ROCK!
(Jennifer Snow) Hey, Martin, when you do prep, is it more of a deliberate, conscious process or do you just let your imagination run wild?
I try to do the latter in my idle time, and then buckle down for the deliberate stuff when I actually sit down to prep. That’s never been my strong suit, though.
(John Bob) If inspiration is running low, why not take a break?
Sorry you didn’t like the post, John. Personally, I got a lot of mileage out of the comments here — the post itself wasn’t the point: It’s all about the responses from the community.