# Music for tabletop roleplaying games **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 7, 2004, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966 "2004-03-07T09:09:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/1 "2004-03-07T09:09:17Z")
Well, I’ve gone and done it. I’ve found a group that wants to play, and I’m going to start DMing another campaign starting Friday. I’ve decided to put together a soundtrack disc of MP3s, something I can put on in the background as we play, and I’ve accumulated a good selection of artists and tracks so far, I think, but I was wondering if the assembled masses here at the boards might have some additional suggestions. The campaign I’m running is going to be a D&D game, but feel free to suggest music for other genres as well. So far I’ve got: Sigur Ros Enigma Loreena McKennit Dead Can Dance Clannad I’m open to all sorts of suggestions. What would make a good gaming soundtrack? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/2 "2004-03-07T11:07:51Z")
I used to use John Carpenter’s Greatest Hits as background for a Chill campaign (it’s a horror game). On one memorable occasion I hid a mini hi-fi under the table preset to play Through The Mirror - which opens with the sound of smashing glass - at high volume. Because I had the other disc playing on loop at low volume on the main stereo, nobody suspected a thing until, at the appropriate moment, I applied my big toe to the Play button… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/3 "2004-03-07T20:30:07Z")
I’ve always found Enya, Holst’s _The Planets_, and Orf’s _Carmina Burana_ appropriate as background music for D&D. Maybe Holst or Orf as everyone’s gathering and getting set up, and then switch to the Enya when you need to be able to hear what the DM is saying. ---
**Author:** ![Myrr21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Myrr21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrr21)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/4 "2004-03-07T20:52:53Z")
We often had music for specific events: fight music or whatever. Also, certain recurring villains had theme songs that would get played just as the DM announced their arrival. It was great cause you’d hear the first three notes of something and think “oh shit, we’re fucked” before anything was even said. ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/5 "2004-03-07T21:09:09Z")
If you’re going to have specific fight music, you should use a loop of the Final Fantasy I battle theme. It’s definately appropriate, and I for one think the music sounds cool. And you should try to work in the victory song somewhere. That sounds really cool. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/6 "2004-03-07T21:20:16Z")
[Midnight Syndicate](http://www.midnightsyndicate.com) makes music for D&D. What I’ve heard is pretty good. I’m glad you’re getting back into D&D. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/7 "2004-03-07T21:38:02Z")
I was always fond of the _Camelot_ soundtrack for D&D. These days, I’d also want to add as much Misty Lackey filk as I could find. _Threes_ for example is perfect for a D&D campaign. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5ac83/32.png) [@The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mad_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/8 "2004-03-08T01:22:29Z")
The Camelot soundtrack? In a local theater production, I was in the chorus, and the part I would recommend is the “Fie on Goodness” section. I like some of Rush’s songs as background for battle, especially “By-Tor and the Snow Dog.” A Farewell to Kings is OK, too. Other bands and pieces that help create the mood: Led Zeppelin: Battle of Evermore, Immigrant Song Pink Floyd: Some of the stranger cuts from Ummagumma work well, like Grantchester Meadows and Several Species… Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra (for important events, like the main chamber or the King’s appearance) If you decide to play a Planescape campaign, bring your computer into the D&D room and run the background music from the game Planescape: Torment. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/9 "2004-03-08T02:18:43Z")
Apocalyptica made a nice soundtrack to my party’s trip to the Abyss. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/10 "2004-03-08T03:42:33Z")
Conan the Barbarian is possibly the ultimate CD for use with Dungeons and Dragons. Lord of the Rings ain’t to shabby either. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/11 "2004-03-08T05:01:08Z")
Definately _Carmina Burana_. You won’t be sorry, I promise. After that, I’d recommend… •[The soundtrack to the anime series _Escaflowne._](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000058AAM/qid=1078720583/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-0018888-2694427?v=glance&s=music) Good, dramatic, semi-classical sounding stuff. Even some pseudo monk-chanting. •[_Kashmir: The Symphonc Led Zeppelin_](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000040V8/qid=1078720854/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/002-0018888-2694427) Led Zeppelin classics…performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Very lively, very cool. Check it out. If the “Battle of Evermore” sample at the link doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will. •\*[The String Quartet Tribute to Black Sabbath\* This cover “works” surprisingly well. I couldn’t tell you why. •The [url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000042MY/qid=1078721292/sr=1-1/ref=sr\_1\_1/002-0018888-2694427?v=glance&s=music]Last of the Mohicans\*](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006GOHM/qid%3D1078721039/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/002-0018888-2694427) soundtrack. Especially the track “Elk Hunt,” and one of the later tracks, which have very dramatic fiddle music. •Probably anything by [Lisa Gerrard](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002MYI/qid=1078721524/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/002-0018888-2694427). •The soundtrack to [_Gladiator_](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004STPT/ref=pd_ser_asin_1/002-0018888-2694427?v=glance&s=music). ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/12 "2004-03-08T05:09:16Z")
Crap! I can’t believe I forgot _Conan_…well, I’ll second it. Second it, and raise it with the [13th Warrior soundtrack](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000JWOZ/qid=1078722480//ref=pd_ka_2/002-0018888-2694427?v=glance&s=music&n=507846). Good stuff, excellent battle music. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/13 "2004-03-08T05:13:32Z")
…And, what the Hell, I’ll remember to add anything by the [Mediæval Bæbes](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=pd_kk_nr_1/002-0018888-2694427?index=blended&field-keywords=mediaeval%20baebes). I’ll tell ya, they do a mean _Gaudete._ ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/14 "2004-03-08T05:59:51Z")
I’ve been gaming all this weekend, and this is a catalogue of the pile of CDs currently on top of my stereo: Vangelis: _1492: Conquest of Paradise_\* Philip Glass: _Anima Mundi_\* Philip Glass: _Powaqqatsi_\* The Bulgarian Women’s Choir: _The Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir_ Carl Orf: _Carmina Burana_ Milladoiro: _Castellum Honesti: Celtic Music from Spain_ Basil Poledouris: _Conan the Barbarian_\* Patrick Doyle: _Henry V_\* Dead Can Dance: _Into the Labyrinth_ Dead Can Dance: _Within the Realm of a Dying Sun_ Peter Gabriel: _Passion_\* Carter Burwell: _Rob Roy_\* \*Soundtrack ---
**Author:** ![Clear\_Air\_Turbulence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@Clear\_Air\_Turbulence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clear_Air_Turbulence)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/15 "2004-03-08T06:53:36Z")
The ‘Ravenous’ soundtrack would be excellent if your adventurers are in a somewhat alien environment, i.e. the Underdark, demihuman and humanoid settlements, etc. The instruments are all rather primitive and acoustic, but the songs are very…different. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/16 "2004-03-08T15:55:25Z")
If you are breaking it down into locations/actions: Cities: Bach Wilderness: Conan all the way Underground: ???(But some tracks from LOTR would work, and not just the “Moria” tracks either…the ones with the “ringwraiths” singing work too. As a hijack, they are the best part of the FOTR soundtrack, i’m pissed that the singing was taken out of their theme in the other soundtracks :mad:) ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/17 "2004-03-08T16:44:48Z")
I definitely recommend the LotR stuff, as well as Enya’s _The Celts_. I’m of the opinion that one can never go wrong with _Carmina Burana_, also. There are some nice dark Danny Elfman tracks that would probably work, as well. Mozart’s _Dies Irae_ also strikes a nice terrifying chord for those big battle scenes. And I LOVE the idea of having special bad-guy themes. Give a whole Imperial March feeling to the game. I wish we’d thought of that when we still played regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Zanshin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e274bd/32.png) [@Zanshin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zanshin)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/18 "2004-03-08T22:02:18Z")
I’ll second (or third) the LotR suggestion. I’d also recommend the soundtracks to Braveheart and to The Rock. Other orchestral soundtracks by Mark Mancina or Hans Zimmer would work well. ---
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/19 "2004-03-09T08:09:35Z")
Orff’s _Carmina Burana_ (except the one bit that gets played in every movie ever, including Excalibur), check. Awesome. I’m going to be doing this as general, low-key background music; no music cues. Too distracting for a DM that’s already easily distractable. I checked out the Midnight Syndicate CD once; I found it too cheesily synth-oriented. The Conan The Barbarian soundtrack is pretty tough to find, unless I want to pay a body part to get it through ebay. Maybe someday. Lisa Gerrard - Great suggestion; I picked up a CD of hers today. The 13th Warrior - Also great, but hard to find. Keeping an eye out. I loved that movie. I’m trying to stay away from LOTR soundtracks, though; too distinctive. It would be distracting. So far, with ripped CDs from my collection, I’m over three hours of vaguely D&D-style background music. This is going to make a great MP3 collection. ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966/20 "2004-03-09T13:23:58Z")
OK, I don’t do anything like this (so I know nothing), but I’m amazed that no-one’s mentioned Weezer’s _In The Garage_. I mean, check these lyrics! _I’ve got a Dungeon Master’s Guide I’ve got a 12-sided die I’ve got Kitty Pryde And Nightcrawler too Waiting there for me Yes I do, I do_ Ok, so, I finally learnt that the last bit was X-Men (took me 2 movies!), but the first bit is on topic, right? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-for-tabletop-roleplaying-games/232966.md?page=2)