"Music to kill by..." Topic

The other night when we played our first game of LOTR, the host played a lot of music on his iPod in the background…I thought it added to the atmoshpere. He had some LOTR soundtrack, other movie themes, and some old video game music…

Do you listen to music while you're war gaming? What kind?

I liked/thought of:

LOTR soundtrack
Batman Begins soundtrack
CD from Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament
Indiana Jones theme

Dark Ages: 'Conan the Barbarian' OST, Basil Poledouris

Medieval: 'Flesh & Blood' OST, (Baz again)

'Gladiator's OST is pretty good, but it's basically Hans Zimmer's variations on Wagner works, so if you've got the Wagner, you don't need the 'Gladiator' OST.

Hans Zimmer's OST to 'The Rock', however, is phenomenal. Perfect for moderns.

Handel's Sarabande.

"Gotterdamerung"

"Flight of the Valkeries"

"Eliminate" by Overkill

"Tocatta and Fugue" J.S. Bach

"Blitzkrieg" Metallica version

"Overkill" Motorhead

"Crush Em" Megadeth

Of course, this is all playing in my head as it would totally unnerve my opponent were it actually played!

Benny Hill theme.

US forces seem to like Apocalyptica if you've been keeping up on that Rolling Stone scandal …

Alexander Nevsky soundtrack is good ..

Welcome to the Jungle – GNR
Ace of Spades – Motorhead
Welcome to the Machine – Pink Floyd
Ride of the Valkyries – Wagner
One – Metallica
Enter Sandman – Metallica

Soundtracks:
13th Warrior
Anaconda
Brotherhood of the Wolf
Bram Stoker's Dracula
The Ninth Gate
Season of the Witch (2011)
Solomon Kane
Sleepy Hollow

Classical:
Scherazade

Vid Game Soundtracks:
Uncharted
Neverwinter Nights

Regular Cds:
Anything from Nox Arcanium
Midnight Sydicate
V. Shane
Danzig's Lucifage

Try those for starters…

We have listened to the soundtrack from Pirates of the Carribean. For one colonial game the host had a bunch of African tribal music and chants.

I use lots of movie soundtracks when I play. I find lots of the video game soundtracks very enjoyable as well.

The Command & Conquer series soundtracks are great.

Amazon sells MP3 Soundtracks for lots of video games pretty cheap.

Yes, I'd certainly be overcome by a homicidal rage if some of the above was inflicted upon my ear 'oles.

Wargaming is a gentleman's hobby, the studious silence should only be broken by a low murmur of learned conversation, the click of the dice and perhaps the clink of a brandy glass. It's never happened yet, but at least we get by without a soundtrack.

Hard enough to get people together at the same time in the same place, much less in agree upon a selection of music :(

But the soundtrack/score from The Last of the Mohicans and Lord of the Rings would go a long way to set a subtle background…at a lower volume :)

Rumours- Fleetwood Mac.

I don't play music while gaming, far too distracting, especially for my elderly ears.

Lots of great thoughts! I'll have to run several of these down and give them a listen…

The "Warrior Song".

link

My GMs play appropriate music or try to, usually shuffled up from an MP3 player with occasional deliberate choices. I recognize some of the soundtracks mentioned above.

Dungeons & Dragons Movie Soundtrack
LOTR Movie Soundtrack
Dronalan's Tower
Sojourn
Baldur's Gate Soundtrack
Neverwinter Nights Soundtrack
Ultima Online Soundtrack
Zulu Movie Soundtrack
13th Warrior Movie Soundtrack
LOTR Radio Music Soundtrack

Don't forget Ron Goodwin's soundtracks for:
Battle of Britain
Where Eagles Dare

Jerry Goldsmith:
Patton
Planet of the Apes

Hans Zimmers score for INCEPTION

Gustav Holst (sic) Planets, specifically Mars and Jupiter

Oh the Medal of Honor soundtracks are good too.

Also I've got the soundtracks to Dune 2000 and Dune Emperor.

I don't use music with games.
I need silence to concentrate, that and music would drown out my silly accents and boom bang noises.

My preference is the same as my Christmas carol selection.

Silent Night without the words and music.

x42

The Light Cavalry Overture – Suppe
William Tell Overture -Rossini

1812 Overture and Marche Slav – Tchaikovski

Erich Korngold scores for the old Errol Flynn movies such as Robin Hood, Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk.

For gaming 40k and Necromunda, I always though Ministry's "Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste" and "Land of Rape and Honey" were awesome to game to. Especially for Necromunda when the first part of "Burning Inside" comes on and the sirens in the background are wailing.

Oh, and for sci-fi gaming or Shadowrun and stuff like that, the new Tron Legacy soundtrack is awesome. Especially if you like Daft Punk.

Yeah, I was thinking the Tron Legacy soundtrack was ideal for some cyberpunk stuff. I had Rezolution in mind.

It occurs to me that some would kill to have this turned off rather than on but this group has not been mentioned and if it doesn't stir aggressive emotions in you it's hard to determine what would:

Lamb of God's Now You got Something to Die For:

YouTube link

Manowar was always popular when we were playing D&D. Motorhead's Sacrifice album is great, especially with the songs War For War, Out of the Sun and Over Your Shoulder.

For some things Black Sabbath's Dehumanizer is very good, the whole Master of Puppets album by Metalica is good for gaming as well.

Iron Maiden has too many songs to list that work well with gaming, just a few include: The Trooper, Aces High and To Tame a Land.

Cyrith Ungol, while not well known, has a number of good songs on the album Paradise Lost. I wouldn't recommend much else by them though.

Belly of the Beast is a rare song by Belladonna-era Anthrax that was pretty good to game to. The whole album Sound of White Noise is good for it too.

Those and most classical musci.

Tried the 1812 overture for a Russians v French Napoleonic bash, but the concensus was that once was enough! (I think my opponent was sulking because my Russian artillery had just blown away a French regiment).

Mandy by Barry Manilow….

These days nothing, when I was at school Iron Maiden, Guns and Roses or Mega Death was the soundtrack of choice for our games.

I listen to all sorts when I paint but never when I game these days.

Killing Me Softly (with his song.)

(can't get no) Satisfaction.

As Tears Go By.

Watch My Six by Read'm n Weep

"Music to kill by…"

I always thought the hammering of the M240 and the CRACK of the 2.75 rockets from the supporting Apaches always drowned out the music.

Once on a TA exercise within hearing distance of (I think) Rushmoor Arena, during the evening we set up a night ambush on a training area just as the massed bands were concluding an evening's programme. Our exercise enemy, being far too keen, blundered straight into our ambush almost as soon as we had set it up. So, in the dying light of a summer evening, we ambushed them to the distant accompaniment of "Land of Hope and Glory". Marvellous.

I seem to recall a passage from the book "The Eyes of Orion" describing an M-1 battalion going in to attack an Iraqi airfield. One of the TCs had left his pressel switch down, and the rest of his company could hear him humming "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" to himself. Fine music to fight to.

All the best,

John.

This topic has been done to death. Do a message search with the key word music. I don't remmber which thread but I listed a dozen or so military marching music from the Age of Reason to the turn of the century. I have a good collection of ACW music, drums and fife for lace wars etc..

try Song About Killing by Caliban they're a little better then Lamb of God. Ya that's right i listen to this stuff….it's pure awesome win!!!!

Front 242: Manhunter, Circling Over Land
Golden Earing: Twilight Zone
Tragicly Hip: Locked in the Trunk of a Car
Billy Idol: Eyes Without a Face

Most anything "period" for the game being played….and of course bagpipes.

I always have Planet Rock radio playing in the background.

Never done, but if asked for…
Probably not permanent, but tracks chosen for peculiar ('high') moments.
_° As a background for an encounter set anytime between 3500 BC and 1500 AD, in Hyboria or 'Fantasy':
= Carl Orff: O Fortuna
YouTube link
discovered it in the soundtrack of 'Excalibur', where it was perfectly fitting.
At the root of part of the soundtrack of 'Conan' (and thus of part of that of 'Kalidor / Red Sonja'), and also of this piece: YouTube link
= Then several… Medieval Rock? Medieval Metal? bands offer appropriate tracks:
- Scherbelhaufen YouTube link
- Cultus Ferox YouTube link
- In Extremo YouTube link
- Eluveitie YouTube link
YouTube link
(more melodious:)
- Faun YouTube link
- Omnia YouTube link
- Malicorne YouTube link

_° For a Lace Wars battle:
- Lully YouTube link
YouTube link
- Philidor YouTube link
- Charpentier YouTube link
Even some 'napoleonic' tunes, if majestuous enough, preferably played with 'period' instruments (unfortunately not the case here): YouTube link

_° Now, I feel that some pieces (perhaps because basically sung, and neither in my native tongue nor in English ?) may fit for both eras:
- the 'standard' march of the Ottoman Mehter: YouTube link
- this old Britton warsong: YouTube link (yes, the melody crossed the Channel for the 'Twa Corbies / Three Ravens')
- this Occitan song: YouTube link
- several more recent German songs:
YouTube link (1917)
YouTube link (lyrics 1809, melody 1825)….
….
- and also some parts (Imperial March, battle of Fates (?) of the Star Wars soundtracks.

For fantasy gaming, I always go with the album "Heaven and Hell" (Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio on vocals…fantasy lyrics weaved with rock at its very best).

RIP Ronnie

C E

for whom the bell tolls
seek and destroy
Mob rules
Godzilla

just about any old Metallica Black Sabbath or Blue Oyster Cult works for me

like the start of Saxon's Crusader as well

Wow! I didn't think this post would get this kind of response!Thanks for all the input, guys.

Sounds like there are a lot of loud, head banging style war games going on out there! As much as I like Metallica, I don't think my friend or our kids would go for it…I just can't picture Gimli smashing heads to "Enter Sandman".

For my part, playing LOTR, I think I'm going to check out:

LOTR soundtrack (obviously)
Batman Begins ST
Pirates of the Carribean ST
Gladiator ST
Bram Stoker's Dracula ST
Ride of the Valkyries

I listened to some samples of some of these yesterday, and I think they'll set the right tone…

In college we used to have the radio on while we were playing www3 games. If "She's Only 17" played you were allowed free use of nuclear weapons.

When playing Aerodrome,I'll sometimes hum or whistle the song from "The Dawn Patrol"("…and hurrah for the next man that dies"),or the "Hohenfriedberger March".Or in a fighting sail game,"Hearts Of Oak". During an ACW game,I heard someone playing the ST from "Gettysburg". And after I get shot down in Aerodrome I'll do the Keyboard Cat playing-off theme.

Orff – Carmina Burana

Rock the Casbah by The Clash was the unofficial battle song of the 3rd ACR when we busted the berm into Iraq in ODS. It was playing in every turret, track and truck.

Still sounds good as background music when gaming.

Especialy when mixed with some Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys Throw in Promontory from The Last of the Mohicans ST and the dice gods smile…

Sabaton…they cover nearly every period of warfare and itīs loud!!
YouTube link
Cheers
paul

Anything by Slayer or Motorhead!

A couple of new acquisitions that I am enjoying that I think would work well for gaming are the soundtrack to the recent film "The Eagle" and the soundtrack to the Conan computer game ("Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures"). Samples of the latter here:

link

In the video game soundtracks department, I would add:
-Prince of Persia (collected)
-Halo 3
-Riven

Anime soundtracks:
-Last Exile (naval, steampunk, dogfighting)
-Akira (cyberpunk)