"Have you ever based a game on a song? Which song?" Topic

I'm a huge fan of the late great Clancy Brothers.
There's a great song about that handsome young lad, Roddy McCorley. He's about to be hanged. The incident takes place during the ‘98, the rebellion of 1798.
The game would be called "Rescue Roddy McCorley".
I have the Old Glory Pirate figure, "man walking the plank". His arms are bound to his side. He has a name now. 😄
I have no figures for the ‘98, but I have 1730 British Marines. So, I organized a game where his friends and lovely sister Claire organized a mob to rescue Roddy from his nasty executioners. In real life, they didn't get there in time. Nor in the song. But in the game he was rescued. The evil British didn't seem to mind all that much.

I'm also painting up Rosa's Cantina and the Wicked Felina, for a game based on Marty Robbins' El Paso. I believe that has been mentioned a few times here. 🙄

So, I'm asking here if anyone has ever devised a game scenario based on a song? 🎵 🎶
How did it go?

Does "Battle of New Orleans" count? Funny you should ask! There's a SYW scenario in an Age of Reason supplement that does that very thing with Prussians vs Austrians. 😄
Yes. Our AoR guy ran that game. A good time was had by all.

I couldn't think where else to put this thread. "Music" is a Plus Board, and there's no overlap. 🤷

But, even if you haven't actually gamed it, you can suggest songs that might make a decent scenario.

The Trooper, Iron Maiden: Charge of the Light Brigade

Also tons of other Maiden songs … Aces High, Sun and Steel, To Tame a Land. And some I have not done link

I did some D&D based somewhat around Rush's 2112 album,

I have based some battles on the soundtrack to Heavy Metal (not the movie battles shown, but working form the lyrics).

And I have done one LEO/fugitive scenario based on someone who "shot a man in Reno just to watch him die".

BOC (beside the HM soundtrack) is also a good source, but I can't think of one specifically…

Barrett's Privateers would probably serve as the basis for a campaign as the Antelope cruises around the map looking for American ships carrying gold.

Warren Zevon's Jungle Work could be inspiration for a skirmish game set probably in the 1960s or 1970s in any interesting jungle hotspot. And of course Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner should be playing in the background during a game.

Life During Wartime (Talking Heads) for a RPG campaign with the PCs as spies either for the government or the insurgents (or both, as opportunity arises).

RPG campaigns definitely count!
And I loved Warren Zevon.
"Send lawyers guns and money!
The 💩 has hit the fan!"

Ah. Barrett's Privateers.
God bless Stan Rogers. He died a hero. 👍
The Antelope is certainly worth a campaign.
Manly men sing it OUT LOUD!

Some of my skirmish games end up like "ten green bottles". Not deliberately, though.

Whiskey in the jar provides a linked series of small scale scenarios

Not a game nor a scenario, but I do have a blacksmith figure as a morale marker in my AWI games, based on the New Christy Minstrels "Blacksmith of Brandywine."

Does whistling "Garryowen" during a Little Bighorn game count?

Did the song inspire the game? (Silly me! Of course it did!)

Probably a stretch, but my first exposure to World War I airwar was the Snoopy and the Red Baron song.

Did you paint your Fokker DIII red?

No need to ask for permission.
Explaining is encouraged, though.

I did a South American revolutionary game based on ABBA's Fernando. Great fun.

Not as such. Mostly I'm inspired to game within a specific genre by a song, but not to the extent of creating a scenario based on the lyrics of a song.

Though if I gamed The Battle of New Orleans, there would definitely be an alligator-cannon in the American line.

I would check Toob at Michael's. I got my sharks there. I'm fairly sure they have ‘gators.

I never designed such a game, but "(Can't Get No) Satisfaction" might have been the theme song of quite a few of my participations.

+1 robert p!

Movies and books yes. Songs no.

I also love the Clancy Brothers! Have tons of their records, going back to the 70s reissues.

Hmmm. I have no idea how this would pan out, but I'd love to see a scenario based on Nancy Sinatra's "Boots." For no real reason at all. Maybe Poison Ivy could be part of it, in a Gotham City setting. (Nancy would have been a terrific guest villain in the old Batman TV series.)

How about "Sink the Bismarck", by Johnny Horton?

I once saw a fantasy army based on "The Court of the Crimson King".

In my own case I did a D&D game loosely based on "Bad Moon Rising".

I do have a favorite song based on gaming: YouTube link

Words to live by!

Doc, the blacksmith of Brandywine could also be used in a Lord of the Rings game …

When preparing to run a game, I'm often thinking of and sometimes listening to:

YouTube link