Music to Game to: Ufomammut - Snailking

I listen to a lot of music (over 41 days worth in 2018 according to last.fm) and I find that few things help me keep the mood of a game foregrounded in my mind like a good soundtrack. Plus, I’ve discovered that when I’m playing music to a speaker via Bluetooth, I’m less likely to be on my phone, lest my players hear any stray sounds, letting me better model engagement during a game. To that end, I want to share some of my favorite music to game to; the albums that inspire and inflame my imagination and that I’ve found work well as background music for games as well. I’ll do a mini-review and cover the basics of what mood it helps me set.

Ufomammut – Snailking

Cosmic in scope and psychedelic in feel, Snailking is fantastic doom metal for games where you want mix of heavy riffs and chilling synths. There are some samples used on the songs which could be a little incongruous for high fantasy games, but overall the sweeping epic feel of the album provides a great sonic backdrop.

• Vocals?...Yes, in Italian and also samples. 
• Music Genre(s)… Doom Metal, Psychedelic Sludge
• Perfect for… Games with epic combats that could benefit from a backdrop of doom laden riffs.
• If you only grab one track, make it... “Lacrimosa” which features heavy riffs and thudding drums amidst swirling synths.

Music to Game to: Myrkur M

I listen to a lot of music (over 40 days worth in 2017 according to last.fm) and I find that few things help me keep the mood of a game foregrounded in my mind like a good soundtrack. Plus, I’ve discovered that when I’m playing music to a speaker via Bluetooth, I’m less likely to be on my phone, lest my players hear any stray sounds, letting me better model engagement during a game. To that end, I want to share some of my favorite music to game to; the albums that inspire and inflame my imagination and that I’ve found work well as background music for games as well. I’ll do a mini-review and cover the basics of what mood it helps me set.

MYRKUR – M

Myrkur’s first full length album, delivers a funereal feel, with alternating wailing black metal and ethereal choral vocals. The use of Scandinavian folk instruments lends it a Norse feel and give it a bit of medieval feeling well suited to being played during a fantasy RPG setting. While the shift between the harsh screams and ghostly, beautiful melodic vocals can feel like a bit of whiplash, it will certainly help keep your players on their toes, so to speak.

• Vocals?...Yes, in Danish
• Music Genre(s)… Black Metal
• Perfect for… Dark games with a Norse flavor, where intrepid heroes battle giants in dark valleys or struggle against revenants in misty forests.
• If you only grab one track, make it... “Skaði”, which opens with thundering drums, foreboding piano and wailing vocals, before shifting midway through the song to a more operatic and epic feel and back again.

Music to Game to: Allfather - And All Will Be Desolation

I listen to a lot of music (over 40 days worth in 2017 according to last.fm) and I find that few things help me keep the mood of a game foregrounded in my mind like a good soundtrack. Plus, I’ve discovered that when I’m playing music to a speaker via Bluetooth, I’m less likely to be on my phone, lest my players hear any stray sounds, letting me better model engagement during a game. To that end, I want to share some of my favorite music to game to; the albums that inspire and inflame my imagination and that I’ve found work well as background music for games as well. I’ll do a mini-review and cover the basics of what mood it helps me set.

ALLFATHER – AND ALL WILL BE DESOLATION

Thunderous sludge metal with heavy riffs, these songs should have your players feeling like their first level PCs can walk right up to that corrupt minor lordling and punch him right in the gut. From the first listen, this album has been inspiring dreams in me of getting to run a commoner rebellion campaign or to play a berserker dedicated to battling nefarious and rotten nobles. The refrain of “Citadels” sums up the fighting spirit of the album best… “Instead of burning bridges and raising citadels / We should be burning flags and raising fucking hell”.

• Vocals?...Yes
• Music Genre(s)… Metal, Sludge
• Perfect for…Dark, gritty fantasy games where the PCs fight the good fight against oppressive forces.
• If you only grab one track, make it... “Citadels”, the perfect theme song for a game about commoners battling decadent and corrupt nobility.