It’s true, I am a traitor to the OSR.
And it’s not just because I love Vampire: the Requiem, Pathfinder, Wraith: the Oblivion, Lacuna Part 1, and a million other new school games (holy fuck I still adore the D&D Gamma World!)… It is because I just can’t listen to Rock and Roll, Metal, or anything really in those genres. I never liked Maiden or Priest, never rocked out to Zeppelin or grooved to Floyd. AC/DC turns my crank about as much as being forced to watch CBT porn, and the only Motley Crue I enjoy is my gaming group.
It’s true. Hell, I can’t even associate with the edges of the scene who enjoy their nu metal or their Phish and Jethro Tull. Worse than that, I don’t like the soundtracks that constantly get hyped as being awesome gaming music. Blurgh.
I listen to a lot of Dubstep and Electronic Industrial, and a fair share of popular dance music. Hell, I fucking LOVE Madonna. I’m actually listening to a mix of Madonna and Dubstep tracks right now as I write this. I’ll be chucking dice to Lady GaGa and drawing maps to the soothing sounds of Noisuf-X.
Enough ranting, time to scan another few maps…
Strangely enough none of that comes through in your drawings.
I really dislike Rush (not just Rush Limbaugh; I also mean the Canadian musical trio that most D&D people seem to adore). I tried to like them when I was a teenager and seeking desperately to be more like the status quo, but it just never took.
you are not alone. Rush, among other “D&D” music, totally blows goats. In fact, just about all metal as a D&D soundtrack turns gaming into an emotionally stunted ‘tard-a-thon. I love electronic music, yet detest cyberpunk roleplaying. You know what? I just do it my way. Do the same.
One thing I’ve noticed about geeks and their tastes is that we are quite individualistic – we don’t need to follow the herd as much as more socially conscious people do. My tastes in music are quite eclectic, ranging from Beethoven through Elvis Presley to U2 and Madonna. I’ve not really tried to get into metal just because other RPGers recommend it or think it’s cool – Aerosmith is the heaviest stuff I can put up with. So good for you for deciding for yourself what you like and don’t like. And while I’m at it, it’s good to see you blogging again.
Also not a fan of Rush here. And my musical tastes lean more toward DEVO, SWANS, Fields of the Nephilim, and Siouxsie and the Banshees than Metallica, Dio, Whitesnake, and Stryper (or whatever the cool kids are listening to these days). My gaming is more inflected by “Sex God Sex” than “Master of Puppets”, more “Chord of Souls” than “Turbo Lover”, in the range of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” rather than “Tom Sawyer”. What I am saying is, you are not alone.
Hahaha! Try this blog instead of the one I linked myself to in that last comment.
Also also, while those things above are true, I do like some of that rock and/or roll (like the Blue Öyster Cult), and I am not particularly fond of the White Wolf games anymore.
Well, I grew up with all that “D&D music” but nowadays I’m tired of it and mostly into K-pop and J-rock–talk about a total “traitor” to the scene!
While I don’t share your dislike for certain music genres, it’s all good…
We all share your love for great maps and that’s what matters!
Rush is terrible, but I do like some Phish. I think. though, that your failure to hang on the every word/move of WotC and rant/squee about it is a much greater betrayal.
Wow! Never realized the extent of the Rush hate. Either way most music is pretty cool. My own memories of D&D from my childhood involve Rush, lots if Rush, Concrete Blonde, Depeche Mode(Depress Mode?), Skinny Puppy, Phill Collins, Peter Murphy, Peter Gabriel, U2, Janes Addiction, New Order, Red Hot Chili Peppers and the like.
Either way Madonna and dub step are cool with me (not that my approval of your music means jack); my preferred gaming music pieces are the Conan, Last Samurai, Gladiator and Shogun soundtracks.
More than that I’m stoked to have you posting again Dyson. Three posts in three days and the promise of a book of your maps? Woot!
Rush tends to be a band people either love or hate. Some of it comes from Neil Peart’s lyrics, especially in earlier songs when he was still a full-up Objectivist. Another factor is a dislike of Geddy Lee’s singing[1].
These are why I tend to suggest that people trying out Rush should include some instrumentals like YYZ and Malignant Narcissism.
[1] Again, this is a bigger factor in earlier songs. He doesn’t do the falsetto as much anymore.
Jethro Tull is the edge? Only for getting that Grammy and the use of an electric guitar.
Anyhoo, my teen/D&D days were mostly Tull, BOC (I was on Long Island), Yes and the usual suspects (Rush, Asia, etc.). But we did like to throw in stuff like Carmina Burana, the 1st Lord of the Rings soundtrack (which IMHO was pretty good).
My adult days haven’t stayed from those groups, but have added such as Linkin Park, Evanessence, Breakin Benjamin, etc.
By the way, love seeing the new maps. Something about that cross-hatching …
I didn’t know Rush was a D&D tag. I only ever bought Roll the Bones. Rather liked that one for the philosophical journey. I suppose a large part of it is the indie or popular music of the era the games started or we were introduced.
Right now I’m listening to Beats Antique, a very funky, eclectic sound of traditional instruments with electronic overdubbing and engineered vocals. Also partial to Tartan Amoebas, Arctic Moon and Shpongle.
How about a dubstep version of Gerry Rafferty’s Baker Street or Falco’s Rock me Amadeus? All kinds of bizarre playlists on my Spotify sidebar, from Neon Trees and The Pass to Loreena McKennit and church bells of Kent. In between you’ll find Bad Co. and Alice in Chains.
I quite like Rush, but I don’t associate them with gaming. Listening to music while playing is anathema to me. I do, however, listen to music while writing, drawing, mapmaking, and I’ll choose the music that fits the mood I want to evoke: Finnish folk music for D&D, maybe, or early ’90s techno for high-octane science fiction. Right now, I’ve just got home from seeing Sparks in concert. Absolutely bloody marvellous.
Keep the maps coming!
I can’t wrap my head around playing music as a soundtrack while gaming. I mean, as background noise, sure. But for me soundtracks imply tightly choreographed and synchronized music to action match-up. All it would take is one smart-ass, rules-lawyer or inattentive player to throw off the DM as he reads a script set to music. I don’t even want to imagine how that would look. Or try timing combat to music. The dice are often very uncooperative with a musical score.
Just how did Rush become associated with D&D anyway? If any band comes close to fitting the D&D genre it would be The Sword, whom I actually like.
When it comes to gaming background music I don’t just play music that I would like, I try to think the game as nearest equilevant of film and select soundtrack according to it, like brooding John Carpenter soundtracks, Goblin, Kraftwerk and that sort of things. Because games I run do not tend to follow scripts or there are no moments where I would read out of script my selections tend to be such they are sort of “low background noise” to establish mood. Nothing wrong with starting certain game sessions with one particular piece either that plays when everybody is getting seated, checking their sheets etc. as sort of theme song.
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I’m sorry, dubstep? Sweet Jesus. That is… what five blogs to write off? My loss, blah blah blah. Christ.
Rush is everything.
“Sometimes, things get complicated. ”
That should tell you enough about my current music interests.
Not a rocker, eh? Well, I don’t blame you with the metal et al. I could never get into that stuff either, I’m more of a good ol’ rock n. roll/rockabilly/blues guy (ESPECIALLY blues) with a love of swing too. I was hoping we could relate on that musical level but it don’t look like it (I’m also crazy for Talking Heads and Falco if that helps).
As for metal and such for gaming, not me. Being the Film Buff that I am, I’d rather have something orchestral and/or soundtrack-y to evoke the mood (although it’s a shame you don’t hear more blues in gaming – party slogging through the swamp looking for lizard men tot the tune of Clifton Chenier’s I’m A Hog For You or Howlin’ Wolf’s Mannish Boy</i).
-SJ
Whoops, make that Muddy Waters, not Howlin’ Wolf.
But his music would work too…
-SJ
You can’t say about any genre of music, probably, that it makes anything a ‘tard-a-thon’. Maybe you could but you’d have to make sure you knew your stuff. Metal is extremely varied. In fact I’d say that if you actually looked into it, there’s something for absolutely everyone in there.
I never said metal is a bad genre. quit being such a defensive metalhead. Trust me, as a former music director of a radio station I know there are plenty of subgenres within a given genre to shake a number of sticks at. I don’t like Rush, period. I never have. I find the whole idea of playing music as some sort of soundtrack or score to a gaming session to be silly and a little pretentious. You’ll never catch me doing it. Like I said before, scores and soundtracks require close timing of action and music to keep the whole thing going. If you have to repeat yourself because someone didn’t understand you, if someone is unfamiliar with a song (how much of Bach’s Tocatta and Fuge do you know beyond the opening bars) they may not “know what to do” at any moment, or if someone just doesn’t like the music they may tune the whole session out.
I think putting a gaming session to music, with the music being a key part of the game, to be something a teenage DM would do.
I’ve tried. Honestly I have. But no matter what people have pointed me to in the metal genre, there isn’t anything there for me. Nada. Zilch. Nil. Not a freakin’ pickle.
I’ve been gaming since early 80′s red box, and never played with a soundtrack and know nothing of Rush. IMHO, you could love ‘Country’ _and_ ‘western’ for all the difference it makes to your OSR cred…
Rush is a Canadian prog rock power trio, noted for their SF/fantasy inspired songs.
Here are a few pieces from Rush to get you started. Two warnings about 2112: It’s based on an Ayn Rand novel and it’s over 20 minutes long.
2112: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQEgZNqa8jE
YYZ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nmOMo4OPi4
Clockwork Angels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIAftTV4tBk