Great Gaming Music, Part One

I'm a sucker for a good RPG.  In fact, if you haven't noticed the tags in any of my stories up to this point, they're all tagged with 'Dungeons and Dragons', and take place in my campaign setting for the game.

Anyways, you can find all SORTS of great stuff to help your tabletop games work better, but I think one of the things that is skimped out on is background music.  You rarely see a fantastic RPG video game without hearing pretty great music relevant to whatever you're doing--it helps set the tone, and keeps any silences in the room from being overbearing and taking you out of the game.  That said, here's a list of some of my favorite gaming music.

Requiem for a Dream
Originally composed as the score for the climactic fight between Anakin Skywaler and Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, this song makes for a great boss fight.  Not just any boss, mind you--save this score for a big one.  I'm talking the mastermind pulling all the strings.  The guy who your PC's aren't quite sure if they're ready for yet.  The guy whose death signifies a big change.  Players get leery, but resolved, when they hear a song like this, and they know that someone is going to die--hopefully, not them.

Oblivion Battle and Morrowind Theme Remix
A fantastic mix of two songs, I love this song for boss fights.  I find it just a little too epic to use on your run-of-the-mill skeleton fight, but that first miniboss in the dungeon?  Perfect.   Players get pumped with a song like this, and they know that it's time to kick some ass.

Chapel of Skorm
From the soundtrack of Fable, on the X-box, comes this great track.  Personally, I like it for dangerous areas that haven't quite gotten to the point where swords have been drawn, such as the party sneaking through an enemy camp, or walking through a city they know they aren't too welcome in.  When players hear this music in the background, they get the feeling that everything could go South any moment.

Dusk at the Market
This hails from the fantastic Elder Scrolls IV:  Oblivion.  As it's name suggests, it works great for a market/town track, but it also works great for traveling music as the characters walk through plains, forests, and the like.  Players hear this track and are reminded that the world isn't always about killing dragons, goblins, or whatever else they may face in your game.

There you have it!  Four great tracks, sure to liven up a game session.  See you next time!