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Shadowleaf
2010-11-09, 07:13 AM
I invest a great deal of time and effort into selection appropriate background music for my games. I feel that no session is complete without a finely selected set of tunes.

I have a standard playlist for Fantasy, medieval, modern, sci-fi and Shadowrunner-isq games.

However, when it comes to a post-apocalyptic game I am about to run, I am pretty much stumped.

The mood will be something like the Matrix' real world, with elements of Fallout. All in all, crapsack, evil and sinister.

Mood setting image:

http://huinaus.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/desert-of-the-real.jpg


I guess I want the music to display the hopelessness and vastness of the world.

Really hoping you guys can help me out.

Psyx
2010-11-09, 07:30 AM
Ooh..gosh... Well obviously you need a bit of industrial in there!
Getting a vast empty feel is quite tricky with regular music. I'd look to some movie soundtracks. Vangelis' Bladerunner soundtrack might not be a bad start. I'd probably mix that in with some Leonard Cohen and definitely something from Cash's American IV album every now and again. Radiohead might be a bit TOO depressing.

Lhurgyof
2010-11-09, 08:57 AM
Good for slavery themes. (http://artclassdrama.com/.i/_3DxSHDyQI0u2MSq3Z9L3CbATquq3Yg92LhHzL1EKqiyaY3q3q i8vBqp631r)

Good "you'll die" song (http://artclassdrama.com/.i/_3DZ2El0HI4ySGjkRI9L3CbATquq3Yg92LhHzL1EKqiyaY3q3q i8vBqp631r)

Other than that, not much. Most of the music I used was more desert themed than post-apocalyptic for Dark Sun.

Edit: Later I'll put on my playlist of the Left 4 Dead soundtrack and remove the proxy stuff if I can. (I'm in school)

dsmiles
2010-11-09, 09:01 AM
Nitzer Ebb, Clawfinger, KMFDM, Blue-Eyed Christ, Chemlab, Virus 23, all scream post-apocalyptic to me.

Sir Swindle89
2010-11-09, 09:13 AM
Old 50's music because we love Fallout

Lhurgyof
2010-11-09, 09:14 AM
Old 50's music because we love Fallout

I don't want to set the world on fire....

Shadowleaf
2010-11-09, 09:19 AM
I'm hesistant about using songs with actual singing in them - to me, it gives the impression of a 'living' world.

This fits what I'm thinking of quite nicely. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q2e8lnqwwk&feature=related) Even if it is a bit too 'epic' for the feel of the game.

Also, I feel Industrial is more Warhammer 40k / Shadowrunner than it is Post-Apocalyptic.

Psyx
2010-11-09, 09:23 AM
Post-apocalyptic [berserk! *boom-tish*], yes. But very urban. Getting across empty space, loneliness and vast and silent wastelands is quite tricky. KMFDM is about far from a dusty and rusted wasteland as you can get, for example.

I'm wondering if there's space for some classic Ennio Morricone in there, too.

Radar
2010-11-09, 10:36 AM
I'm hesistant about using songs with actual singing in them - to me, it gives the impression of a 'living' world.
(...)
Yet, the first thing, that I thought about was this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxM4EbN9lMY).

The other possibilities: Dark Knight soundtrack and Planescape (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8usOiu8StWQ) Torment (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXv95nrat_s&feature=related) soundtrack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znZgUEtTPjc&feature=related) (this one highly recommended).

Shadowleaf
2010-11-09, 10:39 AM
Yet, the first thing, that I thought about was this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxM4EbN9lMY).

The other possibilities: Dark Knight soundtrack and Planescape (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8usOiu8StWQ) Torment (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXv95nrat_s&feature=related) soundtrack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znZgUEtTPjc&feature=related) (this one highly recommended).
These are good, really good.

However, I recently played through Planescape. I'm going to cry if I have to listen to that song one more time. It's a great game - but the music isn't exactly varied.

Gravitron5000
2010-11-09, 10:48 AM
You might find some suitable music at Overclocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org/). Remixes and re-masters of video game music. For a post apocalyptic feel, I would recommend starting with the Doom and Doom II albums.

Radar
2010-11-09, 11:12 AM
So I dug deeper and found some more:
Legacy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nigXYAcNEc) of Kain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZnKMYdt40Q&feature=related)
The (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0I4d9ooz8w&feature=related) Witcher (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXUfxMTFvww&feature=related)

edit: also this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E-yYkVQmg8).

Malek
2010-11-09, 11:17 AM
If you're going for Fallout feel then why not use fallout soundtrack? From what I remember it got released for free good deal of time ago.