Music for/in Heroquest from kmnellist_at_... on 2003-09-11 (HeroQuest RPG)

From: kmnellist_at_...
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2003 13:13:27 EDT

I almost never use background music for games. However, I have made exceptions and ran a short session where music was integral to the game. The game was set in 9th Century Valley of Cradles, with players taking the roles of Horse Clan chiefs.

MUSIC OF THE HORSE CLANS
Handouts: character sheets with objectives. [Joraz Kyrem] Valchan the Merciless, Vitalstatistix the Indomitable, Rahvin the Smoke, Ashkar the Rock, Inca the Sane

The horse people are high spirited and brave, they favour the fearless and the bold, [the dramatic and those unafraid of making fools of themselves]. They do not quail when challenges are set before them. Do not quail now as I, Joraz Kyrem, present you with a fearsome task.

You must rouse your clans: your brave warriors and your riders - [these roles will be taken by the other players]. This is simulated by how much we enjoy your rousing performance. Each player will be dealt playing cards which are to be awarded to whoever most deserves their approval. The details of your rousing performance are left to you to some extent but I offer a choice of stirring Pure Horse music to offer a backdrop, and a few ideas, both daft and serious:

· Mime a speech keeping with the mood of the music - see Hitler for good
gesticulations, or a conductor.
· Describe your mustering forces as if you were a radio commentator- see
David Dimbleby.
· Do a crazy war dance and get others to join in.
· Sing along with the tune altering words to suit where needed.
· Demonstrate how you would do the scene as a budding Hollywood director.
(this could include cuts to offstage actions)
· Make an actual speech, either exactly as if you were asking for warriors
or as an example of your future leadership.
· Do call and response as if you were a Gospel preacher.

Music to make war to:

High Noon
Santana
Bow fight at the Zebra Corral
Drumming
I'm A Leader of a Warband
Crazy Horses
Zebra the Greek
Where Eagles Dare.
The Horses are plentiful but the Warriors are few Drumming chanting Fela, J'Ehin J'ehin
Swegbe and Pako
Oh my god what have we done this time.
Shining Symbol
1812 overture, finale.
Great Gate of Pavis

"Thus began the mustering of the horse clans, with ribald humour and battle keenness, while the vapid Heortling fyrd gathered quietly."

" The pugnacious irascibility of the Scalded Clan rose in rebarbative rhetoric to insult the Uroxi nomads with objurgating obloquy."

HERO POINT AWARDS:
Any player who participates receives a Hero Point for their Hero. The player who most accurately portrays their chief: a Hero Point. The player who makes me laugh the most: a Hero Point

Other than that, I enjoy mangling lyrics to Gloranthan purpose, and strangely tend to stick to cetain genres for certain "cultures": Sixties soul (Otis Redding mostly) for Praxian nomads (Try a Big Rhinoceros, Herd it through the Long Dry), James Brown for Mostali (Please please please don't grow, I feel like being a world machine man, movin', fix it, Gonna have a mostali work period). Strangely Balazar has gone a bit anarchic: Motorheads "The Water Wyrm" for example. It was decided in the car on the way back from the Gloranthagrouse that Morocanth should sing in a barbershop style. Subsequently I wondered if herdmen sang ala Young Frankestein's monster, but they probably sing more like Bal Sagoth.

Keith