Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Music and Your Characters

For me I love to listen to classical and some soft rock (I think that's the term lol) while I write. Classical is the best because I can have music which helps lay the feel of a battle or a romantic moment. Just depends on what I pull out. Another thing I like is finding a song which fits my character, which could work for both book characters or role playing characters.

Some music just hits the spot for me and screams "There's my character!" One such is "Bring me to life" by Evanescence. It hits the spot for Elly, who knows nothing about her past. I've cycled through a few for Tarkil and Kenna, but my favorite for Guthlaf is "Renegades, Rebels and Rogues" from the Maverick movie...yes, western music, but even so, it fits Guthlaf's personality, despite being a dwarf.

Also I like to play a single song over and over again while writing a particular scene. Several of my more prominent scenes have a song I play while editing/writing them. One such is when the group finds the Lost Library of Janesh. The song is from the World of Warcraft Cataclysm sound track and is wonderful for that mystical feeling. (Yes, video games have excellent instrumental sound tracks and you should listen to them...professional orchestras are obviously used for them.) You could use the same concept while trying to write up an adventure, as well. Think of how you want the adventure to go, high paced, slow and personal, meeting a king, and pick some music to fit the bill.

I suggest if a person really wants to get to know their character have them find a theme song. Not necessarily to play during a game, but to give not only the player, but the rest of the group, and idea of how this character roles.

Happy Gaming!

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