Nicolas Carrier
author & tabletop game designer
Tabletop Soundtracks for LOCAL & WEIRD
Hi folks, and Happy Impending 2020!
As a present to you for the new year, I thought I’d pass along the Spotify playlists that I’ve put together for games of LOCAL & WEIRD with my friends. I’ve gotten some compliments on them, so I thought maybe others would enjoy them too, either for tabletop roleplaying or just as background music for anything else, really.
I didn’t want the usual epic fantasy orchestral stuff that most people turn to by default for background music in tabletop roleplaying games. No disrespect to the soundtracks to LotR, GoT and The Witcher, or people who rely on that sort of thing in this capacity, but that genre just isn’t the right fit for LOCAL & WEIRD, which is too contemporary, too urban, and often far too goofy for that kind of musical accompaniment. I had to look elsewhere…
I knew I wanted different playlists for different moods, so I started there, creating categories based on the needs of a tabletop roleplaying session: in combat, out of combat, etcetera. I then went looking for tracks to populate those categories, exclusively looking for things that I found enjoyable enough to hear over and over again, but also not too attention-grabby. See, I find music with words far too distracting at the gaming table, always pulling my focus away from conversations against my will, so I stuck to stuff that doesn’t have that effect on me. A few of the tracks I ended up using do have some vocals in them, but they’re never the main focus, and they’re either wordless vocalizations, or they’re in a language I don’t understand, or they’re just very brief vocal samples.
I ended up relying on a few sources a fair bit, as you’ll see if you scrutinize these lists. Some of it comes from movie or videogame soundtracks, and that feels a bit like cheating for some reason, but the tracks in question were too good to pass up. A lot of it is fairly recent stuff, but a few of the gems on there are tracks I remembered from long ago that seemed like they would be a good fit.
Anyway, I’ll keep adding to these over time, as I discover new stuff and rediscover old stuff that could fit into the various categories I’ve got. And I’ll try to keep the lists organized in such a way that one can just hit play and let them run, if that’s what one is looking for.
ENJOY!
LOCAL & WEIRD PLAYLISTS
L&W TRAVEL PLAYLIST, light and casual tunes for exploring, travelling and figuring out what to do next.
L&W TREADING CAREFULLY PLAYLIST, a tense soundtrack for sneaking and delving into places one probably should’ve avoided altogether.
L&W COMBAT PLAYLIST, a series of slapping bangers for when you need to throw the eff down.
L&W QUIETUDE PLAYLIST, chill tracks for moments of rest, relaxation and quiet wonder.
L&W SPOOKY PLAYLIST, for those moments when things get especially creepy, dark and/or ominous.
L&W ENDINGS PLAYLIST, because sometimes you need to find just the right mood for the end of a session or a campaign. This playlist gives you some options on that front, from the celebratory to the mournful.
Nicolas Carrier 