If I ran a game store I would like to play the song Best Game Ever by Mikey Mason, but it's NSFW.
It doesn't take long after someone starts role-playing for them to start recounting their favorite characters and battles and campaigns. And it doesn't take long after someone starts recounting for everyone else to realize they had to be there to really enjoy it. Mikey Mason has brought to song one of the best nights in gaming that he can recall. The party succeeded with many mighty deeds but what really capped it is that the guy in the group that irritates everyone kept getting slammed in comical fashion. For the song, Best Game Ever, you don't need to have been there to enjoy it - all you need to do is tune in and maybe sing along.
Mikey Mason likes playing his electric guitar loudly and singing loudly and, generally, making loud, gaming music. In Best Game Ever he yields to the verses, with the volume and emotion of his vocal matching the mood of the memory he's describing. The song starts with a calm retelling of the game, but as he enjoys himself more the vocals really start coming from his gut. It comes across like a gamer getting excited and losing it a little bit. Mikey states on the song's Bandcamp page that his inspiration for this song is the song Tonight by Cossbysweater (a.k.a. Allie Goertz), which is another song about role-playing but is radically different from Best Game Ever in tone and sound. I don't know what he heard to birth this song from that one. Tonight is a song I'll cover some other time on X Marks the Beat.
Best Game Ever is from Mikey Mason's 2012 album, Barbarian Jetpack. He released the song on The FuMP in 2013, as well.
Best Game Ever on Google Play
Showing posts with label Songs about Dungeons and Dragons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Songs about Dungeons and Dragons. Show all posts
Friday, April 3, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Critical Hit
If I ran a game store I would play the song Critical Hit by Ghost Mice.
Everybody who's ever seen the movie The Goonies remembers the Goonies catchphrase, "Goonies never say die." Critical Hit is a song after that same sentiment. The song takes place in a dungeon where Despair has cast its long shadow over the party. The PCs are spent and the monsters are still walking tall. It's doubtful that the DM is going to play the Deus ex Machina card, so the only thing really left to do is to hack. Hack like your lives depend on it - and hope for that natural 20. "Not all fights are won by skill, some are won by luck." That needs to be on a Chessex poster.
Ghost Mice is a two-piece folk band composed of two people who normally play punk music: Chris Clavin on guitar and Hannah Jones on violin. The two were/are in various punk bands together - and Chris started the label Plan-It-X Records - before striking into folk music. They bring a really fun sound to folk, sounding more like an Austin, Texas band than a Bloomington, Indiana one. Critical Hit has a really loose, folksy, back porch feel to it, with most of the lyrics not caring to rhyme and most of the lines not caring for meter. I tend to forget about this song and then when I hear it I hum it for a week.
Critical Hit was released on the 2007 album, Ghost Mice & Andrew Jackson Jihad. It's a split album with the first eight songs being performed by Andrew Jackson Jihad and the last eight being played by Ghost Mice.
Critical Hit on Google Play
Everybody who's ever seen the movie The Goonies remembers the Goonies catchphrase, "Goonies never say die." Critical Hit is a song after that same sentiment. The song takes place in a dungeon where Despair has cast its long shadow over the party. The PCs are spent and the monsters are still walking tall. It's doubtful that the DM is going to play the Deus ex Machina card, so the only thing really left to do is to hack. Hack like your lives depend on it - and hope for that natural 20. "Not all fights are won by skill, some are won by luck." That needs to be on a Chessex poster.
Ghost Mice is a two-piece folk band composed of two people who normally play punk music: Chris Clavin on guitar and Hannah Jones on violin. The two were/are in various punk bands together - and Chris started the label Plan-It-X Records - before striking into folk music. They bring a really fun sound to folk, sounding more like an Austin, Texas band than a Bloomington, Indiana one. Critical Hit has a really loose, folksy, back porch feel to it, with most of the lyrics not caring to rhyme and most of the lines not caring for meter. I tend to forget about this song and then when I hear it I hum it for a week.
Critical Hit was released on the 2007 album, Ghost Mice & Andrew Jackson Jihad. It's a split album with the first eight songs being performed by Andrew Jackson Jihad and the last eight being played by Ghost Mice.
Critical Hit on Google Play
Monday, March 2, 2015
Saving Throw
If I ran a game store I'd play the song Saving Throw by Shaun Varney.
Sometimes catastrophe befalls our characters. The game of Dungeons and Dragons is one of heroes, though, and not knaves. Therefore the game designers included a mechanism allowing characters to reach deep inside of themselves to overpower forces that would doom the rest of us: the saving throw. Shaun Varney has provided this heavy metal ode to the life-saving die roll. He lists a series of bad and catastrophic situations from which only a saving throw will save the character, gambling their life on the toss of a d20. He didn't get really adventurous with the lyrics, though he did get a little dark with his scenarios. It's clear he's spent time around a merciless DM.
Saving Throw is from Shaun Varney's 2006 album, Menuit the Mediocre: Truth Is in the Ear of the Beholder.
Saving Throw on Google Play
Sometimes catastrophe befalls our characters. The game of Dungeons and Dragons is one of heroes, though, and not knaves. Therefore the game designers included a mechanism allowing characters to reach deep inside of themselves to overpower forces that would doom the rest of us: the saving throw. Shaun Varney has provided this heavy metal ode to the life-saving die roll. He lists a series of bad and catastrophic situations from which only a saving throw will save the character, gambling their life on the toss of a d20. He didn't get really adventurous with the lyrics, though he did get a little dark with his scenarios. It's clear he's spent time around a merciless DM.
Saving Throw is from Shaun Varney's 2006 album, Menuit the Mediocre: Truth Is in the Ear of the Beholder.
Saving Throw on Google Play
Friday, February 27, 2015
Ready to Roll
If I ran a game store I would play the song Ready to Roll by Flashlight Brown.
This is what it sounds like when a major music label releases a punk rock song about Dungeons and Dragons. It's fast, loud, well-produced, and more mainstream than niche hobby. Most of the songs about Dungeons and Dragons that I add to this playlist are about very specific gaming elements - the DM, the dice, splitting the party, character generation. Ready to Roll is about D&D but it doesn't get into anything very specific at all. It's very much a radio play song that risks turning off the audience with its geek lingo but that doesn't place all its chips on the gamble. I think the song walks away a winner, though.
Ready to Roll is from Flashlight Brown's 2003 album, My Degeneration. It was also included on the Rugrats Go Wild soundtrack released a couple of months later. Flashlight Brown had originally recorded a cover of Should I Stay or Should I Go for the soundtrack, but the success of Ready to Roll got it placed on the album instead.
Ready to Roll on Google Play
This is what it sounds like when a major music label releases a punk rock song about Dungeons and Dragons. It's fast, loud, well-produced, and more mainstream than niche hobby. Most of the songs about Dungeons and Dragons that I add to this playlist are about very specific gaming elements - the DM, the dice, splitting the party, character generation. Ready to Roll is about D&D but it doesn't get into anything very specific at all. It's very much a radio play song that risks turning off the audience with its geek lingo but that doesn't place all its chips on the gamble. I think the song walks away a winner, though.
Ready to Roll is from Flashlight Brown's 2003 album, My Degeneration. It was also included on the Rugrats Go Wild soundtrack released a couple of months later. Flashlight Brown had originally recorded a cover of Should I Stay or Should I Go for the soundtrack, but the success of Ready to Roll got it placed on the album instead.
Ready to Roll on Google Play
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
This Fantasy World
If I ran a game store I would play the song This Fantasy World by The Doubleclicks.
Sometimes a guy attracts a girl by making a real world Charisma check and sometimes a guy attracts a girl by making an in-game Charisma check. We've all seen or imagined attraction happening at the gaming table. In-game heroics mix with real world flirting to maybe get the two on a date. That's where This Fantasy World dwells. It's the tale of a crush that develops during a campaign and the girl's efforts to woo the guy. There's a "kids version" and an explicit version, with the differences in the explicit version being a bad word, the use of "stupid" instead of "silly", and her goal being sex rather than a date. Musically, they both have a very full sound provided by a cello and an acoustic guitar with the two sisters singing the gently tumbling lyrics. If I ran a game store I would play the kids version.
This Fantasy World (explicit version) was released on The Doubleclicks' 2012 album, Chainmail and Cello. This Fantasy World (kids version) was released on their other 2012 album, Worst Superpower Ever. What The Doubleclicks did is to release both albums on the same day, with Worst Superpower Ever having clean versions of many of the songs on Chainmail and Cello. This is a boon for X Marks the Beat because The Doubleclicks are both prolific and excellent and I plan to add many more of their songs here. Providing family-friendly versions of their music allows me to play those songs in my non-existent game store.
This Fantasy World (kids version) on Bandcamp
Here's a fan video using the explicit version of the song:
Sometimes a guy attracts a girl by making a real world Charisma check and sometimes a guy attracts a girl by making an in-game Charisma check. We've all seen or imagined attraction happening at the gaming table. In-game heroics mix with real world flirting to maybe get the two on a date. That's where This Fantasy World dwells. It's the tale of a crush that develops during a campaign and the girl's efforts to woo the guy. There's a "kids version" and an explicit version, with the differences in the explicit version being a bad word, the use of "stupid" instead of "silly", and her goal being sex rather than a date. Musically, they both have a very full sound provided by a cello and an acoustic guitar with the two sisters singing the gently tumbling lyrics. If I ran a game store I would play the kids version.
This Fantasy World (explicit version) was released on The Doubleclicks' 2012 album, Chainmail and Cello. This Fantasy World (kids version) was released on their other 2012 album, Worst Superpower Ever. What The Doubleclicks did is to release both albums on the same day, with Worst Superpower Ever having clean versions of many of the songs on Chainmail and Cello. This is a boon for X Marks the Beat because The Doubleclicks are both prolific and excellent and I plan to add many more of their songs here. Providing family-friendly versions of their music allows me to play those songs in my non-existent game store.
This Fantasy World (kids version) on Bandcamp
Here's a fan video using the explicit version of the song:
Friday, January 23, 2015
D&D
If I ran a game store I would play the song D&D by SJ Tucker.
If I ran a game store I would make a point to play this song daily. This song is about gamers clocking out of work and gathering at their favorite local game store to play Dungeons and Dragons. It doesn't get more on theme than that for this blog. SJ Tucker and her guitar play a loving and gentle tribute to the grand ol' game of D&D. She doesn't lament dice rolls or dungeon masters, nor rules lawyers nor muchkins. Instead, she croons about the pleasure of pretending with friends and the camaraderie that role-playing games provide. I interpret this song as an ode to the entire hobby of adventure gaming.
D&D is a parody of the song The Napoli by Show of Hands (from their 2009 album, Arrogance, Ignorance & Greed). It was released on SJ Tucker's 2011 album, Mischief, as a digital-only bonus song. As such, the only place I've found to buy it is on SJ Tucker's website. There is a music video of D&D included on the 2011 DVD The Gamers: Dorkness Rising Special Edition, produced by Dead Gentlemen Productions. I've embedded the video. Note that the song is sometimes called Playing D&D, as it is in the video.
D&D on SJ Tucker's website
If I ran a game store I would make a point to play this song daily. This song is about gamers clocking out of work and gathering at their favorite local game store to play Dungeons and Dragons. It doesn't get more on theme than that for this blog. SJ Tucker and her guitar play a loving and gentle tribute to the grand ol' game of D&D. She doesn't lament dice rolls or dungeon masters, nor rules lawyers nor muchkins. Instead, she croons about the pleasure of pretending with friends and the camaraderie that role-playing games provide. I interpret this song as an ode to the entire hobby of adventure gaming.
D&D is a parody of the song The Napoli by Show of Hands (from their 2009 album, Arrogance, Ignorance & Greed). It was released on SJ Tucker's 2011 album, Mischief, as a digital-only bonus song. As such, the only place I've found to buy it is on SJ Tucker's website. There is a music video of D&D included on the 2011 DVD The Gamers: Dorkness Rising Special Edition, produced by Dead Gentlemen Productions. I've embedded the video. Note that the song is sometimes called Playing D&D, as it is in the video.
D&D on SJ Tucker's website
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Screw You, DM!
If I ran a game store I would play the song Screw You, DM! by Dan Marcotte.
Dungeon Masters can be messed up. They can be stingy with loot, adhere tyrannically to dice rolls, alter the character that you've crafted, and put you into no-win situations. I don't think it's uncommon for there to be hurt feelings at the gaming table every now and then. Apparently Dan Marcotte has attended some of those gaming tables because he has released Screw You, DM! to be the song you sing as you cry in your beer. Screw You, DM! is a parody of the famous Irish folk standard Whiskey in the Jar, with Marcotte's version sounding closer to The Dubliners' 1960s version than the Metallica or Thin Lizzy covers. Marcotte performs the song in his Renaissance bardic style, complete with lute and recorder. It's song is sung from the perspective of a wronged D&D player, with examples of unfair play to which we can all relate. He made sure to add in plenty of D&D vocabulary to make it a very fitting song for my imaginary game store.
Screw You, DM! was released on Dan Marcotte's 2009 album, Manticores and Owlbears.
Screw You, DM! on Google Play
Dungeon Masters can be messed up. They can be stingy with loot, adhere tyrannically to dice rolls, alter the character that you've crafted, and put you into no-win situations. I don't think it's uncommon for there to be hurt feelings at the gaming table every now and then. Apparently Dan Marcotte has attended some of those gaming tables because he has released Screw You, DM! to be the song you sing as you cry in your beer. Screw You, DM! is a parody of the famous Irish folk standard Whiskey in the Jar, with Marcotte's version sounding closer to The Dubliners' 1960s version than the Metallica or Thin Lizzy covers. Marcotte performs the song in his Renaissance bardic style, complete with lute and recorder. It's song is sung from the perspective of a wronged D&D player, with examples of unfair play to which we can all relate. He made sure to add in plenty of D&D vocabulary to make it a very fitting song for my imaginary game store.
Screw You, DM! was released on Dan Marcotte's 2009 album, Manticores and Owlbears.
Screw You, DM! on Google Play
Friday, January 16, 2015
Never Split the Party
If I ran a game store I would play the song Never Split the Party by Emerald Rose.
We've all had our reasons for parting ways in an RPG. Maybe you thought the level was cleared. Maybe the thief has a separate agenda. Maybe half the party fell to a lower level. Whatever the case, the standard Dungeons and Dragons party has been balanced to work well together and are often rubbish when missing key roles, hence these words of sage advice: never split the party. That's the takeaway from this song by Emerald Rose. Never Split the Party is a casual, folk rock song about an adventuring party that splits and suffers great woe before they can reunite. The song begins with the band members clowning around at the gaming table and all throughout the song they can be heard cracking wise behind the lyrics. The jesting captures the mood of many of the gaming tables at which I have sat and is very welcoming.
Never Split the Party is from Emerald Rose's 2007 album, Con Suite. They've been recording Celtic rock / folk and Pagan songs since 1998. Con Suite is their only album dedicated to comedy, pop culture, and gaming, but it's a winner and I will be adding another song or two from it to X Marks the Beat.
Never Split the Party on Google Play
Never Split the Party lyrics
I know I had a Dungeon Master's Screen here somewhere.
Who has my glow-in-the-dark twenty-sided?
Hey, I can't find my character sheet. Where's my character- oh, there it is.
That's my beer. You're gonna have to roll a saving throw.
It's in with the Cheetos.
If I catch someone looking at my Dungeon Master's Screen more than dice are gonna roll.
I know I gave it to somebody over here and I didn't get it back.
Roll for initiative.
I can't roll. Ew, now it's got yellow on it.
We were skulking through this dungeon, a mighty sorry lot
Old Galliard the fighter had been actin' like a sot
Our cleric had colitis, our torches all were wet
But we had to find some treasure soon to get us out of debt
All right, who had the damn lobster bisque?
So Galliard and Sonja were itchin' for a fight
They both took the left fork, while we went to the right
And that is when we heard it: the sound of rollin' dice
We wondered why we had ignored those words of sage advice
Two words: diversified portfolio
Don't you know you never split the party?
Clerics in the back keep those fighters hale and hearty
The wizard in the middle where he can shed some light
And you never let that damn thief out of sight
So then we heard this bellow from back around the bend
We turned around to see if there was aid that we could lend
And suddenly the corridor was covered up with orcs
We fell back in a panic, feeling like a bunch of dorks
One of my dice are cubic zirconia
The thief had pissed his leathers, our monk was turning blue
Our wizard got all flustered and he covered us with goo
The cleric swung his holy club some orcish skulls to break
We tried to dodge his back-swing as we pondered our mistake
Don't you know you never split the party?
Clerics in the back keep those fighters hale and hearty
The wizard in the middle where he can shed some light
And you never let that damn thief out of sight
We finally found our fighters, they were hacking at a troll
They chopped off knees and elbows but it kept on growing whole
Our wizard flung his fireball, his dice they did not fail
He torched that troll and left the fighters roasting in their mail
The cleric had his hands full, apologies were said
We swore an oath we'd stick together just like we were wed
But then we found that sneaky thief had vanished in the gloom
We caught him stuffing pockets in the secret treasure room
Heh heh, heh heh, heh heh, I'm in politics
Don't you know you never split the party?
Clerics in the back keep those fighters hale and hearty
The wizard in the middle where he can shed some light
And you never let that damn thief out of sight
Don't you know you never split the party?
Clerics in the back keep those fighters hale and hearty
The wizard in the middle where he can shed some light
And you never let that damn thief
You never let that damn thief
You never let that damn thief out of sight
Saving at minus four
We've all had our reasons for parting ways in an RPG. Maybe you thought the level was cleared. Maybe the thief has a separate agenda. Maybe half the party fell to a lower level. Whatever the case, the standard Dungeons and Dragons party has been balanced to work well together and are often rubbish when missing key roles, hence these words of sage advice: never split the party. That's the takeaway from this song by Emerald Rose. Never Split the Party is a casual, folk rock song about an adventuring party that splits and suffers great woe before they can reunite. The song begins with the band members clowning around at the gaming table and all throughout the song they can be heard cracking wise behind the lyrics. The jesting captures the mood of many of the gaming tables at which I have sat and is very welcoming.
Never Split the Party is from Emerald Rose's 2007 album, Con Suite. They've been recording Celtic rock / folk and Pagan songs since 1998. Con Suite is their only album dedicated to comedy, pop culture, and gaming, but it's a winner and I will be adding another song or two from it to X Marks the Beat.
Never Split the Party on Google Play
Never Split the Party lyrics
I know I had a Dungeon Master's Screen here somewhere.
Who has my glow-in-the-dark twenty-sided?
Hey, I can't find my character sheet. Where's my character- oh, there it is.
That's my beer. You're gonna have to roll a saving throw.
It's in with the Cheetos.
If I catch someone looking at my Dungeon Master's Screen more than dice are gonna roll.
I know I gave it to somebody over here and I didn't get it back.
Roll for initiative.
I can't roll. Ew, now it's got yellow on it.
We were skulking through this dungeon, a mighty sorry lot
Old Galliard the fighter had been actin' like a sot
Our cleric had colitis, our torches all were wet
But we had to find some treasure soon to get us out of debt
All right, who had the damn lobster bisque?
So Galliard and Sonja were itchin' for a fight
They both took the left fork, while we went to the right
And that is when we heard it: the sound of rollin' dice
We wondered why we had ignored those words of sage advice
Two words: diversified portfolio
Don't you know you never split the party?
Clerics in the back keep those fighters hale and hearty
The wizard in the middle where he can shed some light
And you never let that damn thief out of sight
So then we heard this bellow from back around the bend
We turned around to see if there was aid that we could lend
And suddenly the corridor was covered up with orcs
We fell back in a panic, feeling like a bunch of dorks
One of my dice are cubic zirconia
The thief had pissed his leathers, our monk was turning blue
Our wizard got all flustered and he covered us with goo
The cleric swung his holy club some orcish skulls to break
We tried to dodge his back-swing as we pondered our mistake
Don't you know you never split the party?
Clerics in the back keep those fighters hale and hearty
The wizard in the middle where he can shed some light
And you never let that damn thief out of sight
We finally found our fighters, they were hacking at a troll
They chopped off knees and elbows but it kept on growing whole
Our wizard flung his fireball, his dice they did not fail
He torched that troll and left the fighters roasting in their mail
The cleric had his hands full, apologies were said
We swore an oath we'd stick together just like we were wed
But then we found that sneaky thief had vanished in the gloom
We caught him stuffing pockets in the secret treasure room
Heh heh, heh heh, heh heh, I'm in politics
Don't you know you never split the party?
Clerics in the back keep those fighters hale and hearty
The wizard in the middle where he can shed some light
And you never let that damn thief out of sight
Don't you know you never split the party?
Clerics in the back keep those fighters hale and hearty
The wizard in the middle where he can shed some light
And you never let that damn thief
You never let that damn thief
You never let that damn thief out of sight
Saving at minus four
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Natural 20
If I ran a game store I would play the song Natural 20 by Efenwealt Wystle.
We've all been in that situation where the odds are stacked against us. The target number is either impossibly high or the dice modifiers are deep into the negatives. Often enough you need to make the roll to even survive the encounter. Yeah, it's like that. There's only one number that'll save you now: natural twenty. That's this song. It's an ode to that one face on the icosahedron that allows you to do as you please and it's the one face that the DM cannot thwart.
Natural 20 was written by Scott Vaughan who recorded the first version under his band name, The Blibbering Humdingers. It was released as a single in 2011 with the title Natural 20. Next, the song was released on The Blibbering Humdingers' 2012 album, Free Awkward Hugs, with the title Natural 20 (album remix). Then in 2014, Mikey Mason (a personal friend of Scott) recorded a much heavier version of the song on his album, dodecahedron. A month later Efenwealt Wystle released the album Holding On with a new version of the song, titled Natural 20 (living room version). Other than Mikey Mason's version, the differences between the versions are minor - the most notable difference is the prose portion of the songs. I like the living room version because it sounds like it was recorded in the Vaughan living room, which to me is a reminder that the hobby game industry was (and in many ways still is) a cottage industry started in basements, living rooms, and garages. If I ran a game store I would play the Efenwealt Wystle "living room version", although I enjoy all the versions I have heard.
We've all been in that situation where the odds are stacked against us. The target number is either impossibly high or the dice modifiers are deep into the negatives. Often enough you need to make the roll to even survive the encounter. Yeah, it's like that. There's only one number that'll save you now: natural twenty. That's this song. It's an ode to that one face on the icosahedron that allows you to do as you please and it's the one face that the DM cannot thwart.
Natural 20 was written by Scott Vaughan who recorded the first version under his band name, The Blibbering Humdingers. It was released as a single in 2011 with the title Natural 20. Next, the song was released on The Blibbering Humdingers' 2012 album, Free Awkward Hugs, with the title Natural 20 (album remix). Then in 2014, Mikey Mason (a personal friend of Scott) recorded a much heavier version of the song on his album, dodecahedron. A month later Efenwealt Wystle released the album Holding On with a new version of the song, titled Natural 20 (living room version). Other than Mikey Mason's version, the differences between the versions are minor - the most notable difference is the prose portion of the songs. I like the living room version because it sounds like it was recorded in the Vaughan living room, which to me is a reminder that the hobby game industry was (and in many ways still is) a cottage industry started in basements, living rooms, and garages. If I ran a game store I would play the Efenwealt Wystle "living room version", although I enjoy all the versions I have heard.
Monday, January 12, 2015
M is for Magic Missile
If I ran a game store I would play the song M is for Magic Missile by Mary Crowell.
If there was a Schoolhouse Rock! crossover with Dungeons and Dragons, this song is what I imagine it would sound like. It's an A, B, Cs song sung at an adult level and with all of the letters corresponding to arcane spells in D&D. Mary Crowell plays her piano and belts out the lyrics with such style that there are times it almost feels like a Broadway show tune. You'd never think an A, B, Cs song could be so catchy. M is for Magic Missile is from Mary Crowell's 2012 album, Acolytes of the Machine & Other Gaming Stories. The song was entered into ENWorld.org's "Battle of the Bards" 2012 competition but didn't pass its heat. However, one of Mary's other songs, I Put My Low Stat, took first place in that competition.
M is for Magic Missile on Google Play
If there was a Schoolhouse Rock! crossover with Dungeons and Dragons, this song is what I imagine it would sound like. It's an A, B, Cs song sung at an adult level and with all of the letters corresponding to arcane spells in D&D. Mary Crowell plays her piano and belts out the lyrics with such style that there are times it almost feels like a Broadway show tune. You'd never think an A, B, Cs song could be so catchy. M is for Magic Missile is from Mary Crowell's 2012 album, Acolytes of the Machine & Other Gaming Stories. The song was entered into ENWorld.org's "Battle of the Bards" 2012 competition but didn't pass its heat. However, one of Mary's other songs, I Put My Low Stat, took first place in that competition.
M is for Magic Missile on Google Play
Friday, January 9, 2015
Fred the Ranger
If I ran a game store I would play the song Fred the Ranger by Dan Marcotte.
We've all seen bits on TV of campy, medieval king's courts where there is a jester and a minstrel. The jester fails to get a laugh and is dismissed, so the king calls for music. The lute and/or recorder strikes up a tune as the scene changes to another camera, this time showing characters in conversation, and the music fades into the background. The music in that scene is akin to what Dan Marcotte plays, only he laces his with lyrics about modern and geeky subjects. In Fred the Ranger, he strums his guitar and sings about D&D-styled rangers while a recorder and drum round out the accompaniment. The song belongs in both game stores and around campfires, and the guy singing it needs a plume in his hat. The song follows Fred from a young age until his retirement, recounting his favored enemies and some of his more memorable kills. Alas, it also follows Fred out of his retirement in a verse that serves as a warning to all role-players: do not overestimate your character.
Fred the Ranger was released on Dan Marcotte's 2009 album, Manticores and Owlbears.
Fred the Ranger on Google Play
We've all seen bits on TV of campy, medieval king's courts where there is a jester and a minstrel. The jester fails to get a laugh and is dismissed, so the king calls for music. The lute and/or recorder strikes up a tune as the scene changes to another camera, this time showing characters in conversation, and the music fades into the background. The music in that scene is akin to what Dan Marcotte plays, only he laces his with lyrics about modern and geeky subjects. In Fred the Ranger, he strums his guitar and sings about D&D-styled rangers while a recorder and drum round out the accompaniment. The song belongs in both game stores and around campfires, and the guy singing it needs a plume in his hat. The song follows Fred from a young age until his retirement, recounting his favored enemies and some of his more memorable kills. Alas, it also follows Fred out of his retirement in a verse that serves as a warning to all role-players: do not overestimate your character.
Fred the Ranger was released on Dan Marcotte's 2009 album, Manticores and Owlbears.
Fred the Ranger on Google Play
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Roll a D6
If I ran a game store I would play the song Roll a D6 by Connor Anderson and Zac Smith.
You've hatched a plan at the game table but it involves off-the-wall shenanigans. What's a proper GM to say? That's where Connor Anderson was when his DM, Zac Smith, had him roll a d6. Zac gave him the instruction and the inspiration for this song was immediate. Hours later they had a final draft of the lyrics, parodying the song Like a G6 by Far East Movement. Roll a D6 gives a series of gaming vignettes that all resolve with the DM commanding resolution by six-sided die. You want to avoid a thing? You want to see a thing? You want to swipe a thing? D6, d6, and d6, respectively; let fate take control.
Roll a D6 was released direct to YouTube in May 2011.
Roll a D6 on Amazon
You've hatched a plan at the game table but it involves off-the-wall shenanigans. What's a proper GM to say? That's where Connor Anderson was when his DM, Zac Smith, had him roll a d6. Zac gave him the instruction and the inspiration for this song was immediate. Hours later they had a final draft of the lyrics, parodying the song Like a G6 by Far East Movement. Roll a D6 gives a series of gaming vignettes that all resolve with the DM commanding resolution by six-sided die. You want to avoid a thing? You want to see a thing? You want to swipe a thing? D6, d6, and d6, respectively; let fate take control.
Roll a D6 was released direct to YouTube in May 2011.
Roll a D6 on Amazon
Monday, January 5, 2015
I Put My Low Stat
If I ran a game shop I would like to play the song I Put My Low Stat by Mary Crowell, but it's NSFW.
Roll 4d6, drop the low number, sum the rest, and note the total. Do it five more times and you've got the first step in Dungeons and Dragons character creation. Next you assign the numbers to your stats and in doing so you essentially dictate your character's class. We've all been through the woes, but it took Mary Crowell to write and record a song about it. I Put My Low Stat features Mary singing pleasantly over her piano about the pros and cons of assigning the low stat to all six abilities. She drops plenty of D&D lingo and a solitary swear word. I waffled on labeling this song NSFW for the lone swear word, but I decided the balance of the language and the gentle way she swears made the song okay to play in my fictional game store.
I Put My Low Stat was released on Mary Crowell's 2012 album, Acolytes Of The Machine & Other Gaming Stories - which has many other excellent songs about Dungeons and Dragons. The abiding role-playing website, ENWorld.org, hosted "The Battle of the Bards" music competition in 2012. One month after Mary's album released, she won the top prize for I Put My Low Stat.
I Put My Low Stat on Google Play
Roll 4d6, drop the low number, sum the rest, and note the total. Do it five more times and you've got the first step in Dungeons and Dragons character creation. Next you assign the numbers to your stats and in doing so you essentially dictate your character's class. We've all been through the woes, but it took Mary Crowell to write and record a song about it. I Put My Low Stat features Mary singing pleasantly over her piano about the pros and cons of assigning the low stat to all six abilities. She drops plenty of D&D lingo and a solitary swear word. I waffled on labeling this song NSFW for the lone swear word, but I decided the balance of the language and the gentle way she swears made the song okay to play in my fictional game store.
I Put My Low Stat was released on Mary Crowell's 2012 album, Acolytes Of The Machine & Other Gaming Stories - which has many other excellent songs about Dungeons and Dragons. The abiding role-playing website, ENWorld.org, hosted "The Battle of the Bards" music competition in 2012. One month after Mary's album released, she won the top prize for I Put My Low Stat.
I Put My Low Stat on Google Play
Friday, January 2, 2015
D & D
If I ran a game store I would play the song D & D by Stephen Lynch.
One of the nice things about gamers is that we have an understanding of how geeky our hobbies are. We've learned to take a few jabs as long as its done the right way. Stephen Lynch is a comedian and musician who jabs at gamers with his D & D routine. The bit calls for two voices, so he's joined in the recording by Mark Teich. D & D is a comedy song that highlights some of the standard gamer stereotypes, i.e. the virgin living in the parents' basement. It's performed in front of audiences that might be laughing at gamers, but the song is so off the mark of reality that even gamers can have a laugh at it. Since it's a comedy routine the lyrics are often in prose, but I didn't bother to note that in the lyrics I provided. Also, it's a routine that is still performed and it has evolved over time. The D & D version I would play in my game store is from Lynch's 2003 album, Superhero. He also released a version title D&D (Live 2005) on his 2005 album, The Craig Machine. The 2005 version is longer, but it contains a fair bit of swearing and isn't really fit for playing in an all-ages store. I haven't checked, but I imagine there being plenty of recording on YouTube will all sort of variant lyrics.
D & D on Google Play
One of the nice things about gamers is that we have an understanding of how geeky our hobbies are. We've learned to take a few jabs as long as its done the right way. Stephen Lynch is a comedian and musician who jabs at gamers with his D & D routine. The bit calls for two voices, so he's joined in the recording by Mark Teich. D & D is a comedy song that highlights some of the standard gamer stereotypes, i.e. the virgin living in the parents' basement. It's performed in front of audiences that might be laughing at gamers, but the song is so off the mark of reality that even gamers can have a laugh at it. Since it's a comedy routine the lyrics are often in prose, but I didn't bother to note that in the lyrics I provided. Also, it's a routine that is still performed and it has evolved over time. The D & D version I would play in my game store is from Lynch's 2003 album, Superhero. He also released a version title D&D (Live 2005) on his 2005 album, The Craig Machine. The 2005 version is longer, but it contains a fair bit of swearing and isn't really fit for playing in an all-ages store. I haven't checked, but I imagine there being plenty of recording on YouTube will all sort of variant lyrics.
D & D on Google Play
Friday, December 26, 2014
Game On
If I ran a game store I would like to play the song Game On by 3d6, but it's NSFW.
The lines don't all rhyme and they don't all have the right number of syllables and the song is a bit too loud and it's sort of offensive. That's all because 3d6 is a "nerd punk" band. They're rules breakers, not rules lawyers. Game On is their ode to D&D. It's about a guy and his girlfriend who decide to visit their favorite local game store and get in an adventure. The guy has a problem with the DM, who seems to be favoring the other PCs and his own NPCs, so the guy goes outside and cuts the brakes on the DM's car. Even if this song were SFW it would still go on the IFFY list because it's messed up. The voice of the song is rather impatient and sounds angry, and who wants to game while listening to that? I might. I listen to this song while I drive and I enjoy its hectic pace.
I get the feeling that the guys in 3d6 - Dave, Anthony, and Rudy - were all delinquents. I envision them at 13-years-old, watching ThunderCats on the patio where they're allowed to smoke and curse at Lion-O. They probably game with half-melted minis because they like to destroy stuff. They're dice throwers for sure. Maybe I'm wrong, but their music makes me think this.
Game On is from 3d6's 2011 album, Damage.
Game On on Google Play
The lines don't all rhyme and they don't all have the right number of syllables and the song is a bit too loud and it's sort of offensive. That's all because 3d6 is a "nerd punk" band. They're rules breakers, not rules lawyers. Game On is their ode to D&D. It's about a guy and his girlfriend who decide to visit their favorite local game store and get in an adventure. The guy has a problem with the DM, who seems to be favoring the other PCs and his own NPCs, so the guy goes outside and cuts the brakes on the DM's car. Even if this song were SFW it would still go on the IFFY list because it's messed up. The voice of the song is rather impatient and sounds angry, and who wants to game while listening to that? I might. I listen to this song while I drive and I enjoy its hectic pace.
I get the feeling that the guys in 3d6 - Dave, Anthony, and Rudy - were all delinquents. I envision them at 13-years-old, watching ThunderCats on the patio where they're allowed to smoke and curse at Lion-O. They probably game with half-melted minis because they like to destroy stuff. They're dice throwers for sure. Maybe I'm wrong, but their music makes me think this.
Game On is from 3d6's 2011 album, Damage.
Game On on Google Play
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