RPG: Music for Inspiration and Atmosphere

The question was posed on Talislanta FB page regarding how we use music in our gaming sessions.

I understood that this would be a post way to long for FB, so I am putting my reply here.

The questions presented:

1) a) how many of you use music when you run a game? and; b) if you do use music, do you mainly play it in the background, or do you use certain pieces/albums/artists for specific purposes or moments in a game?
2)what CDs/bands/composers do you listen to either while gaming, or for inspiration before gaming?

I have used music in the past at the gaming table. The second part of the question, and question #2 I want to elaborate on.

While running WEG Star Wars the main theme would be used to get the players on track, and while it was playing I would recap previous events, much like the beginning of the movie with the synopsis scroll.

Since 1993, the game I have run the most often was SLA Industries, a gritty sci-fi urban horror game.

For inspiration in SLA Industries I would use anything that brought to mind corruption, rain, city life, dreams of money and fame, etc. Some of the music I had on my driving CD at the time:

Faster Pussycat - Ship Rolls In, City has no Heart
Metallica - Master of Puppets, Disposable Heroes, Damage Inc
Duran Duran - Girls on Film, A View to a Kill, Skin Trade

And many others.

During the sessions I was able to play music for background it was important to match the music with the game.

Star Wars soundtrack while running Star Wars, a given.

While playtesting Midnight Realms for Talislanta, and a few Cannibal Sector missions for SLA Industries, I had the Black Angels CD from Kronos Quartet playing, just at the audible level. Some of the violin strikes were startling, and completely appropriately timed (players and GM alike jumped at one point, lol).

Music definitely brings a new dimension to the gaming table, even if low in the background.

The main problem I ever had with using music for specific scenes was having to stop the game to get the correct track playing, or you might be stuck running a dramatic, dark scene with something upbeat.

Not sure Alien would have had the same feel with the Indiana Jones Soundtrack, lol

It is Hard to Read an E-Zine on the Toilet

Getting back into the gaming "zone" after 10 years of "here and there" I am noticing a lot of changes.  One of those being the absence of all those great gaming magazines.

Dragon, Dungeon, White Wolf, White Dwarf, SHADIS (yeah...that died in the 90s but I still miss it).  Where did they all go?  What replaces the void?  Did printing costs really go up that much, or were the smaller print run magazines over-doing themselves with quality paper?

Books seem to be the same way, just about every game has multiple pdf's available, for the same price as the actual book in many cases.  Seems a bit of a ploy to me.

I want a REAL book, a REAL magazine to read.  Something I can take to the kitchen table or work to read when times are slow.  A physical something that I can read while sitting with the family in the living room hanging out.

That being said, I really do love the print quality of the books that are being released, but do they really need to be $30-$40 (US)?  If so, why does the pdf need to be about the same cost, surely those are a lot cheaper to 'print' for the company.

Wishful thinking, I know.  With the prevalence of tablets and smartphones the printed book is on its way out.  Soon, you won't be able to loan out the players guide to that new person in the group unless you hand them the entire tablet.

If you know of any good RPG e-zines out there, link to them in the comments please, I'll be sure to add them to my smartphone browser, its a small screen, but at least its portable.