Background music for your MG game?

Mouse Guard Lockhaven
1

So I mentioned in a thread in another section that Celtic acoustic instrumentals provide an atmosphere for my MG game (only run 2 so far, but hey…). On my playlist are songs from the following artists:
The Chieftains
Lunasa
Silly Wizard
Planxty
The Bothy Band
Altan

How about you? Got any good Mouse Guard Music?

2

I’d Check Out erdenstern. Especially “into the Green”

3

My list is:

-Blackmore’s Night

-Pirates of the Caribbean OST

-Loreena Mckennitt

-Enya

Sometimes I use John Bergin’s Warhammer Soundtrack album, too. Or even some pc games’ music.

4

I generally just switch my TV (in the adjoining room to where we game) to the “light classical” or “soundscapes” cable station. A better solution might be something using Pandora.

5

Here’s some themes I think go well with Mouse Guard:

Dragon Age’s Lothering Theme is good if the players are in a village which has fallen on hard times.

This music is good for a more idyllic town.

“On the Brink of Death” is intended for climatic, dangerous scenes.

“Confusing Melody” really sets the mood for adventures set in Darkheather.

6

I ran my first game of Mouse Guard this past Saturday. For music, I selected Gathering Stories by Jónsias the campaign’s theme.

For background music during the game, I used some Ambient Nature Sounds tracks, specifically Nighttime Crickets and Forest Sounds, which alternated with a most of the songs from Hammock : Chasing After Shadows… Living with Ghosts.

Other music I used:

Russell Shaw : Bowerlake (Fable 2) - played while the mice tried to round up 6 Lunar Moth Caterpillars.

Celestiial : Waldlander Im Verbst - when our heroes were exploring the hole in the earth

Asbestoscape : Thursday & Ashen - played during the conflict with the creepy rat

Sigur Ros : Svefn-g-englar - kicked off the Player’s Turn.

7

The soundtrack of Limbo is good to use when your group’s Guardmice are stuck in Darkheather, the Wild Country, and other forbidding locations.

The first signs of winter approach: the chill wind grows strong, freezing rain forms treacherous ice over the ground and cracks open the bark of fragile trees.

You venture into Darkheather, yet there is no trace of any weasels. The place seems barren, yet traces of wet blood and days-old food indicate that some beast still lurks…

Suddenly, an arrow from behind flies over the head of one of the guardmice! The rushing footsteps of people (weasels? mice?) are fast approaching; several iron portcullises slide over the tunnel passageways, preventing escape!

The soundtrack of Lord of the Rings has very evocative music:

This music’s appropriate for an epic, climatic struggle in the adventure.

I can’t find a use for this music yet, but perhaps you folks can!

I think that this solemn music (particularly up to 2:15) is good to play during those times when the guardmice are reflecting on life, their Beliefs, or something significant.

Exile reflects uncertainty, the costs and sacrifices of a guardmouse’s life, and the desire to find hope and guidance in the darkest of times.

8

I haven’t had the chance to run a lot of Mouse Guard yet, but when I did, I went with sounds of nature and the like, depending on where they were. Maybe it was whim, but I liked it - the mice are out in the wilderness for a lot of their missions, and when they are out there, the sound of the wilderness should be ambient, everpresent. I guess I just think of my (disasterous) excursion into Algonquin Park via canoe, and the beauty there was of having no music or lights anywhere.

No music helps reinforce that. Once the mice get to a town, I might hit the Chieftans, or some Ashley MacIsaac.