Episode 020 – Music in the Sixth World

In which Vox and Mr. Johnson cover the subject of music in the Sixth World: how GM’s and players can use music to add depth to their campaigns/characters and some house-rule crunch on moonlighting as a musician. Plus: listener questions, a new listener story, and two bonus songs!

Show notes:

To find players/GMs in your area, register on http://catalystdemos.com/

Solo adventure – In the Beginner Box set (find it here), there is a booklet with a full run-down of a character named Ms. Myth. The run-down isn’tΒ just stats, but her background and tactics, too. There’s a solo adventure at the end of that booklet for Ms. Myth to tackle.

19 thoughts on “Episode 020 – Music in the Sixth World”

  1. I think you would want to make a “venue rating” for fame. like a host rating for servers. make the test opposed rather then just open. So they have to earn their success

    Venue Ratings:
    1-2 unknown venues: Dive bars or the local Highschool

    3-4 Tiny venues: Local clubs or small theaters

    5-6 Small Venues: Chain clubs like “Dante’s Inferno” or venues known through the state

    7-8 Sizeable Venues: Known in the multi-state area

    9-10 Large venues, known country wide:

    11-12 Notable large venues known through the globe: Madison Square Garden, Hollywood Bowl, or Ozzfest and the like

    They could have their own unique type of “IC” like the heckler…rabid fans…mosh kids…poser mob..mischievous decker…blah blah blah.

    1. Ha! Have a point of edge, chummer. Tell your GM I said it was OK. πŸ˜‰ Or if you’re the GM, use it with our blessing.

      1. Huge fan of the Baldur’s Gate series. I still have Shadows of Amn on my hard drive. IMO it’s the best adaptation of pen-and-paper roleplaying in a computer game. BTW, just started Dragonfall and it’s looks like it’s doing a pretty good job of capturing the party dynamics I loved in BGII. We’ll see.

  2. Enjoyed the episode, did I catch you guys mentioning that you are in WI a couple of episodes back? I ask because I myself am in the Eau Claire area, as of 4 years ago.

    1. Thanks! Yes, it’s true: we’re Wisconsinites. πŸ™‚ How are you enjoying the state thus far?

      1. Well, being from MN its not much of a change. I definitely prefer Eau Claire to Winona, MN, where I grew up. I’m definitely ready for no more -20 degree days… πŸ˜›

        1. Ha! No, I suppose it wouldn’t be a big change would it? Yes, this week has been perfectly fine with me so far. Muddy, but fine. πŸ™‚

  3. Mr. Johnson:

    If you are a fan of Information Society, you may wish to check out their album from 2007 called _Synthesizer_. It is different from their earlier group work (P&LI, Hack) but also reflects an evolution of music technology and the band’s members. I also highly recommend buying the DVD of their show from 2009, called _It Is Useless to Resist Us_.

    There are white roses,
    The Doctor

    1. Thanks!

      I definitely picked that up when it came out. It’s a good album. The new release and announcement of the upcoming new album is exciting because all of the original line-up is back together. “Seeds of Pain” on Synthesizer was nice because it had Kurt on vocals, but it’s great to see the whole band back together. Maybe I will get a chance to see them live after all…

      -Mr. Johnson

  4. Hey Mr. Johnson, I’m a huge fan of In Flames which you probably know, but recently stumbled upon a band called Protest The Hero check out their album Volition.

    And I’ve seriously considered selling all my possessions to follow Trivium on their next tour. I can’t get enough of Matt Heafy vocals. Shogun and In Waves are two albums in my daily rotation.

    A gem I found that i don’t think most folks would know unless they’re big into the progressive metal/rock is Circus Maximus. Their album tirled Nine probably saved my life.

    Love the track atbthe end of this podcast.

    -Tiny

  5. Thanks for the suggestions, Tiny. I’m glad you liked the track I posted at the end. It’s definitely one of my favorite songs that we played, and probably the one with the best lyrics.

    I’ll have to check out some of those bands you mentioned.

    I probably mentioned it on the podcast, but my all-time favorite metal band is Blind Guardian. I also dig Amon Amarth quite a bit. I’ve recently discovered Coheed and Cambria, which I’ve been enjoying a lot. I’m not sure what genre they qualify as, but whatever it is, it’s awesome.

    1. Hansi has a set of pipes on him that (still) are just out of this world. I just stumbled upon a group called Grand Magus. Check out their most recent album Triumph and Power. It has a lot of grrat track.

      And I’m pretty sure i heard on one of your podcasts you opened for Cradle of Filth? That’s pretty nifty! Ever heard of a band out of Sweden called Ghost? They’re definitely all about the showmanship and pageantry of a metal show. I’m particularly fond of their tracks Monstrous Clock and Year Zero.

      I could blather on for pages, but here seems like a good olace to stop. The End.

      -Tiny

    2. Hello Mr. Johnson, I just started following your podcast. Marathoning through, loving every episode so far! Just so happens that Blind Guardian is my favorite metal band too. My metal-head dad introduced me to them when I was ten or so. More than a decade later, still love ’em as much as ever!

      I wanted to send a band recommendation your way: Machinae Supremacy. I hope I’m not being presumptuous, but I think you’ll like this one. They are a mix of metal, punk, and chiptune music, with some video game influences and a whole lot of cyberpunk. Their newer albums are more concept based, telling a story as a whole, while the older ones contain more stand-alone tracks.

      If that sounds like something up your alley, Overworld is probably the best album to serve as an introduction. I hope including the link is OK. They are the sort of folk who actively condone piracy of their music. Cheers!

  6. I’m years behind, but I’m listening to your podcast, and just wanted to say that “Love Actually” is one of my top ten favorite movies, and the Bill Nighy character is awesome.

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