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athelindSongs and song titles make great adventure seeds. In the past, I've had GMs who constructed entire campaigns around albums by Jethro Tull or King Crimson.
It's especially appropriate for comic book games -- Stan Lee loved to play on pop music for his story titles. The right combination of words and the songs they describe can suggest entire, baroque scenarios. It's kind of like the way Silver Age DC (and Golden Age Pulp SF) editors would commission a cover, hand it to a writer, and say, "I need a story to go with this."
The questions to ask when you try this:
So, LiveJournal HiveMind, Your Obedient Serpent has the request lines open: give me song titles that you think would make good adventures, particularly superhero adventures.
Don't feel like you have to be obvious, but don't feel like you have to be obscure, either. "Eve of Destruction" is obvious; "Winds of Change", a bit less; "I Don't Like Mondays" sounds like a Garfield punchline unless you know the song and the story behind it.
Give me titles; if you feel like it, give me the scenarios that come to mind when YOU hear them -- or just toss them down as a challenge.
My players all read this, so I'm screening replies!
*"But that trick never works!"
It's especially appropriate for comic book games -- Stan Lee loved to play on pop music for his story titles. The right combination of words and the songs they describe can suggest entire, baroque scenarios. It's kind of like the way Silver Age DC (and Golden Age Pulp SF) editors would commission a cover, hand it to a writer, and say, "I need a story to go with this."
The questions to ask when you try this:
- What kind of scenario does the title suggest?
- Does it describe an event? An adversary? An ally or a victim? Just a general mood or theme?
- How much of the song itself can I lift to help flesh out the adventure?
So, LiveJournal HiveMind, Your Obedient Serpent has the request lines open: give me song titles that you think would make good adventures, particularly superhero adventures.
Don't feel like you have to be obvious, but don't feel like you have to be obscure, either. "Eve of Destruction" is obvious; "Winds of Change", a bit less; "I Don't Like Mondays" sounds like a Garfield punchline unless you know the song and the story behind it.
Give me titles; if you feel like it, give me the scenarios that come to mind when YOU hear them -- or just toss them down as a challenge.
My players all read this, so I'm screening replies!
*"But that trick never works!"
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no subject
Date: 2012-03-08 09:52 pm (UTC)Not so much for the titles themselves, but for the lyrics of those songs. I heartily recommend looking them up. :)
-The Gneech
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Date: 2012-03-08 11:17 pm (UTC)Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin: For this I'd imagine something to do with gaining access to space. In particular, perhaps a plot involving a space elevator, and the construction/sabotage/control thereof? The elevator in question needn't necessarily be of terran origin, of course...
Dark Side of The Moon - Pink Floyd: Album title rather than a song, in this case. Something sinister is going on way out on the far side of the Moon, and it must be dealt with. Naturally, this presupposes a storyline with aliens, or terran villains with the resources to exploit space.
Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones: Cliché time travel adventure involving someone trying to rewrite history in WWII. Possible cameo by someone who strongly resembles Captain America but for legal reasons is simply referred to as The Star-Spangled Commissioned Officer.
Manic Monday - The Bangles: A plot is uncovered involving the release of a psychotropic substance into the air or water supply. On a Monday, of course.
Offered without plot suggestion:
Mr. Roboto - Styx
Invisible Touch - Genesis (Phil Collins era)
Offered as a challenge:
Cheeseburger in Paradise - Jimmy Buffet
Crackerbox Palace - George Harrison
no subject
Date: 2012-03-08 11:41 pm (UTC)With a little fiddling around it could probably be made into either a one-shot or a full series of adventures. I've personally pegged it as being something around a magically-active Age of Sail, but it could be moved to most time periods, I'm sure. :)
no subject
Date: 2012-03-09 12:18 am (UTC)(California One/)Youth and Beauty Brigade - an army of young and beautiful people
The Abduction of Maragret - rescue mission!
Shankill Butchers - asian adventures! fighting ninja killers!
Clowns of Death - rather self explanatory.
No One Lives Forever - you know the time and date of your death but not how you die. Act accordingly.
Reptiles and Samurai - Ironclaw asian adventure!
When the Lights Go Out - zombies/werewolves/vampires or something else that goes bad after dark.
Whole Day Off - hijinks a la Ferris Beuller
no subject
Date: 2012-03-11 01:38 am (UTC)"What can you tell me about clowns, Commissioner?"
"In Gotham, they're never funny."
no subject
Date: 2012-03-09 01:47 am (UTC)The premise I came up with was that an ancient alien mad scientist (of course) had invented a spaceborne virus that caused junk DNA to activate, with some controls, which tended to transform people into animal-like versions of themselves. The virus was rolling across the Milky Way, and was dominant in the Andromeda galaxy as well. Primarily, it was an excuse to run a humans-and-furries campaign.
The scientist (who might be dead, or maybe preserved in some form, but obviously couldn't have lived as long as the virus has existed) had intended to "teach them all a lesson", but the nature of his lesson was not exactly known, as he had issued a written press release and then retired, vanishing to never be seen by the intergalactic public thereafter. So part of the campaign would have revolved around dealing with the virus (if the players want to) and maybe tracking down the guy who made it to get a cure (if one exists).
It was basically an open-form plan, with lots of opportunity to just go have adventures and even ignore the obvious Main Plot and go screw around on a backwater planet or join a spaceship race around a solar system, or play politics, or whatever.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-09 02:30 am (UTC)Ten Degrees and Getting Colder
Space Oddity
Attack of the Giant Hogweed
and, while we are on the subject of Genesis,
Nursery Cryme
no subject
Date: 2012-03-09 03:26 am (UTC)Shining - "The Madness and the Damage Done"
Opeth - "The Funeral Portrait"
Ulver - "Blinded By Blood"
Queens of the Stone Age - "Into the Hollow"
Fleet Foxes - "False Knight in the Road"
A-Ha - "Mother Nature Goes To Heaven"
Mew - "Eight Flew Over, One Was Destroyed"
no subject
Date: 2012-03-09 03:28 am (UTC)Both inspire a bit of 'freedom must prevail over tyranny' through their lyrics, though 'Knights of Cydonia' is much more a band of do-gooders looking to make their epic trek while 'Uprising' is more of a rebellion fighting against the oppressive authoritarian government.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-11 01:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-09 03:58 am (UTC)"While My Guitar Gently Weeps," the same.
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Date: 2012-03-09 02:45 pm (UTC)"New Kid in Town" by the Eagles was the start of an idea for a campaign where the first-string heroes had all perished under sinister circumstances, and the PCs had to fill their shoes. I haven't run it, but it's shaping some fiction ideas I'm kicking around.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-09 03:08 pm (UTC)Queen - Who wants to live forever?
Joan Jett - Bad reputation
Shakespear's Sister - Catwoman (from the moon)
Styx - Heavy Metal Poisoning
Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire
no subject
Date: 2012-03-09 03:53 pm (UTC)Peaceable Kingdom
Earthshine
Red Tide
Superconductor
Emotion Detector
Manhattan Project (or possibly not)
The Camera Eye
I Think I'm Going Bald.
Okay, maybe not the last one.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-11 01:42 am (UTC)some song titles
Date: 2012-03-09 04:12 pm (UTC)Black Hole Sun
Station to Station
Scary Monsters and Super Freaks
We Could be Heros
Mean Mr. Mustard
Polythene Pam
Fixing a Hole
Know Your Enemy
Bullet in The Head
War Within a Breath
no subject
Date: 2012-03-09 05:17 pm (UTC)"Death and All His Friends" and "Don't Panic" by Coldplay
"Invisible City" by the Wallflowers
"The Red Summer Sun" by Third Eye Blind
"Letterbomb" by Green Day
"Heroic Dose" by TV On The Radio
"Kids With Guns," "Fire Coming Out of a Monkey's Head" and "Man Research" by the Gorillaz
"This Devil's Workday" by Modest Mouse
"I Always Kill The Things I Love" by The Real Tuesday Weld
"Me and a Gun" by Tori Amos
"Where Boys Fear to Tread" and "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" by the Smashing Pumpkins
"The Dog Days Are Over" and "No Light, No Light" by Florence + the Machine
"White Men in Black Suits" by Everclear
....maybe I should just make a mixed CD. ;)
no subject
Date: 2012-03-11 01:42 am (UTC)