The release of DCC #100: The Music of the Spheres (is Chaos) is on the horizon, so Dieter Zimmerman takes a look at the relationship between DCC RPG and music in a series of blog posts appropriately titled “The Music of DCC (is Chaos).” Join him as he decides which Goodman Games person has the most embarrassing taste in music, as he interviews some bands associated with DCC RPG, and as he examines songs that specifically reference Appendix N authors and some that are written by Appendix N authors!
THE MUSIC OF DCC (IS CHAOS) #1: The Goodman Games Playlist
By Dieter Zimmerman
Dungeon Crawl Classics has always had a special relationship with music. Wherever DCC players turn up, sooner or later the question will come up: “What music do you listen to for DCC inspiration?” It’s been discussed on the Goodman Games forums many times, and there was even a G+ group specifically for DCC music. A search for DCC RPG on Spotify reveals a number of playlists by creators and fans. DCC RPG and the associated modules have some pretty specific artistic vibes, but different people musically interpret those vibes in a variety of ways.
I asked a bunch of DCC RPG writers, artists, and editors to give me five songs that they most associated with DCC, and then I mashed them all into a playlist for you to enjoy!
Not surprisingly because of the sword and sorcery angle, metal bands and prog-rock bands get mentioned a lot. Black Sabbath, Hawkwind, The Sword, High on Fire, Iron Maiden, Blue Oyster Cult, Jethro Tull, Manowar, and Slayer get mentioned a lot in particular. Other bands such as Glitter Wizard and Saint Karloff get mentioned because they have specific ties to the DCC RPG community.
But it’s not all doom and acid trips! We “adventure like it’s 1974” right? Some of the artists and writers involved with DCC aren’t metalheads at all, and their playlists hearken back to more popular music of the 70’s and early 80’s: classic rock and even a little disco and pop. The Cars, Kansas, the Moody Blues, Led Zepplin, Styx, and Steppenwolf are the staples of these playlists.
Still, others prefer tracks that could conceivably exist in a more medieval DCC setting: evocative pieces from soundtracks, traditional music (often with a bit of a metal attitude), and other instrumentals. The soundtracks to Conan the Barbarian and Hellraiser were mentioned more than once, and bands like Dead Can Dance, Fairport Convention, and Corvus Corax are represented as well.
So without further ado, here it is: The Music of DCC (is Chaos) playlist! Over 10 hours of DCC inspiration from the creators themselves!
But that’s not all. I mentioned earlier that the topic of music and DCC is one that’s been discussed frequently over the years. While delving into the archives of the Goodman Games forums, I found an old thread wherein the Dark Master himself shares his DCC playlist. So to answer the teaser posed in the introduction, Joe Goodman has the most embarrassing taste in music: Joe Goodman’s playlist
Your favorite DCC music isn’t on the playlist? Add it to your DCC Playlist!
The Music of DCC (is Chaos) playlist was created by David Baity, Steve Bean, Julian Bernick, Bob Brinkman, Mike Curtis, Mike Evans, Jeff Goad, Jon Hershberger, Edgar Johnson, Howard Andrew Jones, Doug Kovacs, Brendan Lasalle, Peter Mullen, Marzio Muscedere, Stephen Newton, Terry Olson, Stefan Poag, Wayne Snyder, Thorin Thompson, and Dieter Zimmerman.
