In earlier blog articles we have talked about ambient music mixes that have been inspired by video games, or background sound mixes that could fit perfectly into a board game evening. Yet, there are other kinds of games we want to have a look at as well.
RPG – Role Play Games – are a big field that spans from “traditional” Pen&Paper or tabletop RPGs to lavish and even extravagant LARPs – Life Action Role Plays – where people actually dress up, spend hours designing, sewing, and putting together their costume, and meet in the “real world” out there. Our focus today is on even another kind though, the miniature table top RPGs!
What’s a Miniature Table Top RPG?
Table Top RPGs – as the name already suggests – are played at a table. Depending on the game, a small table that holds enough space for the players and the leading game master is enough, yet games with a bigger setup may require a lot more space.
Usually, at a table top game, there are two kinds of people involved. The players and the game master. The game master knows about the plot, the twists and turns of the story, and he (or she) holds the power to most decisions. Actions are indicated by the players via utterances, but certain actions require the roll of a die to indicate whether a theft or attack was successful.
Miniature RPGs add a whole other layer since there is more required than a pen, a piece of pape, and a set of dice. Next to the name giving miniatures – orks, humans, warriors, machines, and weaponry – an environmental scenery like a battlefield or a ruin in a forest is part of most game sessions. The more calm and creative part of miniature RP gaming consists of creating such sceneries and miniatures in the first place. Of course one could simply use the grey plastic warriors from out of the box, but most players spend hours of work and dedication to paint their armies and give them an individual and personalized look.
Music for all kinds out there
Games like Warhammer or other miniature table top games have one thing in common: they are so-called war games. No matter if your army consists of medieval foot soldiers, space marines, or elves, your goal is to crush and defeat your enemies. Thus, different sounds of warfare with sword battles, gunfire, pattering of hooves, and the low tones of a helicopter can set the scenery just perfectly for your imaginative battles.
The most well known games from the fantasy genre have to be Warhammer Fantasy Battle, HORDES, and the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game. Orks, humans, elves, dwarfs, even a folk of rat-hybrids (the so-called Skaven) find their ways onto the battle ground in these games. From dungeons, forest ambients, or a dragon lair, to market places or even taverns, all kinds of fantasy sound mixes fit these games perfectly.
If you’re more into the futuristic and science-fiction kind of games though, there’s a popular Warhammer version for you as well: Warhammer 40,000 (also Warhamme 40k). Yet, games like BattleTech and all kinds of Star Wars miniature games (most recently the widely popular X-Wing RPG) are just as noteworthy. To underline the mood in such games, sci-fi sounds of space ships and battles, as well as the eerie sound of aliens or the calm of the universe are an appropriate choice.
Yet, these sounds may seem a bit too “general” for the gaming purpose to some. This is why users have started to create specific soundscapes for Warhammer or other RPGs. The list to choose from is nearly endless, and playing those while engaging in a heated battle with your army of Beastmen turns your gaming sessions in a whole other experience! Give it a try!
