Subtlety in Role Playing through Music

[tanis]

I was thinking last night, and while listening to some music and thinking about the forum, I came up with a topic that goes along with RPing and Music, but in an expanded and tangential way. This is pretty simple. Have any of you had something you wanted to bring to the PC's attention subtly, but telling them outright seemed as if you'd been too blatant? Well, I am interested in the relationship the mind correlates with certain small elements, of sight or sound, which somehow attain significance through an extremely subtle and subconscious  working that files certain memories with peripheral things. Using this concept, you can force certain correlations which can allow a big clue that might be the one missing clue to be subconsciously imprinted in a player's mind, so that there is the possibility of recovering it through the memory of a seemingly unimportant thing. Now since the players aren't really there, and can't see what they don't know exists (what you don't tell them) the only way to pull this off is with background music. For example, say, using Eltern's campaign as inspiration, that either a PC or very well liked NPC is killed by a member of The Company in a village on the way to Tanlur. The PCs are seething over the death of a friend, and two days later will come to a nearby town where someone who will prove important will be met shortly after arriving, but you don't want the PCs to know he's important. Then, say when they meet him, he acts moody, and they are informed that it is because his wife very recently committed adultery. To make them suspect him of significance, on the day of travel in between, play among your background music something like Bachman Turner Overdrive's Let It Ride, or some other song with the core emotion seething rage to augment their anger at The Company, and with the core subject adultery, so that the subtler among you will correspond adultery with significance. Or, if they are about to meet someone who if they realize about his ruthlessness beforehand, they will have an easier time negotiating, or surviving, and you don't want them to have a 100% chance of this discovery, a little while before they get to where they will meet him, or here about him for the first time, play El Duello, The Cutthroat Song which is the equivalent of no quarter, no mercy. These are just a few examples of this concept, and if you try it, I'm sure your creative minds can find many interesting ways to use it. Use both lyric and lyricless songs, and don't use this too often or they will begin to suspect it and watch for it, and you want it to be hard, 'cause hard clues mask big concepts.

[avisarr]

Interesting. I often will drop subtle hints and clues for players, but never thought of doing it through music or other subconscious cues. Cool idea. Try it out and let us know how it works.

[tanis]

     K.

[tanis]

     It worked okay, but it would be better if you gave a second opinion, 'cause y'all are all adults, and have much better facilities.

[avisarr]

Those are all really good suggestions. I'm going to make a note of those and use them in my next campaign. 

[tanis]

yea that all sounds good lol. um this is kinda random but if any of you ever get the chance try to check out Arythmia on myspace URL is http://www.myspace.com/arythmia2 the lead singer Tuck's a friend of mine so if u dont mind. btw keep up the good work guys uve been leavin me high and dry on the comments lol

[tanis]

hey has anyone tried this yet? just wondering.