how about a thread of recommended background music for Polaris?

let me start with Black One, by Sunn O)))

who's next?

I think this is pretty hard to say in general.
See I played games of Polaris that were highly political and though demons were everywere it was more a backstabbing fest to which we listened to dramatic but "active" music. For example the "Requiem for a Dream" Soundtrack.
While on the other hand we played a pseudo dungeon crawl one in which an old Cthulhu-Soundtrack was perfect. Alternative we could have played thesoundtrack of "Bra Stroker's Dracula" or "The Ninth Gate".
Since every group of players projects it's own tenor on Polaris I think everyone should just look to the style of the game and choose according to it.

Greetings,
René

Hmm... here's some selections from the soundtrack I used when I was writing the game:

Theme of the Novices: Gakuen no Scarlet (Utena's Theme) from Revolutionary Girl Utena
Theme of the City: After the Fall by the October Project
Theme of the People: Shadow of Doubt from Escaflowne
Theme of the Veterans: Staring at the Sun by the Offspring

Personally, I think of Polaris every time I listen to Fallen Embers by Enya. Enya in general would make a great Polaris soundtrack, but Fallen Embers has all these lines that have a double meaning (usually depressing) once you think of them in the Polaris setting. It starts out:

  Once, as my heart remembers,
  all the stars were fallen embers.

Isn't that great? I mean, um, sad. Very sad.

Polaris was one of the games I tackled in my RPG Setlists Project (which this reminds me I should do another round of sometime soon). I went with prog-rock mostly.

It really does very much depend on what feel you end up going for. I'd say maybe set a broad mood with something during character creation and then work from what you've got in your Cosmos-es (Cosmoi?) to find the right soundtrack for regular play. Old standbys for that kind of general mood music in my world might be Lycia, black tape for a blue girl, Eden, and Gustav Mahler.

Although once in a while I think the right thing for a really fun Polaris outing would be a bunch of really wild space-rock stuff a la Hawkwind. Psychedelic Warlords kinda feels about right.

Hi JC, you listen to some sick shit.

Try out some Shape of Despair (I chose Angel of Distress for one session, and we promptly killed the senate and half a caravan of displaced people) or Skepticism, for a more melodic touch than Sunn O))). I might play some Monolithe in the future.

The album The Morning Never Came by Swallow the Sun could do for something more epic.

La Masquarade Infernale by Arcturus is just perfect for play with court intrigues. Albums by Winds or Omnio by In the Woods... could work wonders, their sophistication and subtlety would fit just right and they're not as heavy as the other recommendations up to now.

I will probably try Elend as well (dark lyrical, nearly opera). Very decadent sounding.

Finally, the finish folk band Tenhi makes me cry with its nostalgic songs. They are peaceful and introspective.

thanks for all your suggestions :)

here's another one: Tool

I recently ran across some Angra, and they give me some pretty crazy visuals... storm-riding valkyries with electric spears battling tidal-wave-mounted merfolk and their deep-sea behemoths, real Heavy Metal (the magazine) sort of stuff. That and maybe some Dream Theater... any good melodic metal would work. But only for a particular style of play... I can also see going with a lot of Enya-esque and aetheric-folk type stuff.

Now, Bliss Stage is tougher, because it'd be lame to just steal tracks from existing anime- but that's exactly what you'd want to do, right?

my turn again :)

just rediscovered Karjalan Sissit

totally tragic

"As You Fall" from Bent, on the Ariels album, makes me think of Polaris

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1os8qWZ_mk4

-William

I love the music on that youtube video, it's a good background music for almost everything in my opinion :)

Hi...

I usually play
LYCIA: any

SIGUR ROS : ( ) - THE Polaris Soundtrack, per excellence, bar none (for moi at least.  We open & close the session with this one)

PIL: Flowers of Romance

NON: God & Beast

Esplendor Geométrico: Sheik Aljhama

Ulver: Lyckantropen Themes

D. Galás: The Plague Mass

Tangerine Dream: Hyperborea/Sorcerer ST

Swans: The Great Annihilator/Soundtracks for the Blind

Arcana: Le Serpent Rouge

Dead Can Dance: Within the Realm of a Dying Sun/The Serpent's Egg

Skinny Puppy: Mind - The Perpetual Intercourse

Peter Gabriel: Passion/Birdy STs

Coil

Tribes of Neurot

...Stuff like that...

Hope that helps!
Axum