OK, I'd like to take another crack at Music Wars. Maybe we can finish it off this time. Any suggestion on the first bit I ought to hit?
Music Wars
(25 posts) (4 voices)-
Tadeusz
MemberTry the tag link at the top of these here posts. It will take you to a joined project for Music Wars Alpha and Beta, two worlds that are parallel.
JohnA1Nut came up with an exceedingly cool idea for a world which wobbled around a bit and got split into two ideas and eventually bogged down. I'd like to unbog it.
The basic notion is of a post-apocalyptic world (with a gentle crash) where there are different factions based on music genres. The palace of the current King of Rock and Roll is Graceland...
A lot of us put a bit of work into it, but its a very big idea.
Sat Jun 12 2010 6:13 pm # -
JohnA1nut
MemberI wanted the beta world to be very magical and psionic. That was kind of my entire intention when I started it. Different kinds of music makes you feel different ways. I started thinking, in what ways could those feelings be converted into realistic magic and whatnot for the characters to use? Jazz gives you kind of a "transported" feeling, I think, so the Jazz faction would have psionic teleportation. Classic rock, that's hippie music. Flower Power, drawing on Mother Earth. Those kinds of magic powers. That's the kind of thing I was going after.
Sat Jun 12 2010 10:40 pm # -
Tadeusz
MemberMusic Wars: Beta
================
Magic and Psi List
==================
Rock
Rap
Jazz
Classic
Death Metal
Extreme
Country
Praise & Worship
One-Hit Wonders
TechnoRock:
=====
--All Rock and Roll Magic requires the use of a guitar and an amp with an electric source for the amp (post-apocalyptic somewhat world so electricity is not so easy to come by). This is usually non-destructive. Certain magics require specialized types of guitars (bass guitars for Earth moving magic) and the legendary spell for the (INSERT COOL ROCK STAR and SPELL HERE) with one of the star's own guitars.--All Rock and Roll Magic is bonused by the playing skill of the guitarist and any accompanying musicans and vocalists. This is a RS/5 skill bonus with a necessary success here to cast any magic.
--All Rock and Roll Magic (as well as the Magics used by other groups) is loud and only effective if heard, and requires total body involvement and a simple stamina check afterwards or NPC is at -20 on all skills for d10 minutes, and all magic receives the bonus for appropriate verbal. +3 for loud, and must be heard +5, and dance/play +15, and stamina +3, and appropriate verbal +5 for a total of +31 on all magic.
--Guitar, amp, electric source==+10 if non-destructive. Bass guitar and rest is +12. Specific star guitar (stars have multiple guitars usually) is almost unique.
--Time to unleash a spell is the playing of the first verse and chorus unless the magician player learns the skill "Power Blast the Chorus" in which case they can shorten the time, and make up for it by taking another playcheck with the shorter the time taken the harder the playcheck. This allows for desperation songs...'we have ten seconds until the swarm hits us...play 'We are the Champions...NOW!'.
Sun Jun 13 2010 1:51 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberTechno, I kind of compare what techno I've heard to an electric shock. Psionic ability to throw lightning bolts, perhaps?
Classic, relaxing. A skilled Classical wizard could put an entire army to sleep, requiring a simple stamina check to stay awake.
Death Metal. Evil. Pain. Bringing the dead back to life.
Jazz, teleportation.
Rap, gets inside your head. Paralyzing effect on thought processes.
Extreme, bionics. (Not all of this is psi and mag based.) Picture XXX with the bionic limbs of Colonel Steve Austin.
Praise and Worship, bonus morale for certain. Uplifting, perhaps the ability to fly at flight speed?
One-Hit-Wonders are of course, a little bit of everything.
These are my thoughts for the moment.
(Doing Therapy)
Sun Jun 13 2010 10:50 am # -
Tadeusz
MemberWodium put up some magic ideas for Techno (or was it 07) about being able to run machines in a trance state, and being able to dispel magic.
====================
Rock Magic Song List
===================
1. Song: Ceremonies NOS Mag 1@1. "I Like That Old-Time Rock and Roll". This welcomes new members into the Kingdom of Rock and Roll and has a magical effect of making the member understand the Rock worldview.2. Song: Remove Fatigue Mag 2@1. "I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night". All willing participants in a defined song area which can vary from a ten foot cube to a hundred foot cube receive the benefit of fatigue removal as long as they are dancing during the song. This lasts all night (and the song is not effective in the daytime.)
3. Song: Release Lock or Hold Mag 3@4. "Freebird". This imparts a RS/5 sit-mod to someone trying to break free from a hold (like a Rock prisoner being held by the arms by two Country riflemen.). The other spell is a prison door opening spell. So this song can be used for two purposes.
4. Song: Manipulate Airflow Mag 4@4. "Cherokee Wind". This is the song that goes 'Cherokee people, Cherokee pride, O Wind blow over the Oche...'. It causes a foot wide blast of wind for RS/5 with speed determined by relative sucess X 2 (thus if you beat your roll by 35 you get a seven foot wide blast of wind at 70 mph.)
John, perhaps you can remind me of some Flower Power or whatever songs.
Edited: Song title.
Sun Jun 13 2010 5:23 pm # -
JohnA1nut
Member"I Wanna Dance All Night".
I think the song is "I wanna rock and roll all night, and party every day." Unless you're referring to one with which I'm not familiar.
John, perhaps you can remind me of some Flower Power or whatever songs.
Flower Power music was not quite my forte. The song that comes to mind is Rolling Stones, from the Satanic Majesties album, song, "She's a Rainbow" "Magic colors everywhere. When she combs her hair. It's like a rainbow."
A wave of multicolored light. Blinding effect, healing effect. Since it's Flower Power, it would be more healing than destructive. The Flower Power would be for bonuses and healing of their own, not for destruction of others, at least I think.
Sun Jun 13 2010 5:33 pm # -
JohnA1nut
MemberI don't want to do a version of Rock which is all sweetness and light.
Right, understood. However, that would certainly be a valid aspect of it. Some sweetness and light (those are the Flower Power faction) and some which take the Rock-n-Roll literally. (Songs which cause earthquakes, perhaps?) They're all together, just some have different abilities and preferences to others. Above all though, I didn't want one group to be visibly superior. It's supposed to be a stalemate, more or less. At least the way I see it.
So, the Rock-n-Rollers are out on the battlefield, and the Flower Power groups are the support, giving morale and healing boosts to their somewhat more violent brethren.
Sun Jun 13 2010 8:42 pm # -
Tadeusz
Member5. Song: Limited Damage Repair Mag 2@1. "She's A Rainbow" by the Rolling Stones. Can heal one person per song. Causes rainbow lights to cascade from the singer's hair to the person being healed. Time is one minute which is baseline. Singer usually does not sing whole song.
Rap Music Song Magic List
=========================
1. Song: Bonus Morale Mag 1@1. Customized Group Boast. This list chant song of the rapmaster's friends and their accomplishments encourages the group of fighters by reminding them of their toughness.2. Song: Control Poison Mag 2@2. Get Your Game Face On. This chant song allows for the quick recovery for a limited time from overindulgence in alcohol or marijuana for the purpose of fighting. Also called the 'Goodbye Hangover Song'.
3. Song: Change Size Mag 3@3. We bad: Clubs and Guns. This chant song doubles the size of clubs, baseball bats, and pistols used by a single friend of the rapmaster.
4. Song: Anti-Aggressive Mag 5@1. Rapmaster Personal Glory Chant. This chant song, if done well, prevents anyone from attacking the magician if he takes no aggressive action.
Sun Jun 13 2010 8:49 pm # -
JohnA1nut
MemberTechno gives me an electric feeling. I don't know how else to describe it. I would equate to it super speed, control over electricity, throwing lightning bolts, things of that nature.
Praise and Worship. The Bible is described as a sword of some sort, so these guys have magic swords that can do more than just cut through anything. I'm reminded of Petra "No Weapon" "No weapon formed against us shall prosper, all those who rise up against us shall fall. I will not fear what the Devil may bring me. I am a servant of God."
Those lyrics, literally. Protection from harm, removal of fear and doubt, penalties against the enemy whilst the song is playing.
2. Song: Control Poison Mag 2@2. Get Your Game Face On. This chant song allows for the quick recovery for a limited time from overindulgence in alcohol or marijuana for the purpose of fighting. Also called the 'Goodbye Hangover Song'.
Marijuana doesn't give you a hangover. You're just still high when you wake up....
Sun Jun 13 2010 8:58 pm # -
O.K., time for the Geezer to give his two cents.
The term "Rock 'n' Roll" technically refers to a music form of the fifties--Dion and the Belmonts, the Do-wap bands, the black vocal quartets, Elvis Presley, the Twist, I'm forgetting a lot of important names, but that's the era and the feel. The early Beatles were still in that genre, but it was they and their peers who carried us out of it. It wasn't all "goodness and light", but a lot of it was thinly veiled innuendo and a lot of it really was very innocent. It ended in the early sixties, but the name became a cover term for every form of music that arose from it until Rap.
The Flower People were not Rock 'n' Roll; they were folk rock like Joni Mitchell, Peter Paul & Mary, Simon & Garfunkle, Donavan, Bob Dylan. They also were significantly disparate from the heavy metal sounds of Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly, Steppenwolf, the later Beatles, the Doors, all of whom were moving into the drug culture. The cultures were trying to retain some unity up through Woodstock but they were already fragmenting--there was a united opposition to the Vietnam War, but the Flower Power people were true Peaceniks and the Metalheads were mostly just draft dodgers.
And the Pop music culture of the sixties pulled from all directions, and everyone tried to include some songs on every album that would be sufficiently mainstream to get Top 40 airplay.
Now, I'm not trying to add categories to your list; but if you're going to fight about what music is what, you'd better get some clearer definitions of what it covers. From one perspective, the last band to do Rock 'n' Roll was probably Sha-na-na or maybe that a capella vocal band that got the gig doing music for Where In the World is Carmen Sandiego? From another perspective, everything you call metal, techno, rave, disco, and several other groupings is a subcategory of Rock 'n' Roll.
I don't know if that helps, but it helps me.
--M. J. Young
Mon Jun 14 2010 1:52 am # -
Quick clarification: the correct catch-all term is "Rock" or "Rock Music", but "Rock and Roll" is used by a lot of people some of whom don't know better and some of whom should.
--M. J. Young
Mon Jun 14 2010 2:32 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberKnowing less about music than the average joe let alone a music pro, I'll only say about MJ's argument that it needs to be resolved with some definition
Ah, but don't you feel stupid. You're talking like we're talking about earth. On this world, what we call "Jazz" could be what they call "Classical". What we call "Rock" could be what they call "Death Metal". There's a lot of leeway here. Stretch those brain muscles.
Tue Jun 15 2010 5:38 pm # -
On this world, what we call "Jazz" could be what they call "Classical". What we call "Rock" could be what they call "Death Metal". There's a lot of leeway here. Stretch those brain muscles.
"When I use a word, it means exactly what I want it to mean, no more and no less."--Humpty Dumpty.
Yeah, sure, you could change all the names of everything, but 1) it won't change the definitions of the styles beyond that you're using a different title and 2) it certainly will make communication a lot more difficult if I have to remember that "Jazz" means Beethoven and "Rock" doesn't include the Beatles.
More pertinently, the issue is not what words mean what music, but when we are talking about the particular elements of a musical genre what do we mean by that genre. Certainly if "Rock" doesn't include all the fifties do-wap bands and instead means Metallica and AC/DC, that's going to have very different elements than a different concept of "Rock" that includes Simon & Garfunkel and nothing after Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Similarly, if your Jazz is all Satchmo and Dizzy Gillespie but not Coltrane or the Theme from Mission Impossible, you've got a different set of elements there. Even with Classical, the Baroque of Bach and Vivaldi and the Renaissance of Pachelbel and Praetorius is very different from the late classical of Mahler, Dvorak, and Shostakovich, or even the earlier high works of Wagner and Beethoven. Moderns tend to group them together mostly because they're not current popular music (and to put a real irony to it, moderns tend to lump Modern under the name Classical, too, because it's performed by the same ensembles--orchestras, choirs, quartets, and other traditional instruments). They have nothing really in common that rock does not share with jazz--and those are probably the two most disparate of your contemporary music categories, everything else related to or derived from some combination of them or their folk and gospel roots.
So what I'm saying is that before you can argue about what the elements of a genre are for purposes of what magic is common in it, you have to define the genre in very clear parameters, by artists, dates, key songs and styles, instrumentation, et cetera.
(Instrumentation is very significant here. Every new music has been launched by a combination of technology and social pressures. Classical broke from Baroque by the invention of the valve, which expanded the possibilities for brass instruments. Jazz arose from the invention of the Saxophone, the first woodwind that could compete with brass instruments in a small ensemble. Rock came from the electrification of the guitar. Techno came from the computerization of synthesized keyboards, rap from improved turntables allowing the DJ to play bits of songs for background for the rapper and get cuing noises. Each style transitioned from a predecessor based on a combination of new technological options and a social rejection of an established standard.
It thus occurs to me that you might consider the technologies behind each style as part of the effort to grasp the natures of them in terms of the magics they produce.)
--M. J. Young
Tue Jun 15 2010 11:53 pm # -
JohnA1nut
Memberrap from improved turntables allowing the DJ to play bits of songs for background for the rapper and get cuing noises.
It's a matter of debate, but the first ever rap song is actually credited to a white woman. Blondie's Rapture is arguably the first-ever recorded rap song. I always thought that was kind of funny.
Tue Jun 15 2010 11:59 pm # -
Yeah, well, it certainly can be debated, since songs in which the singer speaks the verses have been big in Country music for a very long time. Cash's A Boy Named Sue was almost all talk. Also, one of the first pop songs I ever heard of (and eventually I could perform it, although I've probably forgotten a few of the words by now) was all drum beat and rhythmic talk: They're Coming to Take Me Away. I heard of it when I was in fourth grade, because one of my classmates gave it as his favorite song.
The Bee Gees are credited with inventing Disco, but they thought they were doing Rock the way they'd always done it.
I think that for a song to be "Rap", at least in the earliest days, it would have to have been performed/recorded by using fragments of disco from other people's songs. I use to know the name for that--DJs called those fragments something in particular, and bragged about how many records they could steal from for background for their rappers. So in the early days, if you made your own background music for it, it wasn't rap.
That might exclude Blondie.
--M. J. Young
Wed Jun 16 2010 11:06 pm #
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