Music To Roleplay To: Numenera

We're back with another instalment of Music To Roleplay To. Today's entry sends our listeners a billion years into future in the fantastical lands of the Ninth World where brave explorers sift through the remains of prior civilizations whose incredible technology is indistinguishable from magic! This is the world of Numenera!

Personally I would place the background music of Numenera into three categories: Wonder, Mystery, and Strife; each covering a collection of musical themes.

Wonder is themes of optimism, enchantment, awe, and devotion: Soaring music that plays whilst characters travel and gaze upon the majestic and amazing landscapes of the Ninth World.

Mystery is themes of skepticism, secrecy, foreboding, and mystification: Enigmatic songs for searching bizarre ancient ruins and to play during anxious or tense moments.

Strife is themes of conflict, determination, courage, and discord: Music for struggling against adversity or fighting for one's life.

Below are a number of albums and artists that contain songs that fit into several of these categories:
Last Update: NOV/07/2013

• A.I.: Artificial Intelligence by John Williams
• Anarchy Online - Original Soundtrack Vol. 02 by Morten Sørlie
• Cloud Atlas by Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek & Reinhold Heil
• Dune (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Toto
• Frank Hebert's Dune by Graeme Revell
• Frank Hebert's Children of Dune by Brian Tyler
• The Fifth Element by Eric Serra
• The Fountain by Clint Mansell and The Kronos Quartet
• Green Desert by Tangerine Dream
• Journey (Original Soundtrack) by Austin Wintory
• Marsbéli Krónikák (Martian Chronicals) by Solaris
• Myst: The Soundtrack by Robyn Miller
• Myst III: Exile by Jack Wall
• Myst IV: Revelation by Jack Wall and Peter Gabriel
• Myst V: End of Ages by Tim Larkin
• Myst Uru: Ages Beyond Myst by Tim Larkin
• Oblivion by M83, Anthony Gonzalez, and Joseph Trapanese
• Other Landscapes and Other Landscapes II by Ian Harvey
• Oxygène by Jean Michel Jarre
• Panzer Dragoon Orta by Saori Kobayashi and Yutaka Minobe
• Passion (Original Soundtrack) by Peter Gabriel
• Phaedra by Tangerine Dream
• Planescape: Torment by Mark Morgan with Richard Band and Pull
• Rebel Slave Warriors of Alpha Centauri by Mister Vapor with Phillip Wilkerson
• Red Planet by Graeme Revell
• Ricochet by Tangerine Dream
• Riven: The Soundtrack by Robyn Miller
• Rubycon by Tangerine Dream
• select tracks by digitalR3public
• The Killing Fields by Mike Oldfield
• Zeit by Tangerine Dream

I'd also like to mention that I can't claim credit for many of these musical suggestions, that belongs to the various posters on the Music for Numenéra group on Ninth World Hub. I chose to compile many of their inspiring suggestions with my own selected tunes to create a collection.

Other RPGs these tunes could work well in: Numenera is pretty unique as far as RPGs go and there isn't really any other game that has a similar setting. In any case, these tunes could work in a pinch for most Science Fantasy RPGs with weird and wondrous themes.

Leave a comment if you have any suggestions for additional listening!