Movies/books/tv that've inspired your D&D/RPG games?

[Mallus]

My current foray back into AD&D is inspired, adventure-wise, by Mothra, specifically, Godzilla vs. Mothra (it's not that odd, I made the Mothra Girls into miniature dryads) and noir detective films like The Maltese Falcon.

 

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

Thanks for all the lists so far, giving me a lot of ideas of what I could incorporate into my games. Keep them coming!

 

[Umbran]

For D&D, I've been looking to run stuff that's heavily influenced by Tad Williams' "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" series, and/or Greg Keyes' "Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone".

But, I'm not running D&D now. I'm running Deadlands. For that, pretty much every Western out there is useful for inspiration.

 

[OnlineDM]

In my recent adventures, I recall two clear influences.

One adventure involved the party trying to get the attention of a reclusive wizardess by fighting their way into and through her trap- and monster-filled tower. This was influenced by Piers Anthony's Xanth books (Magician Humphrey).

Another involved a room with false-floor tiles with runes on them, where certain tiles are safe to step on and others lead to a nasty fall. This was inspired by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

 

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

In my recent adventures, I recall two clear influences.

Another involved a room with false-floor tiles with runes on them, where certain tiles are safe to step on and others lead to a nasty fall. This was inspired by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

I wonder how many of us have used Indy as an inspiration for trap-filled dungeons/temples/ruins. I know I've used the rolling boulder a few times!

 

[Sethvir]

Inspiration for the current campaign I am working on is Janny Wurts' Wars of Light and Shadow series.

Several other things that folks have mentioned have played in a part for inspiration in the past as well and are all good suggestions. Some new ones too that I will definitely have to check out. Anything by Carol Berg I think is good fodder as well.

 

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

Inspiration for the current campaign I am working on is Janny Wurts' Wars of Light and Shadow series.

Several other things that folks have mentioned have played in a part for inspiration in the past as well and are all good suggestions. Some new ones too that I will definitely have to check out. Anything by Carol Berg I think is good fodder as well.

Yeah, that's exactly why I started this thread. I feel we can all inspire each other to become better players and GMs.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

My SR4 game right now is roughly based on the Monster Hunter novels; not only in terms of organization, but they tend to fight a lot of paracritters.

That they survived the Force 8 Mantis spirit was pretty cool.

Brad

 

[UnknownAtThisTime]

scooby do. .

I was wondering if this would be mentioned. After much of the typical fantasy stuff, it was what I thought of. Balanced party if I ever saw it.

 

[David Howery]

wow, where to begin... Zulu, Fire and Ice, Big Jake (yeah, the John Wayne movie... that adventure eventually ended up in Dungeon), Tarzan movies (original inspiration behind the Elephants Graveyard), Dances with Wolves, a big pile of Conan and Tarzan comics, several of REH's Conan stories (I ran several adventures in a copy of the big enclosed city in "Red Nails"), Alien, Predator, the Eden trilogy of Harry Harrison, Night of the Living Dead, The Octagon, King Solomon's Mines, The Greenlanders Saga, several world mythology books, The Maneaters of Tsavo, Shadows over Innsmouth, Last of the Mohicans, Jurassic Park...and lots more that I just don't remember off the top of my head...