D&D (2024) No Appendix N Equivalent?

[Yaarel]

Suppose the inspiration really came from a dream the designer had. How would the designer cite this in Appendix N?

 

[TiQuinn]

Suppose the inspiration really came from a dream the designer had. How would the designer cite this in Appendix N?

I think it’s fair to limit such an appendix to external inspirations.

 

[Yaarel]

I think it’s fair to limit such an appendix to external inspirations.

What if it isnt true that the idea came from a "classic" novel? Does the designer need to fib to sound "smart"?

 

[Parmandur]

The Harry Potter books are important for establishing the mage as the central knightly hero.

I am still trying to understand the benefit of an Appendix N. It seems so obvious to me that this kind of "favorite sources" list works better in DnDBeyond than in any hardcopy book. For one thing, a digital list can modify, add, evolve, and specialize. Today, such a list in a book becomes almost instantly obsolete the moment a new fantasy movie becomes popculture.

Wait. Is this defacto a debate about literary canon and who decides?

Yeah, the value in 1979 was all about discoverability: a lot of that stuff was "deep cuts" that a younger person might not even known to be on the lookout for without that info.

In 2014, it was a bit of nostalgic fan service.

 

[TiQuinn]

What if it isnt true that the idea came from a "classic" novel? Does the designer need to prevaricate to sound "smart"?

Is it about sounding smart?

There’s nothing wrong with listing movies IMO, or anime, or comics/manga. I think the point would be that if there was an Appendix of inspiration sources, it comes from what inspired the designers.

Again, I get why they wouldn’t include the appendix too.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Suppose the inspiration really came from a dream the designer had. How would the designer cite this in Appendix N?

Appendix N

• Any book
• Any movie
• Any TV show
• Any comic
• Your Imagination

There we go.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Is it about sounding smart?

A while back, I mentioned I'd included a reference to Treasure Island in an adventure.

Player: "I've only seen the muppet version."

 

[Yaarel]

Appendix N

• Any book
• Any movie
• Any TV show
• Any comic
• Your Imagination

There we go.

But then it becomes a narrative explaining the inspiration, rather than a two-line citation to somewhere else.

 

[Parmandur]

A while back, I mentioned I'd included a reference to Treasure Island in an adventure.

Player: "I've only seen the muppet version."

To be fair, that's a fine rendition.

 

[billd91]

I am still trying to understand the benefit of an Appendix N. It seems so obvious to me that this kind of "favorite sources" list works better in DnDBeyond than in any hardcopy book. For one thing, a digital list can modify, add, evolve, and specialize. Today, such a list in a book becomes almost instantly obsolete the moment a new fantasy movie becomes popculture.

Wait. Is this defacto a debate about literary canon and who decides?

It's not a literary canon, nor would it need updating as new examples appear. It was always just a list of some of the literature that inspired how we got here, not necessarily where it will eventually go. And if someone wanted to pursue some of the inspirations behind the game, they were free to do so and learn something about what the designers were reading, maybe even recognize some of the influences in the game. That's all.

But given some of the comments in this thread, I'm really starting to agree that including it would have been more trouble than it's worth.