D&D (2024) No Appendix N Equivalent?

[SteveC]

It is, completely sincerely, why I want it in the book. Which is part of why it's both frustrating and hurtful for people to repeatedly cast aspersions about it.

I agree with you 100%. I would really like to know the inspirations behind the current rules. I'm not sure I would be interested in many of the authors, but I would investigate them pretty thoroughly. For a lot of the RPGs I've been looking at recently, I've read or watched all of the source material they recommend, so I know that I am on the same page with the authors. I don't expect that 5.5E is going to be the same, so it would be interesting to have some suggestions. I might find something new and interesting. But more importantly, the books or other media game designers recommend tells me what their game is about in ways the rules themselves typically don't.

I was looking at lists of the best fantasy novels of 2024 and thought "Wow, there's a lot of authors out there I've never heard of." That led me to start delving into the books. I've had a really full year with reading stuff, and 2025 looks full, too. But that doesn't mean I'm not on the lookout for new authors to explore.

 

[KYRON45]

Why should I care what inspires designers? Their pay check I assume.

If you want to know what Chris’ Perkins’ favourite fiction is ask Chris Perkins, but it’s no more useful for D&D than anyone else’s list of favourite fiction.

Why should we care what any of us thinks about anything? Yet here we all are.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

These days D&D is it's own media. It doesn't need a list of novels to explain what it is.

And you could fill a whole book listing media inspired by D&D.

As much as I love the works of Appendix N, that is the truth of it. I get why they wouldn't just include the original list, and I don't know that there's as much of a place for a new one. Was the new edition of D&D inspired by particular works of fiction? Part of the joy of Appendix N is the obscurity of some of its works - if you're just listing fantasy books everyone knows

 

[KYRON45]

I think everyone everywhere should read everything they can get their hands on.

 

[Scribe]

I think everyone everywhere should read everything they can get their hands on.

Of course with free time being finite, it's almost like a curated list can get us a better more focused understanding.

 

[Stormonu]

It can be helpful to see the sources of inspiration to help set the "mood' (like Vampire denoting the Anne Rice novels as a heavy influence). But I don't think its necessary.

I'd probably save it more for campaign books (like recommending "Gangs of New York" for Planescape, or "The Maltese Falcon" for Eberron) as base D&D tends to be quite broad.

 

[Voadam]

As much as I love the works of Appendix N, that is the truth of it. I get why they wouldn't just include the original list, and I don't know that there's as much of a place for a new one. Was the new edition of D&D inspired by particular works of fiction? Part of the joy of Appendix N is the obscurity of some of its works - if you're just listing fantasy books everyone knows

2014 5e PH said there was a bunch that has inspired D&D designers over the years. To me it is interesting that Brian Froud's Faeries entered the mix of the largely adventure oriented fantasy stuff.

And then a separate one for DM inspiration specifically:

 

[delericho]

Why should I care what inspires designers? Their pay check I assume.

Pretty much everyone who has ever worked on D&D could have made more money doing other things. If money is what inspires them, they're in the wrong industry.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I'd find it much more useful to have a discussion in the book about how to mine works you like for inspiration with some examples that actually talk about what the designer took from said work rather than just a list of works with no explanation.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

2014 5e PH said there was a bunch that has inspired D&D designers over the years. To me it is interesting that Brian Froud's Faeries entered the mix of the largely adventure oriented fantasy stuff.

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And then a separate one for DM inspiration specifically:

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Yeah, that's a good list that balances the original with new entries. Looking at the Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Froud makes a lot of sense.

The inclusion of Name of the Wind is notable, as they've said that one of the drafts of the 5e bard class took direct inspiration from it, including a true name system. Would've been interesting to see that.