D&D General Is Appendix N Still Relevant to D&D?

[SothFan]

Do you think that some significant portion of people that started in the 70s and 80s are not playing 5E?

I have seen at least 60 OSR channels on Youtube, so there seems to be a decent amount. Figure in vocal minority factor and for every 5 people online talking about something there are 95 people offline like them.

60 * 19 is not that many, sure, but is a non-zero number. Then consider those looking into the history may chose a non-5e version to play also. Some might even choose non-D&D, but for this conversation they should be dismissed. My answer still remains for all. The activity will mimic its influences.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I almost feel like Lovecraft/Cthulhu doesn't "count" since it is so ubiquitous in all geek media.

This is rather circular. Lovecraft is ubiquitous in geek culture because of D&D, after being almost forgotten by the 1960s. Circularity is an issue with referencing a lot of post-70s fantasy: it’s an influence on D&D, but was also influenced by D&D.

 

[Parmandur]

I almost feel like Lovecraft/Cthulhu doesn't "count" since it is so ubiquitous in all geek media.

Well, certainly certain Appendix N writers remain stronger cultural touchstones (Tolkien, Lewis) than others do (Clark Ashton Smith or Roger Zelazny, say)...but even a lot of those authors whose star has faded a bit will have been read by newer authors who push their influence into the next generation, and not always in obvious ways (Brandon Sandedson's influences from Moorcock or Saber hagen, for instance). So, the soup is complicated, but even works now fairly obscure have some relevance to thsie interested in taking the dive.

 

[LordBP]

I prefer Moldvay's list in B/X.

 

[Parmandur]

This is rather circular. Lovecraft is ubiquitous in geek culture because of D&D, after being almost forgotten by the 1960s. Circularity is an issue with referencing a lot of post-70s fantasy: it’s an influence on D&D, but was also influenced by D&D.

Yes, a lot of those more forgotten writers have weird echoes in random places, like Japanese video games, from that D&D recursion.

 

[Parmandur]

I prefer Moldvay's list in B/X.

I feel like Moldvay may have read a bit more widely, to be honest.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I feel like Moldvay may have read a bit more widely, to be honest.

It’s clear Gygax was also much more widely read than just what he put in the book (he wrote two adventures based on Lewis Carroll for a start).

 

[Reynard]

I prefer Moldvay's list in B/X.

Aside: in what world is A Princess of Mars a "young adult fantasy"? Just because it was old?

 

[SothFan]

Aside: in what world is A Princess of Mars a "young adult fantasy"? Just because it was old?

"Princess", many things today are still classified on subject matter, not content, as for children or not. If it fit the mold of looking child-like, the it is fun children. There is rarely a game made "for adults" unless it has material not suitable for children.

It is a sad stigma that needs to be done away with.

 

[Reynard]

"Princess", many things today are still classified on subject matter, not content, as for children or not. If it fit the mold of looking child-like, the it is fun children. There is rarely a game made "for adults" unless it has material not suitable for children.

It is a sad stigma that needs to be done away with.

The titular princess is very much not a child...