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

[SothFan]

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

No, I mean the word princess, not her age. Was not John Carter young adult power fantasy?

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

Is Plato still relevant to the US Senate?

 

[Reynard]

No, I mean the word princess, not her age. Was not John Carter young adult power fantasy?

No. It was pulp fiction aimed at adults that kids would sneak because it was tittilating.

 

[Reynard]

Is Plato still relevant to the US Senate?

I don't know. When was the last time you saw Plato quoted in the Senate?

 

[Byrd]

I'm not sure if Alfred Bester gets a mention anywhere, but after reading The Stars My Destination...Teleport, Teleport Without Error, and Ethereal Jaunt had an added element.

From the Immortals Boxed Set (Mentzer):
Edit: got the right image this time.

 

[Umbran]

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

Well, it doesn't have explicit sex. It doesn't use foul language. There's a fair bit of violence, but it is largely swashbuckling adventure violence.

So, yeah, young adult seems right.

As for it being old... well, the thing was written in 1912, and published under standards of the day, which were pretty tame compared to adult fiction of today.

 

[Reynard]

Well, it doesn't have explicit sex. It doesn't use foul language. There's a fair bit of violence, but it is largely swashbuckling adventure violence.

So, yeah, young adult seems right.

As for it being old... well, the thing was written in 1912, and published under standards of the day, which were pretty tame compared to adult fiction of today.

Right, but I don' think there is any indication it was written for kids at the time.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

I don't know. When was the last time you saw Plato quoted in the Senate?

When was the last time LotR was quoted in D&D?

EDIT: Also Plato was quoted last year in the Senate.

 

[Argyle King]

•Is Appendix N relevant to contemporary D&D?
--My perception is that Apenndix N is not relevant to WotC's overall vision of D&D, so "no."
--At the same time, I would say that smaller publishers and indy developers for whom Apenndix N still maintains relevance to their vision are doing well.

You can still see pieces of that original inspiration (law/chaos, Far Realm, Vancian magic, etc) within D&D but the overall creative vision for the game has diverged, as have the playstyles for which contemporary D&D mechanics seem geared toward.

Currently, groups who want more of an Appendix N experience are likely better served by games that aren't D&D 5.5.

I am intrigued to see how Goodman Games approaches things with their D&D 5E version of Elric. What they have in mind may prove me wrong.

 

[Marc17]

I say certainly. Lots of the old stuff is still there in some form. New stuff has been added also. If anything, I'd say the current D&D leans more into wierd fantasy of Elric than past D&D eve if it doesn't have the grim dark attitude. All we need is a planar spanning adventure or two.