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

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm actually reading the wonderful Appendix N anthology now. While some of the authors are familiar to today's readers (especially Lovecraft), I'd say most of the authors are unknown to readers born after 1999 (most D&D players today, in other words) and even if some of the names are familiar, I'd bet most of them haven't read many of their stories.

The periodic freakouts people have about 2024 PHB art nicely illustrates that, in many ways, the game has embraced more modern fantasy flavors, just as Gygax and Arneson created a game reflecting their tastes back in the 1970s.

So no, I don't think "Black God's Kiss" or "The Man Who Sold Rope to the Gnoles" has a lot of impact on 5E or 5.5 D&D. And nor should it; the idea that a 19 year old in 2026 should be wanting their fantasy to resemble short stories written 80 years before their birth is silly. Their fantasy game should reflect what they and their friends are passionate about, which likely largely involves Avatar: The Last Airbender, Minecraft, Legends & Lattes and seeing the Lord of the Rings movies on DVD with their parents.

But the Appendix N influence is alive and well -- and the source of an amazing adventure jam on itch.io last summer -- in the OSR, where people who want that kind of fantasy can seek it out.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

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

“You have my [insert favourite weapon here]” is quoted at the start of pretty much every adventure.

 

[GothmogIV]

The announcement of a (two?) new Stormbringer/Elric RPGs got me thinking about whether the original "Appendix N" list of inspirations were still relevant for modern D&D (5E 2014 and 2024).

On the surface it feels like the answer is easily "no" because there seems so little inspired by those various novels now. They helped define the foundation on which early D&D was built, so their influence can still be felt, but I don't feel like they guide the current shape of D&D. However, with the pretty likely scenario that Dark Sun is coming, I pause a little. Of all TSR's settings, Dark Sun is the most like that weird pulp fantasy era found in Appendix N, I think. And while we don't know what shape Dark Sun 5.5E will take exactly, it's mere existence at least suggests the tethers to Appendix N aren't entirely severed yet.

What do you think? Do you see strong current influence of Appendix N in the modern game, beyond just the vestigial connections? If not, do you wish there were more connections to that classic fantasy list?

Short answer: no. Modern D&D is an entirely different beast than the original game. I honestly couldn't tell you what 5e/5.5e is inspired by. Teletubbies, maybe, or The Wind in the Willows.

 

[delericho]

These days D&D is mostly inspired by itself. This is a strong net negative, IMO.

That said, I'm not sure Appendix N would be a particularly good source of inspiration these days - too many authors who are little-known today (and perhaps even then), and too many hard-to-find titles. And that's before we get into a discussion of the material in there that is problematic for various reasons.

 

[jasper]

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

Does YA cover tween to college people?
Also I just looked at the appendix. How many of these authors are still in print? And are the titles are still in print? I never serious tried to read them all. And a few were very outdated and occasionally lame. So I would say most of the those works no longer have any affect on the game except for some legacy rules.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

or The Wind in the Willows.

I made a reference to this the other day, so yeah, good stuff. Was around in the 1970s though, and, like Alice, wasn’t included because it was “for children” (questionable!)

 

[Koloth]

Yes, still relevant. But as some have noted, it is about 45 years old. It could definitely use some additions. The original list is very likely far less relevant or even known to the current batch of D&D authors.

Might be an interesting question to pose to the current D&D creators. "Name three/five/(pick a number) book/stories/TV shows/movies that you have used as inspiration for your work creating D&D content.

Use the answers to create a 2026 version of Appendix N.

 

[SothFan]

original list is very likely far less relevant or even known to the current batch of D&D authors

I think this is key.

Other games seem to still have the same inspirational material:

Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Dune

Nosferstu, Interview With a Vampire, Lost Boys

Silver Bullet, etc

D&D is the Disney. It took Grimm fairy tales and just mashed every generic fantasy element into it, like Harry Potter. This is the area of fiction that is always changing so D&D will always change to meet the current iteration of media.

 

[Mort]

This is a hard question. Is classic fantasy needed for improv acting that is what seems to be modern D&D? No.

If you want a classic game, then look at classic media. For modern games I think you should look at modern media.

The activity will mimic its influences.

I'll agree with @Reynard .

D&D is absolutely not focused on improv acting at the vast majority of current tables.

You might get that impression from actual plays, but that is just not how it's generally played at homes, conventions, schools etc.

As a matter of fact, the combat tier of D&D, for better or worse, dominates at most tables and takes up the greatest amount of space during most games.

 

[Mort]

What do you think? Do you see strong current influence of Appendix N in the modern game, beyond just the vestigial connections? If not, do you wish there were more connections to that classic fantasy list?

At the tables I play at, it certainly exerts a strong influence - but then I'm 51 and the second youngest at my regular game.

My son and his friends? Tolkien is still relevant, but they are influenced by more modern authors such as Brandon Sanderson, so for his generation - less so.