neobolts
Explorer
When you talk about what came after D&D but influenced D&D's later additions...you are talking about a circular ecosystem. Much of what influenced later D&D was itself influenced by Tolkien and early D&D.
I would point to serialized fantasy novels of the 1980s and 1990s, for example the Pern and Wheel of Time series, as ones where the influence looped back onto D&D.
Video games were another major influence. JRPGs such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest not only "borrowed" D&D monsters outright, they in turn influenced how those monsters were perceived. The biggest American video game influence was by far the MMORPGs (far more than the single player RPG video games). I'm talking about Everquest and World of Warcraft. They changed the way players and designers thought about monster races, questing, and loot. They, for better or worse, led pretty directly to the MMO-esque experimentation that was D&D 4e.
I'm not so sure western TV/movies has a big impact on design. While the Lord of the Rings movies, Game of Thrones, and Harry Potter have drawn in new players, it is hard to point to design choices that are directly from film.
Anime does seen to have had an impact. Shows like Slayers and Record of Lodoss War were staples of 90s viewing. Less D&D-derived settings like El-Hazard and Dragonball were also shaping fantasy tables.
Also, its worth noting that a lot of these influences were adapted themselves for the gaming table in the last 2 decades... Wheel of Time, Everquest, World of Warcraft, the Lord of the Rings, Slayers, El-Hazard, and Dragonball all got turned into tabletop RPGs.
I would point to serialized fantasy novels of the 1980s and 1990s, for example the Pern and Wheel of Time series, as ones where the influence looped back onto D&D.
Video games were another major influence. JRPGs such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest not only "borrowed" D&D monsters outright, they in turn influenced how those monsters were perceived. The biggest American video game influence was by far the MMORPGs (far more than the single player RPG video games). I'm talking about Everquest and World of Warcraft. They changed the way players and designers thought about monster races, questing, and loot. They, for better or worse, led pretty directly to the MMO-esque experimentation that was D&D 4e.
I'm not so sure western TV/movies has a big impact on design. While the Lord of the Rings movies, Game of Thrones, and Harry Potter have drawn in new players, it is hard to point to design choices that are directly from film.
Anime does seen to have had an impact. Shows like Slayers and Record of Lodoss War were staples of 90s viewing. Less D&D-derived settings like El-Hazard and Dragonball were also shaping fantasy tables.
Also, its worth noting that a lot of these influences were adapted themselves for the gaming table in the last 2 decades... Wheel of Time, Everquest, World of Warcraft, the Lord of the Rings, Slayers, El-Hazard, and Dragonball all got turned into tabletop RPGs.