D&D 5E (2014) What Author or Authors are your biggest influence in the Fanatsy Genre/D&D

[Redshirt]

Yeah, his worlds are unique but they just seem to bring out the idea's in me.

 

[Giltonio_Santos]

Tolkien used to be the main influence of my worldbuilding, but Le Guin and Gaiman have probably surpassed the old master in the last years. Unfortunately, it's very hard to force your typical D&D group into a fantasy style with mostly human characters and a sometimes a subtler approach to magic; they just want to hit 5th level and start throwing fireballs.

 

[robus]

Whilst I read Tolkien and after that a couple of the Shannara series, the series that grabbed me for the longest time was Feist’s Magician series. I loved the balance of adventure and human interaction. The world building was great too.

A book that totally transported me was Mists of Avalon. Epic and tragic!

On a whole other level is CJ Cherryh’s Chronicles of Morgaine, the worlds she travels through are so 3 dimensional along with her somewhat trusty sidekick Vanye.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

Tolkien and Robert E. Howard for mundane, material plane affairs. Neil Gaiman and Susanna Clarke for magic and otherworlds. A bit of Ursula Le Guin for both categories. And Fritz Leiber for tone.

So really, kind of conventional. I read a lot more SF than fantasy, to be honest. Ask this question about a space opera RPG and my answers would considerably more interesting. Or more extensive, at least.

 

[Greg K]

Authors: Dumas, Howard, Tolkien, Marion Zimmer Bradley (Mists of Avalon), Mallory, T.H. White

More than those authors are anthropology books plus the following TV shows and movies:
Archer: Fugitive From the Empire (a.k.a, Archer and the Sorceress)
Beastmaster
Beastmaster (TV Series)
Dragonslayer
Excalibur
Harryhausen's Sinbad movies and Clash of the titans
Ladyhawke
Ivanhoe
Name of the Rose
Robin Hood (Errol Flynn, Disney, Costner)
Robin of Sherwood
The Count of Monte Cristo (with the guy from Person of Interest)
Man in the Iron Mask
The Three Musketeers
Zorro (Banderas movies)
Lord of the Rings series
Dances with Wolves
The Last of the Mohicans
Heavy Metal (Taarna segment)
Merlin (TV series)
Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Rosemary's Baby, Supernatural, The Ninth Gate (these shaped my view of infernal Warlocks and their Patrons)

 

[cbwjm]

I don't think I have any fantasy authors that are really influencing my games. My games are probably more influenced by old Dragon articles and earlier editions of campaign settings or generic source books than any fantasy author.

 

[Yaarel]

I find modern settings increasingly interesting.

Harry Potter, Dresden Files, Chronicle, Covenant, Sense8, The Originals, Shadowhunters, X-Men, Gifted, Flash, Orphan Black, Incorporated, Limitless, and similar.

That said, I enjoy reinventing archetypes from medieval sources like Jewish Midrash and Norse Sagas, plus futurist sources like Star Wars and Star Trek, all for a modern context with a scifi flare.

I enjoy how Harry Potter shifts Arthurian legend to make the wizard archetype, Merlin, the heroes of the stories − as a modern tale.



In the past I have done bouts of scifi reading, mostly involving other worlds settings. But now certain tv shows and movies with their this-world settings, vibe more the wellspring for my inspiration.

 

[ccs]

I don't think I have any fantasy authors that are really influencing my games. My games are probably more influenced by old Dragon articles and earlier editions of campaign settings or generic source books than any fantasy author.

You do, you just don't realize who they are.

 

[cbwjm]

You do, you just don't realize who they are.

I ran through as many as authors as I could think of and I don't recall any that had any sort of overt influence on my games.

I've taken ideas from different dnd settings, rpg articles and even magic the gathering cards, but I don't recall any authors that have been an influence on character or setting/adventure design. You could be right in that I just don't realise but then I definitely recall using some of the basic DnD gazetteers or dark sun and the 4e version of the dawn war as inspiration.

 

[ccs]

I'm more into mythology, in which case I'd have to point to Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, and Indian history/religion/myth/folklore as my biggest personal inspirations. I also read lots of stuff related to myths from around the world and myth in general. That and the Old Testament.

These + Norse, general fairy tales & history for me.

Specific authors? Terry Pratchet, Tolkien, Howard, Burroughs, Vance/Moorcock/Lieber (I've never read these 3, but I do realize their influence), Zelazney (sp?), Martin.
And I'm sure that since I've read a good # of the authors listed in other posts that they have an influence as well.

Also deserving of credit are nearly 80 years worth of countless comic book writers and George Lucas.