This is a site for discussing roleplaying games. Have fun doing so, but there is one major rule: do not discuss political issues that aren't directly and uniquely related to the subject of the thread and about gaming. While this site is dedicated to free speech, the following will not be tolerated: devolving a thread into unrelated political discussion, sockpuppeting (using multiple and/or bogus accounts), disrupting topics without contributing to them, and posting images that could get someone fired in the workplace (an external link is OK, but clearly mark it as Not Safe For Work, or NSFW). If you receive a warning, please take it seriously and either move on to another topic or steer the discussion back to its original RPG-related theme.

What would today's Appendix N look like?

Started by RPGPundit, July 22, 2012, 04:17:47 AM

Previous topic - Next topic
Print
Go Down Pages 1 2 3 4 5
User actions

danbuter

#15
July 22, 2012, 07:26:15 AM
Tolkien (Hobbit, LotR)
Lovecraft (Cthulhu)
Howard (Conan)
Leiber (Fafhyrd and the Gray Mouser)

Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire)
Glenn Cook (The Black Company)
Steven Erikson (The Malazan Books of the Fallen)
David Gemmell (Legend)
Elizabeth Moon (The Deed of Paksennarrion)
Guy Kay (Tigana)

C. J. Cherryh (Downbelow Station)
Robert Heinlein (Starship Troopers)
Terry Pratchett (Discworld)
Sword and Board - My blog about BFRPG, S&W, Hi/Lo Heroes, and other games.
Sword & Board: BFRPG Supplement Free pdf. Cheap print version.
Bushi D6  Samurai and D6!
Bushi setting map

jibbajibba

#16
July 22, 2012, 07:45:46 AM
Quote from: Broken-Serenity;562874He has a new book due october 22 from gollancz called Republic of Thieves(book 3 of the series that began with lies of loch lamora) so i'd say Scott Lynch kicked depressions arse!

Well it ewas duer out last april but I'll check his blog. Updates
No longer living in Singapore
Method Actor-92% :Tactician-75% :Storyteller-67%:
Specialist-67% :Power Gamer-42% :Butt-Kicker-33% :
Casual Gamer-8%

GAMERS Profile
Jibbajibba
9AA788 -- Age 45 -- Academia 1 term, civilian 4 terms -- $15,000

Cult&Hist-1 (Anthropology); Computing-1; Admin-1; Research-1;
Diplomacy-1; Speech-2; Writing-1; Deceit-1;
Brawl-1 (martial Arts); Wrestling-1; Edged-1;

Nahualt

#17
July 22, 2012, 07:56:39 AM
I think it would most likely be 'recommended viewing' instead of reading.
;)
 

Drohem

#18
July 22, 2012, 11:21:29 AM
Quote from: Nahualt;562883I think it would most likely be 'recommended viewing' instead of reading.
;)

Unfortunately, I think you're right. :(

jibbajibba

#19
July 22, 2012, 11:56:31 AM
Quote from: Nahualt;562883I think it would most likely be 'recommended viewing' instead of reading.
;)

Even though kids read more books now than they have ever done before and never in the history of the novel has a children's book like Harry Potter dominated the world of publishing to any similar extent?

If we add in the children's books we should include

Modern Classics
Harry Potter -  as Noted
The Amber spyglass etc
The Lightning thief
Spyderwick Chronicles

All time Clsssics
The Hobbit
Narnia
Wizard of Oz - and the other myriad Oz books
Over sea under stone - that series has a title I can't recall it
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and Elidor - Alan Garner's Classics
Oh and all the Roger Lancelyn Green Myths and Legends


But really for us adults i can truely think of no better recent fantasy novel than The Heroes. It is truely a work of Genius
No longer living in Singapore
Method Actor-92% :Tactician-75% :Storyteller-67%:
Specialist-67% :Power Gamer-42% :Butt-Kicker-33% :
Casual Gamer-8%

GAMERS Profile
Jibbajibba
9AA788 -- Age 45 -- Academia 1 term, civilian 4 terms -- $15,000

Cult&Hist-1 (Anthropology); Computing-1; Admin-1; Research-1;
Diplomacy-1; Speech-2; Writing-1; Deceit-1;
Brawl-1 (martial Arts); Wrestling-1; Edged-1;

Panzerkraken

#20
July 22, 2012, 12:03:32 PM
Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, for your young adult list.
Si vous n'opposez point aux ordres de croire l'impossible l'intelligence que Dieu a mise dans votre esprit, vous ne devez point opposer aux ordres de malfaire la justice que Dieu a mise dans votre coeur. Une faculté de votre âme étant une fois tyrannisée, toutes les autres facultés doivent l'être également.
-Voltaire

Melan

#21
July 22, 2012, 12:06:53 PM
Harry Potter is great, but has precious little to do with D&D. On the other hand, you have Chabon, Miéville (who has had a long D&D career, I think), Pratchett and maybe Martin, who are closer to what D&D is good at.

The absence of a high-profile Harry Potter-inspired RPG was a major missed opportunity, though.
Now with a Zine!
ⓘ This post is disputed by official sources

Opaopajr

#22
July 22, 2012, 12:19:46 PM
Honestly? More viewing than reading. And I feel setting is pretty much viewed as a palette swap nowadays. No real attachment to setting (as noted by the oft encountered "LOL Lore...")

Final Fantasy
Magic the Gathering -- particularly Urza saga & Phyrexia
Naruto
Harry Potter
Pretty much Blizzard everything - Warcraft, WoW, Diablo, etc.
Dark Ages of Camelot, Everquest, etc.
Castlevania
Lord of the Rings
Star Wars (a strong example of story arc structure and relative character plot immunity)
Legend of the Five Rings -- or pretty much everything is better with ninjas
Dragonball Z -- it's about moar powrz and long drawn out fight scenes
Goosebumps (for horror)
I forget the YA shapeshifter novels that helped light the firestorm, but that and Vampire Diaries/Twilight, Underworld, etc. kindling the YA Supernatural Romance phenom

Wow, I sound rather negative with that list... I think I better stop and have a lie down.
Just make your fuckin\' guy and roll the dice, you pricks. Focus on what\'s interesting, not what gives you the biggest randomly generated virtual penis.  -- J Arcane
 
You know, people keep comparing non-TSR D&D to deck-building in Magic: the Gathering. But maybe it\'s more like Katamari Damacy. You keep sticking shit on your characters until they are big enough to be a star.
-- talysman

Marleycat

#23
July 22, 2012, 12:27:52 PM
Most of my favorites have already been mentioned like Tad Williams or Michael Moorcock. So how about Wheel of Time it's great inspiration for political machinations and showing females in "power" positions.  Something usually lacking in fantasy without it being hackneyed Amazon stupidity.
Don\'t mess with cats we kill wizards in one blow.;)

crkrueger

#24
July 22, 2012, 02:32:40 PM Last Edit: July 22, 2012, 10:08:29 PM by CRKrueger
Quote from: One Horse Town;562877Well, if we're talking inspiration for the current d&d, then i'd have to say Xanth...



You're right though. :D

Opaopajr also hit it on the head. Dragonball-Z turned into an MMO and then converted to paper basically is 4th edition.

It's interesting to note that a lot of the original Appendix N isn't really stuff you might read as a "child" today.  I did, because Children's Literature sucked ass in the 70s when I was a kid.  Now parents don't buy their kids books from the same shelves they buy from, they buy literature written and marketed specifically to children.  Make of that what you will.  ;)

As far as the teen supernatural romance thing goes, all that playing googly eyes with vampires and werewolves goes back to Laurel K Hamilton doesn't it (where the main character basically fucks her way through the White Wolf product line).
Even the the "cutting edge" storygamers for all their talk of narrative, plot, and drama are fucking obsessed with the god damned rules they use. - Estar

Yes, Sean Connery\'s thumb does indeed do megadamage. - Spinachcat

Isuldur is a badass because he stopped Sauron with a broken sword, but Iluvatar is the badass because he stopped Sauron with a hobbit. -Malleus Arianorum

"Tangency Edition" D&D would have no classes or races, but 17 genders to choose from. -TristramEvans

vytzka

#25
July 22, 2012, 02:41:15 PM
Quote from: Opaopajr;562933Honestly? More viewing than reading. And I feel setting is pretty much viewed as a palette swap nowadays. No real attachment to setting (as noted by the oft encountered "LOL Lore...")

Final Fantasy
Magic the Gathering -- particularly Urza saga & Phyrexia
Naruto
Harry Potter
Pretty much Blizzard everything - Warcraft, WoW, Diablo, etc.
Dark Ages of Camelot, Everquest, etc.
Castlevania
Lord of the Rings
Star Wars (a strong example of story arc structure and relative character plot immunity)
Legend of the Five Rings -- or pretty much everything is better with ninjas
Dragonball Z -- it's about moar powrz and long drawn out fight scenes
Goosebumps (for horror)
I forget the YA shapeshifter novels that helped light the firestorm, but that and Vampire Diaries/Twilight, Underworld, etc. kindling the YA Supernatural Romance phenom

Wow, I sound rather negative with that list... I think I better stop and have a lie down.

You're probably trolling but there is some truth in there. Final Fantasy Tactics, for instance, is pretty much straight D&D setting wise (or 9 with some occasional weirdness). War of the Roses with monks and samurai*, where have I seen this? VII or VIII not so much.

*and calculators but we don't talk about those.

Elfdart

#26
July 22, 2012, 03:29:15 PM
Quote from: Melan;562852Finally, what a contemporary list needs is computer games, movies and TV shows, none of which existed in the fantasy genre when the list was first assembled. These changes in media consumption should be taken into account, although not slavishly.

Quote from: Nahualt;562883I think it would most likely be 'recommended viewing' instead of reading.
;)

Personally, I found B-westerns, Hammer or Universal horror flicks, classic adventure films* and Harryhausen movies -especially those hokey Sinbad films- to be far more inspirational than any fantasy/sci-fi novel and certainly more than any fantasy movie -with the possible exception of Dragonslayer.

* This includes just about every Errol Flynn or Tyrone Power movie from the late 30s to late 40s, as well as most of your Technicolor epics like Ivanhoe or The Vikings.

I've also found that it's better to look outside the fantasy/sci-fi genre when looking for ideas, since the fantasy cud has been chewed pretty thoroughly.
Jesus Fucking Christ, is this guy honestly that goddamned stupid? He can\'t understand the plot of a Star Wars film? We\'re not talking about "Rashomon" here, for fuck\'s sake. The plot is as linear as they come. If anything, the film tries too hard to fill in all the gaps. This guy must be a flaming retard.  --Mike Wong on Red Letter Moron\'s review of The Phantom Menace

John Morrow

#27
July 22, 2012, 03:39:47 PM Last Edit: July 22, 2012, 03:56:34 PM by John Morrow
A the common influences of modern fantasy role-players are movies, television shows, and computer games.  With respect to movies and television shows (a "must watch" list), I think it would include these:

Recommended:

Record of Lodoss War
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (and this when it's released)
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Legend of the Seeker
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Xena: Warrior Princess
Willow
Jason and the Argonauts
A Game of Thrones
Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King
Dragonheart
Hearts and Armour
The Scorpion King
The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God (not the first movie)
Korgoth of Barbaria (whole episode - NSFW)

Provisionally (not perfect fits or of questionable quality):

John Carter
Excalibur
Camelot
The Last Unicorn
The Black Cauldron
The Beastmaster
The Sword and the Sorcerer
The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad
Fire and Ice
Conan the Destroyer
Kull the Conqueror
Red Sonja
Hawk the Slayer

(And, yes, I know plenty of those were influenced by or based on D&D and works in the original Appendix N to one degree or another.)
Robin Laws\' Game Styles Quiz Results:
Method Actor 100%, Butt-Kicker 75%, Tactician 42%, Storyteller 33%, Power Gamer 33%, Casual Gamer 33%, Specialist 17%

Melan

#28
July 22, 2012, 03:57:54 PM
Quote from: Elfdart;562983I've also found that it's better to look outside the fantasy/sci-fi genre when looking for ideas, since the fantasy cud has been chewed pretty thoroughly.
Yes, you are right. That slipped my mind. Not a fan of the Sindbad series, but a lot of adventure/swashbuckler/monster movies are great for D&D.
Now with a Zine!
ⓘ This post is disputed by official sources

The Traveller

#29
July 22, 2012, 04:36:44 PM
Quote from: John Morrow;562990A the common influences of modern fantasy role-players are movies, television shows, and computer games.  With respect to movies and television shows (a "must watch" list), I think it would include these:

Recommended:

Record of Lodoss War
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (and this when it's released)
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Legend of the Seeker
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Xena: Warrior Princess
Willow
Jason and the Argonauts
A Game of Thrones
Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King
Dragonheart
Hearts and Armour
The Scorpion King
The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God (not the first movie)
Korgoth of Barbaria (whole episode - NSFW)

Provisionally (not perfect fits or of questionable quality):

John Carter
Excalibur
Camelot
The Last Unicorn
The Black Cauldron
The Beastmaster
The Sword and the Sorcerer
The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad
Fire and Ice
Conan the Destroyer
Kull the Conqueror
Red Sonja
Hawk the Slayer

(And, yes, I know plenty of those were influenced by or based on D&D and works in the original Appendix N to one degree or another.)
Most excellent list, sir, I was not aware of many of those movies.
"These children are playing with dark and dangerous powers!"
"What else are you meant to do with dark and dangerous powers?"
A concise overview of GNS theory.
Quote from: that muppet vince baker on RPGsIf you care about character arcs or any, any, any lit 101 stuff, I\'d choose a different game.
Print
Go Up Pages 1 2 3 4 5
User actions