#appendixn — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #appendixn, aggregated by home.social.
-
What Can We Learn by Reading the Appendices?
This year, I've been making a concerted effort to track down and read some books from Appendix N, as well as from the comparable lists from Pathfinder, from 5e 2014, from Dolmenwood, from Numenera, and honestly from every TTRPG in my collection I could find a list for. I also wrote a list of some media I find inspirational when I make up stories for my players. So far this year, I've finished 34 books; not all have been on one of the list but many have. And I've copied those lists into a […]https://alexanderkeane.com/2026/05/25/what-can-we-learn-by-reading-the-appendices/
-
The Witches of Appendix N: Andre Norton
I am now heading into another important entry to the Appendix N. Andre Norton is one of only three women Gygax mentions. We are also getting one of the few books where witches are the key figures.
#AppendixN #adnd
https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2026/05/the-witches-of-appendix-n-andre-norton.html -
The Witches of Appendix N: Andre Norton
I am now heading into another important entry to the Appendix N. Andre Norton is one of only three women Gygax mentions. We are also getting one of the few books where witches are the key figures.
#AppendixN #adnd
https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2026/05/the-witches-of-appendix-n-andre-norton.html -
The Witches of Appendix N: Andre Norton
I am now heading into another important entry to the Appendix N. Andre Norton is one of only three women Gygax mentions. We are also getting one of the few books where witches are the key figures.
#AppendixN #adnd
https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2026/05/the-witches-of-appendix-n-andre-norton.html -
The Witches of Appendix N: Andre Norton
I am now heading into another important entry to the Appendix N. Andre Norton is one of only three women Gygax mentions. We are also getting one of the few books where witches are the key figures.
#AppendixN #adnd
https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2026/05/the-witches-of-appendix-n-andre-norton.html -
Personal Appendix N
I've been reading titles from Appendix N and other lists of inspirational fiction from different role-playing games this year. There's been some really good and some stuff that wasn't quite my cup of tea, but definitely got me thinking about what stories influence me when I start prepping situations to bring to the table for my own groups. I was also inspired by some lists from Traverse Fantasy, Binary Star Games, and Githyanki Diaspora. Dystopias and Resistance Fiction Okay, so I'm a […] -
Personal Appendix N
I've been reading titles from Appendix N and other lists of inspirational fiction from different role-playing games this year. There's been some really good and some stuff that wasn't quite my cup of tea, but definitely got me thinking about what stories influence me when I start prepping situations to bring to the table for my own groups. I was also inspired by some lists from Traverse Fantasy, Binary Star Games, and Githyanki Diaspora. Dystopias and Resistance Fiction Okay, so I'm a […] -
Personal Appendix N
I've been reading titles from Appendix N and other lists of inspirational fiction from different role-playing games this year. There's been some really good and some stuff that wasn't quite my cup of tea, but definitely got me thinking about what stories influence me when I start prepping situations to bring to the table for my own groups. I was also inspired by some lists from Traverse Fantasy, Binary Star Games, and Githyanki Diaspora. Dystopias and Resistance Fiction Okay, so I'm a […] -
Personal Appendix N
I've been reading titles from Appendix N and other lists of inspirational fiction from different role-playing games this year. There's been some really good and some stuff that wasn't quite my cup of tea, but definitely got me thinking about what stories influence me when I start prepping situations to bring to the table for my own groups. I was also inspired by some lists from Traverse Fantasy, Binary Star Games, and Githyanki Diaspora. Dystopias and Resistance Fiction Okay, so I'm a […] -
Personal Appendix N
I've been reading titles from Appendix N and other lists of inspirational fiction from different role-playing games this year. There's been some really good and some stuff that wasn't quite my cup of tea, but definitely got me thinking about what stories influence me when I start prepping situations to bring to the table for my own groups. I was also inspired by some lists from Traverse Fantasy, Binary Star Games, and Githyanki Diaspora. Dystopias and Resistance Fiction Okay, so I'm a […] -
The Witches of Appendix N: Margaret St. Clair
After the previous Witches of Appendix N did not yield any authentic witches, I decided to move ahead to two entries that I know offer substantial material.
#witch #AppendixN #adnd
https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2026/04/the-witches-of-appendix-n-margaret-st.html -
The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker
The Hellbound Heart was, to me, an odd inclusion in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook (1st Edition) Appendix 3. This is, after all, the book that was adapted into Hellraiser. Yes, the movie with the creepy guy with pins in his head The inclusion of a contemporary horror story into a list that had historically included sword and sorcery pulp adventure, HP Lovecraft, and Lord of the Rings intrigued me. So this one popped toward the top of the list. I'm a huge Pathfinder fan, so figuring out the […]https://alexanderkeane.com/2026/03/27/the-hellbound-heart-by-clive-barker/
-
At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft
H.P. Lovecraft is an author I am hit and miss with, even before accounting for him being especially racist, even for the 1920s and 30s. I enjoyed The Shadow Over Innsmouth but kind of bounced off The Call of Cthulhu. At the Mountains of Madness leaned toward the bounce end of the spectrum for me. It was short enough, and my knowledge that it was the shoggoth book got me through, but a good amount was just really dry. In the end, even the shoggoth encounter was really dry, basically just "Oh […]https://alexanderkeane.com/2026/03/23/at-the-mountains-of-madness-by-h-p-lovecraft/
-
Starting Pirates of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Got through the frame chapter so far.
So our hero is telepathic Elon Musk? Wonderful...
-
As I do a read through of the various appendices of inspirational reading from various RPGs, it's interesting to note which books hold up compared to modern books. Or how some ideas stick with us.
Like one vignette from The Dying Earth by Jack Vance has color-coded people of opposing religions forced by a tyrannical wizard to just not see or acknowledge one another, except when one side attempts to gain both halves of a tablet that will impart knowledge. And... yeah.
-
Experiences So Far Reading the Appendices
Back in January, I got an idea, inspired both by others doing the same and my own attempts the last couple years to read classics from my favorite genres, to read through titles from AD&D's Appendix N. I sat down wI ith the list and copied it as a checklist into a pocket notebook I'd picked up on a whim. Moleskine pocket notebooks haven't been the best with my wetter pens, but the size factor is great for carrying everywhere I had already started using my pocket notebook to plan a session […]https://alexanderkeane.com/2026/03/22/experiences-so-far-reading-the-appendices/
-
The Witches of Appendix N : Michael Moorcock
Michael Moorcock is easily one of the biggest influences on Dungeons & Dragons. Certainly, his contributions rival those of Howard or Tolkien in shaping the structure of the D&D multiverse. Indeed, one can barely talk about the Multiverse of D&D without invoking Moorcock.
But how do his witches fare?
#AppendixN #dnd #witches
https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2026/03/the-witches-of-appendix-n-michael.html -
Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
I've heard the Shannara series mentioned a lot my entire life. Terry Brooks lives in Seattle, where I grew up, and my college took great pride in local authors, even genre authors like Brooks and Herbert. But I'd never actually read any Shannara. Sword of Shannara was listed in Appendix E in the 2014 Dungeons and Dragons Player's Handbook, the fifth edition answer to AD&D's famous Appendix N. When Fifth Edition first came out, I was excited to see some favorites of mine like Throne of the […]https://alexanderkeane.com/2026/03/08/sword-of-shannara-by-terry-brooks/
-
Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
I've heard the Shannara series mentioned a lot my entire life. Terry Brooks lives in Seattle, where I grew up, and my college took great pride in local authors, even genre authors like Brooks and Herbert. But I'd never actually read any Shannara. Sword of Shannara was listed in Appendix E in the 2014 Dungeons and Dragons Player's Handbook, the fifth edition answer to AD&D's famous Appendix N. When Fifth Edition first came out, I was excited to see some favorites of mine like Throne of the […]https://alexanderkeane.com/2026/03/08/sword-of-shannara-by-terry-brooks/
-
Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
I've heard the Shannara series mentioned a lot my entire life. Terry Brooks lives in Seattle, where I grew up, and my college took great pride in local authors, even genre authors like Brooks and Herbert. But I'd never actually read any Shannara. Sword of Shannara was listed in Appendix E in the 2014 Dungeons and Dragons Player's Handbook, the fifth edition answer to AD&D's famous Appendix N. When Fifth Edition first came out, I was excited to see some favorites of mine like Throne of the […]https://alexanderkeane.com/2026/03/08/sword-of-shannara-by-terry-brooks/
-
Revisiting Classics–The Moon Pool by A. Merritt
I've posted a few times before about going back to books that are classics of genres I enjoy, like I did with Winds of Gath or with Snow Crash. One thing I did at the start of January is pick up some pocket notebooks to carry around in case inspiration about one of my games strikes when I'm away from my usual A5 journals or a laptop. And one of the first things I did to look for inspiration is to copy some of the "Inspirational Reading" sections from TTRPGs I enjoy into the notebooks. The […]https://alexanderkeane.com/2026/02/01/revisiting-classics-the-moon-pool-by-a-merritt/
-
Revisiting Classics–The Moon Pool by A. Merritt
I've posted a few times before about going back to books that are classics of genres I enjoy, like I did with Winds of Gath or with Snow Crash. One thing I did at the start of January is pick up some pocket notebooks to carry around in case inspiration about one of my games strikes when I'm away from my usual A5 journals or a laptop. And one of the first things I did to look for inspiration is to copy some of the "Inspirational Reading" sections from TTRPGs I enjoy into the notebooks. The […]https://alexanderkeane.com/2026/02/01/revisiting-classics-the-moon-pool-by-a-merritt/
-
Revisiting Classics–The Moon Pool by A. Merritt
I've posted a few times before about going back to books that are classics of genres I enjoy, like I did with Winds of Gath or with Snow Crash. One thing I did at the start of January is pick up some pocket notebooks to carry around in case inspiration about one of my games strikes when I'm away from my usual A5 journals or a laptop. And one of the first things I did to look for inspiration is to copy some of the "Inspirational Reading" sections from TTRPGs I enjoy into the notebooks. The […]https://alexanderkeane.com/2026/02/01/revisiting-classics-the-moon-pool-by-a-merritt/
-
Dolmenwood does some extra focus, looking at certain Lord Dunsany texts that are in Appendices N, 3, and E, and then narrowly adding modern texts like Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and Stardust to the focused list.
Sort of like Cyberpunk Red does with its Bibliography, ignoring general adventure books in favor of seminal Cyberpunk stories like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Neuromancer, and Snow Crash.
-
I've made some reading lists from AD&D Appendix N, 5e's Appendix E, and some other games.
Based on a post from Grognardia (https://grognardia.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-original-dungeon-delver.html?m=0), I've started my delve into the inspirational media of D&D with The Moon Pool by A. Merritt, written in 1919.
It begins with a classic D&D scene, a group faced with a door that will not open and puzzling how to make it do so. And then when the door does open...
Liking Merritt's immersive description so far.
-
New Sword & Sorcery fiction mag. incoming. I like the title. Cool callback. #Sword&Sorcery #fiction #AppendixN www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
Get Ready for Swords Against! ... -
New Sword & Sorcery fiction mag. incoming. I like the title. Cool callback. #Sword&Sorcery #fiction #AppendixN www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
Get Ready for Swords Against! ... -
New Sword & Sorcery fiction mag. incoming. I like the title. Cool callback. #Sword&Sorcery #fiction #AppendixN www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
Get Ready for Swords Against! ... -
New Sword & Sorcery fiction mag. incoming. I like the title. Cool callback. #Sword&Sorcery #fiction #AppendixN www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
Get Ready for Swords Against! ... -
New Sword & Sorcery fiction mag. incoming. I like the title. Cool callback. #Sword&Sorcery #fiction #AppendixN www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
Get Ready for Swords Against! ... -
Witches of Appendix N: John Bellairs
There is only one entry for John Bellairs in Gygax's Appendix N; 1969's The Face in the Frost. And even my Gary's own recounting it didn't influence D&D very much. But he said it could have.
#adnd #appendixn #witch
https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2025/10/witches-of-appendix-n-john-bellairs.html -
Witches of Appendix N: Poul Anderson
It is the start of October, and time for another foundational author for D&D from Gary's Appendix N. As always with this feature, I am focusing on the witches presented in these tales.
#AppendixN #ttrpg #ADnD #witch
https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2025/10/witches-of-appendix-n-poul-anderson.html -
I was inspired to start this blog because of the theme going around a lot of blogs was "Appendix N". After one of the regular players in my campaigns said one of my strengths is body horror. It's not something I strive for, so it got me thinking about my influences. They don' all make sense in that context but I am what I am.
-
#TTRPG #RPGaDay2025 #AppendixN
Inspiration is a broad thing for some of us. It's hard to capture, like lightning in a bottle. What we can do is write our own Appendix N and share it.
https://grimtokens.garden/Articles/RPG+a+Day/2025/Day+09+-+Inspire
-
July is a busy month, so I didn't have much time to work on my #AppendixN jam entry, but I knocked something together and I think there's some fun ideas in it. And anyway, it's PWYW, and I encourage you to pay $0 for it -- that's the whole idea.
-
@Printdevil and I have just published our first collaborative project!
"Witchbreed of the Sunken Vale" is a low-level #TTRPG adventure for #DungeonsAndDragons and its #retroclones. Submitted as an entry to the #AppendixN #GameJam. Take a look and let us know what you think:
-
Witches of Appendix N: Robert E. Howard, Part 1 Conan
Of all the authors listed in Appendix N, few loom larger than Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan the Cimmerian. So much so that I need to split his contributions into two posts. Here are some of his witches.
#AppendixN #witch
https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2025/07/witches-of-appendix-n-robert-e-howard.html -
Witches of Appendix N: Lin Carter
In today's Witches of Appendix N, I want to dive into an author I have not read since my early college days. Lin Carter left me with a mixed opinion then. Does he fare better now?
#AppendixN #ADnD
https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2025/06/witches-of-appendix-n-lin-carter.html -
The third book is the #Weirdstone of Brisingamen by #AlanGarner which I have never read (though I listened to the #BBC #audio dramatisation once). Although published in 1960, this book didn't make it onto #Gygax 's list in #AppendixN . I'm not sure of the reason for this omission, the book was certainly known in USA (In 1970 it was given an award by the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education).
-
#TTRPG & #Weird Fiction enthusiasts around #Boston : #PeterBebergal discusses his #DungeonsAndDragons inspired collection of stories, #AppendixN, revised and expanded edition: Weird Tales From the Roots of Dungeons & Dragons
Wednesday (tonight) in #CambridgeMA - 7pm. In Conversation with (my longtime friend) #JanakaStucky, poet, performer, and creator of projects like #BlazingWorlds and #BlackOcean.
Free, Harvard Bookstore, masks encouraged.
https://www.harvard.com/events/
https://www.harvard.com/event/peter_bebergal/ #BostonGeek #DnD #RPGs -
Can anyone #recommend a #secondhand #bookshop in #London which is good for classic #fantasy / #scifi books from the 20th century?
The kind of place where one could find the #books listed in #AppendixN of the 1st edition #DungeonMastersGuide.