Appendix N
The original D&D books were not heavy on setting descriptions and background material. Absent are the tedious Fantasy Encyclopaedia entries of later games, and the two-page ‘splats’ telling you everything you need to play a member of X archetype (yet still, somehow, this splat becomes a 72 page book when the developer needs to pay the rent).
Instead, they had Appendix N: a list of inspirational and influential reading that had informed the development of the game. The only improvement I would suggest to this practice is the addition of designer’s notes explaining why that source was influential and what it was influential upon, making the process of world-building and game-developing explicit as an example for those GMs who follow after you.
Unfortunately that tends to make for rather long lists, so I’ve had to split my appendix up a bit.
Literature – inspirational reading. I’ve tried not to recommend pillars of the fantasy genre because what’s the point?
Essays - critical works that inform my ninety-per-cent-of-everything-is-shite approach to games, fantasy fiction, &c, &c.
Games Workshop – I played their games almost exclusively for ten years and the best of them are bound to have had an impact, hence they get their own page.
These lists are bound to be revised and extended next time I’m feeling taxonomical. In particular there’s the White Wolf and Privateer Press stuff to be considered – also music, films etcetera.
