Alex KeanePersonal 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 […]
Timothy S. BrannanThe 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
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/
Alex KeaneStarting 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
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
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.
