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RPG Sourcebook Reading Lists

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Some rulebooks/sourcebooks for tabletop role-playing games include (usually in an appendix or something) a “suggested reading” list. (Sometimes the list is called “inspirational reading”, “references”, or something else along these lines.)

The works included in such lists are mostly fiction novels or stories (usually, of course, this is “sf”, a.k.a. “speculative fiction” a.k.a. “science fiction / fantasy”), but sometimes the list includes non-fiction works, films, etc. The idea is that the listed works inspired the sourcebook author’s RPG creations, and the author hopes that they will inspire the creativity of those who read the sourcebook and make use of it in their games.

The most widely known such list is, of course, the famous “Appendix N” to the Dungeon Master’s Guide for the 1st edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. But there are many others. This page attempts to collect all of them.

These reading (and viewing, playing, etc.) lists offer a fascinating glimpse at the cultural influences on various tabletop RPGs, and the historical evolution of those influences, from the hobby’s development to the present day.

If you know of a reading list in an RPG sourcebook that’s not listed here, tell me about it! You can contact me via email, at obormot [at] obormot [dot] net.

Contents

The lists below are organized by the game to which a sourcebook belongs (all D&D sourcebooks in one section, all Alternity sourcebooks in another, etc.), with the games listed in chronological order (according to the publication year of the earliest listed book); and within each game, are ordered chronologically by publication year.

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeon Master’s Guide (1st edition AD&D), 1979. Appendix N: Inspirational and Educational Reading.

Inspiration for all the fantasy work I have done stems directly from the love my father showed when I was a lad, for he spent many hours telling me stories he made up as he went along, tales of cloaked old men who could grant wishes, of magic rings and enchanted swords, or wicked sorcerors [sic] and dauntless swordsmen. Then too, countless hundreds of comic books went down, and the long-gone EC ones certainly had their effect. Science fiction, fantasy, and horror movies were a big influence. In fact, all of us tend to get ample helpings of fantasy when we are very young from fairy tales such as those written by the Brothers Grimm and Andrew Lang. This often leads to reading books of mythology, paging through bestiaries, and consultation of compilations of the myths of various lands and peoples. Upon such a base I built my interest in fantasy, being an avid reader of all science fiction and fantasy literature since 1950. The following authors were of particular inspiration to me. In some cases I cite specific works, in others, I simply recommend all of their fantasy writing to you. From such sources, as well as any other imaginative writing or screenplay, you will be able to pluck kernels from which will grow the fruits of exciting campaigns. Good reading!

The most immediate influences upon AD&D were probably de Camp & Pratt, R. E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, H. P. Lovecraft, and A. Merritt; but all of the above authors, as well as many not listed, certainly helped to shape the form of the game. For this reason, and for the hours of reading enjoyment, I heartily recommend the works of these fine authors to you.

Basic Rulebook (Basic D&D), 1981. Inspirational Source Material.

(This is the Tom Moldvay a.k.a. “B/X” version of Basic D&D.)

A good D&D campaign is imaginative and creative. Sometimes a little research is useful to improve a dungeon, flesh out a scenario, and provide inspiration for a campaign. Books on folklore, mythology, fairy tales, bestiaries, and knightly legends can often help the DM fill in important details of a campaign, but fictional tales and fantasy novels usually provide the best sources of inspiration. The following list includes some books which might prove useful. A title list followed by “et al.” means that the author has written more fantasy titles than those which can be listed in the limited space available. Note that some books listed as “non-fiction” are about myths or legends, but are labeled as non-fiction because they are not on the fiction shelves of the library or bookstore.

Fiction: Young Adult Fantasy

Non-fiction: Young Adult

Fiction: Adult Fantasy

Some additional authors of fantasy fiction are:

Short Story Collections

Non-fiction

Complete Psionics Handbook (2nd edition AD&D), 1991. Related Reading.

To find models for the psionicist, one can delve into Indian and Asian folk tales. These contain many characters with abilities that mirror psionics, largely because Eastern mysticism emphasizes meditation and the harnessing of internal energy. Fantasy fiction also offers some good examples. The bibliography below includes several good sources which deal with psionics. Players with an interest in the subject are strongly urged to read some of these books for inspiration.

Fiction

Nonfiction

Player’s Handbook (5th edition D&D), 2014. Appendix E: Inspirational Reading.

Inspiration for all the fantasy work I have done stems directly from the love my father showed when I was a lad, for he spent many hours telling me stories he made up as he went along, tales of cloaked old men who could grant wishes, of magic rings and enchanted swords, or wicked sorcerers and dauntless swordsmen. … All of us tend to get ample helpings of fantasy when we are very young from fairy tales such as those written by the Brothers Grimm and Andrew Lang. This often leads to reading books of mythology, paging through bestiaries, and consultation of compilations of the myths of various lands and peoples. Upon such a base I built my interest in fantasy, being an avid reader of all science fiction and fantasy literature since 1950. The following authors were of particular inspiration to me.

A great deal of fantasy literature has been published since the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons wrote those words, including breakthrough works set in the shared worlds of D&D. The following list includes Gary’s original list and some additional works that have inspired the game designers in the years since.

Alternity

Mindwalking: A Guide to Psionics, 1999. Suggested Reading/Viewing.

Suggested Reading

Suggested Viewing

Tangents, 1999. Suggested Reading or Viewing.

Almost every science fiction, fantasy, mystery, or horror story, TV series, or movie can be thought of as a “parallel world” where fantastic things not common to the real world occur. In fact, every work of fiction is potentially a “parallel universe”. However, there are many stories that deal more specifically with the idea of parallel universes. Some of those are provided below, as chosen by the author as exemplary examples of the “parallel universe” genre. Reading or viewing from some subset of these works may provide countless idea seeds for tangent campaigns of your own creation.

Dark•Matter Campaign Setting, 1999. Recommended Reading & Viewing.

Rather than a comprehensive list of all applicable titles (which would no doubt fill this entire book), the list below is a selection of titles that inspired and informed the designers in writing Dark•Matter. Enjoy!

Books, Nonfiction

Books, Fiction

Comics

Magazines

Movies

TV Series

Websites

(NOTE: Most of these links are, unfortunately, broken. I’ve provided links to archived versions where available. —ed.)

Exalted

Exalted 2nd Edition Core Rules, 2006. Suggested Resources.

Fiction

This collection of stories originally released as three separate novels—Night’s Master, Death’s Master and Delusion’s Master—that with two more novels—Delirium’s Mistress and Night’s Sorceries—make up Lee’s Flat Earth Series. These novels formed the single largest influence to Exalted’s development as a game.

The magitech of Exalted in particular owes a lot of its look and feel to this seminal work. In it, the hero strives to save the world from being overrun by a decadent empire of sorcerer-warriors led by an immortal king. These tyrants consider themselves and their system of beliefs to be in all ways superior to those around them.

The third great literary influence to Exalted, Dunsany’s Pegana tales birthed a number of ideas that made their way into this game. The gods, especially the Five Maidens, owe a great deal of their character to his work.

Classics

That’s right. It’s not just a book of commandments and begetting, it’s also a story of epic heroes given power by God and a mandate to go out and right what is wrong with the world.

The Iliad is basically the template story of the flawed hero from which every other story in Western civilization draws its inspiration. And if you want to see the classical underworld from which grew the Underworld of Exalted, look no further than The Odyssey. Besides, there is no greater juxtaposition of Dawn Caste and Eclipse Caste than Achilles and Odysseus in these two works.

This cornerstone of Asian myth follows the quest of the priest Sanzang and his three disciples (Pig, monk Sand and the Monkey King) as they travel from China to India to retrieve the Buddhist Sutra. More than perhaps any other tale of Asia, this has found its way into world culture via everything from anime such as Dragonball and Saiyuki to live-action productions such as A Chinese Odyssey and The Lost Empire.

Manga

This manga, featuring a modern girl flung back in time to feudal Japan, is excellent in its depiction of larger than life characters in battles versus demons while the normal folk just take it all in stride. Besides there are few better depictions of a daiklave in action than InuYasha’s sword, the Tetsusaiga. If you’re not a fan of manga, at least check out the anime based on it and the movies it’s spawned.

Though more properly a manwha (a Korean comic book), this reinterpretation of Norse myth is full of over-the-top combat and sorcery, and its conflict between larger-than-life demigod heroes striving against the forces of undeath greatly mirrors the Solar/Abyssal conflict of Exalted.

Movies and Anime

This series has everything; equivalents to many of the major Exalt types—Solar, Sidereal and Terrestrial—beautiful animation, an engaging story, and great depictions of what Exalted would term Charms and sorcery. What it lacks is an ending. Only two episodes were ever completed, so it’s a bit of a tease, but it’s a fun ride nonetheless.

This anime was one of the main inspirations for Exalted, and there’s not a better depiction of Wyld mutants out there. The later series is also good inspiration.

Probably the most popular wuxia film ever made—winning four Academy Awards—this film served as many Americans’ first exposure to wire-fu. This film rises above the many such films released from Hong Kong studios every year through its gripping story of love and honor, brought to life by the gripping performances of Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh—not to mention the beautiful visuals, pulled off by its director Ang Lee.

Yes, it’s silly and irreverent, but this movie features possibly the best depiction of Exalted-level martial arts ever committed to film. Besides, it’s a great story that will leave you with a smile on your face long after the credits roll.

Video Games

Admittedly, this Dynasty Warriors game is little different from those that preceded it, but it and its predecessors do one thing quite well, and that is showing heroic characters leading units of mundane forces against other such heroes and their units. There’s no place where Exalted mass combat is better illustrated.

This game is just awesome. It’s beautiful; the threats, look and tech are very Exalted; and it’s got maybe the best supernatural martial-arts system ever devised.

Like the Night Caste? This game is all about sneaking, spying, stealing and assassination, just like the stereotypical member of the Daggers of Heaven. And you fans of Wood Aspects, check out the moss arrow. It’s greenery-gagging good fun.

Exalted 3rd Edition Core Rules, 2016. Suggested Resources.

Fiction

Night’s Master and the rest of Lee’s Flat Earth series were instrumental in the making of Exalted. Night’s Master is set in a world pervaded by weird magic, full of apathetic gods, wicked spirits, and wicked men, from which a tale of triumph may still be told.

Hawkmoon was another major influence in the making of Exalted. It gives a great example of a sorcerous empire hell bent on conquest. It also features strange, sorcerous mechanisms that are imperfectly understood, even by the few sorcerers who have a prayer of using them. The character Count Brass from the Jewel in the Skull is a perfect example of a Solar Exalted.

Lord Dunsany’s gods were a major influence on the character of spirits in Creation. The Maidens of Destiny owe much to the gods of Pegãna, and more than one Yozi echoes the threat of Mana-Yood-Sushai, while certain Third Circle demons can often be compared to beings such as Skarl the Drummer, whose drum beats the rhythm of time and existence. Pegãna also takes a cynical view towards holy men, particularly in a world where gods exist and are indifferent to prayer at best, or hostile at worst.

A man awakens to his long-lost divinity and remembers lost lives and lost loves. With unmatched sorcerous talent, he travels across the broken landscape of the universe to unite all worlds as one, and bring magic back to Earth. A must-read for the battle that occurs inside the worldsized body of Hapexamendios, God and creator of the Five Dominions.

The powerful, large-scale magic of this series was a major source of inspiration for Exalted’s sorcery. It also has great character development, and takes place in a gritty world, unromantic in its depiction of the lives of common men—something Creation shares.

This revolutionary series provides a great example of how politics, lore, and geography all come together to set the stage for major events, some of which were set in motion years, generations, or centuries before.

Solars owe a lot of their DNA to Conan, an ostensibly mortal man who yet demonstrates superhuman might, quickness, and resistance to injury. The sorcerers of Conan played a major part in the reconceptualization of sorcery in Exalted. Thoth-Amon’s thrall is a good example of a blood-ape, while Yogah in “The Tower of the Elephant” is a good example of an ancient spirit or a pre-human sorcerer from the Time Before.

Classics

Achilles is sulky, self-centered, quick-tempered, and undefeatable. Watch the fate of the known world depend on how he feels on any given day.

This story details the exploits of Sun Wukong, born of the Five Elements, master of many divine secrets, who uses cunning as much as his divine power. It serves as a limitless source of ideas for a world understood through spiritual pretexts and divine (and martial) allegories. Its first seven chapters are also the primary inspiration for YuShan, Exalted’s Heaven.

This book of the Bible focuses on a number of divine heroes who led the children of Israel in victories against enemies who were vastly more powerful. While Samson gets most of the attention, one should not overlook Shamgar of Anath with his ox-goad, or Deborah whose leadership and cunning crushed the enemies of her people.

Manga

The yokai in this series provide an example of spirits and sorcery in Creation. It’s also good inspiration for Artifact weapons. It can be a good source for more lighthearted takes on Exalted.

This manga deftly illustrates life in a world of predatory supernatural beings, where gods and heroes are usually only stirred to help by lavish bribes. The titular Claymore monster-hunters are reminiscent of the Liminal Exalted.

Anime

This anime heavily influenced the Charms and supernatural martial arts of the Exalted. Ninja Scroll deftly reconciles a world of supernatural magic with a world driven by money, politics, and mortal men, by putting that magic in around the margins. Also, the fight scenes are a great example of what combat in Exalted looks like.

Howl is a great example of a Twilight Caste sorcerer. His castle played a large part in conceptualizing sorcerous projects. Howl also gives a good example of what it’s like to deal with a Solar who is acting out a Virtue Flaw.

Television and Movies

A wuxia classic, this film is condensed Exalted: a hero moved by his passion to guard a magical mountaintop for years on end, a “wolf woman” heroine that serves as great Lunar inspiration, demonic sorcerers, and impossible mystical kung fu, all woven around a story of romance and politics.

A spellbinding look at Rome at the end of the reign of Julius Caesar, Rome shows off the decadence, filth, and corruption of the ancient world’s most enlightened government. It’s a must-see for players who are interested in Realm politics, social influence, political maneuvering, or showing how assassins and strongmen can have a huge influence on rule.

Video Games

Based on the classic Chinese epic Romance of the Three Kingdoms, this series is a good visceral representation of the power of Exalted characters. Few other sources get across the sheer impact of an Exalt on the battlefield quite as effectively.

Though the technology is far beyond Creation’s, Final Fantasy VII features a world run by a powerful military government, with superhuman agents who derive their powers from a celestial being. A life force moves through all things and eventually returns to the Planet. The empty unsettledness of the world is thrown into stark contrast by almost anachronistic elements of basic technology: in all the world there’s only one small airplane, and a single rocket ship makes up the entirety of the space program. The Planet seems almost as if it were recovering from an unspoken apocalypse.

Dissidia’s heroes wield giant weapons and over-the-top magic that fits right in with Exalted. Its agile, cinematic battle system was the single largest influence on Third Edition’s combat rules.

Eclipse Phase

Eclipse Phase Core Rules, 2011. References.

Eclipse Phase borrows liberally from many sources, which deserve recognition and credit. Gamemasters may also find them a good source of inspiration for adventures and campaigns. Further resources can be found on our website: http://eclipsephase.com

Fiction

Comics and Graphic Novels

Non-fiction

Roleplaying Games

Movies and Television

Adventure Conqueror King System

Adventurer Conqueror King System, 2011. Recommended Reading For Judges.

Starfinder

Core Rulebook, 2017. Inspirational Media.

The Starfinder Roleplaying Game draws inspiration from a wide range of science fiction and fantasy sources. Need ideas for a character or adventure? Check out some of these works, both classic and modern.

Literature

Comics

Video Games and Video Game Series

Film and Television

Tabletop RPGs