Much has been said about
Appendix N in the 1st edition DMG. And it's a good read. I purchased
The Coming of Conan collection, the
John Carter of Mars collection, and
Tales of the Dying Earth in an interest in reading these stories that influenced the formation of Dungeons and Dragons. I especially enjoyed the Conan stories. Their simplistic approach is uncluttered and straightforward. Conan goes to a temple to steal something valuable, finds a horrible monster, kills it (or runs away. He did his fair share of booking it.) The End. :)
But I also feel that a lot of the flavor of those early days of gaming is still left out. In his blog, Grognardia, James Maliszewski discusses the difference between
Inspiration and Emulation, and I find myself agreeing with him.
My Appendix N of Gameplay is influenced heavily by the
Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Coloring Album. Not only because it's the first exposue I had to Dungeons and Dragons, but because it puts forth some themes and ideas that I find synonmyous with the gaming side of RPGs.
A group of adventurers meet at a pub to plan their foray into the underworld.
Ambushed by a bulette.
Clerics turning liches.
Save or die.
Mysterious benefactors.
Demons with sinister and mysterious purpose.
Pacts with otherworldly creatures.
Treasure!
Some things in RPGs would be boring or dumb (or both) to include in a book or movie, but are quite entertaining for the players in the context of an RPG. I have had a good chunk of a session taken up by players shopping for gear in town. (And I'm not alone in that experience) Or having the characters manage the details of an overland journey. (I like to call that type of gaming, Ogregon Trail. Har har.) Two non-book or non-film influences on D&D were Chainmail and Outdoor Survival. In my opinon, they're just as important as Appendix N in forming an opinion on how early D&D was played.
There's far more to RPGs than emulating fiction. Take inspiration from it, but don't try to reproduce the exact circumstances of plot and characterization and drama when there are far more fun and interesting things to do with the gaming aspect of RPGs.
