Dungeons & Dragons: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Dungeons & Dragons was assembled in 1974 out of Midwestern miniature wargaming, pulp fantasy paperbacks, and Dave Wesely's Braunstein experiments — Gygax famously listed his reading in the rulebook's Appendix N. This mix traces that literary and hobbyist lineage, the hands that drew and wrote the early game, and the vast downstream culture of video games, streams and screen nostalgia it seeded.

The Kynda mix for Dungeons & Dragons

• Key Influence · The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (1954). Gygax downplayed Tolkien's role, yet the first printings sold hobbits, ents and balrogs until the Tolkien estate forced renames to halflings, treants and the balor. Appendix N of the Advanced D&D Dungeon Masters Guide lists Tolkien directly, and the paperback boom of the late 1960s is what made a mass audience fluent enough in wizards, dwarves and quests for a fantasy wargame to find buyers at all.
• Influencia Obscura · Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson (1961). The deepest cut in Appendix N. Anderson's Carolingian fantasy gives D&D its law-versus-chaos cosmic axis, which became the alignment system; its hero Holger is the template for the paladin; and its troll — rubbery, regenerating, defeated only by fire — is almost verbatim the Monster Manual entry. Few players who roll alignment know the novel exists, yet the mechanic is a direct transcription of its metaphysics.
• Local Roots · Braunstein by David Wesely (1969). In the Minneapolis Military Miniatures Group, Wesely refereed a Napoleonic town scenario where each player ran a single citizen with private goals rather than an army — the first recognizable role-playing session. Dave Arneson played in Braunsteins and carried the format into his Blackmoor campaign, which he brought to Gygax in Lake Geneva. The Twin Cities club is where the individual character was invented.
• Beyond the Medium · Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory (1485). Malory's compilation is the ur-source for the chivalric furniture D&D systematized: questing knights bound by vows, named swords, errant adventure as a structure where episodes accrete without a plot. The paladin's code, the grail-style quest module and the whole assumption that nobility can be a class of person all descend from the romance tradition, translated into hit points and a referee's dungeon map.
• Peer · Tunnels & Trolls by Ken St. Andre (1975). St. Andre, a Phoenix librarian, found the original D&D boxed set nearly unreadable and wrote his own simpler, jokier fantasy RPG within months — the second such game ever published, and the first to prove the form could be rebuilt by anyone. Its solo adventures invented a whole mode of play. T&T is the earliest evidence that D&D had created not a product but a genre others would immediately contest.
• Key Collaborator · Wormy by David Trampier (1977). Trampier drew the iconic Players Handbook cover — adventurers prying gems from an idol's eyes — and, as DAT, the long-running Dragon magazine comic strip about a cigar-smoking dragon and his pool-hustling monster friends. The strip's lush, detailed draftsmanship shows the craft that gave first-edition AD&D its sinister, lived-in visual identity before Trampier vanished from the hobby entirely in 1988.
• Legacy · Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar by Richard Garriott (1985). Garriott played D&D as a teenager, earned the name Lord British as a dungeon master, and built his Ultima games directly from campaign play — his first efforts were essentially computerized dungeon crawls. Ultima IV replaced the kill-the-villain goal with a virtue system, and its party structure, tile dungeons and conversation keywords became the vocabulary of the computer RPG, hence of BioWare and beyond.

What influenced Dungeons & Dragons

• Robert E. Howard by Robert E. Howard. Howard's works are listed among the game's influences. (also via Conan the Conqueror) “Other influences include the works of Robert E. Howard , Edgar Rice Burroughs , A. Merritt , H. P. Lovecraft , Fritz Leiber , L. Sprague de Camp , Fletcher Pratt , Roger Zelazny , and Michael Moorcock .” (Wikipedia)
• Fritz Leiber by Fritz Leiber. Gygax explicitly identifies Leiber as an immediate influence on AD&D. “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;” (AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide, Appendix N (reproduced by Digital Eel))
• A. Merritt. Merritt's works are listed among the game's influences. (also via Dwellers in the Mirage) “Other influences include the works of Robert E. Howard , Edgar Rice Burroughs , A. Merritt , H. P. Lovecraft , Fritz Leiber , L. Sprague de Camp , Fletcher Pratt , Roger Zelazny , and Michael Moorcock .” (Wikipedia)
• Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson (1961). Three Hearts and Three Lions (Poul Anderson) — ghost for Dungeons & Dragons “The original alignment system (which grouped all characters and creatures into 'Law', 'Neutrality' and 'Chaos') was derived from the novel Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson .” (Wikipedia)
• Michael Moorcock by Michael Moorcock. Moorcock's works are listed among the game's influences. “Other influences include the works of Robert E. Howard , Edgar Rice Burroughs , A. Merritt , H. P. Lovecraft , Fritz Leiber , L. Sprague de Camp , Fletcher Pratt , Roger Zelazny , and Michael Moorcock .” (Wikipedia)
• Roger Zelazny by Roger Zelazny. Zelazny's works are listed among the game's influences. “Other influences include the works of Robert E. Howard , Edgar Rice Burroughs , A. Merritt , H. P. Lovecraft , Fritz Leiber , L. Sprague de Camp , Fletcher Pratt , Roger Zelazny , and Michael Moorcock .” (Wikipedia)
• L. Sprague de Camp by L. Sprague de Camp. De Camp's works are listed among the game's influences. “Other influences include the works of Robert E. Howard , Edgar Rice Burroughs , A. Merritt , H. P. Lovecraft , Fritz Leiber , L. Sprague de Camp , Fletcher Pratt , Roger Zelazny , and Michael Moorcock .” (Wikipedia)
• Black Destroyer by A. E. van Vogt. Black Destroyer is identified as an inspiration for a game monster. “This cool concept was “burrowed” from a 1939 short story by A.E. Van Vogt, Black Destroyer , later collected in the novel The Voyage of the Space Beagle . His extraterrestrial creature was named the coeurl. (Gygax confirmed this years la…” (Tony DiTerlizzi)
• The Dying Earth by Jack Vance (1950). The Dying Earth (Jack Vance) — titan for Dungeons & Dragons “The D&D magic system , in which wizards memorize spells that are used up once cast and must be re-memorized the next day, was heavily influenced by the Dying Earth stories and novels of Jack Vance .” (Wikipedia)
• Fletcher Pratt by Fletcher Pratt. Pratt's works are listed among the game's influences. “Other influences include the works of Robert E. Howard , Edgar Rice Burroughs , A. Merritt , H. P. Lovecraft , Fritz Leiber , L. Sprague de Camp , Fletcher Pratt , Roger Zelazny , and Michael Moorcock .” (Wikipedia)
• H. P. Lovecraft by H. P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft's works are listed among the game's influences. “Other influences include the works of Robert E. Howard , Edgar Rice Burroughs , A. Merritt , H. P. Lovecraft , Fritz Leiber , L. Sprague de Camp , Fletcher Pratt , Roger Zelazny , and Michael Moorcock .” (Wikipedia)
• The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (1954). The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien) — titan for Dungeons & Dragons “The importance of J. R. R. Tolkien 's works The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit as an influence on D&D is controversial.” (Wikipedia)
• Edgar Rice Burroughs. Burroughs's works are listed among the game's influences. “Other influences include the works of Robert E. Howard , Edgar Rice Burroughs , A. Merritt , H. P. Lovecraft , Fritz Leiber , L. Sprague de Camp , Fletcher Pratt , Roger Zelazny , and Michael Moorcock .” (Wikipedia)
• Book of Genesis. An image from Genesis inspired the game's Blade Barrier spell. “the Book of Genesis (the clerical spell 'Blade Barrier' was inspired by the " flaming sword which turned every way" at the gates of Eden ).” (Wikipedia)
• Jack Vance by Jack Vance. Gygax explicitly names Vance as an immediate influence on AD&D. “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;” (AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide, Appendix N (reproduced by Digital Eel))
• Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. Jabberwocky is identified as an inspiration for the vorpal sword. “Monsters, spells, and magic items used in the game have been inspired by hundreds of individual works such as A. E. van Vogt's "Black Destroyer", Coeurl (the Displacer Beast ), Lewis Carroll 's " Jabberwocky " ( vorpal sword)” (Wikipedia)
• Conan the Conqueror by Robert E. Howard (1950). Conan the Conqueror (Robert E. Howard) — titan for Dungeons & Dragons “The first table-top roleplaying game based on Howard's works was TSR's "Conan Unchained!" (1984) for their game Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (1937). The article identifies The Hobbit as a debated influence on Dungeons & Dragons. “The importance of J. R. R. Tolkien 's works The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit as an influence on D&D is controversial.” (Wikipedia)
• The Burrowers Beneath by Brian Lumley. In a quotation reproduced by DiTerlizzi, Gygax describes the book-cover image that prompted his creation of the mind flayer. “I happened to be thinking of devising a new terrible race if [sic] creatures inimical to humans, and my eye fell upon a paperback book authored by Brian Lumley , ‘The Burrowers Beneath’. The cover illustration was of a bipedal monster wi…” (Tony DiTerlizzi)
• Dwellers in the Mirage by A. Merritt (1932). Dwellers in the Mirage (A. Merritt) — ghost for Dungeons & Dragons “Gary Gygax, co-creator of the game Dungeons & Dragons, listed Merritt in "Appendix N" of the Dungeon Masters Guide and often noted that he was one of his favorite fantasy authors.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Chainmail by Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren. Chainmail supplied the game's initial rule system. “The game was derived from miniature wargames , with a variation of the 1971 game Chainmail serving as the initial rule system.” (Wikipedia)
• Blackmoor by Dave Arneson. Arneson's Blackmoor preceded and contributed to the development of Dungeons & Dragons. “Arneson introduced Gygax to his Blackmoor game and the two then collaborated on developing "The Fantasy Game", the game that became Dungeons & Dragons” (Wikipedia)
• Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory (1485). Le Morte d'Arthur (Thomas Malory) — culture for Dungeons & Dragons (openlibrary.org)
• The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs (1969). The Face in the Frost (John Bellairs) — ghost for Dungeons & Dragons (openlibrary.org)
• The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson (1220). The Prose Edda (Snorri Sturluson) — culture for Dungeons & Dragons (openlibrary.org)
• Illustrations to Dante's Inferno by Gustave Doré (1861). Illustrations to Dante's Inferno (Gustave Doré) — culture for Dungeons & Dragons

Peers and kindred spirits

• Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis (1984). Dragonlance Chronicles (Margaret Weis) — collaborator for Dungeons & Dragons “Wizards of the Coast also announced the D&D Icons line with Joe Manganiello as chief creative officer; the line will feature a new setting by Manganiello as well as other work by creators such as Luke Gygax, Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman,…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Tunnels & Trolls by Ken St. Andre (1975). Tunnels & Trolls (Ken St. Andre) — peer for Dungeons & Dragons “Andre wrote rules for a fantasy role-playing game he called Tunnels & Trolls (T&T) as a rebellion against the recently published Dungeons & Dragons which he felt was heavily dependent on the use of miniatures, with which he had no experi…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Braunstein by David Wesely (1969). Braunstein (David Wesely) — geography for Dungeons & Dragons “Jon Peterson cites Arneson's Blackmoor as being the most significant precursor to Dungeons & Dragons.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Traveller by Marc Miller (1977). Traveller (Marc Miller) — peer for Dungeons & Dragons
• Deities & Demigods by Jim Ward (1980). Deities & Demigods (Jim Ward) — collaborator for Dungeons & Dragons
• Tractics by Mike Reese (1971). Tractics (Mike Reese) — geography for Dungeons & Dragons
• Wormy by David Trampier (1977). Wormy (David Trampier) — collaborator for Dungeons & Dragons
• Gettysburg by Charles S. Roberts (1958). Gettysburg (Charles S. Roberts) — geography for Dungeons & Dragons
• RuneQuest by Greg Stafford (1978). RuneQuest (Greg Stafford) — peer for Dungeons & Dragons

Who Dungeons & Dragons influenced

• Stranger Things by The Duffer Brothers (2016). The main characters of Stranger Things play Dungeons & Dragons. ““Everything about their D&D game mirrors very much the reality and how they’re functioning in the real world,” Matt Duffer says. “And how they handle the various obstacles that come their way.”” (Netflix Tudum)
• Star Wars Roleplaying Game. The Star Wars role-playing game used Dungeons & Dragons' core systems. “That’s why it was sort of crazy that West End Games, a maker of Dungeons & Dragons -style tabletop role-playing games, would spend a fortune to license Star Wars in 1986.” (Rolling Stone)
• Secret Lair. The announced Secret Lair release was based on the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon. “In June 2021, Wizards of the Coast announced a Secret Lair based on Dungeons and Dragons cartoon .” (Wikipedia)
• Magic: The Gathering. Dungeons & Dragons (Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson) — titan for Magic: The Gathering “Garfield has stated that two major influences in his creation of Magic: the Gathering were the games Cosmic Encounter , [ 81 ] which first used the concept that normal rules could sometimes be overridden, and Dungeons & Dragons .” (Wikipedia)
• Critical Role by Matthew Mercer (2015). Critical Role (Matthew Mercer) — legacy for Dungeons & Dragons “Mercer developed and served as the Dungeon Master for the Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role since it premiered in 2015.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Five Magics. The article connects Garfield’s development of Five Magics to the open-endedness of Dungeons & Dragons. “Dungeons & Dragons ' s open-endedness inspired him, like many others, to develop their own game ideas from it. [ 58 ] For Garfield, this was a game he called Five Magics , based on five elemental magics that were drawn from geographicall…” (Wikipedia)
• The Big Bang Theory. The sitcom is named as another pop-cultural setting in which Dungeons & Dragons appears. “on the Netflix series Stranger Things , whose main characters play D&D in a basement; on the sitcom The Big Bang Theory ; or via the host of celebrities who display their love for the game online” (Wikipedia)
• Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar by Richard Garriott (1985). Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (Richard Garriott) — legacy for Dungeons & Dragons “In search of more experience than the single one-semester BASIC class the school offered, and as a fan of The Lord of the Rings and Dungeons & Dragons, Garriott convinced the school to let him create a self-directed course in programming.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Nintendo. Dungeons & Dragons (Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson) — ghost for Nintendo
• The Legend of Zelda. Dungeons & Dragons (Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson) — titan for The Legend of Zelda