The original Dungeon Master's Guide included Gary Gygax's Appendix N: a list of books that aided and influenced the development of Dungeons and Dragons. To that end, here's Appendix N (Stephen's Version), with deepest apologies to Taylor for borrowing her naming style.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but it does include material across several forms including books, games, and visual media. Each section is in alpha order, either by author for books or title for other media. Occasionally, there's a short aside where a particular entry has something of note I want to point out.

I don't think any such list could ever be complete as you discover and take in new material all the time, e.g. at the time of writing in mid-2026, I've never read a book by Brandon Sanderson, one of the most influential fantasy writers of the early 21st Century. Material listed below is mostly linked to Wikipedia articles about those things, or where there is a better option, the latter. Where useful, I've also included a brief comment.

This list is a living document and will be updated from time to time. The absence of any particular work or creator isn't in any way a suggestion they aren't influential to me, and more likely an unintentional omission on my part. If I listed everything, I wouldn't have time for anything else...

Two notes of caution accompany this list:

1. Some of the material on this list is representative of its time, and includes attitudes, behaviour, or language that in the present day some may find distasteful or upsetting. Please, if you choose to explore some of the older material, do so with that context in mind and your own safety paramount. I have marked those materials, where I know this to be the case, with a skull emoji 💀.
2. The creators of some material have proved to be people who choose to bully, exploit, and manipulate others for their own personal gain or power and have caused their victims harm. I include these materials because they were influential to me at a time when those facts were not known. If you choose to explore those things, do so forearmed with an understanding of those people and their behaviour. I have marked where creators have proven problematic with a red flag emoji 🚩.

Books

These are all over the place in terms of when they were published and even by genre or subject matter. Some are quite recent, and others are antiques I inherited from my maternal grandparents.

Fiction

The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, 1985 - powerful, feminist, anti-fascist. Read it. Watch the TV show, too.
The Testaments, Margaret Atwood, 2019 - the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale.
End of Days trilogy, John Birmingham, 2019-2021 - JB's books are great action spec fiction. Pick a series that interests you and dive in.
Ghost Species, James Bradley, 2020 - outstanding Australian climate fiction.
The Marîd Audran trilogy - When Gravity Fails, A Fire in the Sun, The Exile Kiss, George Alec Effinger, 1987-1991
A rag, a Bone, and a Hank of Hair, Nicholas Fisk, 1980 - an odd YA SF novel that I read as a kid, and that has stuck with me for some reason. I've no idea where the copy I had has gone.
Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman 🚩, 1996
Stardust, Neil Gaiman 🚩, 1999
Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman 🚩, 2017
Neuromancer, William Gibson, 1984 - arguably the novel that launched the cyberpunk genre. Gibson is worth every moment of your reading time.
Tanglewood Tales, Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1853
The Blue Fairy Book, Andrew Lang, 1889 - one of the great books of gathered fairy tales. No holds barred here - it's for children, and then again, clearly not. Blue Beard will mess you right up. My daughter now has my copy.
Perdido Street Station, China Miéville, 2000 - one of the scariest things I've ever read.Horror, fantasy, political Left commentary, a takedown of capitalism.
The City & the City, China Miéville, 2000 - fantastic weird fiction centred on a murder mystery and two cities (and societies) that share the same physical space but refuse to acknowledge the other.
Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell, 2004 - a beautiful, multi-generational tale of meta- and historical fiction.
The Discworld series, Terry Pratchett, 1983-2015 - honestly one of the great achievements in fantasy (and humour) fiction. Just read them. Pterry was one of the greats and a great human to boot.
Mars Trilogy, Kim Stanley Robinson, 1992-1996 - epic SF with a strong humanist and socialist bent.
The Years of Rice and Salt, Kim Stanley Robinson, 2002 - multi-generational alternate history of humanity after the Black Death where the Muslim and pan-Asian world is ascendant. There's reincarnation and characters in multiple points in time as well.
The Ministry for the Future, Kim Stanley Robinson, 2020 - what if humanity decided to stop destroying the climate? One of the great cli-fi novels. Honestly, pick anything by KSR and you won't be disappointed.
The Baroque Cycle, Neal Stephenson, 2003-2004 - these are a lot of work, given the size, but completely worth your time.
The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien, 1937
The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien, 1954-1955
Alif the Unseen, G. Willow Wilson, 2012 - Middle Eastern cyberpunk with fantasy elements. If that doesn't entice you, nothing will.
Juice, Tim Winton, 2024 - excellent anti-corporate cli-fi from one of Australia's greatest authors. Set primarily in a future Western Australia after global heating has utterly changed the way humanity is forced to live.

Non-Fiction

Beyond the Fall, Survival Origin Solutions, 2025
A History of the World in 100 Objects, Neil MacGregor and the BBC, 2010 - this was published both as a radio series (and podcast) and accompanying book. Both are remarkable.
A Short History of Byzantium, John Julius Norwich, 1997
Tales of a Grandfather, Sir Walter Scott, 1830

Games

I was introduced to TTRPGs in Year 7, and started playing computer games and board games not long after. I'm the right age to have been there as some of these things emerged into being, and I consider them formative to my entire self and continue to enjoy them as I get older.

PC and console

The Assassin's Creed series, Ubisoft, 2007-present - in particular the reboot games starting with Assassin's Creed: Origins. Assassin's Creed: Mirage is perhaps my favourite in the series; its tight, compact, shorter to play, and beautifully realises 9th Century Baghdad.
Baldur's Gate 3, Larian Studios, 2023 - D&D richly realised in a computer game. Just beautiful. Also incredibly complex and lets you do just about anything playing tabletop D&D does. I suspect nobody involved quite knew what a phenomenon it would be and how long its influence would continue to affect the community and those who worked on the game in almost every capacity.
Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yōtei, Sucker Punch Productions, 2020-2025 - damn, these games are beautiful! Great acting, compelling tales, stunning visuals, and music to stir the soul.
The Horizon series, Guerrilla Games, 2017-present - Aloy is a kick-arse heroine. That is all.
The Last of Us series, Naughty Dog, 2013-2024 - my favourite games ever. Ellie is messy, flawed, angry, and not for no reason. Gustavo Santaolalla's music sets the standard for every game that comes after.
Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Games, 2018 - RDR2 remains a massive achievement and one of the most heartbreaking and enjoyable games ever put to pixel.

Board Games

Advanced Civilization, Avalon Hill, 1991
Talisman, Games Workshop, 1983

TV

I grew up on reruns of movies and TV shows from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, seeing all those fantastic adventure films on weekend afternoons and getting up early on a Saturday morning to see the cartoons and shows like Thunderbirds. F-A-B!

Drama

Andor, Disney+, 2022-2025 - some of the finest Star Wars storytelling, alongside the film it serves as the prequel for. Prescient in terms of telling the story of the growth af fascism in a fictional world at the same time as it happened in real life.
Blake's 7, British Broadcasting Corporation, 1978-1981 - this was compulsory viewing in my house as a kid. Very much in the BBC's shaky set time, it was groundbreaking British SF television.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mutant Enemy Productions, 1997-2001 - the definitive Final Girl experience. Later revelations about the behaviour of Joss Whedon 🚩 should not dissuade you from watching.
Doctor Who
Firefly, Mutant Enemy Productions, 2002 - this marvellous space western introduced us to the crew of the Serenity. Those people remain geek culture favourites. Again, Joss Whedon's 🚩 involvement should not turn you away from this.
Game of Thrones, HBO, 2011-2019 - the television adaptation of George R.R. Martin's books was absolute water cooler, appointment TV, before the explosion of streaming services. Controversial inasmuch as it completed a story Martin himself may never put to page and for the rushed ending that many fans disliked. 💀 for violence, sexual violence, and frequent nudity.
Land of the Giants, ABC (US), 1968-1970 - a staple of afternoon and Saturday morning rerun television. Very 1960s scifi.
The Last of Us, HBO, 2023-present - a very faithful adaptation of the console games with the quality to be expected from HBO.💀 for violence and zombie horror.
Thunderbirds, AP Films, 1965-1966
The Time Tunnel, 20th Century Fox Television, 1966-1967 - another Saturday morning rerun staple of 60s scifi.
The West Wing, NBC, 1999-2006 - Aaron Sorkin's "what if" of progressive US politics and widely considered one of the greatest television series of all time.
The X Files, Fox, 1993-2002 plus later additions - Chris Carter's weird SF magnum opus.

Factual and documentaries

The Repair Shop, British Broadcasting Corporation, 2017-present - a beautiful show where craftsmanship and the love of crafted things comes to the fore.
Stuff the British Stole, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2022-present - fantastic exposés on British colonialism and imperialism and the ransacking of lands they invaded presented by the estimable Marc Fennell, one of Australia's best documentarians. Now in its 3rd season. Also available as a podcast.

Films

As with television, I have watched perhaps thousands of films in my time. This list is just a handful of particularly memorable ones.

Drama

The Beastmaster, Don Coscarelli, MGM, 1982 - one of the first of the big sword and sorcery movies of the 1980s. They hit at exactly the right time to appeal to me.
Blade Runner, Ridley Scott, Warner Bros., 1982 - the definitive dystopian dark future film. Heavily influenced the cyberpunk genre.
Bram Stoker's Dracula, Francis Ford Coppola, Columbia Pictures, 1992 - at the time, just the latest depiction of the eponymous vampire, albeit with a big-time director attached. But what a visual feast! And with two of the biggest young actors of the day attached in Keanu and Winona.
Conan the Barbarian, John Milius, Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox, 1982 - "What is best in life?" To see Arnold's muscles. To see him swing his sword. And to see James Earl Jones as Thulsa Doom.
Conan the Destroyer, Richard Fleischer, Universal Pictures, 1984 - Conan punches a camel. What more could you ask?
The Dark Crystal, Jim Henson, Universal Pictures, 1982 - proof that Muppets weren't just for educational TV , this is a masterpiece of storytelling and visuals.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off, John Hughes, Paramount Pictures, 1986 - look, it's FBDO, what more is there to say?
Hanna, Joe Wright, Focus Features, 2011 - one of the greatest spy films ever, and the introduction of Saorise Ronan to the world as an (near) adult actor.
Highlander, Russell Mulcahy, 20th Century Fox, 1986 - an Australian director coming off his debut of Razorback, plus immortals, swords, and that soundtrack by Queen.
Jeremiah Johnson, Sydney Pollack, Warner Bros., 1972 - considered by many to be the greatest Western ever. A slow, contemplative film that feels unfinished when it ends.
Labyrinth, Jim Henson, Tri-Star Pictures, 1986 - just how incredible was it possible for Muppets to be? Plus a good story and David Bowie! If not for the success of The Dark Crystal, we might not have had this.
LadyHawke, Richard Donner, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox, 1985 - Matthew Broderick fresh off the success of WarGames but before Ferris Bueller's Day Off plus a very young Michelle Pfeiffer.
The Last Starfighter, Nick Castle, Universal Pictures, 1984 - computer game intrudes into real life, and one of the first films to use extensive CGI.
The Lord of the Rings films and The Hobbit films, Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema, 2001-2003 and 2012-2014 - the LotR films are a masterpiece top-to-bottom and should be watched by everyone with an interest in TTRPGs and fantasy literature. They're arguably among the most important films of any genre ever made. The Hobbit films are fun and worth your time, but more than a little overblown. Do yourself a favour and watch the extensive extras for both films available on DVD and digitally.
Red Sonja, Richard Fleischer, MGM/UA Entertainment Co., 1985 - finally, a female sword and sorcery protagonist! ANd Arnold playing not-Conan. The 2025 remake is not very good. 💀 for sexual assault.
Serenity, Joss Whedon 🚩, Universal Pictures, 2005 - in the absence of additional seasons, this is the best send-off the crew could have had.
Star Wars Original Trilogy, George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Richard Marquand, 20th Century Fox, 1977-1983 - it's Star Wars, what more do you say? The entire multiverse kicked off in 1977 is so culturally pervasive that few people don't understand the references. I'm old enough to have seen A New Hope in a cinema on first release. The later films are adequate, but not nearly as important culturally.
The Sword and the Sorceror, Albert Pyun, Group 1 International Distribution Organization Ltd., 1982 - not a very good film, but an absolute cult classic from the early 80's. And a sword with three spring-loaded blades!
WarGames, John Badham, MGM/UA Distribution Co. and United International Pictures, 1983 - "Do you want to play a game?"
Willow, Ron Howard, MGM/UA Distribution Co., 1988 - a fantastic fantasy adventure, and one of Ron Howard's earliest. George Lucas wrote the story.

Audio and podcasts

Factual

No One Saw It Coming, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2025-present - short episodes with documentarian Marc Fennell in conversation with experts on a vast range of invention, happenings, and people who somehow changed the world in unexpected ways.