Inspirational Media for Fantasy Games

My preferences are pulp, historical, or gothic fantasy, not cliché Tolkien and ripoffs thereof (especially most "D&D" novels). In my games, the starting areas are more primitive and based on European myths, and the further afield the players go, the weirder the local people and monsters become, eventually space opera.

Draw instead on literature and movies ranging from classic adventure stories, weird tales, sword & sorcery, sword & planet, space opera, horror, samurai/ninja (jidai geki), kung fu, suspense, and westerns. A great many early pulp magazines and books are free on archive.org, and almost all can be translated directly into setting and adventures.

bold indicates the ones I find most relevant or meaningful, your emphasis might be very different. Books I sort by author, most others by title. Often "series" indicates a single novel and many short stories; if you're lucky, you can find a collection.

Comics

  • Atari Force, by DC Comics
  • Conan, by Marvel Comics, Dark Horse
  • Devil Dinosaur, by Marvel Comics
  • Dracula, by Warren Comics
  • ElfQuest, by Pini, Wendy & Richard
  • Epic Illustrated, by Marvel Comics
  • Heavy Metal Magazine
  • Herculoids, by Hanna-Barbera
  • Invisibles, by Grant Morrison
  • Knights of the Dinner Table, by Kenzer & Co.
  • Kull the Conqueror, by Marvel Comics
  • Star Wars, by Marvel Comics
  • Tank Girl, by Martin, Alan & Hewlett, Jamie
  • That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, by FUSE
  • Tomb of Dracula, Werewolf by Night, Giant-Size Chillers, by Marvel Comics
  • Vampire Hunter D, by Kikuchi, Hideyuki & Amano, Yoshitaka
  • Vampirella, by Warren Comics
  • Warlock, by Marvel Comics

Literature, Adventure or Historical

  • Bullfinch, Thomas: Mythology (mostly for the poetic/literary references)
  • Chaucer, Geoffrey: Canterbury Tales (mostly for the snapshot of medieval commoner life)
  • Doyle, Arthur Conan: Lost World, Maracot Deep
  • Dumas (père), Alexandre: The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Wolf Leader
  • Frazer, James George: The Golden Bough
  • Hamilton, Edith: Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
  • Kipling, Rudyard: The Jungle Book, "With the Night Mail", "As Easy as ABC"
  • Mundy, Talbot: Tros of Samothrace
  • Peake, Mervyn: Gormenghast series
  • Stevenson, Robert Louis: Treasure Island, The Black Arrow, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
  • Stewart, Mary: The Crystal Cave, etc.
  • Walpole, Horace: Castle of Otranto

Literature, Fantasy

  • Abercrombie, Joe: The Blade Itself
  • Anderson, Poul: The Queen of Air & Darkness, Three Hearts and Three Lions
  • Asprin, Robert Lynn: Thieves' World anthologies, Myth Adventures series
  • Bear, Greg: Songs of Earth and Power (aka The Infinity Concerto/The Serpent Mage)
  • Bradley, Marion Zimmer: Darkover series
  • Burroughs, Edgar Rice: Barsoom, but also Pellucidar, Tarzan, and Venus series
  • Cook, Glen: Black Company, Dread Empire
  • Crowley, Aleister: Moonchild
  • de Camp, L. Sprague: Novarian series, The Tritonian Ring series, Viagens Interplanetarias series
  • de Camp, L. Sprague & Pratt, Fletcher: The Compleat Enchanter
  • Donaldson, Steven R.: Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series
  • Dunsany, "Lord": The King of Elfland's Daughter
  • Farmer, Philip José: Dark Is the Sun, World of Tiers series, Dungeon series (ed.)
  • Gentle, Mary: Rats & Gargoyles, Golden Witchbreed
  • Grimm, Jakob & Wilhelm: Grimm's Fairy Tales
  • Harrison, M. John: Virconium series
  • Howard, Robert E.: Conan, Kull, Bran Mak Morn series
  • Kurtz, Katherine: Deryni series
  • Leiber, Fritz: Swords series
  • May, Julian: Pliocene Exile series
  • Miéville, China: Perdido Street Station, The Scar
  • Moorcock, Michael: Elric saga, The Eternal Champion
  • Niven, Larry: "What Good is a Glass Dagger?"
  • Norton, Andre: Star-Man's Son, Witch World series
  • Offutt, Andrew: The Iron Lords, Shadows Out of Hell, The Lady of the Snowmist
  • Pratchett, Terry: Discworld series (esp. Guards, Guards, Lords & Ladies), The Carpet People, Nomes trilogy
  • Pratchett, Terry & Baxter, Stephen: The Long Earth series
  • Rothfuss, Patrick: Name of the Wind, Wise Man's Fear
  • Saberhagen, Fred: Dracula series, Book of Swords series
  • Sapkowski, Andrzej: The Witcher series
  • Shakespeare, William: The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Titus Andronicus
  • Smith, Clark Ashton: Zothique series, Averoigne series
  • Spenser, Edmund: The Faerie Queene
  • Stableford, Brian: Empire of the Necromancers
  • Stoddard, James: The High House (Evenmere Chronicles)
  • Swann, Thomas Burnett: Cry Silver Bells, etc.
  • Vance, Jack: Dying Earth, Lyonesse, etc.
  • Wagner, Karl Edward: Kane series
  • Wagner, Richard: The Rhinegold & The Valkyrie, Siegfried & The Twilight of the Gods
  • Wells, Martha: Element of Fire, Death of the Necromancer
  • White, T.H.: The Once and Future King
  • Wingrove, David: Myst: The Book of Atrus, Book of Ti'ana, Book of D'ni
  • Wolfe, Gene: Book of the New Sun, Book of the Long Sun
  • Zelazny, Roger: Amber series, Jack of Shadows, Lord of Light

Literature, Horror

  • Barker, Clive: Books of Blood, The Great and Secret Show, Hellbound Heart, Imajica, Lord of Illusions, Weaveworld
  • Campbell, J. Ramsey: Dark Companions, Demons by Daylight
  • Chambers, Robert W.: The King in Yellow
  • Danielewski, Mark Z.: House of Leaves
  • Davidson, Avram: Phoenix and the Mirror, Rogue Dragon, Masters of the Maze
  • Féval (père), Paul: Vampire City
  • Hodgson, William Hope: The House on the Borderland, The Night Land
  • King, Stephen: Dark Tower, Night Shift, 'Salem's Lot, Skeleton Crew
  • Lovecraft, H.P.: Dream Cycle, "The Nameless City", etc.
  • Lumley, Brian: Necroscope
  • Merritt, Abraham: Moon Pool, Ship of Ishtar, "People of the Pit"
  • nostalgebraist: Floornight, The Northern Caves, Almost Nowhere
  • Poe, Edgar Allan: "Masque of the Red Death", "Fall of the House of Usher", "Hop-Frog", Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
  • Polidori, John William: The Vampyre
  • Rymer, James Malcolm: Varney the Vampire; or, the Feast of Blood
  • Shelley, Mary: Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
  • Stoker, Bram: Dracula, Jewel of Seven Stars, Lair of the White Worm
  • Wellman, Manly Wade
  • Wilson, F. Paul: The Keep, Repairman Jack series

Literature, Science Fiction

  • Aldiss, Brian: Helliconia series, Hothouse (aka "The Long Afternoon of Earth"), Non-Stop (aka "Starship"), Galactic Empires Vol. I-II (ed.)
  • Asher, Neal: The Skinner, The Voyage of the Sable Keech, Jable Sharks stories
  • Brackett, Leigh: The Sword of Rhiannon, The Secret of Sinharat, People of the Talisman
  • Christopher, John: White Mountains, City of Gold and Lead, Pool of Fire, When the Tripods Came
  • Heinlein, Robert A.: Glory Road, Have Space Suit Will Travel, Puppet Masters, Red Planet
  • Herbert, Frank: Dune series, Dosadi Experiment, Green Brain, WorShip series (with Bill Ransom)
  • Kuttner, Henry: "Crypt-City of the Deathless One"
  • Lanier, Sterling: Hiero's Journey
  • Moore, C.L. & Kuttner, Henry: "Earth's Last Citadel"
  • Muir, Tamsyn: Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth, Nona the Ninth
  • Piper, H. Beam: Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen, Paratime series
  • Verne, Jules: Journey to the Center of the Earth
  • Williamson, Jack: Darker Than You Think, The Stonehenge Gate
  • Wolverton, Dave: The Golden Queen series, "After a Lean Winter"

Literature, Young Adult

  • Alexander, Lloyd: The Chronicles of Prydain
  • Bellairs, John: The Face in the Frost, The House Without a Clock on Its Walls, The Figure in the Shadows, etc.
  • Carroll, Lewis: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass
  • Cooper, Susan: The Dark is Rising series
  • Garner, Alan: Elidor, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Moon of Gomrath, etc.
  • L'Engle, Madeleine: Wrinkle in Time series
  • Poortvliet, Rien & Huygen, Wil: Gnomes, Secrets of the Gnomes

Movies/TV, Fantasy/Historical/Post-Apocalypse

  • Bakshi, Ralph: Wizards (1977), Fire & Ice (1983)
  • Barbarian Queen (1985)
  • Beastmaster (1982)
  • Bloodrayne (2005)
  • The Bride with White Hair (1993)
  • A Chinese Ghost Story 1-3 (1987, 1990, 1991)
  • The City of Lost Children (1995)
  • Clash of the Titans (1981)
  • Conquest (1983): Lucio Fulci!
  • Corman, Roger: The Undead (1957), House of Usher (1960), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), The Raven (1963), The Terror (1963), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), Deathsport (1978)
  • The Count of Monte-Cristo (1975), The Man in the Iron Mask (1977)
  • The Dark Crystal (1982), Age of Resistance (2019)
  • Deathsport (1978)
  • Deathstalker 1-3 (1983, 1987, 1988)
  • Dragon Gate Inn (1992)
  • Dragonslayer (1981)
  • Dungeons & Dragons cartoon (1983-5), Requiem (2020)
  • Epic NPC Man, Baelin's Route (2022)
  • Errementari (aka The Blacksmith and The Devil) (2017)
  • Excalibur (1981)
  • Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) "Oy vey, have you got the wrong vampire!"
  • Flynn, Errol: Captain Blood (1935), Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), The Sea Hawk (1940)
  • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
  • Gor, Outlaw of Gor (1987, 1988)
  • Hammer Film Productions: all of their films
  • Hawk the Slayer (1980)
  • Heavy Metal (1981)
  • I, Claudius (1976)
  • Kaye, Danny: Inspector General (1949), Court Jester (1955)
  • Krull (1983)
  • Kurosawa, Akira & Mifune, Toshiro: The Seven Samurai (1954), Throne of Blood (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Yojimbo (1961), Sanjuro (1962)
  • Labyrinth (1986)
  • Ladyhawke (1985)
  • Legend (1985)
  • Mutant Chronicles (2008)
  • One Million B.C. (1940), One Million Years B.C. (1966), When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970), Land That Time Forgot (1974), People That Time Forgot (1977)
  • Le Pacte des Loups (aka Brotherhood of the Wolf) (2001)
  • Power, Tyrone: The Mark of Zorro (1940), The Black Swan (1942), Prince of Foxes (1949), The Black Rose (1950)
  • Princess Bride (1987)
  • Rage of the Buccaneers (1961)
  • Ravenous (1999)
  • Record of Lodoss War (1990)
  • Rock & Rule (1983)
  • Rome (2005)
  • Romero, George: Night of the Living Dead (1968), and all direct sequels
  • Sinbad, the Sailor (1947), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973), Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)
  • Slayers (1989-)
  • The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982)
  • The Sword of Doom (1966)
  • Tank Girl (1995)
  • 13 Assassins (2010)
  • 13th Warrior (1999)
  • Thief of Baghdad (1924, 1940, 1961)
  • The Three Musketeers (1973), The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974), The Return of the Musketeers (1989)
  • Thundarr the Barbarian (1980)
  • Vampire Princess Miyu (1997)
  • Willow (1988)
  • Witchfinder General (1968)

Movies/TV, Modern/Science Fiction

  • Alien (1979)
  • As Above, So Below (2014)
  • Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
  • The Cave (2005)
  • Cemetery Man (aka Dellamorte Dellamore) (1994)
  • The Craft (1996)
  • The Covenant (2006)
  • Cube (1997)
  • The Descent (2005)
  • Event Horizon (1997)
  • Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness (1981, 1987, 1992)
  • Goonies (1985)
  • Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
  • Hellraiser (1987)
  • The Mummy (1999)
  • Night Gallery (1969)
  • Stargate SG-1 (1997)
  • Tales from the Darkside: Series (1983) and Movie (1990)
  • Time Trap (2017)
  • Warlock (1989)

Music

  • Amon Amarth
  • Black Atmosphere
  • Faith & the Muse
  • Hammerfall
  • Hawkwind
  • Midnight Syndicate
  • Nightwish
  • Nox Arcana
  • Tangerine Dream
  • Unquiet Void
  • Uriah Heep
  • Wagner, Richard

Pulp Magazines

  • Amazing Stories
  • Astounding Science Fiction
  • Avon Fantasy Reader
  • Fantastic Adventures
  • Fantastic Universe
  • Fantasy & Science Fiction
  • Galaxy Science Fiction
  • if Worlds of Science Fiction
  • Nebula Science Fiction
  • Planet Stories
  • Science Fiction Plus
  • Startling Stories
  • Super Science Fiction
  • Thrilling Wonder Stories
  • Weird Tales

Role-Playing Games

  • Arduin Grimoire, by David Hargrave
  • Dragon Warriors, by Corgi/Serpent King Games
  • Fighting Fantasy, by Steve Jackson/Arion Games
  • Grimtooth's Traps, by Flying Buffalo, Inc
  • Kult, by Metropolis Ltd
  • Skyrealms of Jorune, by Skyrealms Publishing
  • Stormbringer, by Chaosium
  • Talislanta, 1st Ed, by Bard Games
  • Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play, by Games Workshop

Videogames

  • Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002), IV: Oblivion (2006), V: Skyrim (2011)
  • Myst (1993)
  • Riven (1997)

Sir Not Appearing in This List

  • The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings: Dull, racist, classist, sexist, closeted source material. Some movies are pretty, but NO.
  • Conan the Barbarian, Conan the Destroyer, Red Sonja movies: Poor adaptations. Good soundtracks. Read a book or comic.
  • Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Yes, yes. We all love it. But it's not at all what I want to encourage in games.
  • Robin Hood: Men in Tights: The best of the Robin Hood movies, but based on the worst of the Robin Hood movies.
  • Dungeons & Dragons movies: I mean, I like Jeremy Irons as much as anyone, but NO.