Appendix Lit: A Gamer’s Inspiration Book Club
- A Timspiration Project
Welcome to Appendix Lit, a speculative fiction book club built to expand your reading list and inspire your tabletop roleplaying games. Whether you’re a seasoned Game Master or a player with a growing character roster, our curated booklist is here to add to your creative toolkit.
It’s incredible what stories can spark—backstories, plot hooks, worldbuilding ideas, or something entirely unexpected.
We focus on diverse, modern authors telling inclusive stories, ensuring our inspiration reflects the world we live in—and the futures we want to build at the table.
We don’t ask if a book is “good.” Instead, we ask:
- What can this story teach us about gameplay?
- How could you use it in a campaign?
- What new perspectives does it offer GMs and players alike?
Ready to dive in? Let’s read, share, and game together.
“Upon such a base I built my interest in fantasy”
– in reference to Appendix N found in the first DMG 1979
Book Club features
Game-First Thinking
We read with our GM brains on. Would this book run as an adventure? What characters, factions, or worldbuilding elements could you use in your game?
Dice Rating System
No stars here. We use our gaming dice to rate how likely we are to use something from the book. It’s based on what sparks play, not literary merit.
Creative Inspiration
A vibe, a villain, a magic system, or a plot twist. We’re looking for the stuff that fills your mind with new characters, campaigns, or considerations at the table.
Support Local
We aim to support and buy from local bookstores or libraries whenever possible. (Indie > Indigo > Amazon.)
DEIR-Centered Curation
We prioritize novels by culturally diverse authors, queer writers, and Canadians wherever we can. Representation on the page translates to better stories at the table.
Game-Focused Discussions
We’re not here for book reports or literary analysis. We share what scenes felt like encounters, which side characters we’d turn into NPCs, and what details we’d potentially homebrew.
Book Club Questions
These guide every live discussion (or can be explored throughout the month):
What
scenes or moments felt like they could be dropped into a roleplaying game?
Which
roleplaying game system would you use if you were adapting this book into a game? Why?
What
do you think the author was trying to explore? Could it influence your GMing or roleplay?
Which
character, setting, or encounter sparked the most inspiration for you?
Where
would it be difficult to progress this story’s plot in a game? Either as a player without being pulled along, or as a GM without railroading?
Got More Time? Consider These Questions
Was there a quote or passage that sparked something for your game prep or roleplay?
How did the setting shape the tone of the story—and how would you recreate that mood at the table?
If these characters were D&D PCs, what would their species, background, and class be?
Which character would make the best NPC or antagonist? How would you use them?
What location in the book would you most want to drop your players into?
If you heard this story from another character’s point of view, who would you choose?
What kind of emotions did this book evoke? Could you mirror that feeling in a game session?
Did this book make you think of a style of music at all? Create a book group playlist together!
If you were making a movie of this book, who would you cast?
No 1-5 stars here, we use dice.
Where we do the chatting about the books.
The Discord has a zero-tolerance policy for spoilers or hate.
Even if you don’t join the club, we encourage you to check out a local bookstore or library wherever you are. There is something special about wandering the aisles, flipping through the covers, and breathing in that paper smell in the air that online shopping just can’t replicate.
If online is your option, most the indie bookstores listed below have websites and we’ve linked the season’s books to Indigo, a Canadian bookstore chain.
Also, sometimes money or space is tight, luckily, these books are usually available at your public library—and they have air conditioning for those stupid hot days.
Bookstores We Recommend (And Love):
- Vancouver, BC Pulp Fiction Books (on Commercial Drive) and Iron Dog Books are both *chefs kiss.
- Kelowna, BC Mosaic Books. One of our favourite bookstores anywhere.
- Portland, OR Powell’s, of course. You know the vibe if you’ve been.
- San Francisco, CA Fabulosa Books. We LOOOVE a queer bookstore that knows their stuff <3
If you have suggestions where you live/love, let us know and we’ll add it.
