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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lalato" data-source="post: 5473768" data-attributes="member: 9171">That's all fine and good.  Personally, I would include all examples of something, even derivative works, to help me define a thing.  And I would gather all the qualitative data points instead of trying to quantify it some futile effort to define its "essence."That said, as I have stated above, I don't think there is a SOUL...  or an ESSENTIAL anything to D&D.  Why?  Because whatever was unique about D&D in 1974 has been co-opted by every other derivative work.You want to know the only unique thing about D&D?  It was the first successful game of its type (RPGs).  Wait, I thought of another one.  It is the most successful TTRPG ever.  Woohoo!  Yay... there's your essence of D&D.  Now you can get to the really hard work of saying stuff like... "This is how I experience D&D..."Because honestly, that's what really matters.  Tell me how you experience D&D.  Don't ask me to help you define it.  You'll help me define by telling me about your experience.  But I guess instead you... and others... want to play this futile cat and mouse game of someone defining something... and then  pouncing on them for it not accurately describing your personal experience.</blockquote>