Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
Pretty straightforward two part question.
One: what is the definition of an RPG?
Two: does D&D fit that definition?

Pretty straightforward two part question.
One: what is the definition of an RPG?
Two: does D&D fit that definition?
I'd broaden this definition by one step to include games where the player IS the avatar, those being LARPs.
Pretty sure we're angling for a definition that makes our preferred playstyle and RPG, but others not.If D&D doesn't fit whatever definition of an RPG we come up with, then we need a new definition. IMVHO.
A game that is like Dungeons & DragonsOne: what is the definition of an RPG?
See definition.Two: does D&D fit that definition?
Is the codifier of a trope an example of that trope.
This is most of why I'm willing to consider whether the author/publisher think they've made a TRPG. The option to play something intended as a TRPG in a way that arguably isn't TRPG play doesn't make it not a TRPG. The option to play something not intended as a TRPG in a way that at least looks like TRPG play doesn't make it a TRPG.
Yes. We can play cribbage as an RPG, if we wanted
Here's the problem with that. If you use a cribbage board to play a horserace RPG, you're not playing cribbage, you're playing a cribbage-adjacent RPG that you've invented.
Pretending to be a general while you play chess isn't roleplaying (in the strict RPG sense of the word), it's just playing pretend while also playing chess.
I see. You have an authoritative definition of "roleplaying" vs "just playing pretend" you'd like to share with us? Or are you going to leave that declaration as a black box without support?