What makes Dragonlance, Dragonlance?

[Geoff Watson]

Kender
Gully Dwarves
Tinker Gnomes

They are the only unique Dragonlance elements.

Big battles, knights, dragons, artifacts, are all general D&D elements.
Maybe Dragonlances, just because they're in the title.

Geoff.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

You don't get dungeons like the ToEE. You don't get wandering monsters for the hell of it. Magical treasure is very very rare. Its these differences combined with what others have said (seriously) that makes Dragonlance differ.

Ahem. Xak Tsaroth, Pax Tharkas, and Thorbardin don't count as dungeons? How about the use of entire dragon armies as wandering monsters (and railroad plot devices)? And then there's the dragon-slaying sword left casually about for anyone to find ...