Absolutely, Lurker. And I echo your shudder!
Without meaning to offend anyone, though (As noted, I play ARPGs a lot myself), ARPGs are based on the kind of thing neophyte tabletop gamers do before they've actually worked out properly what the game entails.
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Vometia,
If there was any possible way to run a P&P campaign without turn based combat, you can be sure gamers would have adopted it. Sadly, however, it is not possible - and is one of the advantages CRPGs have over their tabletop cousins. No-one could ever convince me that the wonderful combat system in The Witcher (For example) could ever be equalled by anything that is turn based.
One thing I have to say, though: D&D pretty much IS the template for RPGs, being the original (Well, unless you count Chainmail, but who outside of Gygax's group ever even saw that?). Granted a number of them stray pretty far from that template, but without D&D none of these other games would ever have existed.
That's not to take away from any of the other games in any way, please note. Some of them are terrific games in their own right. But Gary Gygax created the concept of the RPG, and without that...
