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this is the Recipe Metaphor for tabletop RPGs. i think it's a useful way to think about them because it prevents a lot of arguments.

the metaphor is exactly what it sounds like. tabletop RPGs are like recipes. more specifically, the rules are like recipes for cooking food. they're instructions on what to do to achieve a certain outcome.

like most recipes, tabletop RPGs are amenable to some on-the-fly modification. experienced chefs will probably feel more confident doing this than this than inexeperienced ones, and some may feel they have less talent for it. i think most people can learn, though.

when someone puts a tabletop RPG in front of you, they are not saying "this is the only way to have fun" or "this is the correct way to have fun." they are saying "this is one way i recommend of having fun."

you can modify a TTRPG in ways that are similar to how you modify a recipe. if you modify enough things, you make an entirely different cake/game, but that's not a bad thing? if you try and say "this is the same as your recipe, even though none of the ingredients are the same," you will probably be incorrect. this will make people confused, and they may say to you "what you made is an entirely different cake." they might be right. but that's okay too.

this solves all discourse.

does system matter? i don't know, dog, do recipes? it can matter that you ate a curry you made with a recipe instead of fried rice that you improvised without like, meaning that fried rice isn't real food.

should you try other games? you can eat the same thing forever if you want, i guess. if you like food you should try different kinds, in my opinion. you might discover other foods you also like. but if you try a few and decide you don't like trying new foods, then that's fine too. i don't really understand it but i don't understand many things people do.

as this is a metaphor, it is not perfect. TTRPGs do not share every trait with recipes. however, they have enough in common that i find it useful.

i can't think of any other discourses but i still bet this metaphor solves them.