1. What's your definition of RPG? What features are important to you and why?
I think the ability to make personality choices through my character that influence the outcome of things in the world is the only requirement for a game to be an RPG.
I don't think that the character I play needs to be one invented by me, but I have to be in control of aspects of that character's personality. And the way in which I choose to express that character's personality needs to have significant effects on the state of the world. The more the world reacts to my character's personality, the better.
I do not think that item collection, stat screens, combat style, or the presence of a lot of dialogue make a game an RPG. Using this definition, I've never shipped a game with strong RPG elements.
Eins og þeir segja… “Quote for truth.”