If I say that Lord of the Rings is the book that has most influenced role-playing games, outside of the RPG books themselves, I don’t think very many of you would disagree. Sure, there are going to be some voices that differ (because there always are), but I think I can safely assume most players would see it that way.
Now, since you are literate, you are probably a bit wary right now. “Where is this leading to? Why is he making such a big deal out of that?” Well, because if Lord of the Rings is the most influential book, why don’t RPGs look anything like it?