Was just thinking about this.  I know for me, it'd be a workable combat system- not an in depth one either.  Everything else isn't that important for me:)  These days I'm finding myself more drawn to wargames and just sprinkling some role playing on top of it.

What says you?

A method of task resolution and a method of character competency evaluation.

My absolute bare minimum is sort of defined by Melee, the basic combat book for The Fantasy Trip. Though that's just a combat system. The full TFT system (minus a few bits I don't or never used) is sort of my minimum bar of acceptability.

That is, I want a mapped tactical combat system that is fun and interesting to play and where tactics matter a lot and make sense, and yet there are somewhat unpredictable results and danger remains real for everyone. Being attacked by a lethal weapon should have some possibility of killing someone if it would in reality. I want characters whose abilities and chances of success at things are based on things that make sense and correspond to real things, and are not excessively scaled. I want to be able to represent different skills and skill levels and to use them in ways that make sense. I want to be able to represent very skilled/able people defeating lesser people using their abilities in ways that make sense and that aren't abstracted into a generic blob of betterness. I want rules for other things that are game elements too, such as travel, equipment, encumbrance, and non-combat situations (climbing, swimming, outdoor survival, etc).

Precious little. We ran an RPG adventure while campaign with a deck of cards and estimating probability of a given action being successful.

Also, I turn all boardgames into roleplaying by default, so as long as it gives me a theme I'll run with it.

Some system for distinguishing between characters who are 'good at,' 'neutral/normal,' and 'bad at' whatever is relevant to the game in question. Anything else is extra (potentially appreciated, but not needed). I can build a task resolution mechanic with a single dice, a deck of cards, some pocket change.

Some dice or cards or some other way to randomize... that's about it. We've had impromptu games where there were no rulebooks or character sheets on hand and everything worked out fine.

I've played and run freeform, with no rules or mechanics, so I'll let you guess the answer.

And yes, that might sound weird coming from someone who has read hundreds of systems. Thing is, systems might be an extra, but they're an extra I appreciate!

A task resolution mechanic that doesn't stop role-play.

At least two other people, and a randomizer.

Quote from: darthfozzywig;939644Also, I turn all boardgames into roleplaying by default, so as long as it gives me a theme I'll run with it.

So do I!

Pen or pencil, paper, one or more dice and imagination. Cliché, I know, but I have played this way.

Quote from: The Butcher;939658At least two other people, and a randomizer.

We used to play when we went camping sometimes and all we needed was a good GM, some character/setting concepts, and a coin to toss (or you could spit on one side of a flat rock).

Played once on a bus trip with a big book to flip open to a random page and use the last two digits as a percentile roll. Made a 6 hour trip pretty enjoyable.

2d6 and the Mentzer Reaction Table, which I use for more than the usual intended purpose.

Players and a GM.

(Yes, I've played solo. Mostly just running combats to check systems and whatnot. I didn't Ar-Pee so much as chuck dice.)

Some of the best games that I have ever DM'd were done with only a coin to resolve specific "important" actions.  Still vividly remember those games which went on for hours, on lazy warm summer nights sitting on my parent's veranda, using the illumination from the street light to see if it was heads or tails.

Shemek