Fields of Contest

[terodil]

You can take the mechanical transcript of a combat encounter and that tells a story.

That's my point: Without effort on the part of GM and players, it absolutely does not. The example you provided for social interactions I can just as easily replicate for combat. Or would you consider this a story?

"Roll attack."
"18."
"What was monster type #34's AC again? Right. You hit. Roll damage."
"7."
"Doesn't kill him. Next!"

Yes, a sufficiently great DM can cover for the poverty of the rules, but if you want a consistent, tactical, I'd almost say (non-trivially) optimizable social system, you're going to need more than "big number beat little number".

Fair enough, in as far as numeric optimisation is concerned. But again, as you yourself just said, 'big number beat little number' is not terribly exciting for most people. My point is that in the grand scheme of things whatever rules you may draw up, the greatest leverage, the greatest effect, the greatest optimisation with regard to the goal of RPGs relies on GM and player creativity and engagement.