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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_boxing
a sample of the original comics series: http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/archive/freerpgs/heritage/mobworld.htm#Chess%20Boxing

You crazy nerds and your whacked out science fiction tech are completely off target here, what they really need is Magic!

It's been done. It's just not in the games you're familiar with, apparently.

A magic system for Fudge which works much the way you describe
the system in Ars Magica is quite similar

Here are some discussions about magic systems:

a discussion of different systems
another discussion, led off by Ron Edwards of the Sorcerer RPG

Speaking of Sorcerer, its magic is something else entirely. It's a largely outcome-based game rather than specifically action-based, and the magic system in it is quite a neat play on that.

GURPS, Rifts, and D&D pretty much follow the mystical grimoire approach. Ars Magica, White Wolf's Storyteller Series (Vampire, Mage, Werewolf, Wraith, Changeling, Hunters, etc), and some others take the combined skills approach. Still others have wholly different approaches. Here's a pretty good explanation of the theory of magic in Earthdawn which explains different ways magic can be used in that game, complete with disadvantages of some of them.

The Forge is very interesting reading material for anyone who's considered writing their own RPG. There's some advanced RPG jargon there so I'd suggest starting with the site glossary. It's not a site for arguing the merits or faults of different systems you've played although those might be used as support in discussing the design of new games.

Personally, I've played games with set spells, spell research to make new spells (as some versions of D&D let you do with the right GM). I've played ones that require a combination of skills (from two to five (five!) skills for every casting. Some require each spell being taken as a character advantage in an advantage/disadvantage slot balanced game. I've played on in which the game world has special words that are foreign to the players/characters that must be learned throughout the campaign which represent factors of a spell (speaking "large" + "fire" + "ball" + "at" + character's secret magic name results in that) and learning the words as an outsider is how to become a better mage. It becomes the whole point of some adventures.

I've even play tested one unpublished game in which the only magic was a link between two symbols dawn during a ritual trance. However, the link was so strong that whatever you did to one would happen to the other. You could talk into one, and someone in possession of the other could carry on a conversation with you. You could throw one safely in your fireplace while the other is inside an enemy's barrel of oil. You could lay one on the ground and step on it, and be transported to the other. However, if anyone unfriendly took over your other symbol, they could use it in reverse until one of the two was destroyed. If I ever give this game a name and publish a book, I hope you'll rush out to buy it. ;-)

So yes, there can be quite different magic systems in games. Many of them could be used in D&D, or you could try the other games.

http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/copyright/cases /allen_vs_academicgames.html

"Here, Allen has not shown that it is possible to distinguish the
expression of the rules of his game manuals from the idea of
the rules themselves. Thus, the doctrine of merger applies and
although Allen may be entitled to copyright protection for the
physical form of his games, he is not afforded protection for
the premises or ideas underlying those games. To hold other-
wise would give Allen a monopoly on such commonplace
ideas as a simple rule on how youngsters should play their
games."

For what it's worth, Puzzle Quest (a Bejeweled-engine RPG) is absolutely brilliant, and definitely constitutes real innovation. It's a real upgrade, and very clever.

Different gamers play for different reasons. There are plenty of different theories about people who play RPGs. I would argue that the nature of the games we're talking about here are more RPG than arcade, so I think these kinds of theories apply.

Unlockable content and cheat codes are precisely why some people play games, and certainly why some people are turned off by games. But it depends on the person.

Companies can produce games which they hope will be attractive to many kinds of gamers - and risk not being saleable to any of them - or they can produce games which will more certainly be saleable to one kind of gamer while ignoring the desires of others. Seems to me that people who are all about hidden content are more likely to be serious gamers, while those who aren't are likely to be casual gamers. Serious gamers spend more time with games, and more money on games. Casual gamers, less and less, respectively.

So let's do the math. If I am a game company and I want my game to make a lot of money, I'm going to develop it to be most saleable to a market that spends more money on games. That way, I get more sales today, and hopefully get some repeat customers out of the bargain for my next game.

Different gamers play for different reasons. There are plenty of different theories about people who play RPGs. I would argue that the nature of the games we're talking about here are more RPG than arcade, so I think these kinds of theories apply.

Unlockable content and cheat codes are precisely why some people play games, and certainly why some people are turned off by games. But it depends on the person.

Companies can produce games which they hope will be attractive to many kinds of gamers - and risk not being saleable to any of them - or they can produce games which will more certainly be saleable to one kind of gamer while ignoring the desires of others. Seems to me that people who are all about hidden content are more likely to be serious gamers, while those who aren't are likely to be casual gamers. Serious gamers spend more time with games, and more money on games. Casual gamers, less and less, respectively.

So let's do the math. If I am a game company and I want my game to make a lot of money, I'm going to develop it to be most saleable to a market that spends more money on games. That way, I get more sales today, and hopefully get some repeat customers out of the bargain for my next game.

Different gamers play for different reasons. There are plenty of different theories about people who play RPGs. I would argue that the nature of the games we're talking about here are more RPG than arcade, so I think these kinds of theories apply.

Unlockable content and cheat codes are precisely why some people play games, and certainly why some people are turned off by games. But it depends on the person.

Companies can produce games which they hope will be attractive to many kinds of gamers - and risk not being saleable to any of them - or they can produce games which will more certainly be saleable to one kind of gamer while ignoring the desires of others. Seems to me that people who are all about hidden content are more likely to be serious gamers, while those who aren't are likely to be casual gamers. Serious gamers spend more time with games, and more money on games. Casual gamers, less and less, respectively.

So let's do the math. If I am a game company and I want my game to make a lot of money, I'm going to develop it to be most saleable to a market that spends more money on games. That way, I get more sales today, and hopefully get some repeat customers out of the bargain for my next game.

Actually after another poster provided the name Swordbearer, I found the RGP Encyclopedia and recognised the book I was remembering there. Fantasy Wargaming 1st ed by Bruce Galloway, Mike Hodson-Smith, Nick Lowe, Bruce Quarrie, Paul Sturman (1982) Stein and Day.

I'd still love to remember the pseudo-Indian one. It came with a solo adventure, possibly the best one I ever played if memory isn't fooling me. That's the largest part of what I remember of it, I don't think the mechanics were very notewourthy or I would remember them. It had a pretty cool in depth world to play in, some hella cool character classes, including a class that specialised in training animals, beastmaster or beastlord? Certainly the first time I ever saw that in a game, although it's become pretty common recently but this was early 80s.