Okay so I want to develop an extremely flexible, lightweight roleplaying game format that can be used to basically provide structure for joint storytelling between players and GM.

I'm thinking 4-6 stats. Something like Talking, Logic, Magic, Athletics, Combat? Every player can allocate numbers 1-5 for their relative strength in the different stats. Then to do things they draw that number of cards from a deck and choose which one to play, and they have to beat either a target draw (drawn by the GM) or an opposed draw (by another player).

@Maenad I love the card-drawing instead of die-rolling! Makes it so portable you don't even really need a table. Are we talking about a regular deck of playing cards, and if so, what are the values, four sets of 1-13? Are there jokers?

@cute_weeds yes, I was thinking of regular playing cards. I was thinking 2-14 and using the CDHS hierarchy for numeric ties (consistent with bridge ordering).

There are probably some more sophisticated things you could do with using cards instead of dice - hand building, etc, especially for limiting abilities within a period of time, but I think the simplicity is key here.