Have the setting, need a system

[contracycle]

I said most fiction.  Obviously that doesn't include crappy martial arts movies that are basically the equivalent of D&D - we're here to fight and the fiction is optional.

Well I'm not so sure your "most" is valid, I think you're entitled to piss on "crappy martial arts movies" if you like but not to ignore them when claiming a universal rule, and point out that if they are "like D&D" then that is both highly pertinent to to the matter at hand and to the general case.  It's clearly something that attracts interest in both contexts.

But will they execute each part of the plan successfully, or have to go to plan B?

I can't imagine anything more boring.  Bureaucracy as driving conflict?  Spare me.

[FrozenViking]

After doing a lot of reading and getting a ton of recommendations from different sources, I landed on Legends of Anglerre ... I think the FATE system will be a perfect fit for what I'm looking for.