Just to be pedantic.
Ian you're wrong about Sim. It has nothing to do with emulating the real world. Sims concern is fidelity to 'something'. This could be a perceived idea of what the real world is like but it could equally well apply to a cinematic game of fast paced combat action, Feng Shui for example.
Also the pass/fail cycle isn't Narrativist per say. Take any Lumpley game you care to mention. The fixed stats in those games are important precisely because they express theme the same way over time. Guns are more powerful than fists in 'Dogs in the Vineyard', no matter the circumstances. This is a powerful thematic statement.
The same can also be applied to stating stuff out using the HQ rules. Maybe you want the stats there so that when Bolgri our weak warrior decides to fight the legendary Gorm bloody hand, he's most probably going to fail. All the players know this because they can look at the stats. Suddenly we have a thematic statement.
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