Sarn-Fu inspired 13th Age

http://community.wizards.com/content/blog/698936

Proximate positioning and area of effects seemed like an interesting option if its written in initially along side more conventional distancing would seem a valuable design.

http://community.wizards.com/content/blog/813026

Theatre of the Mind Combat in 4E, can be a good base too.

Theater of the Mind Combat is an adaptation of 13th Age movement into D&D 4E. SARN-FU was out before 13th Age, and it's not hard to see similarities between the two: just get rid of squeezing, assume that anyone that isn't in relevant to the fight as unreachable (so might as well get rid of it), simplify knots, rename adjacent to engaged, and you've successfully converted SARN-FU to 13th Age movement.

However, SARN-FU isn't necessarily the inspiration to 13th Age combat-wise, as zone-based movement has been used as far back as in TSR's Marvel Superheroes TRPG (the FASERIP system), and other systems such as FATE also use zone-based movement; in fact, I would reckon that Dungeon World uses something far closer to SARN-FU than 13th Age. What I feel differentiates 13th Age from other systems (including SARN-FU) is that it takes the already-abstract nature of zone-based movement, removed its equivalent in squares/feet, and gave it a more narrative/relative approach, while including a level of tactics that anyone of any play skill can get immersed in -- Easy to learn, quickly scales in complexity depending on the scenario set by the GM.

For me, the fun part about the 13th Age movement is that unlike SARN-FU and the more conventional approach to tactical combat (as seen in every edition of D&D, with or without movement houserules), because movement and positioning is abstracted to the point where absolute measurement is no longer a requirement or a part of the narrative, you're able to convey the story as if you were telling a rules-lite story, while retaining some level of tactical combat as found in more rules-heavy systemd... and the best part is that even when you do bust out the minis and maps/battle grids, combat positioning does not have to be static! I can bust out a scene where the minis would be moving all over the map as everyone parries, attacks, counter-attacks, and pulls out all sorts of stunts while taking advantage of the terrain (that they'd describe before the fight starts).

[ Speaking of which, I really should start reimplementing my collaborative mapping and use of terrain in 13th Age ]

Point is, I feel the title of the thread is a bit misleading if you ask me.

What you think it could have been inspired by Fate a much older and fully developed and published game that has been using zones for some time? instead of wrecans patch (which could itself have beeen inspired by other games), can't imagine that.   

The title is more my sense of humor than anything.