Well, that's not quite true--the tasks in a conflict can be much more than just a description, although in my few sessions of play I didn't really master the really tricky ways to win a conflict even with bad dice.

The key is to make a raise inside the conflict that forces the other player to "take the blow" unless they "give", and make the consequences of the raise something they really don't want to have happen.

E.g. look at this exchange from Vincent Baker's blog:
Neel
Valamir (Ralph)
Neel

All in the context of this post. Which incidentally exemplifies a lot of the ideas & attitudes which have sparked hostility toward the Forge.