What is Unique About the Nevermore Game System?

System-wise, two things make Nevermore stand out from other tabletop roleplaying games: the unique card-based system and Tell Tales, Nevermore's investigation system that encourages players to investigate and uncover clues. 

Nevermore's Card System is simple and easy to learn and play. Protagonists have four statistics (called qualities). Each quality matches a card suit: Corpus (physicality) is clubs, Kardia (social ability) is Hearts, and so on. Each quality uses the same scale as playing cards and ranges from 2 to Ace. You also have skills with a level of 1 to 5. When you attempt to accomplish something that requires a test (anything that would require rolling dice in other RPGs), you draw a number of cards equal to your skill level. Any cards that are equal to or under the appropriate quality or of the same suit are a success. If a card is both equal to or under your quality and of the same suit, you get a success and a Fortune token. You can spend the Fortune right away for another success or save it for later. If you earn enough success to match the Risk (difficulty) of the test, you succeed. It’s as simple as that! There are a number of other complications such as Jokers, but that’s the basics. 

Tell Tales are the basis of Nevermore's investigation system. As the protagonists uncover clues and encounter aethyric entities, they earn Tell Tales. These Tell Tales can, in turn, be spent to make finding additional clues or solving mysteries easier ― even having a revelation about how to resolve an aethyros.