Did some playtesting and took some pics
For clarification as to what is going on. The rules are simple when you begin and then the GM can add complexity with GM extensions if they feel the need.
Most games will have 0 stacks. But we placed them down for you guys to visualize.
1st stack:
You can see 4 cards, 1 shown horizontal, 1 shown vertical and 2 more hidden horizontal. That was a character that was;
Taking a last shot with a shotgun, throwing it at the head of an attacker, leaping over a concrete barrier, tearing a stop sign down(he is a Manosteen Man/Elephant style race), then sneaking behind 2 men and using the stop sign as a bat and then sprinting behind some wreckage. As you can see there are 4 cards but many more things occuring here. That will be explained in the rules but again 1 card can do up to 6 things. We were running it pretty basic to test the NPC Gargoyle hunter against the Manosteen Music Man(character Role) for balancing.
2nd stack
The 7 hidden cards was the GM, using a stack. Its nothing more than the GM placing cards for quick use if 2 things occur. You can see the split as one card decides if they go right or left down the stream(also a GM extension).
3rd stack
The card face down on the deck of cards was used in the Subterfuge system. A bad guy and the Manosteen drew down on one another and we used Subterfuge to bluff. Basically its a mini (very fast_3-5 seconds) bluffing game to decide who drew first and what bonuses they each get. That single card gave us 5 different uses.
Sensing the opponent, bluffing, lifting the weapon to shoot, shooting, and then the damage bonus to the gun.
The cards didn't need to be laid down, we just wanted you to see how they were drawn. The entire fight took perhaps 9 seconds to setup and the rest was just the fun of roleplaying. I can't describe how fast the rules are.
We had someone who had never played before(my 63 year old mother) in this test. And she got the rules in about 7 minutes and was actually offering little suggestions within about 10.
What does the AfterEarth Rules System Change?
What it does is it almost completely removes the need to stop the game for dice rolling. You draw a card and go. Subterfuge systems allow for some cards to be used in bluffs where only you OR the GM sees them. Adding a good deal of mystery and real role-playing back into the game. There are about 100 other things but this is a good basic demonstration.
Examples: If you are searching for a hidden door and have to check to see if you succeed you would show the card to the GM ONLY. No one at the table, even you sees, the card. No more knowing you failed, no more attempting many times because you know. Now you have to decide how to continue. This is a true role-playing system. This means if the GM says, "You look around and don't notice anything." No one knows if what you are hearing is 100% true. If you do find something there is a good chance you succeeded. There are various other ways to do this but that is it at its basic. Additionally this doesn't stop you from being certain about things, that are ways to do that as well.
Disclaimer: You don't have to use the rules like that. That is just the current setup in this extension.