Hi. Game looks really interesting y'all. I see at the bottom of the game description the words "a new narrative role playing game." As Tom Bloom is well known for Lancer, with its 4E level of crunch, how "narrative" is Cain? Are we expecting FATE levels of narrative tags used in combat? Is it just as crunchy as Lancer? Or is it something else?
CAIN is 100% a narrative game. If you have played ICON, it is kind of JUST the narrative part of that game. By which I mean this isn't like Lancer at all, it's a game about investigating a mystery and using weird powers creatively to solve problems in a freeform way. There isn't combat but a conflict scene instead, much more open ended with talismans representing progress on certain tasks, including executing monsters.
The most "crunchy" part of the game are the powers. They aren't as open as FATE aspects, they have certain restrictions, but at the same time they require the table to work together to reach a consensus about how they can be used in the current narrative context.
Anyway, I would say this is more of a vibes based game, much more writer’s room style than wargame. The table needs to work together to tell a story about trauma and dehumanization while using cool powers to do weird shit.