Glad you like the system -- thanks for giving it a read. It was fun to work on!
Regarding the hidden dice pools, I think of them very much like a hand in a card game. Part of the tension in activating an attack is not quite knowing what your opponent has to defend with. Likewise, there is some depth from "feinting" with fives early in the turn, but holding a high die in reserve. Or tempting the opponent into clustering their Automa knowing you hold a Massive modifier secreted away.
In the mood board I had an inspirational thought of dice cups that you would shake up, and invert, peek at with your hand as a shield, then place the cup back down to prevent manipulation. Definitely not a fool proof system - the design certainly targets casual play and would be wildly unsuitable for tournaments. :)