The Draw Cards Phase
Draw Cards is the second of the seven phases of each round. It is where your army grows: you are dealt new cards, place generals on the map, equip the ones already in the field, and play a few single-use cards.
What happens automatically
The moment your turn in this phase begins, the game deals you two cards. There is no draw button and no offer to accept — the cards go straight to your hand.
The exception is event cards, which never enter a hand: they go straight to the Events Area on the board and are announced in the following round’s Announcements phase. And no replacement card is drawn in their place — if both cards dealt are events, you end the phase with nothing new in hand.
A Cards Drawn notification reports what was dealt, split into what went to your hand and what went to the Events Area. It opens on its own at the start of your turn and stays available from the bell.
The first round is different
In round 1 the phase works differently:
- the two cards dealt are always generals — the deck is filtered, so no item, event or single-use card can come out;
- you must place both generals before ending the turn (the message “Place your two opening generals” stays on screen until you do);
- discarding is not allowed on that turn.
The deck
The players’ deck holds 88 cards. The game’s full catalogue has 96, but the 8 Canaanite general cards never enter the deck — they are reserved for the Wrath of God invasions.
When the draw pile holds fewer cards than needed, the discard pile is shuffled back into it. Nothing is lost for good: cards from dead generals and spent single-use cards return to circulation.
Placing generals
Tap Place on the general’s card and the valid settlements start pulsing gold on the map. The rules for where they may go:
- in round 1, any settlement not controlled by another player — including free ones and those nobody has occupied yet;
- from round 2 onward, only settlements you already control;
- never on a settlement **under siege**;
- at most 2 of your generals per settlement;
- at most 4 of your generals on the map at a time (in round 1 the limit is 2).
Attaching items
Tap Place on the item card and then the general who will receive it — your generals pulse green in the Players panel while you choose. A general cannot carry two items of the same kind.
Cards playable in this phase
Not every single-use card can be played here. In this phase these apply:
| Card | In this phase? | Where else it can be played |
|---|---|---|
| Tax | ✅ | only in this phase |
| Blessing | ✅ | Acquisitions and Movement |
| Revolt | ✅ (if some region has been taxed this round) | Movement |
| Assassin | ✅ | any phase except Combat |
| Justice | ✅ (if some general carries the Assassin title) | any phase except Combat |
| Secret Passage | ❌ | Movement only |
| Siege Weapons, Ambush, Mercenaries | ❌ | only during a [[60. Projects/Promised Land - manual/en/combat |
The hand limit
Your hand holds at most 4 cards. If the deal leaves you over that, the turn will not end until the hand is back within the limit — and there are three ways to shrink it: place a general, attach an item, or discard.
The Hand button on the bottom bar pulses while something is still owed: generals to place in round 1, or extra cards to discard.
What each card does is covered in the chapter The Game’s Cards.