Revolt N Reign — Gameplay Guide
Gameplay Guide
Pre-Game Setup walks through all 6 steps in order — UA placement, shuffling, mulligans, turn order determination, and Player 2's equalization play, finishing with tracker setup.
Both players complete all setup steps before anyone draws an opening hand. UA's are never shuffled into your deck.
1
Place Unconstitutional Acts (UAs)
Each player takes their 3 UA cards and places them face-up in their UA Area before anything else. These are never shuffled into the deck.
Never put UAs in the draw pile!!
2
Shuffle your deck
Shuffle your remaining 57 cards thoroughly. Your opponent may cut your deck.
3
Mulligans (before turn order)
Both players draw 7 cards. You may mulligan up to twice — shuffle your hand back into your deck and redraw 7. Mulligans happen before turn order is decided.
Up to 2 mulligans allowed
4
Determine turn order
If one player is under 15 years old, they go first. Otherwise, roll dice — high roll is Player 1.
5
Player 2 pre-game equalization
Before Player 1's first turn, Player 2 may play one 0-IP card from their hand. Its effects do not resolve until the first Resolve Phase of actual play.
Balances going second
6
Set trackers
Both players set their Liberty Points (LP) tracker to 100 and their Independence Points (IP) tracker to 0. The draw pile is the remaining 50 cards after your opening hand.
Turn Structure covers each of the 5 phases with all the rules that matter inside each one — including the draw phase deck-out trigger, IP carry-over, what's playable when, and the End Phase checklist.
1
Draw Phase
Draw exactly 1 card from the top of your draw pile. This cannot be skipped.
Deck-Out: If you cannot draw because your draw pile is empty, you lose immediately by Deck-Out Victory for your opponent. This only triggers when a draw is required and fails — having 0 cards in the pile alone doesn't cause a loss.
2
Independence Phase
All your Pillar cards generate IP simultaneously. There is no maximum IP you can hold. IP does not carry over between turns.
Timing: "When you gain IP" effects trigger after IP is added. If multiple such effects exist, they resolve simultaneously — active player chooses order.
3
Play Phase
Spend IP to play cards from your hand. Playing cards is optional.
To pay IP: Turn a Pillar card sideways (tap it) to spend its IP value.
Playable cards: Attack, Bills, Defense, Freedom, Pillar, and Rights cards may all be played this phase.
Attack on Attack (AoA): Declare AoA here by paying the Attack card's IP cost + 1 extra IP. Both attacks deal damage simultaneously in the Resolve Phase, bypassing all Defense.
Declare targets: All targets and intentions must be declared before the Resolve Phase begins. No new plays or activations are possible once resolution starts.
Mill / Discard effects: Mill targets cards from the top of the opponent's draw pile. Discard targets cards from the opponent's hand.
4
Resolve Phase
All effects resolve in a fixed 7-step order. Once this phase begins, no player may play cards or activate abilities. See the Resolve Phase tab for the full order.
Order matters — see Resolve tab
5
End Phase
Perform these actions in order to close out your turn:
Hand limit: Discard down to 7 cards if you hold more.
Temporary effects expire: Any effect that lasts "until end of turn" ends now.
Count LP: Both players confirm their current LP totals.
Check all victory conditions: LP victory, Petition victory, Deck-Out, Attack victory are all checked here. No instant victory can occur outside this step unless a card explicitly says so.
Straighten Pillar cards: Turn all tapped Pillars upright for the start of your next turn.
Locks → AoA → UA Drain → LP Gain → Petition Check → Attack Damage → Cleanup
Once the Resolve Phase begins:
no new cards may be played
no new abilities may be activated
only existing card effects already in play may resolve as written
Step 1 — Locks and Blocks
All Lock and Block effects already in play apply simultaneously.
No new locks may be created once this step begins.
Locked cards:
cannot attack
cannot defend
cannot activate abilities
cannot apply passive or continuous effects
Locked cards can still be targeted, damaged, destroyed, or exiled.
Exception — UA LP Drain
A locked UA still drains LP because UA drain is a core rule effect, not a card effect.
Only a card that explicitly references “UA LP drain” may stop it.
Step 2 — Attack on Attack (AoA / Rebel Clash)
If AoA was declared during the Play Phase:
Both Attack cards deal damage simultaneously to each other.
AoA:
bypasses all Defense cards
resolves before all other Attack Damage
destroys cards reduced to 0 durability immediately
If an Attack card survives AoA:
It keeps its remaining damage value for Step 6.
Destroyed Attack cards are discarded immediately.
Step 3 — UA Drain (NEW — clarified DAMAGE step)
This step resolves automatic Liberty Point loss caused by Unconstitutional Acts (UA).
All UA drain effects resolve simultaneously.
UA Drain Rules
Each UA in play applies its printed LP drain value.
UA drain targets opponent LP unless card text states otherwise.
UA drain cannot be redirected unless explicitly allowed.
UA drain ignores Defense cards.
UA drain ignores Attack cards.
UA drain occurs even if the UA is Locked.
UA drain is not Attack Damage.
UA drain cannot destroy Defense cards or Pillars.
UA drain resolves before LP gain.
UA drain resolves before Petition victory check.
If multiple UAs are active:
All LP drain totals apply simultaneously.
Example:
Opponent controls 2 UAs draining 3 LP each
Player loses 6 LP total
Step 4 — LP Gain
All LP gain effects from this turn resolve now.
LP:
may exceed 100
has no maximum limit
resolves after UA drain
resolves before Petition victory check
If multiple LP gains occur simultaneously:
Active player resolves theirs first.
Then inactive player resolves theirs.
Step 5 — Petition Check
Petition Victory is checked only during this step.
The active player must control all three conditions simultaneously:
• 3 or more Petition cards in play
• 3 or more Scroll Pillars in play
• LP of 20 or greater
If all conditions are met:
The game ends immediately.
Opponent does not continue Resolve Phase.
Step 6 — Resolve Attack Damage
All Attack Damage resolves now.
Order:
Active player's attacks resolve first
Inactive player's attacks resolve second
Default Targeting Priority
Attack Damage must resolve in this order:
Defense cards
Unconstitutional Acts
LP (only if card text explicitly allows it)
Damage Assignment Rules
Damage from one source:
must be assigned to one target
cannot split across targets
cannot carry over to another target
Example:
Attack = 5
Defense remaining = 2
Remaining 3 damage is lost
It does not transfer to UA or LP
Defense Protection Rule
All Defense protecting UAs must be destroyed before Attack Damage may be assigned to any UA
Unless a card explicitly states:
“bypass Defense”
Step 7 — Cleanup and Other Effects
Resolve in sub-order:
7A → 7B → 7C
Step 7A — Defense Points Reduction
Apply damage to Defense Points.
Destroy any Defense card reduced to 0 DP
Step 7B — Destruction Resolution
Destroy all cards reduced to 0 durability
Forced Resolution triggers resolve here if discard requirements are fulfilled
Step 7C — Remaining Triggered Effects
Resolve all remaining triggered effects
If multiple effects resolve simultaneously:
Active player chooses resolution order
Combat & UA breaks down the mechanical relationship between UAs, Defense cards, and attacks in plain terms, including Bills cost doubling and AoA procedure.
Understanding how UAs, Defense, and Attack interact is the core engine of Revolt N Reign.
A
How UAs drain LP
Each UA drains the opponent's LP during the controller's Resolve Phase, Step 3. This happens automatically — no action required. It cannot be blocked by Defense cards. Only a card explicitly targeting "UA LP drain" can modify it.
Common UA: ~20 DP, drains 1 LP/turn
Uncommon UA: ~25 DP, drains 1 LP/turn
Rare UA: ~30 DP, drains 2 LP/turn (+ drawback)
These are historical notes, not rules — card text governs
B
Defense cards — what they do and don't do
Defense cards protect UA Defense Points only. They are walls around the UA, not shields for your LP.
They DO: Absorb Attack Damage assigned to them; make it harder to destroy your UAs; force attackers to destroy Defense before reaching the UA.
They DON'T: Stop LP drain from UAs; protect LP; block milling; protect Petitions (unless a card explicitly says so).
Activation timing: A Defense card's printed effects trigger when Attack Damage is actually assigned to that card — not when targeted, not when a declaration is made.
C
Attacking — step by step
During your Play Phase, declare an Attack card and its target. Pay its IP cost (tap a Pillar).
If opponent has Defense cards: All Attack Damage must go to one Defense card. Excess damage is lost. Destroy Defense first before you can reach the UA.
If no Defense remains: Attack Damage may be assigned directly to a UA.
To target LP: Only possible if the Attack card's text explicitly states it targets LP.
Attack Victory: Destroying all 3 opponent UAs wins the game instantly.
D
Attack on Attack (AoA / Rebel Clash)
In the Play Phase, pay the Attack card's IP + 1 extra IP to declare AoA. You and your opponent each send an Attack card to clash.
Both Attack cards deal damage simultaneously in Resolve Phase Step 2. AoA bypasses all Defense. The surviving card retains remaining damage and carries it forward into Step 4 for normal resolution.
E
Bills — escalating cost
Bills are powerful one-time actions played in the Play Phase. After resolving, a Bill returns to your hand unless exiled.
Cost doubles each use: Every time a Bill returns to hand after resolving, its IP cost doubles for all future plays. This cost persists between turns and is tracked by card name.
Exile ends it: If a Bill is exiled, it cannot be played again and no further cost increases occur.
Victory covers all 4 win conditions, simultaneous victory/loss ruling, and the exact Petition Victory requirements.
All victory conditions are checked during the End Phase unless otherwise stated. If multiple conditions occur simultaneously, the Active Player wins.
VICTORY - 4 Ways to Win
LP Victory
Opponent's LP reaches 0 or below at End Phase.
Attack Victory
Destroy all 3 opponent UAs. This wins instantly when the last UA is destroyed.
Petition Victory
Petition Victory — detailed requirements
All three conditions must be true simultaneously at Resolve Phase Step 6:
(3 or more Petition cards currently in play (Petitions must remain in play to count — discarded or exiled Petitions don't count)
3 or more Scroll Pillars currently in play
Your LP is 20 or greater)
Petitions stay in play unless exiled or removed by a card effect
Deck-Out Victory
Opponent cannot draw during their Draw Phase because their draw pile is empty.
→ Simultaneous victory and loss
If victory and loss conditions are met at the same time on your turn, you win. For example: your UA drains opponent LP to 0 while your draw pile is empty — you win because the Active Player's victory takes precedence.
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REVOLT N REIGN
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