Some cards hinder and enhance units on the playing surface while other cards describe limitations or restrictions.  

The quantity of cards given to each player in the game can vary, but generally the game starts with 5 cards per side.  

Remember, some cards are fake or blank.  

Once these cards are spent no other cards are available to a player, but, again, Random Events or even some cards can dictate that another card can be available to a player.  

The number of cards to be given out to players at the start of the game can be dictated by their overall commander's Command Valuation System (CVS) character trait of Tactical skill.  For instance, a 7 value commander would draw only 3 cards (ten minus three = seven), and a 4 value commander would draw 6 (10-4=6).   

Some cards enable a player to take cards from the opposing side.  During the game, a player may decide to play a card on himself rather than his opponent, for whatever reason, and this is permitted. 

Other cards affect both sides at the same time such as communication or weather, and other cards create "fog of war," where a player can substitute an item on the table for something that it did not originally appear to be:  an example of this is replacing a light infantry unit with a heavy infantry unit (in these cases, a minimum distance for visual recognition must be allowed, e.g. 3 hexes range and all things are automatically known about a disguised unit).  

"Shift" cards cause positions of units to be shifted from their present location, sometimes randomly e.g. "Move every 3rd unit from left to right, one hex backwards."

The following categories exist for Hex Command Ancients cards:

1. Commander
   1. a
   2. b
   3. c
   4. d
2. Weapon/Technology
   1. Double effect
   2. Two Shot limit
   3. Heavy Pilum: Gives enemy Heavy Infantry -1 in combat.
   4. Chariots are transports only and carry a full stand of missile infantry or Ballista artillery.
3. Rally/Morale/Influence
   1. Barbarians Self-Rally
   2. Light Infantry Self-Rallies
   3. Light Cavalry Self-Rallies
   4. Heavy Infantry +1 combat
   5. 1 in 5 enemy cavalry leaves the game if elephants are used.
   6. 1/2 enemy cavalry leaves the game if elephants are used.
4. Intel/Perception
   1. Add 1/4 more fake markers to your force of markers.
   2. Subtract 1/4 fake markers
   3. Remove all fake markers
   4. Randomly remove 1/10 of all markers from a players inventory.
   5. Half your unit markers that have been revealed/spotted, return to marker status.
   6. All your entering units enter as spotted; but your fake markers in those entering forces are shown as real units until they are used in combat or fired upon.
5. Cartography/Terrain
   1. Light forces ignore uphill penalty.
   2. Light infantry ignore marshes, swamps and rocky regions
   3. Light cavalry ignore uphill penalty.
   4. Heavy infantry ignore forest penalty.
   5. Cross rivers/creeks without penalty.
   6. When a force enters a forest, replace it with markers and add 1/2 as fake as long as they remain in the forest.
6. Confusion/Panic
   1. Immediately rout one unit contacted by your cavalry.
   2. Immediately rout one unit contacted by your infantry.
   3. About-face and move 2 front line units one move backwards.
   4. Step back 2 front line units, one move distance.
   5. Attach a missile unit to a heavy infantry unit for the rest of the game and follow the same fate as the heavy unit.
7. Event Reaction
   1. Any cavalry in site of a friendly routing cavalry immediately step back one move distance.
   2. One cavalry in site of a friendly routing unit immediately step back one move distance.
   3. All missile units in site of a friendly routing unit immediately step back one move distance.
   4. A heavy infantry unit on a hill will take 5 hits before being destroyed and removed.