OK here goes a newbie question.

In the rules it states that players start of with 7 cards each. The first person to play doesnt get to draw a card they just play with what they have. The second person gets to draw a card and now has a one card advantage.

OK lets say I go first and I play a resource and then I play a one cost ally.
This ends my turn. Leaving me with 5 cards in my hand. Now here is my question: Do I end my turn with 5 cards in my hand or do I even back up to 7?

Thanks ahead of time.....

You end your turn with 5 cards in hand. Your next turn, you will get to draw one again.

Another question: My opponent draws for his turn, can I respond with a discard effect to make him discard it before he plays it?

Also, is there a maximum number of cards you are allowed to have in hand?

[quote=gator7870]You end your turn with 5 cards in hand. Your next turn, you will get to draw one again.

QUOTE]

If the above is the case I will always be a card behind unless I play cards that let me draw cards? Why does the person going second get this advantage ( assuming we play a resource and one other card every turn)?

Not sure I understand we the mechanics have you almost always playing at least two cards per turn but only allowing you to draw one the next turn!!

You end your turn with 5 cards like gator7870 stated.
Unknown, however im thinking yes, because of cards like Fiana Spellbinder and Brain Freeze. (Even though it's not card discarding, it prevents your opponent from drawing so it's sort of the same? and thats why I put unknown as my answer.)
Yes, it's seven.

Even if you are a card behind you are still always ahead of your opponent in terms of resources (majority of the time). Meaning you have the advantage of bring out a more powerful ally first or unleash a stronger ability or weapon every turn keeping pressure on your opponent.
I can't convey my thinking into word so... Balance purposes(?), Card Management(?), Deck Specifications(?) Something something something... because it allows you to play the game, having quests and cards that allows you to draw even more cards like Innervate and Life Tap to have a PURPOSE. Also to make sure cards that have discarding effects like Mind Spike is balanced due to the lack of damage it does, at the resource cost to play.

You're not technically responding, you're just making a play before the change of phases. For example: your opponent is at one card draws and they draw for their turn, and you activate Shadow Word: Pain at the end of their Draw Phase. Unless the card they drew was an instant they could play, then they'd be forced to discard it.

It's a tradeoff.

Going first give tempo amongst other things so long as your deck is built in such a fashion.

You don't have to play a resource every turn. Again this is dependant on deck and even then if you get to around 8 resources you'd probably be better of just keeping cards in hand at that point.

Curiously do you play UFS? Going back up to your max hand size is a part of that game and it's the only one I know that lets you refill your hand each turn.

Thanks for some of the insite as to why it is this way. Now I have to figure out how to use it to my advantage.

No I dont play UFS. I played LOTR and WARS with decipher and both of those games had you even up your hand at the end of your turn.

Always choose to go first if you can there is absolutley no down side as I will explain.

Go first on turn-1 (down a card)
Go first on turn-2 (still down a card)
Go first on turn-3 (still down)
Now perhaps on Turn-4 you wish you were going second....Ok then switch to going second....
Turn-4 Draw the card that you are down. Choose not to play any cards or lay any resources. Yet still, Attack with all your characters.

Walllah...Suddenly you are going second and have made up the missing card draw plus gotten in a FREE set of attacks.

That's true with LOTR, but with Star Wars there was no max hand size and at the end of your turn you could draw as many cards as you wanted from your Active Force Pile.

I don't think you can play card effects until the action phase. Also you wouldn't be able to play effects until the turn player passes priority to you, which means he has a chance to do something with his card before you have a chance to do anything. Of course we won't know for sure till we get a set of comp rules

For the most part, you can play a card effect at any time (There's nothing preventing that, except for card text.). And yeah, your opponent would have to pass priority to you for you to be able to do anything... but he can't do anything with his card during his draw step unless it's an instant he can play.

But you're right, we really do need a set of comprehensive rules.