Friends and I just started playing a couple of days ago, and are unclear on a couple of rules:

When a card says 'put this card into play from your hand' (example, Horseback Archers from the QoD expansion) do you have to pay it's gold cost in addition to the cost listed in the ability text? or is the ability text the only cost paid?

Are there 'phases' within turns when events can be played? The rules on when exactly they can be played is very hazy in the rule book.

Sorry if these q's are ignorant, we're only just learning

Hi Bastard!

Sometimes these types of questions are best answered by (an until recent) n00b...

Cards like Horseback Archers (cost: 1 influence) or even Khal Drogo (Response: win a challenge) do NOT need their gold cost paid.

For a better understanding about phases and action windows I HIGHLY recommend downloading (and printing) the FAQ that can be found here:

FFG AGoT Support Page

Pay special attention to the Action Window flow charts immediately following page 17.

I hope this helps!

Awesome, thanks.

Also, we had another one - how many times can abilities on cards (like characters for example) be used? Once a turn? Once a phase?

You can use them as many times as you want, unless the trigger has a cost you can't pay for and/or the trigger says Limited Response: or at the end of the trigger text, it says in parantheses: (limit once per phase) or (limit once per round) or something like that.