Posting a ruling clarification from Matt here.
My Question:
In the scenario City of Archives, Act 3a Repossession reads, "Action: Spend 1 clue: Draw. Draw 2 cards instead of 1. If your hand exceeds your maximum hand size, draw 1 additional card." Question 1: Let's say my max hand size is 4. If I have 3 cards currently in my hand, and I trigger the action on the act, do I draw 2 cards, or do I draw 3 cards? In other words, when is the condition "If your hand exceeds your maximum hand size" being assessed? Question 2: If the additional card applies to this draw. Are the 3 cards drawn simultaneously, or am I drawing 2 cards, and then drawing one more card? In other words, is this one draw effect or two draw effects? This matters for some cards such as Amnesia. Thank you!
Answer from Matt Newman:
It is all one draw effect—you draw 2 cards, plus 1 additional card if your hand exceeds your maximum hand size. (In your example, you would only draw 2 cards, because your hand size does not currently exceed your maximum hand size.) Hope that helps!