Events (red cards) are collected in a personal pile face down after being played. Their tags only apply while being played.

Automated cards (green) are placed face up in a stack on the table with only the top row visible. They have no ongoing effect, but since they represent the current extent of your operations, their tags still apply.

Active cards (blue) have ongoing effects that may trigger at any time, or actions that you may use (just like the corporations). Since you need to keep track of these cards, they are placed with the top panel visible.