I think iconography and language-independent design should have a pretty cozy home as ongoing discussion points in this thread. What an unusual quirk, that hurdle to accessibility.
The icons in RftG seem designed to appeal to people who know how to play the game. All the information you need at a glance, easily visible from across the table - unlike text.
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Yeah, on the one hand, icons are great. They mean that a game can be played in several languages without necessitating an extensive translation job. A manualâs easier and cheaper than a manual and cards and tokens and tiles.
But on the other hand, icons are awful because they mean NOTHING on their own and need a reference, meaning a ton of cross-checking, which is tiresome and breaks the flow of the game. For example, my wife and I like Small World, but we find the constant need to cross-reference powers tiresome.
Of course, that can be solved by playing more and learning, but itâs a barrier to entry.
Tricky.
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Yeah, and I think this speaks to @RogerBWâs comment about good iconography being very challenging, particularly in more complex games where many are needed. I have a background in graphic design and I can tell you that logos and symbology were some of the hardest intellectual challenges of my artistic education.
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The size of the icons has to be a concern as well. I donât have any experience in graphic design, but I imagine it must be much easier to be clear in a bigger format than on something so small.
Yes and no. In some ways if thatâs a concern youâre already on the wrong track.
This is a good way of describing bad iconography. 
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I do struggle with Roll for the Galaxy as well, but I have never read the rulebook, just been taught. I think the icons/what they do/what do you want to achieve/what strategy to follow is what I struggle with.
Plus the person that taught me is one of those that thinks that if you hear something once youâre good to go. Which is not always the case. Add the fact that he and his partner have played it nearly 200 times and the other person playing nearly half as many and they didnât precisely go easy on me⌠I was quite lost and have never managed to make it past the teens in final scoreâŚ
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Iâm working my way through the rulebook for Shadows over Normandie and my god is it a disaster. Thankfully I seem to have internalized the basics of the game (somewhat unexpectedly, itâs been a long time) through the comparatively excellent (still a mess) rules for Heroes of Black Reach, but I canât imagine reading this as a newcomer and being able to play the game with any confidence. This is a standalone box but reads like a true expansion, and itâs really quite unbelievable to me that Iello let this out into the wild.
And thatâs before we get into the extensive errata. Jesus Christ, Devil Pig, this is properly shameful. Thank goodness the system is great fun (and I bought it on the cheap).
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Ryanâs Nights Around the Table how to play vid for Race for the Galaxy should be included on a USB stick in the game box. I couldnât have learnt it without it. In fact, all of his rules videos are the gold standard - genuinely humorous, perfectly structured, and bang on presentation. The only competitor might be Monique from Before You Play, or the Games Night folks (who teach as though youâre at the table with them, which feels much more natural and easy to grok).
Check this out.
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