Richard Berg is very critical of Hegemon, the gorgeously presented game that comes with the first issue of Against the Odds, on the grounds that it is over-complex. As someone who spent many hours struggling to understand Berg's SPQR, and gave up, this strikes me as ironic.

I've been designing games for long enough to have a set of personal rules I apply to almost any design situation. Playing through HEGEMON several of those Rules came to mind.

Rule #1: The more obscure the subject is, the less detailed the game should be.

Rule #2: No one is as interested in what you are saying as you are.

Rule #3: Stay in Focus.