Cube Confusion

Cube Confusion refers to a phenomenon present in many eurogames. Designers of such games frequently use wooden cubes of different colors to represent different (sometimes vastly different) resources. Cube Confusion is when players forget or are unable to determine which cubes stand for what resources. This can lead to players picking up the wrong cubes or playing the game incorrectly.

Examples:

Caylus uses cubes of similar size and different colors to represent all resources in the game. Thus, players may easily become confused as to which cube represents what resource.

In the original edition of Genoa cubes were used to represent trade-able commodities such as silk and spice. The "yellow" cube for wheat and the "natural wood" cube for rice were virtually indistinguishable.

Power Grid avoids Cube Confusion by making the resources (Oil, Coal, Uranium and Garbage) not only different colors, but different shapes as well. They are all wooden, but only Coal is actually a cube.