Peter Sarrett writes about bad rules, mentioning Victory & Honor as an example. He’s spot on: Victory & Honor has probably the worst rulebook I’ve ever seen in a good game.
I practically threw the rule book across the room three times while explaining the rules. It took us MUCH longer than it should have to get going. The rule book actually stood in the way of us having a good time. Our initial enthusiasm was much dampened by the time we actually began play. Writing good, clear rules is not easy. Rule books are often one of the last things completed in the production of a game, sometimes going to print without being tested. Bad Idea.