<p>This is a guess from me, but it's really common for 3d cubes to be represented as a hexagon in 2d images - perhaps the hexagonal pattern used for the institute is meant to be a flat representation of a cube?</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/9iinp.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/9iinp.png" alt="image of 2d cube hexagon representations found on google" /></a></p>
<p>Here's a good examples of what I mean. looking at a cube straight on to one of the corners the outline is hexagonal. that first image, a transparent cube showing all the lines dividing the sides, looks a lot like a rotated version of the institute icon.</p>
<p><a href="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/31jPaZnjUOC8EKAnHZt_5A__imagepage/img/arwmiKG3FD7tWn4UptmvwrSYNEg=/fit-in/900x600/filters:no_upscale():strip_icc()/pic5968332.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/31jPaZnjUOC8EKAnHZt_5A__imagepage/img/arwmiKG3FD7tWn4UptmvwrSYNEg=/fit-in/900x600/filters:no_upscale():strip_icc()/pic5968332.jpg" alt="image from BGG showing institute icon" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-09T16:12:47.010Z
2022-03-09T16:17:52.310Z
2022-03-09T16:17:52.310Z
Andrew
<p>A few weeks ago I was introduced to the game Red Rising and also found out that it was a novel series. The game pieces make plenty of sense to me--the helium looks like little crystals, consistent with mining; the sovereign token looks like an insignia from the series (I haven't personally read the books yet--on my to-do list); and the fleet track pieces look like little space ships. However, the space for the Institute uses a hexagonal pattern. With such attention to detail, I wondered: <em>Why are these pieces cubes, as opposed to hexagons?</em></p>
<p>Is there a lore-related purpose for using cubes? And, if so, why are they cubes?</p>
<p>I read through some of the information on the <a href="https://red-rising.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Rising_Wiki" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Red Rising Fandom</a> pages and looked at <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/329465/red-rising" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Board Game Geek</a>, but didn't find any answers to my question.</p>

<game-lore>
What, if any, is the significance of using cube-shaped tokens for the Institute in Red Rising?
WiZΔRD
# What, if any, is the significance of using cube-shaped tokens for the Institute in Red Rising?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-03-08)

A few weeks ago I was introduced to the game Red Rising and also found out that it was a novel series. The game pieces make plenty of sense to me--the helium looks like little crystals, consistent with mining; the sovereign token looks like an insignia from the series (I haven't personally read the books yet--on my to-do list); and the fleet track pieces look like little space ships. However, the space for the Institute uses a hexagonal pattern. With such attention to detail, I wondered: *Why are these pieces cubes, as opposed to hexagons?*

Is there a lore-related purpose for using cubes? And, if so, why are they cubes?

I read through some of the information on the [Red Rising Fandom](https://red-rising.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Rising_Wiki) pages and looked at [Board Game Geek](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/329465/red-rising), but didn't find any answers to my question.

**Tags:** game-lore


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-03-09. Score: 2

This is a guess from me, but it's really common for 3d cubes to be represented as a hexagon in 2d images - perhaps the hexagonal pattern used for the institute is meant to be a flat representation of a cube?

[![image of 2d cube hexagon representations found on google](https://i.sstatic.net/9iinp.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/9iinp.png)

Here's a good examples of what I mean. looking at a cube straight on to one of the corners the outline is hexagonal. that first image, a transparent cube showing all the lines dividing the sides, looks a lot like a rotated version of the institute icon.

[![image from BGG showing institute icon](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/31jPaZnjUOC8EKAnHZt_5A__imagepage/img/arwmiKG3FD7tWn4UptmvwrSYNEg=/fit-in/900x600/filters:no_upscale():strip_icc()/pic5968332.jpg)](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/31jPaZnjUOC8EKAnHZt_5A__imagepage/img/arwmiKG3FD7tWn4UptmvwrSYNEg=/fit-in/900x600/filters:no_upscale():strip_icc()/pic5968332.jpg)


---

