diff --git a/doc/fixes36.2 b/doc/fixes36.2
index e24aaf388..9cd67bc38 100644
--- a/doc/fixes36.2
+++ b/doc/fixes36.2
@@ -312,6 +312,11 @@ fix foxen pluralization again after underflow remedy reintroduced the problem
 fix "placing monster over another?" warning for vault guards
 status highlighting classifies gold, time, and experience-points as data type
 	'long' but when selecting hilite rule to use treated them as 'int'
+a config file line with OPTIONS=symset:default, roguesymset:RogueEpyx
+	was disabling color on RogueEpyx even though the symset is 
+	meant to have color; that was due to an errant init_symbols() call
+	during the processing of symset:default done after RogueEpyx had
+	already been processed
 tty: turn off an optimization that is the suspected cause of Windows reported
 	partial status lines following level changes
 tty: ensure that current status fields are always copied to prior status
diff --git a/src/drawing.c b/src/drawing.c
index 5a73d4c3f..e9dd2481d 100644
--- a/src/drawing.c
+++ b/src/drawing.c
@@ -503,8 +503,10 @@ int nondefault;
         if (SYMHANDLING(H_CURS) && cursesgraphics_mode_callback)
             (*cursesgraphics_mode_callback)();		
 # endif
-    } else
-        init_symbols();
+    } else {
+        init_l_symbols();
+        init_showsyms();
+    }
 }
 
 void
diff --git a/src/options.c b/src/options.c
index ead3a707a..17965cb05 100644
--- a/src/options.c
+++ b/src/options.c
@@ -761,6 +761,7 @@ initoptions_init()
     for (i = 0; i < NUM_DISCLOSURE_OPTIONS; i++)
         flags.end_disclose[i] = DISCLOSE_PROMPT_DEFAULT_NO;
     switch_symbols(FALSE); /* set default characters */
+    init_r_symbols();
 #if defined(UNIX) && defined(TTY_GRAPHICS)
     /*
      * Set defaults for some options depending on what we can