Ra is another game with an Egyptian theme, however the theme here is light. Thankfully though, the lack of a real theme is not a problem in Ra as its game play is very strong and makes it a delight to play.
Ra is an auction game in which players aim to acquire tiles. The tiles include Pharaoh's, Monuments, Culture, Gods, Gold, Nile and Floods. Each of these tiles will award points at the end of the 3 Epochs (turns) of the game if certain conditions are met. For example having the most Pharaoh's at the end of an Epoch will award 5 victory points but having the least will incur a 2 point penalty. Each Nile and Flood tile will earn 1 point but at least one Flood tile must be acquired. Cultural event tiles earn points for acquiring different types and Monuments only score at the end of the game. Gold earns a straight 3 points per tile and Gods 2 points.
The multiple scoring options are a major strength of the game as it requires the players to keep a close eye on the progress of their opponents. It also gives players a chance of winning right to the end as they can be weak in one area but strong in others.
Ra is quite different to other auction games. Instead of money, each player begins with 3 auction tiles. The numbers range from 1-16 and the combinations used depend on the number of players, which keeps the game balanced. On each turn a player will usually draw a new tile. If it is a scoring tile (outlined above) they will add it to the offer up for auction and end their turn. If the tile they draw is a Ra tile it will result in the auction being called and no more tiles are pulled. In turn each player will either pass or play one of their 3 auction tiles. The highest bid made will win all of the tiles on offer and they must place the auction tile they bid with on the middle of the board. They then take the auction tile that was already on the board to ensure they still have 3 auction tiles. In this way the players are constantly altering the auction tiles they possess. Bidding high may win the auction but it will allow someone else to acquire it later in the game. Each player can only win a maximum of 3 auctions per Epoch and when all players have done so the Epoch ends and scoring takes place.
Instead of drawing a tile, a player can play a God tile they have acquired and take any one tile from the auction line. The third option is to voluntarily invoke Ra to start an auction. A major twist of Ra is that only the Pharaoh and Monument tiles won in auctions are kept between Epochs. All of the other tiles are scored and removed from play at the end of each Epoch. So players can go after certain combos and not achieve them! The game also features disaster tiles which can be drawn and added to an auction. If these are won they will result in tiles being removed from a player's play area. This further adds to the decision making process of players!

Ra is a simple game on the surface but offers layers that must be discovered. This makes Ra an appealing game as it allows novices to get playing quickly and rewards those that play it again and again to discover its subtlety. Highly recommended for almost anyone and guaranteed not to gather dust on the shelf!