Ra

Ra is a fun, fast, and accessible board game. It fits nicely in under an hour (perfect for some lunch-time gaming), and can accomodate three to five players. The rules are easy to learn, but the strategy is deceptively deep.

I have friends who know a whole lot about board games. They claim Reiner Knizia is a genius in game design. I don't know much about him, but just from playing Ra, I would have to agree. The game is simple to explain: You are trying to get the highest point total. You score at the end of each of the three rounds (called epochs). You get points during scoring by winning tiles through auctions. There are some tiles that go away at the end of the epoch, some tiles that only score at the end of the third epoch, and the mechanics of scoring are different for different types of tiles (for example, you only get points for pharoahs if you have the most of them). Not having some tiles by the end of an epoch can be detrimental. Depending on how many players are in the game, you get a certain number of auction tiles, each with a unique number on them, to bid with. When you win an auction, you get the last auction tile that someone else won an auction with for the next epoch, and you place your winning tile in the middle (so essentially, every auction also includes an auction tile). On your turn, you're down to three simple options: Add a tile to the auction track, call an auction, or use a special tile. An auction can also start if you try a "Ra" tile, and when the Ra track fills up or when everyone has used all their auction tiles, the epoch ends.

This will take you 15 minutes to learn. However, the evaluation of how much each tile is worth to you and your opponents takes in so many factors that the strategy is not immediately obvious. When should you call an auction? Since you have to take an auction if you called it, and no one else wants it, it becomes a risky proposition. How much should you bid on an auction? Are your opponents going to outbid you for the same auction? Does your opponent want the auction badly enough that you can force him to use a higher tile? You have to consider these things and more when you're playing this game that involves only fourteen tile types.

If you've never tried a board game outside of Sorry!, Monopoly, or Risk, you really need to try this game.

Powergame

The Powergame section is only recommended for readers who have tried the game, and are looking for some tips. Any comments on the strategy of this game are welcome.

I've played quite a few 3, 4, and 5 player games. The winning point total for 5 player games is usually around 40-45, for 4 player games it is around 45-50, and for 3 player games, you will likely need 50+. Three player games are generally more erratic as there tend to be rounds that are abhorrently short, but since you have four auction tiles, it's not terrible to be aggressive early in the epoch.

In general, if you and your opponent are the only ones left in an epoch, it is not a good idea to let them run it by exiting the round too early. It is generally safe to do so if there are only two empty Ra spaces left on the track. In fact, you should try to get your opponent out of the way so that you can run it as early as possible. It's a tricky balancing act like everything else in the game.

Controlling pharaohs is key in a 3 or 4 player game. You need to develop either pharoahs or go heavy in monuments if you want to win. I find the key in most games, no matter how many players, is to have a huge last epoch. Many game that I've won included 30 points in the last epoch, and monuments are excellent for this. If you are going for the monument strategy, then you will likely want high auction tiles going into the last epoch.

I generally dislike rivers because floods can get sniped or stolen very easily. However, if you can build them up in the first or second epoch, you can score big. If you are banking on a flood then you need to acquire yourself a God tile and then try to get in a 1 on 1 situation.

Don't bet on civilizations too early, unless the price is right. Since the second civilization isn't worth any immediate points, you can probably steal one cheaply later in the round.