What do you write about a clever, quick game that's accessible to gamers and non-gamers, yet so many others have written about already? Well, sometimes it's not what you say, but how you say it. (Sung to the tune of "Gilligan's Island")...


Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a game called Ra.
That started from Knizia's mind,
A designer Superstar.

Start with 3 to 4 bidding suns,
Based on the number of people.
That's all you need to start this game,
So set down that red meeple.
"Hey, you! Put down that meeple!"

*meeple crashes to floor*

Each player has three choices:
He can choose a tile to draw,
Or he may swap a god or two,
Or simply "Invoke Ra."
Or simply "Invoke Ra."

After each of the three epochs,
The points are tallied up, with...

Monumentssssssss,
Many civ tiles toooooo,
Nile riversssss (if there's floodssss),
Pharoahs and gods.

And to those who scream,
"Pasted-on theme!!!"...
Create your own stinkin' gaaaaaaaaaames!





EDIT...

To appease those who take issue with there being no formal review, I will add one now. It's hard to add a unique voice to such a large number of positive reviews (hence the reason for the above) but I'll offer what I can. And to those who didn't appreciate a full blown review from the onset, don't worry, I didn't get much GG for all my efforts.

WARNING: Do not sing the remainder of this post to the tune of Gilligan's Island or you will become frustrated.

In short, Ra is a very, very good game. I give it a 9, which may drop to 8 after dozens of plays. I like some games more, but they tend to be 2-player games which is what I most enjoy. Yet this is a solid game for more than 2, so I'm very glad to have it in my collection.

As I said above, this game does work well for gamers and non-gamers, making it a good gateway game. Or at least, that has been my experience since I have roped in four of my non-gaming family members who love it. The jury is out on my wife, who hasn't had a chance to play, but I have high hopes.

Quick rule rehash: You start with 3-4 suns with unique values on them with which you can bid. During the game, tiles are drawn, which either invokes a bid on available tiles (and advances 1 of the 3 epochs / games stages) or adds to the pool of available tiles that will eventually be up for bid. On a player's turn, you can either invoke a bid (forcing you to buy the tiles if no one else bids) or you can draw from the bag. The third option is to play god tiles that allow you to pluck out and replace tiles from those available in the pool. Winning bids get the available tiles and the previously bidded sun to use in the next epoch.

If it all sounds confusing, it's really not, especially since the rule book is excellent at breaking it down. What I really like is the game allows for both short and long term point strategies. This is also probably the biggest hurdle to newbies as the scoring, at first glance, will appear confusing and cumbersome. But after one play it sinks in. Long and short term strategies are done via various tile types (pharoahs, civs, nile rivers and floods, gods, and monuments.) I won't go into details, but at the end of each epoch, tiles are scored in different ways, with some tiles removed from your playing area at the end of each epoch, whereas you keep others the whole game. The biggest long term strategy are monuments, which are only scored at the end of the third epoch.

All-in-all, it allows for a great playing diversity, based upon tiles you own, bidding suns available to you, and the tiles that come up for bid. (Including some that will destroy your otherwise permanent tiles.) I've seen people win with steady progression, and I've seen others win with a monument leap at the end. Given the scores are kept private, you don't definitely know who the winner will be until the end, except for some games where a blow-out is evident.

I've found the game works best with 3 or 4. 5 players tends to drag a bit and make some lose focus, given there isn't as much tile accumulation. So it really doesn't feel like you are building a mini-empire (like it does with 3 or 4) but that you are just trying to squeeze out a few points more than your opponents. That's not necessarily bad, but it does change the flow and dynamic of the game, more than I expected. In fact, we had a new guy try it with 5. We almost lost him, but he reluctantly tried another with only 3 and he really got into it and wanted to play right away again.

In conclusion, I love Knizia's major games, and this is no exception. What's incredible to me is I've played other bidding games by him, yet all feel unique. So as much as I enjoy Modern Art, I also like this game, but for it's own merits. It's very impressive that his bidding games don't feel like clones of each other.

And now my review comes to an end...


*Sung to Gilligan's Island ending credits tune*

It's a different type of game you'll find,
One that tests your brain.
Yet doesn't drag or agonize,
And no more coast-to-coast trains.

No roads! No towns! No counting farms,
Not a single meeple seen.
Unlike Tigris & Euphrates,
It's as simple as can be.

So play this game each week, my friends,
And you're sure to get a smile,
From all your gaming friends who play,
Without those Carcassonne tilesssss!