Ra

About this board game

Ra is an auction and set-collection board game for 2–5 players that plays in about 60 minutes. Set across 1,500 years of Egyptian history, it challenges players to expand their power and fame through carefully timed bids and valuable tile collections.

Each turn, players can use their bidding tiles, or suns, to purchase lots of tiles. Once a player has used all of their suns, the remaining players continue until they have done the same. This can create a tense situation in which a single uncontested player is still able to bid before the epoch ends.

The round may finish before everyone has won their three lots for the epoch, so timing and risk are central to every decision. Players must judge when to bid, when to hold back, and how much each lot is worth as the available opportunities change.

The tiles offer different kinds of benefits. Some provide immediate points, while others protect players from negative points for missing particular tile types at the end of an epoch. Still others award points after the final round, creating goals that remain important throughout the game.

• Influence Pharaohs
• Build monuments
• Farm on the Nile
• Pay homage to the Gods
• Advance the technology and culture of the people

Ra lasts for three epochs, or rounds, and is designed to be easy to learn. Across the game, players choose whether to take risks for great rewards, combining auctions and set collection in pursuit of power, fame, and the glory of the Sun God Ra.