The classic auction game RA is getting a flip-and-write game from Dr. Knizia and 25th Century Games. In RA and Write, players will have three rounds to gather points in five areas of Egyptian civilization. Let’s jump back into history and learn more about the game.
Three Kingdoms
For players familiar with the recent edition of RA from 25th Century Games, you’ll immediately feel at home with the iconography and illustrations from Ian O’Toole. Each player takes a sheet and pencil. The deck of cards is shuffled and placed in the center of the table. On a players turn, simply roll out three cards face up in the center of the table. The active player will choose a single card, placing it in front of them and recording it on their player sheet.
The other players at the table can choose one of the two remaining cards that were flipped over. All players can choose the same card but the card that the active player picked is unavailable to the rest of the players. Since all the information at the table is public, players are free to ask what card their opponents are choosing.
RA and Write will take 2 to 5 players through three “kingdoms”, which are essentially the rounds of the game. The Old Kingdom (green), Middle Kingdom (yellow), and New Kingdom (red) will advance when three Ra cards have been drawn during the round. These Ra cards are easy to recognize because of their bold red color when they’re flipped over. When a Ra card is revealed (as long as it’s not the third one in the round), simply set it aside and flip over another card. You’ll always have three cards to choose from during a turn.
Get to Know the Cards
Each of the five areas of the player sheets will score differently and offer different bonuses when triggered. You can choose to focus on a couple of these scoring areas or spread around the love by investing in all five of them.
Gods
There are twenty god cards in the deck with numbers 1 through 20 on them. Players are only able to record a total of three of these cards during a kingdom. You’re looking to have the largest numerical score over your opponents during a round. If you record numbers in all three boxes for that round, you’ll trigger a pharaoh bonus that can be recorded in the next section.
At the end of each kingdom, the player with the most points for that round gets 5 points while the player with the least points gets -5. Anyone scoring in the middle will record 0 points.
Pharaohs
With seventeen pharaoh cards in the deck, players want to keep track of who is recording these cards on their sheet. Recording a pharaoh card will allow you simply fill in the first box in that row, going from left to right. The player at the end of each kingdom with the most pharaohs recorded will get 5 points while the person with the lowest receives -5 points. Players who fall in the middle get 0 points.
In every third Pharoah box, you’ll gain a nile bonus that can be recorded in the next row.
Nile
There are twenty Nile cards in the deck with numbers one through twenty printed on them. Similar to the mechanics of the game Welcome To, players record the number on the card in an open space on the Nile track. Pay close attention to how many spaces you leave open because these numbers have to be equal to or greater than, moving from left to right.
This section gives players a single point for each block that’s been filled in. Since it continues to build on itself, investing in Nile scoring early is important. Each time you complete a box of three in the Nile, you’ll earn a free civilization bonus for the next section.
Civilization
In RA and Write, there are five distinct civilization cards, distinguished by the icon that is on the banner of the card. You can only record a total of one of each civilization during each of the Kingdoms. This section gives larger scores for collecting the unique civilizations. If a player doesn’t record a civilization during the kingdom, they’re given -5 points for that round.
Once you record three unique civilizations during a kingdom, you’ll gain a monument bonus on the next section.
Monuments
The monument cards are the most plentiful at twenty four cards in the game. There are eight different monuments with three of each in the deck. When you record a monument card, you fill in the first box under the column of that monument. Players can gain a bonus of ten points for collecting one of each monument and for each set of three of the same monument in this section. There are a lot of points available in this section for players who focus on it.
Familiar and Fresh
RA and Write is a compact and streamlined experience that we’ve really enjoyed. While the game has its roots in RA, this game stands on its own and is a unique release. Earning bonuses in each area make it advantageous to focus your strategy. These bonuses are incredibly helpful when you haven’t seen the card you need at the moment.
Since the active player is removing a card from the display, players are able to keep a card that their opponents need. Each of the sections have unique scoring with the gods and pharaohs focused on your performance against your opponents. Focusing on a specific scoring section may give you a bonus, but you’ll lose points for the sections that you neglect.
RA and Write is an accessible and portable game that is rooted in the classic Knizia game. It feels familiar to anyone who knows the original and plays in around twenty-five minutes. Because this game is illustrated by Ian O’Toole and published by 25th Century Games, you can expect the same high quality that the reprint of RA received back in 2023.
I really like this new take on this classic game from the ’90s. RA and Write removes the auction component while adding fast, streamlined play that’s perfect for RA fans or new players who haven’t played the original.
RA and Write will be available on Kickstarter when it launches in August 2024.
A prototype of the game was provided for this coverage. Components and rules covered in this preview are not finalized. Read more about our preview policies at One Board Family.
