Silly chaotic fun! Requires a group willing to talk over each other and who will avoid taking things too seriously. I need to play again after clarifying some rules but even with a few minor rules mistakes (made by me), it was super fun.
Very nice cocktail game.
There are 2 parts to your tableau; The Artifacts row at the bottom is your "permanent" engine and the two Monuments rows at the top are your "temporary" engine. Every round the top cards move one space to the left, eventually falling down to the "past" where they will score. Once a player has 14 cards in their past, the end of game is triggered.
I like this game because your engine is always changing and you need to adapt to the cards you draw. I dinged a star because it feels a bit slow at higher player count, great at 2 players, a 4 player game would be too long in my opinion.
Ra definitely surprised me; I ignored it until the hype for the 2023 reprint proliferated through the hobby and I snagged a copy. It's been a hit with everyone I have introduced it to due to its easy ruleset and fast-paced turns which provide thought-provoking tactics and big, exciting moments. Plays great at all player counts (with 3 being my preferred number) and has quickly become an all-time favourite for me. Some have commented that storage is tight, but you just need to leave the token bag open when storing and the box closes flush. I love Ra and highly recommend it!