Before going into detail about Ra: Pharaoh Edition, I want to tell you about how I came to pick up a copy, in case it serves as a useful lesson to some of you. Perhaps even some form of cautionary tale.
In late November, my wife and I went on a short break with some friends in Cornwall, full of snacks, board games and the occasional trip out. On one of these trips out, we ventured to a small town called Tavistock, where I had already scoped out that there was a boardgame shop to explore. So, like a child in a toy shop with birthday money burning a hole in my pocket, I began scanning the shelves in earnest.
I had a few titles on my ‘Wish List’, one of which was Ra (just the standard copy, not the Pharaoh Edition). At the time, Ra was in short supply, both online and in store- so when I saw the emblazoned letters ‘Ra’ on the side of one of the boxes (albeit with no price tag), I leapt at the chance. However, in my haste there were two things that I managed to overlook. The first, was that this box was actually located in the ‘loans library’ section of the shop (hence the lack of a price tag). The second, were the words ‘Pharaoh Edition’ written under said emblazoned letters.
Now, by this time, my wife had exited the shop, but before she did she checked the price of standard Ra on Zatu (albeit out of stock), which at the time was about the £60 mark. So, we had somewhat of a mutual understanding that this would be the price to match, and the amount I was allowed to spend. Upon bringing it up to the till and being made aware of the mistake around the copy being second hand, the shop owner said that he would be willing to let it go for £100. Cue the shocked cat GIF- which I think the shop owner spotted, and proceeded to highlight the premium components of the Pharaoh Edition.
So, what did I do when faced with an unexpected increase in price, more than mutually agreed with my wife? Naturally, I bought the game, and then have spent every waking moment since justifying the decision to my wife.
What’s different, and what’s the same?
For those unfamiliar with the game, Ra is an auction game designed by the legendary Reiner Knizia, in which players bid for tiles that are gradually laid out across a track, aiming to complete certain sets to score points across three rounds. Players take it in turns to fish these tiles out of a bag, before an auction begins (either triggered by a player on their turn, or by a couple of other mechanisms), at which points players bid to take all the tiles on display- the good and the bad! There are more rules, but that is this Ancient Egyptian-themed game in a nutshell.
Both the standard game and Pharaoh Edition have components which are beautifully designed and brightly coloured, with every component being hugely visually appealing. The artwork is the same for both, although the printing of the pieces does seem to be slightly brighter with the Pharaoh Edition. However, the main difference between the two versions are the materials used for some of the components within the Pharaoh Edition. Instead of cardboard pieces, the game tiles are replaced with robust wooden ones, and the points tokens are replaced with weighty metal ones. Another small but noticeable difference is the bag used by players to withdraw the tiles being slightly larger and constructed with more of a base within the Pharaoh Edition, allowing it to be free standing.
All of these differences add more and more luxury to an already well-made and beautiful game, with both versions also containing the same wooden bid tiles and wooden Ra tokens used to start an auction.
Is it worth the money?
For brand new copies of the standard and Pharaoh edition of Ra, there is currently about a £60 difference, with the latter coming in at about £120 on many sites (including Zatu preorder at time of writing). So, in the words of my wife ‘Do you really need to pay that much?’ To which I would say to you, if you want a game of Ra to bring out and be played on the odd occasion- no you don’t need to pay that much, just get the standard version.
However, if you think that this is a game that you will absolutely love and be playing again and again and again, then it might be worth considering. When you think about the physical actions of this game, of putting the scoring tiles in a bag, dunking your hand in, swirling them around and shaking them up, and then plucking one out for the table- the cardboard scoring tiles are likely to take a bit of a bashing when you are doing this round after round, game after game. The scoring pieces don’t really have this problem, but do still get handled quite a lot, and playing with the metal pieces do lend some durability alongside the luxury. That being said, based on costs at time of writing, you can buy a copy of the standard Ra, as well as another replacement copy, for the same price as the Pharaoh Edition. So again, it depends how much of a beating you are likely to be giving this game (I am also thinking that playing this with kids could result in a few dings!) and, to be frank, how much you value playing with luxury pieces.
So, to round off:
Do I regret spending the extra for a nearly new copy of the Pharaoh Edition? Considering that, at the time, it was that or no Ra- no I don’t. And this was proven by the amount of Ra that we played and how much we enjoyed it while we were away.
Do I think that the difference is worth £60? No-perhaps £30?
Would you recommend the Pharaoh Edition over the standard edition? For enthusiasts who love the feeling of luxury in a game- yes. For casual, occasional players- no.
Should I listen to my wife more when buying board games in future? No comment.
