Ra

Ra is a 1981 game by Marco Donadoni, published by International Team.

It is played on the following hex board,

Each player has nine stackable pieces, that are initially set on stacks of size three around each player's Ra area (the black hex in the picture).

• Stacks move in straight lines. The player might decide to move just part of stack.
• A stack of size 3 moves one hex, a stack of size 2 moves two hexes, and a stack of size 1 moves three hexes.
• Captures are by replacement, but a stack cannot capture an enemy stack with higher size. Captures are not mandatory.
• The moving pieces may land on a friendly stack, increasing its size (up to the maximum size of 3)
  
• Stacks cannot move over other stacks.
• Unimpeded moves must be completed (eg, a stack of size 1 must move exactly three hexes, not less). 
• Obstructed moves occur if a stack reaches the board edge, captures an enemy stack, reaches a friendly stack, or lands over the adversary Ra area.
• Wins the player reaching the adversary Ra area or captures all enemy stacks.

The rules also include scoring: the player wins 1 point if a stack of size 1 arrives at the Ra area; 3 points for a stack of size 2, and 6 points for a stack of size 3. If a player wins by capturing the adversary army, it wins 3 points.

Players may decide the number of points needed to win a match (the ruleset suggests more than 6 points, with an advantage of at least 2 points). 

Some advice from the ruleset:

Ra is a game based on attack; playing only defensively often means losing the game.

It is important to carefully calculate the timing of moves: the winner is the one who enters first, not the one with the highest number of pieces. Losing a game by one point, with the advantage of starting first in the next round, can often provide the opportunity to attack and gain more points.

In case of a risk of heavy losses, try to minimize the defeat by threatening your opponent, if possible. One of two things will happen: they will enter immediately, or you will.

Some spaces play an important role: conquering them means gaining an advantage.

The Italian magazine Per Gioco, in May 1985, mentioned the game and published some matches: