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Out of stock
39.00€
Inis
60m - 90m
2 - 4 Players
Ages 14+
Meeple on Board Rating
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Inis is a game deeply rooted in Celtic history and lore in which players win by being elected King of the Island (Inis). Players can try to achieve one of three different victory conditions:
Leadership: Be the leader — i.e., have more clan figures than any other player — of territories containing at least six opponents’ clans.
Land: Have your clans present in at least six different territories.
Religion: Have your clans present in territories that collectively contain at least six sanctuaries.
Over the course of the game, players also earn deeds, typically chanted by bards or engraved by master crafters, that reduce by one the magic total of six for any condition. While one victory condition is enough to claim the title of King, a game of experienced players usually has a tight balance of power, emphasizing the leadership of the capital of the island.
At the start of each round, players draft a hand of four action cards (with 13 action cards for three players and 17 for four players) during the Assembly. Action cards not played at the end of one season are not held for the next. Players also have access to leader cards for the territories that allow it and where they were elected leader during the assembly. Each Assembly reallocates those cards. Finally, they collect "epic tales" cards that depict the deeds of the ancient Irish gods and heroes, like Cuchulainn, the Dagda, Lugh and many others. These will be kept and used to inspire the clans and achieve extraordinary feats…under the right circumstances. The cards provide a variety of actions: adding clans, moving clans, building/exploring, and special actions.
Careful drafting, hand management, bluffing (especially once players understand the importance of passing their turn), good timing, and a precise understanding of the balance of power are the keys to victory. After a discovery game you’ll be ready for a full and epic game, where an undisputed player will be king by the Assembly for his merit and wisdom.
While Inis has "dudes" that are "on a map", it’s a beginner’s mistake to play this as a battle game because eliminating other clans reduces your chances of scoring a Leadership victory condition. Peace among different clans, with or without a clear territory leader, is the usual outcome of a clan’s movement. Battles will occur, of course, as the Celtic clans can be unruly and a good player will listen to his clan’s people (i.e., his hand of cards). That battle aspect is reflected in the clan’s miniatures representing warriors. Woodsmen, shepherds and traders complete the set of twelve minis for each player; these occupations have no impact on the game, but give it flavor.
| Ages | 14+ |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 Players, 3 Players, 4 Players |
| Play Time | 60m – 90m |
| Designer | Christian Martinez |
| Mechanics | Area Control / Area Influence, Area Movement, Card Drafting, Hand Management, Modular Board, Variable Phase Order |
| Theme | Card Game, Miniatures, Ancient, Mythology |
| Publisher | Gen-X Games, Hobby Japan, Lavka Games, Surfin' Meeple China, Matagot, Pegasus Spiele, Portal Games |
agentpatman
I can see the potential of this game but it just didn't work for us at two players. Most of the dudes on a map or conflict heavy games we play at two player are either shorter (air land sea, hanamikoji, etc) or they have other mechanisms and game to focus on for awhile to break things up (cyclades, hyperborea, etc). In two player everything can be harsh and repetitive. The draft is certainly clever but in two player you end up with 6 cards and you often just move, bash, move, bash. The victory conditions are the same all the time so depending on what cards you get it gets really easy to win. Explore, add a sanctuary, rinse and repeat and you win. Whomever gets those two cards will have a much easier path to victory or rather it puts your opponent on the defense the entire game. The game itself is the same because the action cards are always the same. Explore, move your troops, battle, repeat. There are some cool epic card cards but random draw means you might not see them. It just seems pretty luck dependent and too similar each round that we start to dread the next draft. The art and components are nice I just don't think the rest of the game backs it up as much. At higher player counts I imagine it is a much different game because you get a smaller selection of the cards and you have the normal player chaos that is added. You just can't emulate that at two player except in rare instances and this isn't one. There is almost no chance you enter a new territory and they will decide to just leave it peaceful. In higher player counts that is actually more likely. In the two player battle you are essentially just discarding down to 0 and whomever outlasts the other gets the territory. Alternatively you retreat and come right back in and do the same thing. Also if you have citadel you can never knock your opponent out of it so if they spread far enough and get enough citadels it is inevitable. After a few plays you will pick up on clear strategies and grab those cards during the draft. In the end it just ends up being pretty boring. Interesting idea just not at two.
adwodon
Great game at 2, 3 and 4. Player count changes it dramatically. It's fast, fun and relatively easy to teach. I'd say you need at least one game to understand how all the cards work but once you do its a brilliant dudes on a map drafting game. Some may end up being put off by how the game ends, its often a massive flurry of cards that swings the game, at least thats how it appears but after a couple of games you start to appreciate that the game state is about more than just whats on the board.
Afrochiapet
Inis is a troops-on-a-map game that is too random for my tastes. At initial evaluation, I thought the game would be right up my alley. It has unique & colorful art, card drafting, and multiple win conditions. All these aspects tend to win me over. However my plays of Inis never wormed their way into my brain like I thought they would. Inis's unique aspect of delegating actions through drafting cards was an initial draw, but I've cooled off from it. Having a working knowledge of what can be played is interesting, but I had a hard time engaging in what was happening. And I believe Inis knows this, as it adds chance cards (epic tale cards) to spice up action options. As is the case with all chance cards, the impact of your draws vary from helpful to inconsequential. There are some way to increase card draw or filter through choices, but getting them is random as well. It's my personal opinion that while action cards streamline the decision space, I feel like it arbitrarily limits player autonomy. I will say I applaud the game's ability to make players vigilant of victory conditions as the map slowly balloons with territories and tribes. However, I'm not a fan of how the mid-game boils down to everyone milling about until a victory condition emerges. Sometimes it plays out well, and there's a nice push-and-pull of factions vying for the win. Other times, stopping a potential winner involves a player falling on their sword and taking themselves out of the competition. I think that sums up my feelings toward the game: sometimes it works. The random draw of cards and territories coupled with drafting presents semi-control that sometimes create interesting scenarios. Whether you'll be actively involved varies. I think if there was more of a thematic/narrative draw, each play would have a better chance of being noteworthy for all players rather than some.