Inis Review - Draft, Plan & Strategize Towards Victory

[@Hey_Fab]

This is my favorite game of all time and for me it's a masterpiece of game design. It's rare to find games as elegant, deep, relatively simple, replayable, rich in emergent storytelling, addictive... Big thumbs-up for this video because in this hobby, this game is too often ignored in favor of the last flavor of the month. ;)

[@BoardGameCo]

Yep the point of this series is to go over some of my classics.

[@doggosplosion]

I love reviews where reviewers/content creators state "this is my favorite game and here is why", I feel you get a deeper dive than the average review. It is here is where I feel invested in this game.

[@BoardGameCo]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate that :)

[@dylanwinn8846]

Inis was one of my first explorations into board games outside of Pandemic and King of Tokyo. It changed my life, and still holds up as my favourite game. If it wasn’t for Inis I may not have delved deep into our hobby.

[@BoardGameCo]

It's so incredible :)

[@jedfromyourlocallibrary]

I love Inis not just for the gameplay, but for how pretty it is!

[@BoardGameCo]

It grew on me over time :) initially the art turned me off.

[@pete7421]

Your clear joy and passion for Inis swayed me to buy a copy of the game. I just played a 4p game last night and had a blast. All the positive points you mentioned were spot on! Thanks for your post!

[@matthewpinder4279]

Having watched you talk about Inis a few times across different videos I decided to take the plunge. My copy arrived today and whilst I'm yet to get much further than opening it, the look of the components alone make this game a work of art. I live in Ireland so I'm hoping my real world surroundings push the mood of the game even further.

[@iggyflop3777]

It is partly thanks to you that I bought this game. We love it. Thank you.

[@JohnClem56]

Love Inis! An incredibly stylish, elegant, and interesting area control game set up by the great drafting mechanic and just enough uncertainty resulting from the one action card set aside each round and the really interesting epic tale abilities. I need to play this now!

[@BoardGameCo]

It's incredible, one of my favs.

[@gaillardlionel]

Ah Inis... masterpiece... watching your review makes me want to play right now! One thing to mention is combat after a "clash" is optional, and players involved in a clash can decide to mutually ignore combat and peacefull co-exist... that always fascinated me. The only critic I have is that the clash structure is always confusing new players, the order of the actions specifically. Not buttery-smooth, but not a deal breaker, this game is phenomenal.

[@BoardGameCo]

Oh good call, should have mentioned that. And yes, the sequence can be a drop iffy.

[@MerrillWhiteKalEl]

Excited to get this to the table. Just picked it up this last week.

[@MerrillWhiteKalEl]

Played my first 4 player game today. Loved it!

[@michaelhall7080]

Great review! This is an elegant game design and I agree with your comments on why this is a fantastic game.

[@BoardGameCo]

Thanks :)

[@VaultBoy13]

It's typically pronounced "keltic" with a hard "c" sound when referring to the culture. The soft "c" of "seltic" is really only used when referring to the sports teams.

[@BoardGameCo]

Much appreciated.

[@shanerion]

And if we’re already correcting pronunciation... the title of the game is pronounced “Inish”! Although I wouldn’t fault anyone for pronouncing it phonetically. Great review!

[@vzuzukin]

Inis is your #3 all-time game this year, which is why you’re featuring it first ;)

[@BoardGameCo]

List still coming out .... ;)

[@DamienMcKinnon]

Another massive plus with this game that rarely gets mentioned is the setup and pack up time. It literally takes 2 minutes! Rising Sun on the other hand, that's an absolute nightmare 😖

[@BoardGameCo]

Yes! Absolutely!

[@kumanight]

I picked this game up a few weeks ago and unfortunately haven't gotten it to the table yet. I'll play it this month I swear!

[@BoardGameCo]

Please do! It's so good!

[@shanerion]

Zero percent chance you’ll be disappointed. It’s fantastic

[@allankamen9875]

My absolute favorite game. I'm playing it almost every day and I'd never refuse a game. New players can grasp this game after a single play and often after a single round. It is just too easy to teach. I think the Seasons expansion is very worthwhile. The fifth player cards are interesting but the Islands are super, the capital city has a harbor and can be adjacent to so many other territories now, not just Islands but things like the Cove, Aber, Haven, and Salmon Creek. Many more chances for unexpected conflict. I also like to add the Seasons module. It is very thematic. Spring time, weakest player can get a free clan. Summer has many more options for conflict by dropping a card and moving up to 3 clans to an adjacent territory. Autumn, has the effect of forcing Epic tale cards to be discarded down to 3. Winter is a slow season and batters are much more difficult. It's not essential but adds a subtle layer to the game play play. All the components can easily fit into the seasons expansion box making it portable and easy to carry. If my house was one fire and I could take only one game from my collection, I'd take my expansion box of Seasons of Inis with me. I can live without the rest but could not live without this game.

[@BoardGameCo]

Love the game :-) I like the seasons expansion, but we actually didn't like the seasons module. Found it added rules overhead and not much in terms of reward.

[@oerthling]

It's pronounced Inish - according to my google-fu. :) IIRC your play-this-not-that for the Matagot trilogy was how I stumbled upon your channel, back in the distant before times. Couldn't agree more. It's one of my favourite games of all time - also in my top 3 and also potentially number 1. I had the advantage of liking the art right away. Everything about Inis is great (well, except the insert - looks nice, almost useless). You said you had to look for a downside, but for me even the little stuff you had to dig for is not a downside at all. Tight endings where everybody is trying to top one another? Those can be great. One of my best games was a tight ending with an opponent who got deeds early on and then had 3 if them against a couple from the other 2 players and it was 3 or 4 rounds of brutal boardstate manipulation and switching Brens. That was super fun. And as you no doubt know the value of the action cards shift throughout the game. In the beginning the move and attack cards are not as valuable as in the late game. And Geis is double-edged. It's great to have it - to foil a strong play by another player or perhaps protect my wim-move. At the same time, it doesn't advance my own board state. I'd rather play another card and have player 3 use Geis on player 4. Wonderful game. Great review. Makes me forgive you for having the wrong opinion ;) on Galaxy Trucker.

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol I hear you on Galaxy Trucker. Great game....which I played too much :)

[@oerthling]

@@BoardGameCo Slight correction: Terrible game... which you play too much :-) Though some crazy people might argue that you can like what you like.

[@yannianastos]

I’ve been eyeing Inis for so long! Big fan of blood rage and while I understand this is pretty different, still looks like it’s right down my alley. Simple, elegant, deep and super strategic.

[@BoardGameCo]

It's one of my favorites :)

[@oerthling]

Stop eyeing, go buying. :) Seriously, Inis is way better than Blood Rage. BR is nice and has its own charme, but can't fully compete with the greatness of Inis. (I have both and like BR)

[@yannianastos]

@@oerthling Interesting, in what ways is INIS great than BR for you, out of curiosity.

[@oerthling]

@@yannianastos In every way. The drafting? Better in Inis. Victory condition? Better in Inis. Art? Better in Inis (ok, ok, matter of taste ;) ). Granted, the minis in BR are better than the - fine - minis in Inis. Also games feel more variable in Inis compared to BR. The cards are certainly more interesting in Inis. I'm not hating on BR. I like it. It's a solid good game. It's just that Inis is even better. Also I find the victory conditions of Inis much more thematic and enjoyable than the VP race in BR.

[@sedraniM]

I read "Inis Expansion" and "Inis in Space" somewhere on BGG some time ago. If i recall correctly, it was even confirmed by a person for Matagot. Not 100% sure, but i think thats what i read

[@BoardGameCo]

That would be awesome :)

[@VedanthB9]

Pentology. The third of the Pentology. Also, it would be Tetrology, following the sequence: _mono, di, tri, tetra, penta..._

[@BoardGameCo]

Awesome thanks :)

[@BadAndy3]

I love Inis and the trilogy, but I think Kemet is my favorite of the bunch.

[@BoardGameCo]

All 3 are amazing, I could never fault anyone for choosing any of them.

[@vladycavret2886]

Inis is also high on my list of area control game I like. I think the new token « we need a king » from the expansion should be in the base now, because the game can be too long without it. Otherwise, I like the draft, the combat system, win conditions... a great game. If you like area control game, I advise you take a look at Dune, which bring another aspect, negotiation, battle wheel instead of dice, asymmetrical faction powers.

[@BoardGameCo]

Agreed on the We Need A King token. That would be great in the base.

[@kalega311]

I'll watch later b/c I gotta go to play... board games today! But I just wanna say, Inis is probably my favorite Dudes On A Map game...? Really tough competition w/ Blood Rage, Rising Sun, Root, and Forbidden Stars. Well, Blood Rage is actually the only TRUE competitor w/ Inis, and is probably my #1 after more thought. But Inis is so great in its simplicity, yet tactical depth and ever shifting decision-making. Anyway, eager to hear your thoughts once I'm back!

[@BoardGameCo]

Inis is great :) it's my second fav :)

[@kalega311]

@@BoardGameCo Oohh, now I'm eager to see your final Top 50 video. I'm guessing Blood Rage is #1 overall? I think I may remember you mentioning some games as Top X's as side comments in previous videos, but I'm still wagering on Blood Rage. No need to spoil, of course! :D

[@alessandroloru7786]

One of my favorite game ever!! Dunno if i prefer this or blood rage, but probably i do prefer this!! Alex have u ever tried cloudspire?

[@BoardGameCo]

No :( I need to play it...along with a few dozen other games :)

[@henrikwakman7776]

Played a first game of this today with 4 players. An oldie but a goodie! Still, I prefer the area control behemoths like War for the Ring. Have you never reviewed that?

[@sidneyleejohnson]

Any idea whether Inis and Cyclades will get the same remake that Kemet did on crowdfunding campaigns?

[@milozdu1366]

One of my favourites... it's pronounced Inish btw

[@ericmatteau9954]

Do you know what it means?

[@milozdu1366]

@@ericmatteau9954 Yes, "Island"

[@BoardGameCo]

Thanks!

[@dingthomas9959]

@@milozdu1366 what are your other faves?

[@milozdu1366]

@@dingthomas9959 Good question. On the heavy side of things War of the Ring and U-Boat. In the middle Rising Sun and Cyclades. Light side - Bargain Quest and Tokaido.

[@konstantin5526]

Have some interest in this game, but I think Matagot will put it on Kickstarter sooner or later, may as well wait for it.

[@Hey_Fab]

It's not a kickstarter game.

[@konstantin5526]

@@Hey_Fab and? Kemet wasn’t as well.

[@johncorrigan268]

Very unlikely in the immediate future. An expansion was only released in 2019. Artwork by the amazing Jim Fitzpatrick, the game itself looking beautifully unique with a well liked, elegant system. Kemet seems like there were a couple of issues they always wanted to tweak.

[@oerthling]

My guess is that the next Matagot KS will be Cyclades. Inis is relatively young, just had a reprint and expansion and is available. And there's nothing to fix. Cyclades is older, harder to get, had a bunch of expansions and might profit from an update. Inis probably won't make it to KS the next couple of years or more. But I wouldn't be surprised if Cyclades comes to KS this year. In short, do yourself a favour and get Inis.

[@BoardGameCo]

It may come down the road but likely not soon.

[@pimentoloaf1509]

One of the designers of Kemet has a game coming to kickstarter with Matagot...a quadrilogy?!?!?!

[@BoardGameCo]

I saw that! I'm interested :)

[@joe_wein]

You mention you had 3 favorite games, all involve drafting including this one. What are the other 2?

[@lukejw11]

I love Inis and Cyclades. But I struggle to like Kemet to the same level.

[@BoardGameCo]

Kemet is my least favorite...but I do love it.

Cyclades is still king in my groups. We like to play it with different modules each time. We always use those variants: 1. Pegasus can transport up to 3 fighters 2. This variant allows for each fighter have his own performance by applying variability at the individual level. It also set the defensive bonus as defensive-only bonus. 1. Each side throws one die per engaged figure. 1,2,3 mark 0 point 4,5 mark 1 point 6 marks 2 points 2. Attacker subtract 1 from his score (determined on step 1) per applicable defender special defence eg. port, fortress, metropolis. Don't go below 0. 3. Each side removes as many of his engaged figures as the adversary scored. If one side has no figure left, the combat ends here. 4. Defender may retreat if possible (same conditions as official rules). If not, the attacker may retreat if possible. 5. If no retreat happened, start over to step 1. NB: I use acrylic blank dice, putting two pips on one side and one pip on two opposing sides.

[@benseipert2578]

My biggest complaint with the game is that it often forces players to ‘kingmake’, as there will be two people in a position to win and one player must make a decision on whom to stop. It has led to some bitter moments with my game group.

[@oerthling]

Don't 'kingmake', foil and win instead. Your group is doing it wrong. ;-)

[@BoardGameCo]

Agreed with both of you :) the kingmaking is a problem that can be solved the more you play and know it.

[@benseipert2578]

I have a strong belief that you should always take the action or move that will help you place best regardless of who it may help win (cut your losses and take a for sure 2nd place rather than prolong the game just to remain in last place), but that philosophy doesn’t correlate very well to a game with one winner and no VP. One Guise card and two potential winners leads to some hairy situations.

[@oerthling]

@@benseipert2578 I don't worry about 2nd place. I'll try to foil your win until the last second and try to win instead. Thus I never have to worry about kingmaking. If you win regardless, you deserved to win. So that's fine too. Seriously, I never had to worry about kingmaking in Inis.

[@Sin4Profit]

I bought this recently, was initially put off by the box cover art but the newer edition looks much better to me. I'm curious, do you look up low score reviews on BBG for the "What I Can See Others Not Liking" segment? Or is it just an assumption?

[@BoardGameCo]

Just an assumption, meaning the kinds of things I can potentially see being problems for others.

[@freek204]

I didn't like this game for a long time, because I tried to play it as a traditional strategy game. I always wanted to create a big army on the map and then march out to gain territory. This doesn't work at all in Inis. Inis is way more a political game in which you unassumingly try to get into position and grab the win when the other players didn't expect you to be the biggest threat. Since that realization, I've absolutely loved the game.

[@BoardGameCo]

Yes! I think that's why it's not rated as highly, because people are expecting a different game.

[@FredrikSommar]

How does it scale? The box says 2-4, is it still an enjoyable experience at two? I know it’s normally not the case for these types of games, but I would probably primarily play it at 2 (especially now during the pandemic).

[@Hey_Fab]

It's as interesting at two (even if it's different at every player counts) but it is somehow more brutal. It's like playing chess but with more tension in each decision because you can't fully planify the long term consequences.

[@BoardGameCo]

Better with 3 and 4, but it does work with 2 to a degree.

[@vzuzukin]

I found it surprisingly fun at 2p and I think it suffers a bit at 3p like many dudes-on-a-map games because of 2 players fighting while 3rd player wins. Lords Of Hellas has a bigger problem with this. Scythe also has it. Surprisingly Blood Rage is very strong at 3p and very weak at 2p, so seems opposite of Inis at 2p vs 3p. We did have one epic stalemated 4p Inis game that lasted 4 hrs because of strategic cross-table talk. This is allowed, but I think in future we will agree to minimize table-talk ‘deal making’ for sake of game length.

[@MrB711]

Where does Inis rank in your 2023 now? Where does it rank against the games you compare to like Blood Rage now?

[@jeremybannisterphotography]

Just ordered this game. I've been looking at this for a while and I am looking forward to playing. At this point, I think Rising Sun is my favorite game. It seems like this may be a bit more accessible to play with my wife. It's difficult to get Rising Sun to the table due to player count, setup and complexity. Do you think the game scales well with 2 players?

[@roberthyde5296]

We have a very experienced group that never play a game with, If this is your first play we suggest this, setup. We are about to get Inis into our collection. Would you suggest we start with just the base game or should we go all out and play inis with the expansion as our first play?

[@TimYoung1984]

What do you think of the expansion for Inis? There is literally one video review on BGG of the expansion. Thank you.

[@oerthling]

The expansion is fine, but not at all necessary. It has several parts. The most important IMHO is the option for a 5th player. It also introduces new territory tiles and harbours that can provide a bit of extra variability, but you would have to have played Inis a ton before that might become relevant. The seasons option looks cute. Again, an option for more gameplay variety later. So far I never bothered to use any of it. I just wanted the option of allowing a 5th player when needed. In short, you want to play with 5 players? Get Seasons. You don't? Don't bother until.you played many, many games of Inis and want to throw some new stuff in it.

[@BoardGameCo]

It's worth getting for the more stuff, but the furthest thing from essential and some of the modules I don't even like.

[@TimYoung1984]

@@BoardGameCo I’m torn on getting Inis. I have Kemet, Blood Rage, Rising Sun, and Lords of Hellas. It seems like this game is divisive. Either gamers love it very much or hate it very much. I can’t decide.

[@oerthling]

@@TimYoung1984 I have all of these games, except Hellas. I'm a big fan of Rising Sun and like BR and Kemet a lot. But out of this group (and almost any group) Inis is the best - by far. Play Inis with 3 or 4 people (total) on TTS. Then buy it after you've seen for yourself.

[@lukejw11]

@@TimYoung1984 Inis (and Cyclades) feel different from those other games in that it is more stripped back and heavily reliant on its central Euro mechanic. I love that about it, but others are looking for a more usual DOAM style game.

[@PeteQuad]

Would this be worth buying if you were only going to play with 2?

[@oerthling]

Yes. But also - get more friends. ;) You can also play it on TTS.

[@PeteQuad]

It's hard to find game playing friends when you're old. Trust me, I've tried. Definitely looking forward to people hanging out in the game stores again. Usually if I go on the computeri just play a video game.

[@BoardGameCo]

Its fine with two but definitely better with more.

[@zmollon]

If it didn't cost two billion dollars to buy, I'd get it. At least the cost for this game is justified as compared with Quacks of Quedlinburg.

[@BoardGameCo]

Two billion is a lot, don't get it.

[@zmollon]

@@BoardGameCo Hyperbole. But 88$ is a lot for a board game that I don't even know my group will like. If it was just cubes I know it would take away from the atmosphere of the game but would make the game massively cheaper. The most expensive game I've ever bought was Clank Legacy and even that I got on sale for 70$CDN.

[@garylangford6755]

What I don't like: End game conditions have to be memorised by players. Situations where multiple people gang up on the leader. Analysis paralysis when picking cards can be a problem.

[@BoardGameCo]

Interesting, 1 and 3 have never really been a problem for us but 2 can happen for us depending on the game.

[@zmollon]

@@BoardGameCo I think 2 would happen more for less experienced players. Overkilling the leader leaves the game more open for others to win. Ideally you would get someone else to stop the leader and keep the ammo you have for later. If you can *just barely* stop the leader it helps everyone else. (I am not speaking from experience as I have never played this game but extrapolating from other games with some take that style mechanics).

[@BelgarathTAO]

That box lid looks like you had to color it in yourself.

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol yes, initially it turned me off.

[@lukejw11]

Its gorgeous and very much on the style of the culture Inis is inspired by.

[@MaterialSquid]

Pentology?

[@BoardGameCo]

That will work :)

[@justacynic]

So FYI, you started getting these ads for LOL dolls or something about three weeks ago playing on your videos. Not sure what it means but hopefully means something about your daughter and Rina attracting a female audience!

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol, no idea :)

[@yogibbear]

All the ducks XD

[@MrScrawnjuan]

A quintology? Kinda sounds like a SUSD cult

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol, that would do well :)

[@lotterwinner6474]

I tried to like Inis but I couldnt find the excitement in it. I also couldnt seem to find anyone that liked it more then "its alright". This game and really only this game, makes me feel like the people on the internet are vastly different then the people I surround myself with. Fortunately that meant I was able to quickly find one of these strange breed of internet users to buy it off me,

[@diamondmeeple]

I've read that the game is not that good. Sorry Sir!

[@sedraniM]

By far my Number 1 in my Boardgame Collection and i do own a lot of BGG's top 100 games!

[@elgo93]

So you just randomly picked someone’s opinion to agree with when you haven’t played the game yourself? Lmao there’s always going to be someone out there that will trash your fav games, doesn’t matter if it doesn’t change your opinion on your own fav games, it’s called preference

[@johncorrigan268]

Curious, I would have thought, based on the types of games you own and have said that you enjoy, that this one would be a definite hit for you.

[@oerthling]

You have been misinformed, sir.

[@BoardGameCo]

I totally thought this would have been up your alley given your love for deep strategy and simple rulesets.