I was just reading on /r/boardgames a post about Inis. I hadn't heard of it but it seemed intriguing. Further examination showed that people either refer to it as their all-time favorite board game _ever_ or a complete waste of time not worth the cardboard it's printed on. I was wondering if anyone here had a chance to play it yet and what their thoughts were.
Im a big fan of Inis. It really needs 4 people the play well. Its a dudes on a map game but there is a lot of intrigue as the round goes on, as players can pass on their turn, waiting to see what others do first. There are 3 winning conditions that allow for different types of victories. Will be lots of fighting but peace can always be asked for and arranged between parties.
There is a clear issue of king attacking. When a person has the winning conditions they say so, and pass on their turn, then get a marker. If they still hold onto the winning condition at the end of the round when all have passed they win, so everyone attacks that person. Its a clever game and I play it with my group.
My group has a list of games we play, only these:
Keyflower
Troyes
Clans of Caledonia
Tigris and Euphrates
The Great Zimbabwe
Inis
and two more that are in flux right now.
I really like Inis and will play it happily. Being the Brenn or leader at the beginning is a big advantage but it usually works itself out since they are attacked more at the beginning.
Its a dudes on a map game, but there is a lot of deception and tactics, not just Risk and dice rolling, In fact all combat is done in a different way, where attacking results in a hit or the person has to give up a card that round (cards are actions). Very clever game, well designed.
My favorite game now is Keyflower and then perhaps Inis is in a tie with many of the others above.