INIS: thoughts?

I'm late to the party on INIS (got it for my birthday) but played 3 times over the weekend. It's second to Kemet so far in my book of Dudes games. My wife prefers it to cyclades and Kemet. Was considering reviewing it since an expansion is due Q1 of next year.

I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it, but I was underwhelmed. The Shut Up & Sit Down lads were slobbering, and I was excited to pick my copy up, but it did nothing for me over two plays.

I do think the game probably starts to shine over five-plus sessions with the same crew because everyone needs to know the draft options to play optimally, but it just moved so slow. Nothing ever felt like a decisive move. If knife-fight-in-a-phone-booth is an over-used expression, Inis was the opposite: a thumb war in oven mitts. You could make strategies, but it ultimately felt like you fell into victory rather than earned it.

It probably didn’t help that my group was playing Samurai and Tigris at the same time and little stacks up to them.

I can totally see how you felt like that. My 15 year old son won the first game and turned down a game the next day, saying it was "boring."
I really enjoyed it, and still feel there is plenty of stuff I haven't even seen yet.
Also, a valid point in victory conditions, in my limited plays, I have yet to accomplish the one I initially set out to do, instead having to adapt a secondary one. Not they it has worked out for me, I'm 0 for 3. It's a lot of blocking and counter blocking but I'm digging it so far.

I really enjoy this game. I prefer it and Cyclades to Kemet by quite a bit. This one feels as though it may have a greater depth than the other two, due mainly to the card mix and the situations it brings up. It feels as though there's a great potential for creativity in maneuvering.

I like it a lot. Definitely more than Kemet, but maybe tied with Cyclades. It's been too long since I've played Cyclades to really compare.

The one thing I really don't like about Inis is the length. I think the box says 60-90 minutes, but my crew fight for every inch, making this game last at least 2 hours. That wears me down, and I can definitely see how others would consider it boring.