How to Play

Inis

2-4 players 60-90 min 7.8 Board Game Geek Rating

In this Celtic-themed strategy game, players compete to become King of Inis through three victory paths: controlling territories with six enemy clans, occupying six different territories, or gathering six sanctuaries. Players draft action cards each round to move clans, build, and perform special actions, while collecting powerful "epic tales" cards. Victory requires careful drafting, timing, and understanding that battles often hinder rather than help your chances of winning.

Published 2016

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Select player count variant

For 2-3 player games, remove action cards marked with the 4-player symbol in the bottom right corner

Choose player colors

Each player selects a color and takes all 12 clan figures of that color as their reserve

Place tokens nearby

Put the deed tokens, pretender tokens, and festival token near the play area

Prepare Epic Tale deck

Shuffle the Epic Tale cards and place them face-down as a draw pile

Create territory stack

Shuffle all territory tiles and place them face-down near the play area

Draw starting territories

Draw territory tiles equal to the number of players and place them face-up in the center, connected to each other

Set up Advantage cards

Find the Advantage cards matching the starting territories and place them face-up beside the play area

Assign initial Brenn

One player randomly receives the Brenn token

Place the Capital

The Brenn chooses one starting territory for the Capital, placing the plastic Capital piece and one sanctuary there

Determine turn order

The Brenn flips the Flock of Crows token like a coin to establish clockwise or counterclockwise play direction

Place starting clans

Beginning with the Brenn and following turn order, each player places one clan on any territory, continuing until all players have placed two clans

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Determine the Brenn

The chieftain of the Capital territory takes the Brenn token

Check for victory

Verify if any player with a pretender token has won (detailed in Winning section)

Collect Advantage cards

Each territory's chieftain takes that territory's Advantage card

Flip the Flock of Crows

The Brenn flips the token to determine turn direction for this round

Distribute Action cards

The Brenn shuffles all Action cards, sets one aside face-down randomly, then deals four cards to each player

Draft Action cards

Players select and pass cards in turn order direction:

Play a Season card

Play an Action, Advantage, or Epic Tale card with the Season symbol, apply its effect, then discard it

Pass your turn

Decline to play a card this turn; you may play cards again when your turn comes around

Take a pretender token

If you meet at least one victory condition and have no pretender token, take one from the supply

Respond with Triskel cards

Play Triskel-marked cards at their specified timing as reactions to other actions

Determine chieftain status

The player with the most clans in a territory is its chieftain

Trigger a clash

Moving clans into a territory with opposing clans initiates a clash

Apply festival penalty

If the festival token is present, the instigating player immediately loses one clan before the Citadels step

Citadels step

Starting with the player after the instigator and following turn order, each player (except the instigator) may place one clan into an empty citadel for protection

Decision step

Beginning with the instigator and following turn order, each player with exposed clans must perform one maneuver

Attack maneuver

Choose an opponent with exposed clans in the territory; they must either discard an Action card or remove one exposed clan to their reserve

Withdraw maneuver

Move one or more of your exposed clans to adjacent territories where you are chieftain

Epic Tale maneuver

Play a Triskel Epic Tale card marked as a maneuver option

End the clash

The clash ends when all players agree or no exposed clans remain

No clans on board

At your turn's start, discard a deed token if you have one, then place two clans from your reserve onto any territories, then take your normal turn