Decadent deduction that comes down to the wire
FEED THE KRAKEN
Designer: Maikel Cheney, Dr. Hans Joachim Höh, Tobias Immich | Publisher: Funtails
This really shouldn’t work, y’know. On first viewing, Feed the Kraken seems cobbled together. Most of it is the core of The Resistance with a huge board and zany rules and tonnes of player elimination added in. Then there’s the rotoscoped art of the designers and their mates. It all, on the face of it, seems quite unedifying but, in spite of all my misgivings, I sat down to play it. To my surprise, it resulted in one of the funniest and most dramatic social deduction experiences I’ve had in ages.
Approach Feed the Kraken and it appears to be very much like many other entries in this genre. It has the team aspects of The Resistance and the player roles of Werewolf. There is a team of honest sailors trying to get to their home port and a team of dastardly pirates, masquerading as virtuous and trying to steer the ship to their cove of villainy. Roles are secretly distributed and there is asymmetric information with the pirates knowing each other's identities but the sailors being in the dark. This is all very standard but the introduction of a third faction starts to make the game interesting. Like the Tanner in Werewolf there is a Cult Leader on the ship that wants to be fed to the Kraken by his fellow shipmates. The wonderful twist on this is that through events in the game the leader is able to drag other players into joining the cult. As the religious infection spreads through the ship, so too does a bleak paranoia amongst the crew.
Every round a Captain is appointed. They then nominate a Lieutenant and a Navigator. If the nominations are passed the Lieutenant and the Captain each draw two navigation cards, each choosing one and placing it face down in a box for the Navigator. These cards show directions that are beneficial to each faction. The Navigator then chooses a card and that is the direction the ship will travel. Left towards the sailor’s cove, right towards the pirate’s hideout or straight up the middle to the lair of the cult. This is where so much of the doubt is sown in the game and this is where the double dealing and protestation starts.
Social deduction is very much my sort of thing, so I wasn’t dreading playing this game – but I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. I was doubtful of the publisher’s claim that “it works every time” but after playing Feed the Kraken a number of times I’m convinced that they’re right.
That doesn’t make it revolutionary though. If you don’t like deceiving other people around the table then this won’t change your mind, but if you do? This is a game that feels familiar but has incredibly refreshing tweaks that are worth your investment.
Firstly, the board tacks on results in some deliciously strategic decisions. Hexes offer particular routes, triggering events that can change the whole complexion of the game. These events unlock partial information that adds to the growing distrust. For example, there is an event that results in one of the players having their tongue cut out and for the rest of the game is unable to articulate words. Somewhat farcical, but deployed by the right person around the table it can add a level of idiocy that elevates the experience. Navigators can throw themselves off the ship rather than follow the orders of the Captain. This results in their elimination from the game, but is usually followed by a cascade of self-sacrifice that is hilarious to witness.
What makes this game really stand out is the engineering. So much effort has been put into the design to make every playthrough come down to the wire. Nearly every time I’ve played, the climax has come on the final possible turn, with every faction still in play. This is a rare balance to find; in Feed the Kraken you never know who’s going to win until the end.
Feed the Kraken is a clown car shell with a Porsche chassis. It really shouldn’t work... but it does and so well that it might just be leader in its class.
BEN MADDOX
WE SAY
This game won’t convert you to social deduction but is a must for those who love the deception and confusion that the genre offers.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
◗ Game board
◗‘The Instabil’ ship miniature
◗ Captain’s logbook
◗40 Guns
◗4 Crew overview cards
◗22 Character cards
◗7 Map action tokens
◗5 Cult ritual cards
◗4 Flogging cards
◗23 Navigation cards
◗3 Off-duty signs
◗ Lieutenant & navigator badge token
◗11 Faction cards
◗ Discard pile card
◗3 Map action tokens e t c t p
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED SECRET HITLER…
Or in fact, if you are a fan of any games that require hiding who you are, to people lying straight back at you.