Feed the Kraken

2022

Embark on a high seas adventure in Feed the Kraken, a social deduction game where players navigate seas and secret factions to reach their ultimate destination.

90
minutes

5 - 11
player(s)

12+

Medium

About the game

Welcome to the thrilling world of Feed the Kraken, a riveting board game that will transport you to the high seas during the golden age of piracy. This game is a perfect blend of strategic planning, social deduction, and tense negotiation, all wrapped up in a beautifully illustrated and immersive setting.

In Feed the Kraken, players find themselves aboard a pirate ship, lost in the middle of the ocean with a monstrous Kraken lurking beneath the waves. Players take on the roles of loyal sailors, cunning pirates, or the treacherous cult leader whose aim is to awaken the Kraken itself. Each role has its own objectives: the sailors must navigate the ship safely to their home island, the pirates aim to secretly steer the ship towards the pirate’s nest, while the cult leader seeks to feed everyone to the Kraken.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Feed the Kraken is a fascinating social deduction game for 5-11 players. Here is a step-by-step guide to set up the game:

Step 1: Board Placement

Lay out the main game board in the center of the play area. Ensure it is within reach of all players.
Place the ship token on the starting point in the middle of the game board.
Put the navigation deck next to the game board, shuffle it and place it face down.

Step 2: Player Roles

Identify the number of players in the game. Based on the number of players, determine the number of loyal sailors, pirates, and the cult leader using the information in the rulebook.
Shuffle the role cards corresponding to the number of each role and deal one facedown to each player. Each player should keep their role a secret.

Step 3: Initial Resources

Give each player one gunpowder token, regardless of their role.
Distribute loyalty tokens equal to the number of players minus one among the loyal sailors.
Give the navigation equipment (telescope and compass) to the captain.

Step 4: Random Elements

For the navigation deck, shuffle the cards and place them face down. This introduces a random element to the navigation of the ship.
For the gunpowder tokens, they will be used in a blind bidding mechanic, which introduces uncertainty and randomness to the mutiny attempts in the game.

Once these steps are followed, you’re all set and ready to play Feed the Kraken. Happy gaming!

Game flow Round and round we go

Feed the Kraken is an intriguing social deduction game that involves the players trying to navigate a ship to their desired destination. The game pits three factions against each other: loyal sailors, fierce pirates, and one elusive kraken. The game is divided into several rounds, each consisting of different phases.

Game Setup:

Each player is randomly given a secret role: Sailor, Pirate, or Kraken.
The ship starts at the central harbor on the game board.
Each player receives a set of navigation cards.

Order of Play:

Captain’s Privilege: The Captain, chosen at the start of the game and after each successful mutiny, selects two other players to serve as Lieutenant and Navigator.
Navigation: The Lieutenant and Navigator, along with the Captain, play a key role in this phase. The Captain and Lieutenant each secretly provide a navigation card, of which the Navigator chooses one to determine the ship’s course. The discarded card is returned to the respective player.
Resolve Course: The chosen navigation card is revealed and the ship moves accordingly. The ship’s movement could either be towards the sailor’s harbor, the pirate’s hideout or towards the deadly kraken.
Gunpowder Plot: If the ship moves towards the kraken, the Gunpowder Plot phase is triggered. Players vote on whether to use gunpowder to change the ship’s course.
Mutiny: If any player is unsatisfied with the current Captain, they can instigate a mutiny. Players vote and if the majority agrees, a new Captain is elected.

These phases repeat until the ship reaches one of the three possible destinations: the Sailor’s harbor, the Pirate’s hideout, or the Kraken. Victory then goes to the team of the corresponding destination.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Feed the Kraken is a thrilling social deduction game, where players take on the roles of Pirates, Sailors, or the fearsome Kraken. The goal of the game varies depending on the role: Sailors try to navigate to the safe island, Pirates aim for the pirate island, while the Kraken tries to cause chaos and confusion. The gameplay during a player’s turn can be broken down into several key phases:

1. Navigation Phase:

The active player must choose a navigation card from their hand and place it face down on the navigation deck. This card determines the ship’s course. Players should note that:

Sailors want to play green navigation cards to move towards the safe island.
Pirates aim to play red navigation cards to steer the ship towards the pirate island.
The Kraken’s goal is to sow distrust among the crew, they can play any card to achieve this. However, blue cards might be the most beneficial as they allow the Kraken to manipulate the game without revealing their identity.

2. Voting Phase:

All players, starting with the active player, cast their vote on whether they trust the navigation card played. If more than half of the crew trusts the navigator, the card is revealed and its effect is resolved. If not, the card is discarded without effect and the player to the left becomes the new active player. Strategic considerations during this phase include:

Trustworthy behavior can help to gain the crew’s trust, which is especially important for Sailors and Pirates.
The Kraken might try to convince the crew to distrust the navigator to slow down the ship’s progress.

3. Gun Loading Phase:

If the ship moved during the navigation phase, the active player must load one of the cannons with their gunpowder token. This is a strategic choice as:

The token’s color (red or black) might hint at the player’s allegiance. Sailors have only black tokens, Pirates have one red token.
Deductive reasoning can be used to identify Pirates if a red token is revealed.
The Kraken might try to confuse the crew by loading a black gunpowder token.

4. Captainship Phase:

Finally, the active player hands over the captain’s hat to the player of their choice, who then becomes the new active player. Strategic choices during this phase include:

Handing over the captain’s hat to a trusted ally can help Sailors and Pirates to control the ship’s course.
The Kraken might give the captain’s hat to a suspected pirate to sow distrust among the crew.

In summary, a player’s turn in Feed the Kraken involves several strategic decisions that can significantly influence the game’s outcome. The key is to understand the motivations of each role and use this knowledge to your advantage.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

Feed the Kraken is a thrilling social deduction game that concludes under certain conditions. The end of the game is marked by one of the following scenarios:

The ship reaches the safe harbor: This happens when the ship navigates seven times towards the loyal sailors’ destination. The game ends immediately and the loyal sailors win.
The ship reaches the pirate’s cove: This happens when the ship navigates seven times towards the pirate’s destination. The game ends immediately and the pirates win.
The Kraken wakes up: This happens when the sum of all revealed Kraken Eyes equals seven or more. The game ends immediately and the cultists win.

Before the final scoring, players need to ensure that all the actions in the last turn are completed. This includes all necessary navigation, combat, or other actions as per the game rules. Additionally, all players need to reveal their hidden roles for the final scoring to take place.

In Feed the Kraken, victory conditions for the teams are as follow:

Loyal Sailors: Reach the loyal sailors’ destination by successfully navigating the ship seven times towards their destination without waking the Kraken.
Pirates: Reach the pirates’ cove by successfully navigating the ship seven times towards their destination without waking the Kraken.
Cultists: Wake up the Kraken by revealing Kraken Eyes that sum up to seven or more before the ship reaches either the loyal sailors’ destination or the pirates’ cove.

Remember, each team’s main objective is to reach their respective destinations or fulfill their specific goals before others do. This requires strategic planning, deception, and collaboration among team members.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In the board game ‘Feed the Kraken’, scoring is an integral part of determining the winner. The scoring system is designed to reward players for their strategic thinking and teamwork. Let’s delve into the specifics.

Point Allocation

Points in ‘Feed the Kraken’ are awarded based on the following criteria:

Destination Reached: If the ship reaches the home harbor (loyalist victory) or the pirate’s cove (pirate victory), each member of the victorious team receives 5 points.
Feeding the Kraken: If the Kraken is fed (cultist victory), each cultist receives 10 points.
Captain of the Victorious Team: The captain of the victorious team (be it loyalist, pirate, or cultist) receives an additional 2 points.
Correct Accusations: If a player successfully accuses another player of being a cultist, the accuser receives 3 points. However, if the accusation is incorrect, the accuser loses 2 points.

Tie-Breaking Rules

In the event of a tie, ‘Feed the Kraken’ has a set of tie-breaking rules to determine the winner:

Rule 1: The player who has successfully made the most correct accusations is the winner.
Rule 2: If the tie persists, the player who was captain the most times during the game wins.
Rule 3: If there is still a tie, the player who was captain last wins.

Remember, the ultimate goal of ‘Feed the Kraken’ is not only to amass the most points but to outwit, outplay, and outlast your opponents through strategic gameplay and clever deception.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Feed the Kraken is a team-based board game that requires strategic thinking and deception. While most of the game rules are straightforward, there are a few special rules, exceptions, and clarifications that are worth noting.

Special Rule – The Mutiny: The mutiny is a unique rule in this game. If the crew members suspect the captain to be a pirate or a cultist, they can initiate a mutiny. However, this can only be done once per round and only when the ship is not navigating. It requires the agreement of more than half of the active players.

The initiators of the mutiny take their guns and point them at the captain.
If the mutiny is successful, the captain is replaced by one of the initiators, and the old captain cannot become a captain or lieutenant for the rest of the round.
If the mutiny fails, the initiators lose their ability to initiate another mutiny in the same round.

Exception – The Cultist: The Cultist has a unique role in the game. The primary goal of the Cultist is to lead the ship to the Kraken. However, unlike other roles, the Cultist can change teams during the game.

At the start of the game, the Cultist is part of the sailor team.
If the Cultist is thrown overboard, they join the pirate team and continue playing from the pirate’s ship.

Rule Clarification – Navigation: There can be some confusion about the navigation process. The direction of the ship is determined by the captain and the lieutenant. However, the captain has ultimate authority.

The captain and the lieutenant both choose a navigation card.
If the two cards match, the ship moves in that direction.
If the cards do not match, the captain discards one and the ship moves in the direction of the remaining card.

Understanding these special rules and exceptions can greatly enhance your strategy and enjoyment of the game. Happy sailing, and watch out for the Kraken!