Feed the Kraken is a hidden role deduction game, with three asymmetric factions. All players may be sitting in the same boat, but they want to navigate in different directions! The loyal sailors must bring the ship safely to mainland, whereas the pirates crave to secretly maneuver the ship into the Bermuda Triangle. Meanwhile a crazy cultist is busy convincing parts of the crew to help him summon their dark lord —the Kraken— from the depth of the sea to save them all.
The goal of the game is to navigate the ship towards your final destination, which would be easy if only players weren’t divided into three different factions. Each secret faction wants to reach a different area of the board. Every turn the ship will sail in one of the three possible directions —but which one will it be? The current captain and their chosen lieutenant will study ancient sea maps and pass their often conflicting orders onto the chosen navigator, who has to make the final decision. Meanwhile the rest of the crew is busy drinking rum, gambling and telling each other tales of ancient sea monsters.
After each navigation, the lieutenant and navigator go off duty, and the captain has to find somebody sober enough to take their spot instead. Everyone can discuss, how well that last navigation went, who is to blame for the current course, and who should be in charge in the future instead. Convince your enemies that it is in their best interest to make you the next lieutenant, or navigator! You can even draw your guns and become the new captain in open mutiny! But for how long will you be able to keep the trust of your crew? The next mutiny might already be waiting for you if your decisions don’t please your fellow sailors.
Feed the Kraken is a social deduction game designed around a vintage sailor setting. It supports 5-11 players. A match is usually dealt within 45 minutes up to 1:30 hours.
—description from designer
- Thematic cohesion with a tense, shared objective
- Engages multiple players through cooperative play dynamics
- Mechanics may feel indirect for players preferring direct confrontation
- Mythic sea creatures, teamwork under pressure, and strategic resource management.
- Cooperative or semi-cooperative themes around sea adventures and monstrous challenges.
- Thematic, with escalating stakes as the Kraken threat grows.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- push-your-luck / risk management — Decisions balance potential rewards against the chance of failure in critical moments.
- Resource management — Players allocate limited resources to achieve objectives and mitigate looming threats.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this is the board game league six
- they're going to earn different numbers of victory points
- our finale Cosmic Encounter
References (from this video)
- engaging group dynamics for parties and game nights
- clear, approachable rules with deep strategic potential
- success depends on active participation
- some players may find the social aspect draining over long sessions
- social deduction on a voyage with hidden agendas
- Crew on a ship with conflicting goals: sailors, pirates, and a cult leader
- thematic misdirection and group discussion
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- discussion and persuasion — ongoing conversations steer the group's decisions.
- social deduction — players have roles influencing where the ship should travel.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a 15minute game with tons of luck yet super exciting
- the IP really really helps to get to the table
- it's cooperative
- this is campaign game where you go through all the movies so you could technically watch the movie and then play one session of Harry Potter
- the cards will combo with each other
- apparently it's a warm-up game for something like the next game
- the ocean wave nothing it just waved
References (from this video)
- rich theme
- large player count (up to 10)
- dramatic interaction
- complex for new players
- hidden roles, mutiny, and maritime adventure
- ship at sea with crew and threats
- thematic, adventurous
- Dixit
- The Crew
- Watergate
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Hidden role — players have secret identities like pirate, crew member, or cultist
- vote to steer ship — captain selects direction and players vote using weapons to override
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- you can't even start it with Wonderland's war and we also have different categories that we need to fit
- five minutes to teach 30 minutes to play
- 87 Euros for 87 Euros you can have your own personal board game starter collection with brilliant games
References (from this video)
- Great social deduction game
- Less than an hour play time
- Plays tons of people
- Captain and Lieutenant role play system
- Navigator makes key decisions
- Creates great stories
- Game mechanisms enhance social aspect
- Fun for groups
- Pirate adventure
- Sea
- Ship
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- there's so many games you will never have time to play all of them
- thematically it's so well represents the theme it feels amazing
- it's one of the most unique designs I've ever played
- don't trust your friends
- every time you win or lose you always feel satisfied about with this game because this is what I build
- what else you want from board games got good times and good stories
- it's Simplicity is what amazes me
- one of my favorite games because of the experiences it gives you
- no two games were the same which I really loved about it
References (from this video)
- fun addition to a casual lineup
- low barrier to entry
- niche appeal
- availability may be limited
- party-ish or casual game with a whimsical bite
- mythic sea creature folklore
- light, informal
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- quirky, light mechanics — simple, quick-playing mechanic suited for casual play
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this is my Holy Grail game
- imagine a boy of 10 eagerly finishing his homework ... the most magical thing he's ever seen
- this game is hard to get to the table the rules are tough and it's an absolute geekfest
- two people can geek out and play their part in the story of midd Earth
- I must feel like I deserve it
References (from this video)
- strong, evocative theme
- engaging social-deduction dynamics
- fun with groups that enjoy betrayal and negotiation
- rule complexity can slow onboarding
- depends on social dynamics; pacing can vary
- mutiny, cult intrigue, sea-faring adventure
- mythic-sea voyage; pirates, sailors, cultists collide around a central ship
- highly thematic with negotiation and misdirection
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- hidden roles and negotiation — players secretly align with pirate, sailor, or cultist goals; negotiation shifts control
- mutiny and shifting allegiances — players can turn on each other and flip sides through play
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's the best hidden roll game I have ever played
- thematic and social dynamics really shine
- there's so many discussions and you feel like this is a real thing
- you read the flavor texts and encounters have a very good narration
- this game makes you feel like you're there
References (from this video)
- Engaging social deduction with dynamic mutiny mechanics
- High player interaction and live negotiation
- Comedic and tense moments that elevate group engagement
- Rules complexity can be daunting for newcomers
- Longer playtime may challenge shorter session windows
- Maritime adventure with hidden loyalties, mutiny, and cult manipulation.
- A sailing vessel bound for Blue Water Bay with pirates and a lurking cult aboard.
- Bright, humorous, and chaotic social-deduction play with rotating leadership roles.
- Secret Hitler
- Stop the Train
- Blood on the Clocktower
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Bluffing and social negotiation — Players bluff, misdirect, and negotiate to steer outcomes while preserving their own position.
- Captaincy and log book control — Captain selects first team and uses the Captain's Log to influence future actions; captaincy is transferable via mutiny.
- Card draw and log management — Navigation and lieutenant cards are drawn, discarded, and deployed to influence movement and events.
- Cult uprising and top-card reveal — Cult activity can reassign players mid-game, affecting alliances and win conditions.
- Hidden roles / team assignments — Players know their own role (sailor, pirate, cult leader) and must deduce others' roles through discussion and actions.
- Mutiny voting — All players except the captain vote on mutiny to depose the captain and reassign leadership.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- what's in the box
- feed the Kraken
- there's going to be three Sailors, two Pirates and one cult leader aboard
- three blue spaces
- mutiny and leadership shift
References (from this video)
- Blends familiar social deduction ideas from Resistance, Star Galactica, and Shadows over Camelot into a fresh package.
- Scales to up to 11 players with short and long board variants for different play times.
- Maintains tension with hidden information and evolving strategies throughout the game.
- Encourages banter, negotiation, and dynamic thinking about other players.
- Flexible pacing and accessible rule set while offering depth for experienced players.
- Two board formats allow both quick games and longer, more involved sessions.
- In very large groups, some players may have little or no role-change opportunities, reducing engagement for them.
- Physical setup can complicate gun distribution and token handling on smaller or awkward tables.
- Balance can feel skewed toward Sailors in some counts, making Pirates' win conditions challenging to meet depending on player mix.
- Loyalty, deception, mutiny, ritual sacrifice, and the looming Kraken as an existential threat.
- Pirate ship voyage across high seas with three factions (Sailors, Pirates, Cultists); objective is to steer toward a faction-specific destination while avoiding Kraken threats.
- Hidden roles, negotiation, and evolving alliances with information revealed progressively.
- Resistance
- Star Galactica
- Shadows over Camelot
- Battlestar Galactica
- Saboteur
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card drafting and the Captain's Log — Captain and Lieutenant draw multiple cards, discard, and the remaining cards are added to a log box; Navigator later selects a card after shuffling.
- Endgame victory conditions by faction — Sailors win by achieving their destination; Pirates by mutinies; Cultists by Kraken-related or cult-based paths.
- Event tiles and captain power — Tiles such as cabin search, flogging, off with the tongue, and Kraken-related events influence players and ship progress.
- Hidden roles and social deduction — Players receive role cards (Captain, Navigator, Lieutenant, Sailor, Pirate, Cult Leader) with confidential objectives; others must deduce identities.
- Mutiny and resource bidding — Guns are contributed secretly to a mutiny pool; the total count determines whether a mutiny succeeds and who becomes Captain.
- Navigation and movement — Navigation cards indicate ship movement; arrows on the board (red, blue, yellow) dictate the ship's path and triggering events on tiles.
- Progressive information revelation — With each round more information about other players is revealed, prompting re-evaluation of beliefs.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this is one of the best social deduction games that we've played in a very long time
- Feed the Kraken manages to be both Innovative and fresh
- it's pure fun
- it scales well you got a long and a short game
- there's just enough hidden information in this game to keep a level of suspense
- I was convinced that Marmite was a cult leader
- different information is revealed about occultists at exactly the right time
- we're going to say yes absolutely this is one of the best social deduction games that we've played in a very long time indeed
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the most awkward thing making YouTube videos is making the thumbnails
- it's not a play test
- thank you for watching and supporting us
- please become our patreon or support us on YouTube because my internet speed's really slow
- best thumbnail of 2022 question mark
References (from this video)
- Kraken, social deduction
- Pirate/nautical lore
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- unknown — not specified in transcript
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- We've hit a thousand. Do we go back and start again?
- There is not a chance that we could play all of these games
- If you're here for that where's the fun
- I would play that
- That sounds like Pirates of the Caribbean
References (from this video)
- strong social deduction
- table presence and thematic flavor
- sociopolitical tension from mutiny mechanics
- downtime can occur
- some players may find it light on depth
- mutiny and a hidden cult trying to feed a Kraken
- pirate voyage with secret factions
- social deduction with role secrecy
- Ultor
- Twilight Inscription
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- hidden roles / secret societies — players assume pirate or sailor roles with a secret cultist faction
- mutiny and role manipulation — rounds involve electing and redistributing roles, with opportunities to mutiny and reshuffle objectives
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the best social deduction game we have ever played
- the wind is strong and the ships racing forward
- it's the best story game we have ever played
- dice rolling a lot
- this game is a must
- it's one of the best games if you have a video gamer in your life
References (from this video)
- highly entertaining social deduction with thematic flavor (pirates, mutinies, cults)
- tightly interwoven mechanics that reward bluffing and information management
- stream-of-consciousness banter and host-led energy enhance watchability
- heavy reliance on player discussion can stall the ship’s progress
- a bit of a learning curve around mutiny and cult recruitment rules
- component clutter and rule-fatigue risks if played long sessions
- deception, loyalty, and ritual power dynamics
- A pirate voyage on the high seas with mutinous factions (Sailors, Pirates, Cultists) aboard a ship
- conversational, humorous, improvisational
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cult recruitment and cultist victory conditions — Cult leader recruits acolytes; if the cult leader reaches ritual sites or Kraken-related conditions, they win with cultists.
- Direction cards and logbook for ship movement — The captain secretly picks a direction card; the ship advances accordingly, with potential twists from discards and special powers.
- Hidden captaincy and team assignment — Mutinies reassign captaincy and reallocate lieutenant/navigator tokens, driving shifting alliances.
- Mutiny resolution via guns and power balance — Players contribute guns to a communal pool; the side with the most guns can seize control, reshaping team composition mid-game.
- Secret roles and hidden allegiances — Players receive concealed identities (captain, sailors, pirates, cultists) and must deduce others' loyalties while pursuing their own objectives.
- Special powers and card-driven events — Various tokens and powers can alter checks, reveal information, or force a renegotiation of allegiances.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this game is great
- it's everything that we love here at no rolls Bard
- feed the Kraken, a game about lying and Pirates which is delightful
- this game is great, I love this game
- you are the captain
References (from this video)
- Accessible and quick to learn for a hidden-role game
- Shines with seven or more players, offering richer roles and decisions
- High interaction, frequent decision points, and dynamic leadership shifts
- Strong board-game feel and tactile components, not just social interaction
- Engaging endgame moments and meaningful eliminations that drive drama
- Can be overwhelming when learning due to numerous small rules and edge cases
- Best experienced with larger player counts; some friction at 5–6 players
- Heavy reliance on vocal participation; quieter players may reduce the experience
- Mutiny, deception, and survival at sea; hidden loyalties shape group decisions and perilous outcomes as the Kraken looms large.
- A perilous sea voyage aboard a small crewed ship, racing to reach safe destinations while appeasing or deceiving a hungry Kraken and navigating factional intrigue among sailors, pirates, and cultists.
- Semi-cooperative with hidden roles, driven by social interaction, negotiation, and competing win conditions that can flip at key moments.
- Deception: Hong Kong
- Resistance Avalon
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Captain's Log and directional reveal — The Captain's Log serves as a shared but partially private record of the ship’s intended course. It is passed to the Navigator, who then executes the chosen direction, balancing the need for collective planning with the temptation to mislead or withhold information from teammates.
- Communication restrictions via tokens — Certain tokens can mute or restrict a player’s spoken input for the remainder of the round, adding a layer of negotiation constraint and forcing players to adapt messaging and social cues under constraint.
- Elimination/overboard mechanic — Under certain conditions, a player can be thrown overboard or eliminated from the round or game. The act of elimination changes the table dynamic and heightens the stakes, while also potentially revealing or disguising loyalties through the aftermath.
- Endgame tension and destination-based scoring — Win conditions hinge on reaching specific ship destinations or ensuring the Kraken is fed in a way that benefits your faction. The ship’s location and the balance of loyalties influence the final scoring, rewarding strategic risk-taking and cohesive group play.
- hidden roles — Players begin with secret faction identities (sailor, pirate, or cultist leader). These identities influence objectives, the amount of information players may safely reveal, and how others interpret actions and words across the game. The hidden nature of roles forces strategic deduction and misdirection as the game progresses.
- Mutiny mechanism — Guns are allocated and revealed in a round-based system; when a threshold of guns is exposed, a mutiny occurs and the captain position shifts to the most armed player. This creates a dynamic leadership race and reshapes alliance expectations, forcing players to manage power and loyalty under pressure.
- Navigation card drafting — The Captain and Lieutenant each draw navigation cards and secretly select one to place in the Captain's Log. The chosen direction dictates ship movement and triggers various in-game effects depending on icons and risk, making navigation a central, contested action where information and bluffing matter.
- Public/private information mix — Some information is visible to all (e.g., general ship status), while other details (like faction identities or specific card contents) remain private or are selectively disclosed. This tension drives diplomacy, bluffing, and strategic misdirection, which are core to the game's tension.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- One of the best boarding experiences I've ever had.
- There’s action all the time no matter which role you have.
- Seven shines; it’s amazing with seven players.
- If somebody forgot to take Feed the Kraken, fine—we’ll play Resistance Avalon. I would choose this every freaking time over Resistance Avalon.
- This is one of the best boarding experiences I’ve ever had, spoiler alert.
- There’s always things to watch and comment on, and even when you’re out it’s still engaging.
- It’s a board game and the board-game elements are fantastic.
- I would choose Feed the Kraken every freaking time over Resistance Avalon.
References (from this video)
- engaging co-op with high interaction
- dynamic play with lots of options
- can feel chaotic for some groups
- cooperative/competitive balance around a mythic sea creature
- pirate/sea-faring fantasy with a Kraken at the center
- thematic, high-energy with big swings
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deck-building / hand management — players draft and play cards to optimize actions
- hidden-information / role interaction — players have hidden intents and team dynamics
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- in this video we're each gonna pick our 10 best board games of all time in our honest humble opinions objective opinions so it's complete truth
- it's my favorite Story game
- the best work replacement deck building, like combination, I have played
- it's a really feel good game a massive game that feels light
- the most thematic game I think in my top 10 just surviving horror sci-fi
- Twilight Imperium is a historic epic
References (from this video)
- great social interaction
- accessible but with depth for strategic play
- good fit for larger groups during holidays
- complexity can be off-putting for casual players
- may require more players to reach ideal experience
- Team-based, negotiation and dice-voting aboard a voyage
- Sea voyage with ships and mutiny
- social, casino-like decision making
- Dungeon Fighter
- Twilight-Inspired Rolling-Right Game
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dice-drafting and voting — Rolls influence actions; players vote and mutiny as part of play.
- team-based roles — Three teams compete on one ship with shared resources.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the best board games you can give to others at Christmas
- it's a rolling right game based on Twilight Imperium the big game
- I think everyone can enjoy it
- if I had to say in one sentence if yanga and Uno had a baby that would be a rhino
- you can treat it as a standalone expansion
- this is a kids game I keep advocating for because I really love it it's really good with grown-ups as well
- it's just tons of fun if you miss you lose Health if you hit you hit
- seven people together and we can try to feed the Kraken
References (from this video)
- strong social dynamics and group play
- rich mix of bluffing and strategic decisions
- game-night dynamics heavily depend on group composition
- theme and mechanics may clash for some players
- Covert faction-based interaction with negotiation and deception
- Pirates, sailors, and cultists with hidden roles
- Social deduction with board game elements
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area/board game elements — Strategic placement and interactions with board components.
- hidden roles / social interaction — Three teams (pirates, sailors, cultist leader) require talk and bluffing.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the story is fantastic
- production wall used through the roof
- tons to do if you're a sucker for Space theme
- it's a huge campaign game
- it's the only game you can't really get right now because it was just on Kickstarter
- my favorite solo game hands down this year
- it's a two-player card game
- the odds are always in your favor
- it's a drafting game
- every action does that
References (from this video)
- Adds true third faction and more player agency
- More engaging ship movement and event activation
- Policy deck remains a potential flaw
- Balancing complexities can be challenging
- cultist faction on a ship, naval tension
- nautical/shipboard politics
- three-way influence with a central captain
- Secret Hitler
- Avalon
- Quest
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Navigation cards and captaincy — Navigation card selection creates tension and agency.
- Three-faction asymmetry — Loyal crew, pirates, and cultists with distinct goals.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The Resistance and Avalon retain all that paranoia of werewolf, but everyone gets to play the whole game without the need of a moderator or any player elimination.
- Blood on the Clock Tower is a gigantic step forward in this genre.
- It's the board game equivalent of Carcination.