Spiel Instabil

Spiel Instabil publishes amazing social deduction games to connect people of all ages and backgrounds!
Set sail towards your most intense and engaging social deduction game experiences—with SPIEL INSTABIL!

What we do

We create board games which put you on an emotional roller coaster!
Our games focus on the element of discussion. Every turn is a fresh chance to convince somebody at the table to put their trust in you for the turn. Sometimes you will try to read someone’s true intentions, while you will need to conceal your own plans at other times.
It can be a wild ride, with potential mutiny and deceit at every turn, but the epic stories created will stick with you for a long time!

Check out our current project: Feed the Kraken

Feed the Kraken is a hidden role deduction game, with three asymmetric factions – published by Funtails.
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.

How do you play?

At the start of your journey, you will receive a secret affiliation marker. You will either be a loyal sailor, a sneaky pirate, or a fanatic cult leader. Only the outnumbered pirates know each other, everybody else will have to try to find their teammates (or convert them to their cult) as they sail along. Rum-induced visions, cabin searches, inquisitions, and mermaids will help you find out more about the true loyalties of the other “sailors”.

Who knows how to navigate?

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.

Whom shall we trust?

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.

There is so much more to explore in Feed the Kraken:

Different events happen depending on the areas you enter: Perform a cabin search, cut someone’s tongue out, or feed them to the Kraken!

Other events are based on the choices of the current navigation team: Enjoy (rum-induced) visions of the future, talk to mermaids, or join the cult of the Kraken!

Personality cards grant everyone on board unique tricks to mess with the journey at any time.

There is so much more to explore in Feed the Kraken:

Different events happen depending on the areas you enter: Perform a cabin search, cut someone’s tongue out, or feed them to the Kraken!

Other events are based on the choices of the current navigation team: Enjoy (rum-induced) visions of the future, talk to mermaids, or join the cult of the Kraken!

Personality cards grant everyone on board unique tricks to mess with the journey at any time.

Whom should we sacrifice?

The above list of all those options can’t even begin to describe the tension you will feel at the table! Get ready to become fully immersed in your role, and prepare for an emotional roller coaster, when your friends suddenly argue for cutting your tongue out or even for tossing YOU overboard to Feed the Kraken!
There is no player elimination before the last two turns of the game though, and even if the other players do not trust you, they might need you to be on the navigation team occasionally, keeping everyone engaged and involved all the time.

Whom should we sacrifice?

The above list of all those options can’t even begin to describe the tension you will feel at the table! Get ready to become fully immersed in your role, and prepare for an emotional roller coaster, when your friends suddenly argue for cutting your tongue out or even for tossing YOU overboard to Feed the Kraken!
There is no player elimination before the last two turns of the game though, and even if the other players do not trust you, they might need you to be on the navigation team occasionally, keeping everyone engaged and involved all the time.

THe Team

Who we are

Maikel and Tobias have known each other for decades. When Tobias moved to Munich, they soon started playing board games together. Once they started to customize existing games, it was only the next logical step to create a game of their own.
Hans saw one of their early videos about Pirates, and offered to provide feedback on the prototype. After meeting with Maikel and Tobias in person at a games convention, it soon became clear that he was a great fit for Spiel Instabil.

Maikel Cheney

Maikel spent his childhood in South Africa and enjoyed a creative multi-culti education. He studied computer science in Germany and discovered a great fascination for the art of expressing logical operations in source code. With 10 years of practical experience he is currently working as a software engineer in the IoT industry in Munich.

But how did he get into board game development?

Maikel loves to get involved in all sorts of social games and can’t stand a weekend without a good board game night. That combined with the urge of always wanting to create something new, led him to devote all of his free time to board game design.

At Spiel Instabil, Maikel is the master of visuals. He takes care of prototype art, layout design and the YouTube performance.

Maikel Cheney

Maikel spent his childhood in South Africa and enjoyed a creative multi-culti education. He studied computer science in Germany and discovered a great fascination for the art of expressing logical operations in source code. With 10 years of practical experience he is currently working as a software engineer in the IoT industry in Munich.

But how did he get into board game development?

Maikel loves to get involved in all sorts of social games and can’t stand a weekend without a good board game night. That combined with the urge of always wanting to create something new, led him to devote all of his free time to board game design.

At Spiel Instabil, Maikel is the master of visuals. He takes care of prototype art, layout design and the YouTube performance.

Tobias Immich

After school Tobias quickly realized he wanted to help people in distress. Therefore he became and worked as a paramedic and later re-educated to a nurse. After years of gathering experience helping people, he decided to return to his childhood dream to be a computer engineer. His best friend Maikel encouraged him to apply for a job, and now Tobias is working as a Software Test Engineer in the IoT industry in Munich as well.

But how did he get into board game development?

Tobias grew up as a native computer gamer. In his early years he was fascinated about everything digital a person could play with.

At Spiel Instabil, Tobias is the master of quality control. He takes care of the quality of games, office business and social media.

Tobias Immich

After school Tobias quickly realized he wanted to help people in distress. Therefore he became and worked as a paramedic and later re-educated to a nurse. After years of gathering experience helping people, he decided to return to his childhood dream to be a computer engineer. His best friend Maikel encouraged him to apply for a job, and now Tobias is working as a Software Test Engineer in the IoT industry in Munich as well.

But how did he get into board game development?

Tobias grew up as a native computer gamer. In his early years he was fascinated about everything digital a person could play with.

At Spiel Instabil, Tobias is the master of quality control. He takes care of the quality of games, office business and social media.

Hans Joachim Höh

Hans studied computer science, but over time his interests shifted from technical applications to more theoretical questions of modeling and artificial intelligence. Aiming to understand the human abilities for data analysis and problem solving, which are mimicked in computer science, he subsequently studied philosophy, psychology and sociology. For his PhD thesis he specialized in logic, philosophy of language, and brain research. Now he is an independent web designer.

But how did he get into board game development?

Hans was a grandmaster of various Trading Card Games. Among many other titles he has won six national championships, a player of the year title and a world championship.
After more than a decade as a professional gamer, Hans has also developed amazing analytical skills when it comes to creating games. With his first game Götterdämmerung he already pushed the limits of the social deduction game genre, but he wouldn’t stop there. Now he joined Spiel Instabil to turn Feed the Kraken into a fantastically balanced and engaging masterpiece.

At Spiel Instabil, Hans is the master of development. He creates the most engaging gameplay with a minimum of rules, and takes care of webdesign and development.

Hans Joachim Höh

Hans studied computer science, but over time his interests shifted from technical applications to more theoretical questions of modeling and artificial intelligence. Aiming to understand the human abilities for data analysis and problem solving, which are mimicked in computer science, he subsequently studied philosophy, psychology and sociology. For his PhD thesis he specialized in logic, philosophy of language, and brain research. Now he is an independent web designer.

But how did he get into board game development?

Hans was a grandmaster of various Trading Card Games. Among many other titles he has won six national championships, a player of the year title and a world championship.
After more than a decade as a professional gamer, Hans has also developed amazing analytical skills when it comes to creating games. With his first game Götterdämmerung he already pushed the limits of the social deduction game genre, but he wouldn’t stop there. Now he joined Spiel Instabil to turn Feed the Kraken into a fantastically balanced and engaging masterpiece.

At Spiel Instabil, Hans is the master of development. He creates the most engaging gameplay with a minimum of rules, and takes care of webdesign and development.

"Sh*t, how can this game be so freaking awesome?"

“When I first learned to play Feed the Kraken, I just wanted to play again and again—for hours. I simply couldn’t believe how balanced and stirring the game is.”

Rene S. – veteran social deduction player

"Shut up, and take my money"

“I tried a lot of social deduction games. Feed the Kraken is my absolute favorite by far.”

Sven – social deduction fan

FAQ

Any questions?

Maybe you can find some of your answers already in our frequently asked questions section. Otherwise just click the button and shoot us an E-Mail:

Why is Feed the Kraken so amazing?

Every small part of the ship’s journey is interesting and allows you to find out more about the other “sailors”. Every team can still win up until the very last second. The tension continuously rises, often culminating in an insane last turn with navigators jumping ship left and right!

Why should I buy Feed the Kraken?

Because the green tentacle is always hungry and demands it!
Seriously though, Feed the Kraken is going to become one of your favorite games. You don’t want to miss out on this addictive experience.

Why are there 2 versions?

We wanted you to be able to enjoy Feed the Kraken exactly how we envisioned and developed it—with all the Deluxe components—without making compromises. Thanks to Funtails we have created a Basic version with a little less luxurious components for retail as well.

Where can I get my copy?

Visit the Funtails Shop. The Deluxe Edition has been selling like crazy, and can temporary be sold out, but new copies are on their way already. Soon the ship with your copy will arrive ashore. I mean, what could go wrong on the way? Arrr…

Stay in touch:

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Spiel Instabil

Brettspielverlag, Cheney & Immich GbR
Elisabeth-Dane-Str. 32
81829 München
E-Mail: info@spiel-instabil.com