EDSG Episode 196 - Kaers

* Kaers * Significance of kaers in the game and setting. * Common (and most dangerous) destination for adventurers. * Mists of Betrayal, Terror in the Skies, Ardanyan's Revenge. * Not a lot of concrete examples in later published material. * Appearances in novels and fiction. * What is a kaer? * Purpose to keep people inside alive. * Why are you going and what might you find? * Kaers vs citadels. * Traps and defenses. Could be turned off by residents to safely emerge. * Traps are apt to be nasty and deadly. * Other features of entry and approach tunnels. * The kaer as a community like surface towns and villages. * Don't necessarily need to map every inch of the kaer. * How the residents and conditions might shape the environment. * A kaer is not a D&D-style dungeon of 10-foot corridors. * Need space for people to live for generations. * Entry tunnels should allow room for livestock and goods to be taken inside. * Concealing the entrance as an additional layer of protection. * Obvious kaers are likely to have already been found and explored. * Where kaers were built and why. * Basic Theran design. Large central chamber with offshoots for various services. * Mosaics or other fixed decorations as a source of lore or knowledge. * Living quarters; tiny homes, apartments, dorm suites. * Main thing about kaer design is there likely would be no wasted space. * Growth or expansion during the Scourge. * Wards and protections of the kaer interior. * Oxygen and air filtration. * Crops and greenery; rooftop gardens. * Resource use and waste disposal/recycling (including the dead). * Water - wells, water spirits, connections to elemental plane. * Animals and livestock; diet variety (or lack thereof) * More about crops and food plants. * Five likely states for a kaer. * Unopened and inhabited. * Open and empty. * Collapsed and not used. * Failed by Horror breach. * Failed by other disaster (starvation, disease, collapse) * Adventurer groups and kaers. * How do you get in and what do you find there? * GM should think of the story of the kaer. * Who lived there and what happened to them? * Cultural drift (or lack thereof). * Sidebar about Urupa development. * How much of a role will the kaer play? * Exceptions to expectations and what that can do. * Magic can solve a lot of problems! * Returning to water source and its importance. * What do you find inside? Treasure, artwork, lore? * Kaer-focused game ideas. * Other sources and inspiration. * Civic planning and civil engineering. * Don't put more work into your kaer design than you must! * City of Ember * The Expanse * Silo * Ultimately limited only by your imagination. Find and Follow: Email: [email protected] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeoifzUuBjez9V6wnvzom3g Twitter: @EDSGPodcast Josh on Twitter: @LoreMerchant Get product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.com FASA Games on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasagamesinc FASA Games Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uuVwS9u Earthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW