Into the Depths: Caves of Qud (Sidequests Special)

Into the Depths: Caves of Qud (Sidequests Special)

Author: The Secret Lives of Games July 7, 2025 Duration: 2:30:03

In this bonus installment of our current Into the Depths series, we continue diving into Caves of Qud. This sprawling open-world roguelike has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015.

Doug and Rob - joined by special guest host Star St. Germain - chat about sidequests with one of the game's narrative designers, Caelyn Sandel. This episode we talk about the Servidian Meadow, the Hindren, Bey Lah, the integration of political and cultural commentary into worldbuilding, writing workflows, Mamon Souldrinker, Warden Une, Fraying Favorites, Many Eyes, Caelen Sandshell, _, and the cyclical nature of influence on Qud's world.

Don't forget to join our Discord and play along with the series! 

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.

Show Notes:

Buy Caves of Qud on itch.io:
https://freeholdgames.itch.io/cavesofqud 

Caves of Qud soundtrack:
https://freeholdgames.itch.io/caves-of-qud-soundtrack 

The Qud Survival Guide:
https://ectafoole.itch.io/the-qud-survival-guide

Star on bsky:
https://bsky.app/profile/thisisstar.bsky.social 

Star on itch:
thisisstar.itch.io

Star's website:
https://www.thisisstar.com/ 

Caelyn on bsky: 
https://bsky.app/profile/ectafoole.bsky.social 

Caelyn's Fiction work
ectafoole.itch.io

https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow 

http://discord.gg/eggplant

https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow


Ever wonder what really happens between the initial spark of an idea and the final product you play? The Secret Lives of Games pulls back the curtain, offering a rare, unvarnished look at the creative journey. Each episode is built around a candid conversation with a game creator, moving far beyond simple promotion to explore the messy, beautiful, and often surprising realities of their work. You’ll hear about the late-night breakthroughs, the frustrating dead ends, and the personal philosophies that shape the games we love. This podcast is less about reviews or news and more about understanding the human effort behind the pixels and code. It’s for anyone who’s curious about the art and craft of game development, whether you’re a seasoned player, an aspiring designer, or simply fascinated by creative processes. Listen in for genuine stories about problem-solving, narrative design, artistic choices, and the intricate process of building interactive worlds. These are the detailed, behind-the-scenes discussions that reveal how games truly come to life.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Secret Lives of Games
Podcast Episodes
All Systems Brough - Vertex Dispenser [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:52:29
We're joined by droqen (The End of Gameplay, Starseed Pilgrim), Darius Kazemi (Tiny Subversions, Harvard Applied Social Media Lab), and Tara Macalister (mathematician, composer) to discuss Vertex Dispenser, the second ga…
151: Games of the Year 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:55:10
The gang's all here to count down our favorite "games" of "2025", alongside a bevvy of great picks from previous guests and listeners. Happy new year! Audio edited by Dylan Shumway Our GOTY Picks (SPOILERS!): ~~~~~~~~~ R…
All Systems Brough - 868-HACK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:07:10
We're joined by Shawn Alexander Allen (Beatdown City Survivors), Cole Wehrle (Root), and Drew Wehrle (Pax Pamir) to discuss the first title in our year-long exploration of the work of Michael Brough: 868-HACK. Next Month…
150: Making It Great with Kimmo Lahtinen (Sektori) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:53
Nick is joined by guest co-host Chris Plante (Post Games) for a chat with Kimmo Lahtinen (aka gimbll) about his dynamite new twin-stick shooter, Sektori. They discuss the joy of the genre, pursuing excellence in an overs…
Into the Depths: Caves of Qud Finale [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:54:01
We're proud to present the final installment of our over-a-year-long Into the Depths series on Caves of Qud, as well as our last episode with our recently retired Eggplant branding. Caves of Qud is a massive open-world r…
All Systems Brough - Introduction [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01:41
We're joined by Frank Lantz (Q-UP) and Mare Sheppard + Raigan Burns of Metanet (N++) for the first episode of All Systems Brough, a year-long exploration of the work of Michael Brough. We share our thoughts on why Michae…
147: Digging Deep with The Roottrees are Dead [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:10
Laura chats with Jeremy Johnston and Robin Ward about The Roottrees are Dead, their genealogy, murder-mystery, "static deduction" game. We discuss the development process of taking a jam prototype to full release, develo…