Krater

A krater (in Greek: κρατήρ, kratēr, from the verb κεράννυμι, keránnymi, "to mix") is a large vase which was used to mix wine and water in Ancient Greece.

Form and function

At a Greek symposium, kraters were placed in the center of the room. They were quite large, so they were not easily portable when filled. Thus, the wine-water mixture would be withdrawn from the krater with other vessels. In fact, Homer's Odyssey describes a steward drawing wine from a krater at a banquet and then running to and fro pouring the wine into guests' drinking cups. The modern Greek word now used for undiluted wine, krasi (κρασί), originates from the krasis (κράσις, i.e. mixing) of wine and water in kraters. Kraters were glazed on the interior to make the surface of the clay more impervious for holding water, and possibly for aesthetic reasons, since the interior could easily be seen.

Usage

At the beginning of each symposium a symposiarch (συμποσίαρχος), or "lord of the common drink", was elected by the participants. He would then assume control of the wine servants, and thus of the degree of wine dilution and how it changed during the party, and the rate of cup refills. The krater and how it was filled and emptied was thus the centerpiece of the symposiarch's authority. An astute symposiarch should be able to diagnose the degree of inebriation of his fellow symposiasts and make sure that the symposium progressed smoothly and without drunken excess.

Krater (video game)

Krater is a role-playing video game for Microsoft Windows.Fatshark developed the game following the studio's moderate success after developing Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West and other titles.

Krater was released in 2012 via the Steam digital distribution platform.

Gameplay

Krater is a squad-based real-time strategy role-playing game. The player controls a team of gas masked survivalists in a post-apocalyptic but adventurous wasteland. Players venture in a post-apocalyptic world scoured by a nuclear war. Players can command up to three characters, but reserve members may be purchased.

The combat system of the game is fashioned similar to Blizzard's Diablo series. The player's team always attack together, but individual members can be reassigned to attack other targets. The game features distinctive classes which can range from tanks, damage dealers, and healers. Each member can have up to two fixed skills and are only cooldown dependable. There is no traditional leveling system in the game and is only dependable on stat-enhancing character mods called "implants." The game also features permanent deaths of party members. Once a member dies, they must be replaced with a new recruit.