This is the end. The fate of our civilization is in our hands. Are we worth saving? Can we save ourselves?
Backstory
Odysseus is a space adventure for 104 players. The story takes place 800 years in the future, in a distant Star System. One hundred years from now, humanity embarked in a one way trip to the stars. They established a thriving colony in planet Ellarion and it's moons. After centuries of peace they met a sentient race they named The Machines. Unprovoked, The Machines initiated a war against the human colonies in the Arati system. The war lasted for decades. The Machines' offensive consisted mainly of uncoordinated skirmish-like attacks, with humanity unable to retaliate due to enigmatic nature of The Machines and their origin.
For no apparent reason, the war ended with the enemy's disappearance. They reappeared again twenty years later for one final devastating attack. Simultaneously crippling most of the systems military forces and planetary defenses, striking all major population centers on all three planets. It was as if The Machines knew how to neutralize all available countermeasures. The remnants of human civilization were scattered, beaten and waiting for the final blow. But it is not human nature to give up. The survivors are forming a fleet with the goal of saving their civilization. Guided by one hope, by exploring their lost and forgotten legacy, to find Earth.
Odysseus is a space adventure for 104 players. The story takes place 800 years in the future, in a distant Star System. One hundred years from now, humanity embarked in a one way trip to the stars. They established a thriving colony in planet Ellarion and it's moons. After centuries of peace they met a sentient race they named The Machines. Unprovoked, The Machines initiated a war against the human colonies in the Arati system. The war lasted for decades. The Machines' offensive consisted mainly of uncoordinated skirmish-like attacks, with humanity unable to retaliate due to enigmatic nature of The Machines and their origin.
For no apparent reason, the war ended with the enemy's disappearance. They reappeared again twenty years later for one final devastating attack. Simultaneously crippling most of the systems military forces and planetary defenses, striking all major population centers on all three planets. It was as if The Machines knew how to neutralize all available countermeasures. The remnants of human civilization were scattered, beaten and waiting for the final blow. But it is not human nature to give up. The survivors are forming a fleet with the goal of saving their civilization. Guided by one hope, by exploring their lost and forgotten legacy, to find Earth.
Practical
Odysseus will be played in Finland in the summer of 2019. We will have three runs. The first run will be played in Finnish, and the second and third run will be international, played only in English. The larp will last for 48 hours, it will start on Thursday evening, and end late Saturday followed by the after party. There will be briefings and workshops before the larp and it is possible to arrive at the location already at the night before the larp. The dates for the larp are June 27-30 for the Finnish run, July 4-7 for the first international run and July 9-12 for the second international run.
The spaceship Odysseus will be created in the most starship-like school in Finland. The school is located at Helsinki roughly 10 km from the Helsinki-Vantaa airport. We’ll have the school for ourselves for 6 weeks, so we’ll have plenty of time to put all the effort in to turning it into the starship Odysseus. Ticket price is €200 for standard ticket. We will have a short sign up period, and should there be an excess of interest, the participants will be selected randomly. There will be up to 40 tickets available for each run as Sponsor tickets (€300) which become available first and the participation is secured upon ticket purchase. We have also received support from the Larpfund and are able to offer discount tickets for each run . Ticket sale is ended but it is still possible to sign up for the waiting list. Learn more about the tickets here!
After ticket purchase we will send out a casting questionnaire, and assign players to characters according to their preferences. All participants will receive a character sheet: a prosaic description of personality, agenda, personal history and contacts. Characters will be roughly 10 pages long. Odysseus is not a sandbox where you create your own character, hence we expect players to respect the written plots and relationships. However, we do encourage everyone to make the characters their own by emphasizing those aspects and plots in their character they most enjoy playing. We hope players will discuss with their co-players about their boundaries and expectations. And we will also provide some additional questions and instructions that players can use to flesh out their characters and contacts.
Assault and harassment will not be tolerated in this larp (except as in-game actions by characters with respect towards the boundaries of all parties). The goal is to create a safe environment together for each participant of the larp. An anti-harassment material package is applied in this game. Anyone participating in the larp should acquaint themselves thoroughly with the material, and commit to furthering a game environment of safety and combating harassment with their own actions. We will provide a full safety guide designed for this larp at later date. In the universe our larp takes place, there are major equality issues between members of different classes, but there is no inequality between races, genders, or orientations.
Odysseus will be played in Finland in the summer of 2019. We will have three runs. The first run will be played in Finnish, and the second and third run will be international, played only in English. The larp will last for 48 hours, it will start on Thursday evening, and end late Saturday followed by the after party. There will be briefings and workshops before the larp and it is possible to arrive at the location already at the night before the larp. The dates for the larp are June 27-30 for the Finnish run, July 4-7 for the first international run and July 9-12 for the second international run.
The spaceship Odysseus will be created in the most starship-like school in Finland. The school is located at Helsinki roughly 10 km from the Helsinki-Vantaa airport. We’ll have the school for ourselves for 6 weeks, so we’ll have plenty of time to put all the effort in to turning it into the starship Odysseus. Ticket price is €200 for standard ticket. We will have a short sign up period, and should there be an excess of interest, the participants will be selected randomly. There will be up to 40 tickets available for each run as Sponsor tickets (€300) which become available first and the participation is secured upon ticket purchase. We have also received support from the Larpfund and are able to offer discount tickets for each run . Ticket sale is ended but it is still possible to sign up for the waiting list. Learn more about the tickets here!
After ticket purchase we will send out a casting questionnaire, and assign players to characters according to their preferences. All participants will receive a character sheet: a prosaic description of personality, agenda, personal history and contacts. Characters will be roughly 10 pages long. Odysseus is not a sandbox where you create your own character, hence we expect players to respect the written plots and relationships. However, we do encourage everyone to make the characters their own by emphasizing those aspects and plots in their character they most enjoy playing. We hope players will discuss with their co-players about their boundaries and expectations. And we will also provide some additional questions and instructions that players can use to flesh out their characters and contacts.
Assault and harassment will not be tolerated in this larp (except as in-game actions by characters with respect towards the boundaries of all parties). The goal is to create a safe environment together for each participant of the larp. An anti-harassment material package is applied in this game. Anyone participating in the larp should acquaint themselves thoroughly with the material, and commit to furthering a game environment of safety and combating harassment with their own actions. We will provide a full safety guide designed for this larp at later date. In the universe our larp takes place, there are major equality issues between members of different classes, but there is no inequality between races, genders, or orientations.
Experience
Odysseus is a space adventure where players will need to steer the ship through surprises and crises, make difficult decisions and solve mysteries. There will be space battles and ground missions, internal conflicts and interactions with the rest of the fleet. Most of all Odysseus is a story about people - one hundred individuals brought together by fate, bound together by a common goal. In the aftermath of a devastating tragedy, together we create a story about families united and torn apart, complicated relationships, emotional drama, the will to survive, the ingenuity against impossible odds and compassion toward one another. But it is also a story about distrust, ambition and hidden motives, about harsh decisions, conflicting agendas, loss and despair. What matters to you most? What if the fate of humanity would be in your hands? What can you believe in when you have lost everything? What will save you? What will you save?
We look forward to giving our players a thrilling adventure which is not designed to only be a roller coaster of constant action but to also give time and space for the players to live and breathe the circumstances their characters are in. To allow the players to question what matters most to their characters, what they are willing to sacrifice, who they are and what choices brought them here and how will they survive.
The larp is designed for two types of players. It is for those who want to experience spaceship simulation in a very hectic environment and make decisions for the survival of their civilization. Experience thrilling battles, try their best to boost the morale of their crew, make the necessary repairs for their ship and try to figure out the weaknesses and the purpose of their enemy.
On the other hand some players may want to experience very intense and tragic journey after the destruction of their character's entire civilization. Everyone has lost someone and more will be lost until they are safe, if they ever will be. For some it will be a journey of introspection and regrets; for others moments of happiness and small blessings. In a time when everything seems to be lost, what meaning can one find? For most civilians it is a time filled with relationship drama, survivors guilt, and despair, but also support through the community and rediscovering the resolve to carry on.
There are many characters who will play aspects of both, so if either or both of these themes inspire you this is definitely a journey you don't want to miss!
Odysseus is a space adventure where players will need to steer the ship through surprises and crises, make difficult decisions and solve mysteries. There will be space battles and ground missions, internal conflicts and interactions with the rest of the fleet. Most of all Odysseus is a story about people - one hundred individuals brought together by fate, bound together by a common goal. In the aftermath of a devastating tragedy, together we create a story about families united and torn apart, complicated relationships, emotional drama, the will to survive, the ingenuity against impossible odds and compassion toward one another. But it is also a story about distrust, ambition and hidden motives, about harsh decisions, conflicting agendas, loss and despair. What matters to you most? What if the fate of humanity would be in your hands? What can you believe in when you have lost everything? What will save you? What will you save?
We look forward to giving our players a thrilling adventure which is not designed to only be a roller coaster of constant action but to also give time and space for the players to live and breathe the circumstances their characters are in. To allow the players to question what matters most to their characters, what they are willing to sacrifice, who they are and what choices brought them here and how will they survive.
The larp is designed for two types of players. It is for those who want to experience spaceship simulation in a very hectic environment and make decisions for the survival of their civilization. Experience thrilling battles, try their best to boost the morale of their crew, make the necessary repairs for their ship and try to figure out the weaknesses and the purpose of their enemy.
On the other hand some players may want to experience very intense and tragic journey after the destruction of their character's entire civilization. Everyone has lost someone and more will be lost until they are safe, if they ever will be. For some it will be a journey of introspection and regrets; for others moments of happiness and small blessings. In a time when everything seems to be lost, what meaning can one find? For most civilians it is a time filled with relationship drama, survivors guilt, and despair, but also support through the community and rediscovering the resolve to carry on.
There are many characters who will play aspects of both, so if either or both of these themes inspire you this is definitely a journey you don't want to miss!