Dates, prices and how to sign up!

Time has finally come to make some big and final announcements regarding where, when and how. So let’s jump right in!

Location:
Torpparinmäki elementary school, Helsinki, Finland

Dates:
Run 1: Jun 27 - Jul 1 2024 (Thursday to Monday)
Run 2: Jul 3 - Jul 7 2024 (Wednesday to Sunday)
Run 3: Jul 10 - Jul 14 2024 (Wednesday to Sunday)

Prices:
Standard ticket 550 €
Subsidized ticket 250 € 
Sponsor ticket 600/650 €

Player selection:
Online launch event for sign up: Sep 12, 2023
Sign up for ticket lottery: Sep 12-28, 2023
Collecting co-player preferences: Sep 29 - Oct 6, 2023
Announcing the players: Oct 9, 2023
Filling the casting questionnaire: Oct 9-23, 2023
Announcing the final casting and run allocation: Nov 1, 2023
Payment of the first installment: (210€/160€/110€/50€) by the Nov 15, 2023

Picture: Tuomas Puikkonen

Location, dates & schedule

The larp is played at Torpparinmäki elementary school in Helsinki (address Ylä-Fallin tie 54, Helsinki, Finland). Location is the same as we had in the 2019 runs. The location is right next to the Helsinki-Vantaa airport (roughly 15 minute taxi drive) and it is also easy to reach with public transport from the airport and from Helsinki city center.

There will be three runs, all played in English. Each run will be a five-day event. First run is played from Thursday June 26th till Monday July 1st, second run from Wednesday July 3rd till Sunday July 7th and the third and final run from Wednesday July 10th till Sunday July 14th. Between the second and the third run we will host an open doors day when it is possible for the local public to visit the location for a small guided tour of the ship and experience a glimpse of the Odysseus magic.

Players are expected to arrive at the location between 4-6pm on the first day (June 27 / July 3 / July 10). The first evening and part of the second day will be mandatory briefings and workshops. During the first night it is possible to leave (e.g. to a comfy hotel) and return to the location by 9am on the second day. The game itself will begin on the second day and run non-stop for the next 48 hours. The two nights in between are fully ingame and players should stay at the location.

The larp will end in the early evening on the fourth day. After the larp there are structured debriefs. Debriefing is not mandatory but it is highly recommended due the heavy themes that players encounter during the game. After the debriefs at around 8pm you are welcome to stay for the (alcohol free) afterparty at the location and stay one more night, or you can also leave the location. The latest departure time from the location is at midday on the fifth day.

Prices

Price for a standard ticket is 550€, and it can be paid in 5 installments of 110€ each or in full right away. We are also offering at least 2 subsidized tickets per run with the possibility of extra subsidized tickets depending on the amount of sponsor tickets sold. Subsidized tickets are 250€ and can also be paid in 5 installments of 50€ each.

For sponsor tickets, we have two price categories, 600€ and 650€. Sponsor tickets can also be paid in installments; however the sponsored part (50-100€) is paid as part of the first installment with the remaining 4 installments being 110€ each. Opting for sponsor tickets will allow us to increase the number of subsidized tickets. Sponsors will also be offered a small memorabilia (with an option to opt-out from it). The memorabilia is meant to be a small thank you, however it will not be exclusively available to sponsors but can also be purchased on-site by all players.     

Installment plan:

• Nov 15: sponsors 210€/160€, regular 110€, subsidized 50€
• Dec 15: 110€/50€
• Jan 15: 110€/50€
• Feb 15: 110€/50€
• Mar 15: 110€/50€

The game fee includes participation in the larp, accommodation for 4 nights, and vegetarian meals throughout the larp. The sleeping arrangements are on bunk beds or mattresses in shared mixed-gender rooms. Meals include 2 warm meals, breakfast and snacks on full days, and light evening meal and snacks on the arrival day and breakfast on the departure day. We will do our best to accommodate players’ dietary requirements.

The fee does not include transportation to and from the venue or costume rental. For characters belonging to officers and bridge crew, pilots, engineers, marines, medics and scientists there is an additional costume rental fee varying from approximately 30€ to 60€ depending on the character group. Rental prices will be finalized and available before the sign up. The rental price includes a uniform jacket and any weapons or other equipment the player needs during the larp, as well as an ingame t-shirt the player gets to keep afterwards. For other character groups (civilians and Velians), players are expected to create their own costumes with the assistance of our costume guidelines.

Picture: Tuomas Puikkonen

Picture: Tuomas Puikkonen

Cancellation policy

In the unfortunate event that a player needs to cancel the event, our cancellation and resell policy is as follows. Players are not allowed to directly resell their tickets. If a player is unable to attend, they need to inform us. For any ticket category, the first installment including any potential sponsor amount is never refunded regardless of the time of cancellation.

Depending on the cancellation time the refund amounts are as follows:

• Cancellation by March 31th, 2024: Refund 440€ standard/sponsor, 200€ subsidized
• Cancellation by May 31st, 2024: Refund 275€ standard/sponsor, 125€ subsidized
• Cancellation after May 31st 2024: No refunds

Replacements for open characters are picked by the game organizers. Players for available characters are picked via lottery from the queue. To make the process faster and more convenient for us we might offer any open characters to several players at once, and the fastest to confirm will receive the spot. Closer to the event we might offer open spots directly to interested players without a lottery.

Sign up

And finally, here is a quick run through on how the sign up process works. Regarding the details on how the players are chosen check out our previous blog post. 

We will be hosting an online launch party to kick off the sign up on Tuesday, September 12th. Launch event will start at 7pm Finnish time (UTC +3) with organizer greetings and discussion regarding the production and leading up to the opening of the sign up at 8pm. 

Sign up remains open to the end of the day on Thursday September 28th (Finnish time). Sign up is not first come first served, so everyone who signs up within this period has an equal chance in the lottery. After the sign up period we will send all who signed up a list including the names and nationalities of all who signed up and they have one week to indicate co-player wishes. The results of player selection lottery will be announced via email on Monday October the 9th.

Those who received a spot are asked to fill in the casting questionnaire within two weeks, by Monday October 23rd. If we fail to receive a response to the casting questionnaire within the deadline, the player will lose their spot and we will select a new player. If new players are chosen they are expected to fill the casting questionnaire by the end of Thursday 26th of October. The final casting and run allocation will be announced on Wednesday November 1st. After the casting is confirmed players have until November 15th to pay the first installment of the game fee to confirm their spot.

We are currently in the process of updating our website with all the information detailed in these blog posts as well as all the other important details including other practical matters, rules and safety, player experience, and guide to the world and story of Odysseus. We aim to have the website fully updated by the end of May!

Picture: Tuomas Puikkonen