Odysseus returns!

In August 2019 we had just wrapped up the epic journey of ESS Odysseus and announced that, due to the insane amount of work put into the project, we would never do it again. As some predicted at the time, “never” turned out to be less than 3 years.

We are happy to announce that Odysseus will be returning! 

While everything is still subject to change, we are planning on having three international runs in summer 2024, so clear your calendars! 

While there are two more years before we can yet again step onboard our beloved spaceship and hear and feel the booming sound of the jump engine, the planning has already begun. We have an enormous amount of work ahead of us as we aspire to give old and new players alike a familiar yet improved experience. 

The larp will essentially be the same, so this is going to be a rerun, not a sequel. However, there are countless small and a few bigger elements we are planning to change. We have been reading through all the feedback and we’ve had countless conversations with organizers and players regarding what worked and what did not. 

So what can you look forward to in this project? For old players, all the major elements will still be there. The underlying story will be the same, although there will be some adjustments. Some characters will remain unchanged while others will go through significant changes. There will be adjustments and improvements for most gameplay elements and much more love will be given to the civilian side of the larp. For new players, we can safely say this is the larp you do not want to miss. It is going to be an absolutely epic journey onboard a highly immersive spaceship. It will be an experience of a lifetime. 

More details will be released during the upcoming year. Join our Facebook group or check in on this blog to keep up to date with the latest information.

Picture: Ami Koiranen

Picture: Santtu Pajukanta

Ticket prices and ticket sale

While the ticket price has not yet been decided, we already want to let you know that this time around it will be much higher – most likely around 500€, which is on par with other major blockbuster larps. 

The far lower price level of 2019 was only possible due to the insane (and unhealthy!) amount of work our team put into the larp, and we are not willing to put ourselves through that again. While the overwhelming majority of this project will still be done as volunteer work, we want to be able to solve some elements with money (including but not limited to catering). To keep the larp as accessible as possible, we will look into options to offer at least some significantly subsidized tickets as well as the possibility to pay in installments.

Ticket sales will most likely open during autumn 2023, we have all the details for you before that. Currently, we are planning on allocating all tickets via a lottery and not having sponsor tickets that would provide guaranteed access. However, there might be changes to our policies. We might also reserve some spots for those who contribute to making this larp happen.

Picture: Tuomas Puikkonen

Picture: Ami Koiranen

Team recruitment

We have already begun building the team that will undertake this enormous task. Many of those who made the original larp such an awesome experience are already onboard and we hope that many more will join us. We would also like to welcome new faces as well as our old players to join us on this epic journey bringing ESS Odysseus to life once more. 

If you are interested in becoming part of our team, we have a recruitment page where you’ll find more information on the kind of roles we need to fill and how to sign up! This time around our team will be international, so we’ll invite all our non-Finnish speaking friends to join us as well.

Picture: Tuomas Puikkonen

Access to old materials

​We are preparing for the new wave of players and therefore have updated our webpage. Currently there is very little information as we’ll work through the old materials to update them to better reflect the new runs. 

We have also hidden some old blog posts that contain clear spoilers. While some measure of transparency will be inevitable due to the fact that there are over 300 people who have already played the larp and our materials having been public for over 2 years, we still don’t want to have all the secrets and major plot points laid out for our new players. 

For the same reason – and to avoid confusion, as there will be a lot of changes – we are also going to remove access to all the public materials. However, as there might be documents you still want to look at or save before we remove them, we are giving you some time to do so.

Access for public materials will be removed on June 1st 2022. It is likely that the materials will return to the public in some form after the 2024 reruns have been completed.

Picture: Minttu Hopeasuo

Picture: Viima Strengell

​Follow and support our project

So what can you do, besides being excited about the news? 

To make sure you are up to date with all the information about the new runs, join our new Facebook group or check back on our website every now and then! 

We also encourage you to spread the word. Share our teaser trailer and encourage all your friends who missed out in 2019 to join us in 2024! 

We have some small expenses before the ticket sales begin next year. If you want to help us financially, check out our Odysseus shop for all the awesome merch you can get for yourself while helping us cover some of those expenses. 

If you are interested in contributing your time to our project, do check out our recruitment page and sign up to become part of our awesome team! 

Last but not least, if you have some ideas or feedback for us, we have opened a suggestion box where you can submit those! All feedback will be anonymous. However, please do keep in mind that most likely we will not be able to fulfill every wish.

Before turning our eyes to 2024 and the new journey ahead of us, we want to once more thank our amazing players and the incredible crew of over 180 volunteers who made the first three runs of Odysseus possible. We also want to thank all who have inspired us ever since by reminiscing about the larp and telling stories of your experiences. Your kind words and enduring enthusiasm have encouraged us to embark on this journey once more!

Picture: Ami Koiranen

Picture: Viima Strengell

Picture: Viima Strengell

Picture: Tuomas Puikkonen