Team behind the Odysseus

Our second big team meeting took place a week ago. We have a team of over 50 members by now, and more are recruited through spring! Even though it was not possible for all to attend the meeting, over thirty of us gathered together to enjoy good food and to get to know each other better. We had a chance to share ideas and to present each department’s progress with the others. And now we want to share some of that progress with you and to introduce our teams! 

The organizers of Odysseus can be divided to five teams, though naturally there is a lot of overlap. And it is up to the producers to ensure that the teams communicate with each other and that the overall vision is followed. Here are the teams plus a little sneak peek of what we have done so far and we are planning to do! 

Production team 
The production team is probably the least coherent group, as it takes care of pretty much everything concerning practical arrangements and project management. To this team belong the widely varying subjects of communications, safety, player management, finances, food services, etc. We take care of the players and make sure that everything goes smoothly, and that all the relevant information is available both within the team and for all the players.    
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IT team
The IT team is in charge of all the systems we use. They create the software used by engineers, scientists, medics, and marines. This includes the hand scanner (called HANSCA) used by these character groups. You can log in with your character’s ID tag and perform different tasks depending of your character. For an engineer, HANSCA can be used to fix a gas leak, while a scientist can use it to examine a peace of alien technology, a doctor to scan a patient, or a marine to track a signal. For our engineers, we have several puzzles such as rerouting power by connecting different wires, trying to keep the telemetry within an acceptable range by releasing pressure, or changing a burned fuse. Our IT team also creates the surveillance network in the ship for the needs of the ingame 

security team (as well as the game masters). They also work hard to stream land missions for everyone to see. The team is responsible for creating the integration to the Empty Epsilon space simulation software as well as the scenarios we use within it. And much more that will be revealed later on a blog post of its own! ​

​Technology team
This team takes care of all the lights, sounds, and other effects during the larp. They work closely with the prop and IT teams to create the feeling of actually being on a starship. It is up to them to create proper lighting to support the function of each room and to visualize the different states of the ship. The ship will have at least four different states that all have a distinct feel created through lighting, sound effects, and information provided via info screens. For example hyperdrive jumps (which happens on set intervals) will be clearly visible by sounds and lighting to everyone aboard, not just the bridge crew issuing the commands. Our technology team will be in charge of not only planning but also the acquisition and installation of all our technology. More details on our technology will be available on a later blog post!

Story team
Our story team is responsible for creating the narrative as well as planning and writing all characters in the game. Every character is pre-written with a background, agenda, and meaningful contacts. We have thirteen writers and a few backup ones to create an unforgettable journey for everyone. Our story team plans the overall story arc of the larp and each individual event, mystery, and dilemma to be solved within the game. You will definitely hear a little bit more about the team later on! ​
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Props team
Last, but definitely not the least, is our props team! They are in charge of creating all details - large and small - for the starship Odysseus to come alive. We have a full props plan for the entire ship, and we are really prepared to go the extra mile to make our location as awesome as possible. Our location is pretty awesome in itself, but we have lots of plans for erasing any hints of contemporary feeling from the place, replacing those with the feeling of travelling through the emptiness of space in a fragile tin can. We have plans on how to make our bridge, science lab, medbay, security room, and engine room look incredible - not just in a science fiction way, but unique to the game. 

This will not be an ordinary run-of-the-mill  starship. Our props team plans all uniforms as well as helps in drafting ideas for civilian costuming. The team also creates all the graphics for the game, including all details such as ID cards, posters, instruction guides, and so on. There will be much more information and sneak peeks to the amazing job our props team is doing!
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​We are all super excited to create this experience for you all, and we hope that you are equally excited to embark on this journey!

Laura, Producer of Odysseus

Photos by Essi Vallenius, HANSCA concept by Janne Koponen and prop concept pictures by Mia Makkonen.