Welcome - Introducing The World

Odyssey is a live roleplaying game set in a mythical version of the classical world, but one step removed from our own.

In the aftermath of Alexander the Great’s failed attempt to overthrow the gods, the military power of the five major nations of the Mediterranean is in ruins. Now each nation is dominated by warbands who battle for control over lands that were once part of Alexander’s empire. Bands of champions travel beyond the edge of civilization to vanquish the monstrous guardians of great treasures. Philosophers research the secrets of the universe and priests look to the heavens where powerful and capricious gods toy with the souls of mankind.

Each Odyssey event is set on Atlantis, which the Fates have revealed from mists and storms at the behest of the gods to host a festival known as the Annual. These same gods watch over everyone who enters Atlantis.

At the centre of Odyssey is the Great Game.

Warleaders and their champions will fight in bloody combat in the arena. Victory in these battles confers control over the wealth and resources of lands and cities, from the temples of Greece to the desert regions of Africa. Winning in the arena will give real advantages as the campaign develops. Success in the Great Game will also involve diplomacy, allegiances and all manner of devious plotting.

The machinations of the gods are made manifest through their priests. The gods only rarely walk the earth themselves, instead priests are summoned to their divine presence to receive edicts and account for the behaviour of their fellow mortals. Each nation has its own pantheon of gods who fight their own battles through their mortal agents. Beyond the gods are the enigmatic Fates. These creatures abjure all mortals and their trivial concerns. The gods, though, fear them and that is enough for most to know.

Magic is new to mortals and distrusted by many: philosophers from all nations work to discover its power. Alchemists pursue rites, potions and preparations that can change the nature of the world; physicians seek to balance and influence the four humors of the body, healing the sick and wounded of their nation. At the Annual, great mysteries can be performed to strengthen whole nations or bring kingdoms low.

Atlantis also offers the opportunity for any hero to gain glory and treasure through undertaking quests. Bands of brave souls may travel through mystical Gates of Horn and Ivory to far off or hidden places. The objectives of these expeditions vary, but there is great reward for the daring. There are promises of riches and power for those heroes who placate the gods and dire warnings for those who would risk their wrath.

Those who attend the Annual do so for the glory of their nation and their gods. Warleaders seek victory in the arena rather than the death of their enemies. Crimes such as murder and theft are crimes against the gods - and few would be that stupid.

While the Odyssey designers have drawn extensively on real history for background, ideas and concepts, the game is set in a mythic world where legends and stories are true and where the gods are a real and tangible force. History has been used just as much as Homer and Harryhausen to create the world of Odyssey, and we recommend that players take the same broad approach to find the most fun in the game.