ULYSSES LIED
The sole survivor of his troop of soldiers, with the world believing him dead or lost after years withou sightings, Ulysses washes up on the island of Scheria and meets Nausicaa, daughter of the Phaeacian king Alcinous. Moved to pity, the young woman leads him to the palace, where he receives a hero’s welcome by the king and the promise of a ship to return home.
The castaway reveals to Alcinous that after a long series of trials, at the very last hurdle, his crew mates killed several of Zeus’ sacred cattle, and for that grave offence the God of the sky obliterated them all with lightning. Ulysses alone was spared.
Ulysses and his crew sacked and pillaged their way across the Great Sea, stealing treasures and oppressing its peaceful people. His ship bore no flags and the raiders’ faces were concealed so as to avoid being recognised.
But the lost song of the Sirens tells of a small band of true heroes which acted, unbeknownst to their captain, to foil him and save as many people as possible from his bloodthirst. Their plan was to overthrow the tyrant Ulysses and end his streak of violence, but the legends do not say whether they succeeded.
Now, you are tasked with telling the true tale of the Odyssey.
Odyssey – Black Tales is a roleplaying game that asks you to tell the true tale of Ulysses’ crew, following his journey through the Mediterranean. You’ll face a voyage into the unknown, shoulder to shoulder with pirates led by a man as cunning as he is skilled with the sword.
You can choose to play as Raiders, taking part in the pillaging and attempting to survive until the spoils of war are shared (fools!), or as Saviours, scrambling to save the peoples of the sea without being caught, and finally to gather allies and weapons to overthrow Ulysses when the time is Right.
TO PLAY SOLO: The manual will include rules to play Odyssey as a journaling game, with various prompts to select on every dice roll which will guide you in filling the ship’s log. You’ll be keeping track of resources and allies while the choices you make will determine both your fate and that of the people of the Great Sea.
FOR 2+ PLAYERS: A duet journaling game in which one player is always part of Ulysses’ raiding party while the other changes roles to represent the various peoples being attacked by the ancient hero. Each scene is divided into three phases:
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The Encounter: in which the Raider meets the people of the Sea, which could reveal themselves to be friendly or hostile. The reaction of these peoples will be decided by a roll of the die on the Reaction Table, but the player representing them will have agency on their judgement.
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The Pact: The Raider will attempt to forge a secret alliance, risking Ulysses’ fury should the man find out. The Raider can deceive the people they meet to make pillaging easier, or stay true to their word as a Saviour in order to gain potential allies. In the latter case, a roll of the dice will determine whether Ulysses discovers the secret pact or promotes the Raider for their misdeeds.
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The Pillaging: Where the Raider’s true intentions are revealed, and betrayal or bonding follow suit, according to what was said in the Pact. A roll of the dice determines the result of the eventual raid.
FOR 3+ PLAYERS: Players will traverse the seas as Raiders or, as above, interpret the peoples who are being attacked and oppressed by Ulysses’ pirates. The manual includes an original Old School ruleset developed by Andrea Rossi accompanied by maps, classes, magic items, equipment and monsters inspired by the Homeric poem.
Odyssey – Black Tales is a game about deceit, danger and betrayal. Ulysses is the king of liars and he will soon discover the help given to the people of the Great Sea. Raiders will have to, on occasion, lie to them in order to avoid being discovered, condemning them to a grim fate.
