Practicals
Where do you sleep and shower on a spaceship? What do you eat and how do you acquire your uniform? This blog post aims to answer all your questions about the practicalities of attending Odysseus – First Light. You’ll find useful info here even if you are a seasoned Odysseus veteran, but especially if you are new to larping in Finland or larping in general.
This blog post expands on information available on Practicals page and aims to explain the reasons and restrictions behind these decisions.
When can I play?
The estimated game dates for Odysseus – First Light are available on our practicals page and in our Indiegogo campaign page. These are still subject to change until we open the run selection in May 2026. We try to keep the information contained in just these two places, so that there is no old information around, should some of the dates change. We have now updated these dates by adding information of two documented runs as well as two local runs (Finnish and Swedish).
When the crowdfunding is done, each ticket holder gets to choose which run they want to attend. The sign-up link will be sent out in several waves, based on the order in which backers joined the crowdfunding. The earlier you back the project, the earlier your wave is to secure a spot in your preferred run.
What’s the schedule of the game like?
The first day of the event is always Friday. Before the larp begins you’ll attend briefings and workshops designed to introduce you to the ship, your character’s tasks, and your contacts and groups. The game itself will begin on Friday evening and run non-stop for the next 48 hours. The two nights in-between are fully in-game and accommodation is provided at the venue. The larp will end in the early evening on the third day (Sunday). After the larp there are structured debriefs and an afterparty, and you are welcome to stay for one additional night. The event ends and we will say our goodbyes on Monday morning.
Day 1: Arrival, pre-game briefings, and the beginning of the larp
Day 2: A full day immersed in the larp
Day 3: The larp comes to an end in the evening, followed by a post-game debriefing and an afterparty
Day 4: Farewells and departure
Picture: Viima Strengell
Where is all this happening?
Our venue is located in the Greater Helsinki area, Finland. We currently have several suitable options for the venue scouted, and the location will be confirmed once the crowdfunding is successful.
How do I travel to the venue?
You can access the venue easily from Helsinki-Vantaa airport, either through safe and fast public transport, or by a shuttle bus, depending on the confirmed venue. Travel costs are not included in the ticket price and each participant is responsible for arranging their own travel.
Are all runs in English?
The games are run in English and all information will be provided in English. If there is enough demand, we can organize a Swedish run and/or a Finnish run. In these runs the information is still provided in English, but the language spoken in the run is Finnish or Swedish, and player coordination and support will be provided accordingly in the language of the run. These runs will be marked clearly. If there is no language stated for the run, the game will be in English.
How old do I need to be to attend?
Participants must be at least 18 years old. The game is intense and has some heavy themes only suitable for adult players. Mild alcoholic beverages are also sold during the event. However, there may be some events designed for younger players later. Our goal is also to keep organizing Odysseus – First Light and other adventures, so do not despair, young player! If everything goes according to plan, you’ll get a chance to board the space ship in the future.
How accessible is the game?
The experience includes light physical activity, typical to immersive roleplay. While we aim to ensure accessibility wherever possible, certain roles and gameplay elements may involve limitations. All main areas in the venue will be wheelchair accessible, but some specific spaces, such as fighter cockpits and engineer tunnels, will not be. Land missions for the marines will take place outside the main venue, primarily in forests and other mildly challenging terrain, with players transported to these missions by van. Full accessibility information will be provided in advance of the event.
Picture: Viima Strengell
Can I sell or gift my ticket to someone else?
For reasons concerning player safety, each ticket is personal to the participant and cannot be transferred or resold unless clearly otherwise stated. The person purchasing the ticket is the one attending the event. Direct refunds are not available. However, if you cannot attend the run you have a ticket to, contact us as early as possible, and we’ll see what we can do to e.g. change your ticket to another run. In some cases refunds can be agreed on, but these are handled case by case and refunds are not guaranteed.
What do I eat and drink onboard a space ship?
All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) are included in the ticket, as well as smaller snacks in between. Tea, coffee, water, and juice are also included. Most of the food will be vegetarian/vegan and lactose free. We will do our best to accommodate other allergies and special diets. Menus will be available in advance and it will be possible to bring your own snacks and/or meals if you are concerned that the provided meals won't match with your dietary preferences. The decision to offer a primarily vegetarian option is for several reasons including financial, environmental and food quality.
The ship will have a bar with soft drinks and mild alcoholic beverages. During the game time and after party a small selection of (non-alcoholic) drinks is included for the game fee and others are available for an additional cost. Unfortunately due to Finnish alcohol laws, it is not possible to bring your own alcohol to the venue for events where we have our bar open. For safety reasons we ask that you don't get inebriated during the game, and inebriated individuals will be removed from the game if necessary without the right to a refund.
Where do I sleep and shower during the event?
Sleeping will take place in bunk-beds or on single beds in large shared mix-gender rooms divided into smaller sections for additional privacy. Sleeping facilities will be located adjacent to ingame areas but will be out of game. It is possible to remain in character during sleep cycles, but there shouldn’t be any play in the sleeping area, as those spaces are aimed for just sleeping. Respectively all out of game conversations should be had in separate offgame areas and not in the sleeping quarters.
The venue will have modern amenities such as showers and single-occupancy toilets, including wheelchair-accessible facilities. A soundscape will be present throughout the larp, and while we try to ensure that the sleeping quarters will be kept quieter, some events may cause a significant increase in volume, even in the sleeping areas.
There will be no private sleeping areas on the venue, but we are looking for options to co-operate with nearby hotels to offer upgraded sleeping facilities, however this option will come with additional cost if available. Upgrading and improving sleeping conditions will also be the first development target for us if we exceed our goal in crowdfunding or when we have enough excess budget to allocate to it.
Picture: Luka Pajukanta
How do I dress for the larp?
If you play a military character or a member of ship personnel, the ticket will include a uniform piece (a jacket or an overall) with the emblem of the ship where the character is stationed. A style guide will be provided for pants and shoes. You’ll need to acquire these yourself, but these will not be specific products, just easy to find everyday apparel.
Some characters, mainly civilians and Velians, do not wear a uniform. In these cases you’ll have more freedom to interpret the style guide provided as you wish. When acquiring your costume, we encourage you to borrow and/or recycle as much as you can in order to save the environment. We also aim to have some loanable pieces available in the venue for any last minute costume crises.
We will be providing outdoor equipment for characters attending land missions during the cold Finnish winter, but it is up to you to keep warm on your way to the event and back!
Which character will I get?
Characters are assigned to players by organizers based on player preferences and overall game balance to ensure the best possible experience for everyone. We aim to simplify our questionnaire and casting process from what it was in the earlier runs, and prioritize character group wishes in the casting. We will be offering premium tickets with a guaranteed character from one of your top two character group picks. For standard tickets we also aim to find as suitable a match as possible, but unfortunately can not guarantee first picks as the casting in the larp of this scale is always a massive challenge. In addition to your preferred group, we will also ask you about your preferences on characters that have more predefined tasks and responsibilities than others during the game (including leadership roles and in some cases predetermined fate).
To keep casting manageable for us and the characters enjoyable for you, we will make some adjustments to the character profiles. As part of this approach, any romantic storylines written into the characters will be optional and replaceable with e.g. friendships, as we are not able to accommodate gender-based casting preferences. Our aim is to preserve the richness, complexity, and interwoven relationships of each character from the previous runs, while increasing player agency over the direction their character takes.
When it comes to military scifi, some might have worries and expectations regarding gender roles and character competence. We want Odysseus to be as inclusive as possible, so almost all our characters are written gender neutral. In the world of Odysseus, anyone can be anything. Discrimination and inequality based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or physical attributes does not exist in the game world, and any discriminatory behavior based on them is forbidden both in- and off-game.
Picture: Tuomas Puikkonen
How can I avoid certain players?
With the amount of available runs and method of ticket purchase, we cannot use flagging practices common in Nordic and other blockbuster larps. However, once casting for your run has been made, you’ll get a list of all the players cast in that run. If you notice a player you do not want to be in the same event with on the list, please be in contact with us, and we’ll do our best to move you into another run of your choosing. We also invite our participants to notify us of any potentially harmful players and we will proceed on a case by case basis to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.
How do you ensure player safety?
For us, player safety is at the core of any larp. We take the physical and emotional safety of our participants very seriously and keep an eye out for any safety issues throughout the production and will act immediately to solve any issues we encounter.
Unlike interactive theatre and other immersive experiences, where contact with performers is often restricted or forbidden, larp is a participatory form in which interaction and physical proximity with other players is expected and encouraged. To ensure a safe experience for everyone, the game uses clear safety guidelines and mechanics, for example for modelling violent situations. All players are required to follow these. If a player does not follow our safety guidelines, the situation will be addressed and if other methods are not effective, they can be removed from the event during the run.
As is common in Finnish larps, a full-time safety team with first-aid training will be available on site throughout the event. In addition to medical emergencies, they’ll be there for you if you get overwhelmed or tired and need to take a break from the fiction for whatever reason. They can also help you out if there’s anything bothering you, like an out-of-game conflict. You can chat with them confidentially about your game, or just sit and hang out for a while and have some water, snacks, or a hug. A player coordination team is also available before and after the larp to answer any concerns you might have.
Picture: Lenne Eeronketo
Can I take photos during the game?
You have the opportunity to photograph the ship before and after the game, but not during it. We recommend you keep your phone along with other off-game items in the locked/guarded luggage room. There may also be off-game lockers for your valuables, depending on the venue. Some players might not wish to be in photos, and we hope you will respect this also in off-game areas.
A portrait photo of everyone who so wishes will be taken before the game. During the game, however, photographers will only be present in a few predetermined runs. These documented runs are clearly marked, and if you choose to come to these runs, you cannot opt out of being photographed. We will also reserve the right to use photos or videos from these documented runs in our public material after they have been cleared by players and published. Note that by choosing to attend one of the documented runs, you are consenting to photos and videos of you in the game being published by Ellarion Tales. However, there will be plenty of non-documented runs to choose from, if you’d rather not be documented.
Wait, I still have unanswered questions!
No worries, we are here for you! If you have more questions about the practicalities of the event, hit us up on our Discord, email or social media. We’ll be happy to help in any way we can, and help you make sure you’ll have the best space adventure possible!
Header picture: Lenne Eeronketo