Paolo Setrini gazed nervously at the caravel bobbing gently at the end of the pier. Workmen still swarmed over her like ants, trying to make the old girl as seaworthy as possible. Twenty, even ten years ago father would have commissioned a brand new vessel for the voyage Paolo was about to take, but reversals in the family fortunes now made that impossible. Still, if he and his friends could succeed in opening a new trade route to the East, he thought, the days of wealth and glory might live again.

Just then the loud snapping sound of a spar breaking and cries of alarm shook Paolo from his reverie. Of course, he thought grimly, that assumes we all don't drown first.

Introduction

One of the common problems with running any role-playing campaign is being able to conduct adventures on a consistent basis and maintaining campaign coherency. The other demands upon both the Gamemaster's and the players' time often prevent regular sessions, or at least cause frequent disruptions in the regular schedule. Trying to figure out what to do with a missing character can waste half the night. The Odyssey campaign was designed as a response to this problem. The action centers around the voyage of a single vessel to far off lands in search of fabled wealth. The ship's intrepid crew is nominally led by the young scion of a down-at-the-heels merchant family, seeking to restore its fortune and position with a desperate voyage into the unknown.

Each of the players assumes the role of one member of the ship's compliment, and the adventures take place at various ports-of-call along the way to a legendary land of riches. Because adventures can be easily and logically separated by time and space, the campaign can be as episodic as necessary to suit an individual gaming group's schedule. At the same time, the underlying rationale for the campaign unites the player characters and is easy to remember despite long breaks in the action. The cast of characters can be conveniently altered at any given port, accommodating newcomers and player attrition alike. The Odyssey campaign also allows players to take on several roles with a character for every sort of adventure. And, if a character's player is not present for a given session, that character can always just stay on the boat.

Getting Things Rolling

The first session of the campaign should focus on preparations for the journey and character creation. Unless the Gamemaster wishes otherwise, it is possible to run this session without combat or even finished characters. Everyone roleplays their characters, interacting with one another and non-player characters in order to get the ship outfitted, supplied, and manned. Some or all of the player characters may be hired, or assigned by their family or employer, to man the ship. In addition to getting to know one another, the characters may want to research their intended route by consulting local sages, interviewing old sailors on the docks, or even stealing charts from rival merchant families or other vessels. It would be very interesting to have one player as the first mate interviewing a few potential sailors, and then having the other players prepare more than one character to see which one the first mate chooses. If the GM is running the captain, a good first mate will know what to look for in a seaman. A first mate with ulterior motives on the other hand!

The first session ends when the party finally sets sail, with friends waving goodbye from the docks, or maybe an angry mob waving torches and clubs. After the session has ended, the players' characters may be finalized, their personalities, motivations, and basic natures being well established by the evening's events.

Character Types

With the hiring of the navigator, Paolo finally had his crew. Sailors, warriors, merchants, scholars ! adventurers all -- he just hoped they were trustworthy. Paolo even took on a passenger at the last minute, despite his better judgment. He didn't particularly care for the foreigner, but he needed the money to finish outfitting the ship!

Below is a partial list of character archetypes suitable to the Odyssey campaign, with tips on how each one can be linked to the overall plot. Although final character generation may be left until after the first game session, every player needs to select, at the very least, an archetype before play begins.

The Young Merchant

This young adult has been entrusted by his or her family to undertake a great voyage to save the family from ruin. Being chosen to lead the expedition is not necessarily an honor. It's entirely likely that no one wanted to go around the world, and junior got the job by default. Worse yet, the youngster's siblings may be fervently hoping he or she never returns, as the inheritance is going to be pretty skimpy as it is (insert sibling rival here).

The Young Merchant character is likely to be educated, and will have basic merchant skills such as trading, mathematics, and bribery. She may also have some minor magical ability or the combat skills befitting a gentleman, e.g. fencing. A Young Merchant from a prosperous family may be arrogant as well, making her difficult for crew members to like.

The Speculator

This character may be played in conjunction with or instead of the Young Merchant character described above. The Speculator is an up and coming merchant who hopes to short cut years of hard work with one bold venture. He has sunk everything into the ship and its cargo. His journey will take him to distant spice mines, or run aground when he encounters an unchartered island. If the mission fails, the Speculator is ruined; if it succeeds he'll never have to work again.

In order to obtain the funds to launch this venture, the character may have incurred debts, taken on partners, or misled investors which will come back to haunt him later. These characters may have decided he needs to be watched and either gone along on the journey or sent someone loyal to watch him. Charm and guile carry the spectacular through life. A little luck helps too.

The Loyal Retainer

A life-long servant of the Young Merchant's family, the Loyal Retainer is going along to see that the young master stays out of trouble. Probably much older, the Loyal Retainer may have a wide array of skills, but should still begin as a low-power character. If she were too valuable, it is unlikely that her employer would send her on such a risky venture. Combat skills may prove important, especially if the Young Merchant has a penchant for making their own trouble, but a lot of life experience will be more logical. One plot twist may involve the Loyal Retainer developing an agenda of her own, perhaps at the expense of the Young Merchant and his family, or at the expense of someone else's purse!

The Seaman

There will undoubtedly be several of this archetype on board, even if they are all non-player characters. The ship's captain, first mate, and navigator all make ideal player characters in the Odyssey campaign. A captain fills the role of a veteran Seaman that knows the core of sailing. A smart merchant knows that the ship will not sail itself, and the crew are more willing to respect someone that has paid his dues to the sea. A first mate, is the captains loyal right hand. Almost every fable has tales of the loyal henchman that served the captain's wishes without fail. A strong first mate knows his place. A navigator knows the shipping lanes and sleeps with his charts. Sailors make up the remaining bulk of the ship.

The Seaman may have a wide variety of skills acquired during his travels, including combat experience, ship etiquette and superstitions, knowledge of foreign lands and cultures, gambling and a host of other "sinful" vices. See this month's "Shipwrecks" article for more on the protocol of Seamen on high sea adventures.

A Seaman character may be very attached to the vessel, or just recently hired to sail her, depending on his background and the player's wishes. A captain who is very fond of his "fine ship" and a first mate who constantly curses the "leaky bucket" can provide amusing interplay.

The Man-at-arms

This archetype is the classic fighter. She may be a hired mercenary, a sailor with military experience, a pirate gone straight, or a retainer of the Young Merchant's family. The character is open to any number of motivations, and several of this type may be needed depending on the desired lethality of the campaign. Combat skills should vary to keep the Man-at-arms characters interesting.

The Scholar/Bard

A character of this archetype sees the voyage as a tremendous opportunity. By joining the venture, the scholar or bard hopes to gain knowledge or experience that will provide inspiration for his or her magnum opus. Most Scholars are solitary and will spend most of their time between ports below deck reading and studying. The Bard however, will be intrigues by Sailor customs and morays and may spend almost of his time interrogating sailors for songs, stories, folk tales, and legends. The information, diplomatic skills, and languages known by the Scholar or Bard should prove invaluable to the ship's crew over the course of the campaign.

The Foreign Passenger

The Foreign Passenger has little interest in the eventual success of the voyage, as long as it gets her closer to home. Depending on where home is, however, the character may be with the ship for a long time, and might make and ideal guide. A great deal of money is great asset for the Foreign Passenger who spends her time on shore in classy hotels and taverns while the the majority of the crew settle for the wharf district. It would be easy to mix the Foreign Passenger with any of those above, but finding a more unique angle may prove just as rewarding. Someone with limited language skills may find life aboard the ship difficult. An educated passenger may find the simple manners of the Seamen unnerving, and their tales tasteless and depraved. A Foreign Passenger may also be traveling with their family, pets, or other.

Furthermore, there may be complications when the Foreign Passenger reaches her destination, depending on why she left in the first place, and what has happened there in the meantime. This role is very suitable for a magic wielding character.

The Stowaway

For many reasons, a character not invited aboard or that hasn't paid to join the ship's crew may decide to slip on board anyway. The Stowaway may merely be a youngster seeking adventure, a son or daughter escaping home life, or more likely a criminal or seedy person fleeing someone or something. The law, creditors, famine, poverty, abusive parents/employers/owners, and forced marriages all provide great rationales for the Stowaway to leave home and join the other player characters on their adventure.

Limited, or esoteric skills can make the Stowaway interesting at a Port of Call, but the duration of her journey will be spent cleaning and performing steward duties; not to mention making a few coin as a rich passenger's porter.

The Rival

Lucio watched the sail disappear over the horizon and smiled. If that old fool Setrini thinks he can save himself by sending his stripling son Paolo on a suicide mission, he mused, then let him. Nevertheless, Lucio did not become the wealthiest merchant in town by leaving such things to chance. His agent on board Paolo's ship will see to it the mission fails, and then Lucio will call in the notes he has secretly purchased over the years, and all the Setrini holdings will be his!

A common feature of many successful campaigns is a good villain. The Odyssey campaign does not lend itself to the same type of arch-foe as a typical quest style game. There are however, still ways for the Gamemaster to incorporate the "bad guy" into the Odyssey campaign in the form of the Rival.

The Rival's primary goal is to ensure the failure of the player characters' venture, and his alternate goal is to acquire the benefits of their voyage for himself. If it appears that the voyage is likely to succeed, the Rival may well sit back and wait to catch the characters unaware as they return home flushed with success. The Rival could be a competing merchant or a family rival of the Young Merchant character.

The Rival will try to work through intermediaries whenever possible. The player characters may find ports closed to them due to the Rival's influence. Goods and supplies sold to them may turn out to be defective -- a fact not discovered until after the ship has put to sea. Faulty charts, bad advice, and spoiled provisions may all plague the ship's crew, compliments of the Rival. One of their own shipmates might even be an agent of the Rival, working surreptitiously to foil their efforts at every turn. All of these events are even more likely if the Rival has the means to travel to or communicate with his allies in foreign ports before the party can get there.

Any of the character's mentioned above can be allies of the Rival, and groups fond of backstabbing and cutthroat maneuvering may find this sort of campaign more enjoyable with a few "plants" aboard the ship.

Adventure Seeds

He knew young master Paolo was going to get into trouble sooner or later, but he never imagined that he'd accidentally get betrothed to a barbarian princess! "When Master Paolo's father finds out that I let this happen, he'll dismiss me for sure!" he mutters to himself. Still if he hurries maybe he and the others can think of a way out of this mess before it is too late.

In addition to standard fantasy fare such as pirates, sea monsters, freak storms, and tales of lost or sunken treasure, the following are possible fodder for adventures in an Odyssey campaign.

With Friends Like These!

The ship's crew is warmly received by the local ruler. The characters are invited to lavish dinners, plied with wine and pleasant companionship, and receive promises that trade agreements are forthcoming. In the meantime, agents of the ruler pump the characters for information about their homeland, its location, customs, wealth, and defenses, all the while hospitably showing the characters around town and cheerfully answering all their questions.

The local ruler actually intends to raid the characters' homeland, and wants to get as much information from them as possible. The ruler's spies have been given permission to be very open with the "guests", whose eventual execution has been planned ever since they dropped anchor.

Plague Ship

A disease is ravaging the ship's crew, and time is running out. They put into port to get water and medical assistance, and are promptly quarantined. Unfortunately, the local authorities seem content to let the plague run its course and then burn the vessel to the waterline. The players must find a way to elude their guards and get help, while dealing with the ethical dilemma of possibly infecting others. A time limit on the sort of adventure provides the game with added tension.

One possible twist to this plot is to have the city ravaged by the plague instead. The ship's crew must risk infection to get the supplies they need, and may be called upon by the local rulers to undertake a mission of mercy to find a cure. Will they return with supplies once they've taken coin and "barterable" goods from the populace?

Shotgun Wedding

One of the lads met a lovely girl while on shore, and now finds himself engaged! It's not that he doesn't like the lass, but marriage wasn't in his plans. All he did was buy her a drink and flirt a little, but her relatives assure him that if he does not marry her and preserve her honor he'll come to a bad end. He'd just get on the ship and stay there until it left port, except that damages from a recent storm will keep them dockside for several weeks while repairs are made.

The party must find a way to rescue their shipmate from forced matrimony without starting a blood feud. Thus the scene is set for a wedding feast none of the guests will ever forget. A Seaman that is already married will find himself in very deep trouble, and a first mate with loyal ties to the captain may not be fond of the land-locked life of marriage.

Smuggler's Blues

In the hills surrounding this scenic port, the local farmers raise a rare animal whose fleece is unparalleled for softness, strength, and beauty. Unfortunately, the local ruler has forbidden their sale or export under pain of death, and the darn things are finicky eaters, foul-tempered, and noisy as hell. But if the party can find a way to get just a few of these animals, alive and healthy, to a friendly market they could make a killing. And, if they do smuggle one aboard there's the issue of cleaning up after it!

Becalmed

The wind has died and the ship is stranded with no land in sight. Food and fresh water are running out, and the men are going buggy from the lack of action. Worse still a psychopath is loose on board! Someone amongst the crew is poisoning the food, staving in water barrels, murdering sailors in their sleep, slashing the sails, and doing other evil deeds. The crew is nervous, even mutinous, and if the wind doesn't pick up soon there is going to be trouble. This works well with a Rival who has agents aboard or a Foreign Passenger whose religious motives and customs have now come into question.

When in Rome!

It is festival time in this port city. The weary crew members are invited to be the guests of honor, only to find that their role includes performing a ritual they find unpleasant, even abhorrent! They can't bring themselves to participate, but to refuse and thus insult their hosts could get them all killed. Do they grin and bear it, make a run for it, or can they make it look like they are playing along when they really aren't?

A Damsel in Distress

While seeing the local sights, one or more of the characters encounter a beautiful princess from a neighboring kingdom, who hails them from a tower window. She promises them great rewards if they will help her escape and return to her father's court. The party must plot her escape and then smuggle her out of the country without getting caught.

If the Gamemaster wants to complicate matters, when they return the girl to her father, they discover that she had been betrothed to the prince of the realm they just left. He does not want her back, and their actions have precipitated a minor war!

Uncle Sam Wants Your Ship

Shortly after dropping anchor in the harbor of what appeared to be a nice, quiet city, the ship is boarded by a group of soldiers. Their leader informs the ship's captain that a state of war exists between the city and its nearest neighbor, and that he has orders to appropriate the vessel for the war effort and conscript its crew. The merchants and other non-essential passengers may disembark, of course, but they may not leave the city until hostilities have ceased.

The party may decide to fight then and there and hope to make a break for the open sea, but they might run afoul of the city's navy, or its enemy up the coast. Besides, they are very low on supplies, including food and water. Other possible solutions include ransoming the ship and crew, or volunteering for service -- adopting the city's cause or with the intent of deserting as soon as it is convenient.

Rough Justice

One member of the crew ran into trouble with the port authorities, and was thrown into the local hoosegow. Nobody will tell him (or his friends) what the charges are, except to say that the penalty is death, maiming, or a lifetime of slavery! The characters must discover what the crime was, how the local legal system works, and either clear their friend or break him out of jail before it's too late.

The Scholar may prove useful in this situation, or may hold out to see what's in it for him. NPC Scholar's of nefarious GMs may hate the crew member and want to see him pay for his crimes. Foreign Passenger's may also be skilled in the knowledge of the situation, but are likely to act selfishly for no apparent reason, which may come to light later as a bizarre cultural expectation that makes no sense to the crew.

Bounty Hunter

The Stowaway thought he escaped whoever was hunting him when he slipped on board. He was wrong. Now they're back, and in a foul mood to boot. Does the crew stand up for and protect the Stowaway? Even if they don't, will whoever is hunting him hold the crew responsible for his earlier escape? If the Stowaway's enemy has a lot of power and influence, and is willing to track the fugitive across oceans and continents, the player characters could be in big trouble. And how did the Bounty Hunter find the Stowaway? Did someone drop word in the last port?

Refugees

The ship docks at an isolated port which has been ravaged by war, and the player's ship is the first sign of humanity the locals have seen in months. The citizens of the island are desperate to escape the decimated town. It is certain that they would be willing to give up what few belongings they own in order to find a ship which will take them off the island. The ship, whoever, has enough room for only eight people.

Conclusion

It was hard for Paolo to believe that it had been two years since he had set sail from this very dock. With the riches and information he had obtained on his long voyage, there was no need for him to ever leave home again. He would go first to the family manor, and then to the authorities to expose Lucio and his evil plots. It was funny. Paolo had long dreamed of this day, but now that it was here he couldn't help but think he was going to miss his friends, his battered caravel, and his life of adventure as one of her crew!

The Odyssey campaign can be brought to a final conclusion when riches are obtained and the ship returns home, its crew members ready to settle down to a well-earned life of luxury. Of course, it doesn't have to be that simple. Things may have changed drastically in the characters' absence. War, disease, natural disasters, and the machinations of the Rival may have destroyed everything that they remember, forming the basis for another adventure or even an entire campaign. In the alternative, the player characters may decide not to go home. After all, Marco Polo spent twenty years in China before returning to Italy. The beauty of the Odyssey campaign is its flexibility. So stock up on supplies, assemble your crew, and set sail!

Name Your Ship

All ships are she. All ships have names. The owner of the ship is the only one with the right to name her. If you hire a shipwright to build her, than she should be named, christened, and then finally set sail. Allowing players to name their ship, or sticking them with an omenous sounding name, can add a lot of flavor to your game. Besides, if people are going to complain about being on it, the least they can do is refer to it properly. Sources

I highly recommend the following books and articles as sources of inspiration to a gamemaster or player in an Odyssey campaign. The National Geographic articles, in particular, are useful in that they include wonderful details and photographs of full size replicas of the historic vessels whose journeys the author retraced.

"In the Wake of Sinbad", Tim Severin; National Geographic, July 1982, pp. 2-41.
The Far Kingdoms, Allan Cole and Chris Bunch; Ballantine, 1993.
The Odyssey, Homer, translated by E.V. Rieu; Penguin Books, 1951.
"The Quest for Ulysses", Tim Severin; National Geographic, August 1986, pp. 197-225.
The Travels, Marco Polo, translated by R.E. Latham; Penguin Books, 1958.