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The game Odyssey is a boardgame on Odysseus journey back to Ithaca. Odysseus is also called Ulysses in Latin. The 2 players are gods: Minerva (Athena) and Neptune (Poseidon). Using wings counters, they let Ulysses' ships sailing. Minerva try to move Ulysses to Ithaca, Neptune try to move him to obstacles, that will step by step destroy Ulysses' fleet. This is an uncommon game, Ulysses is moving like a pool ball on a table, bouncing on wind counters. The illustration You can see Ulysses in front of its boat, between Scylla and Charybdis stones (Odyssey book 12). "Immediately after we had got past the island (of Sirens) I saw a great wave from which spray was rising, and I heard a loud roaring sound. The men were so frightened... Then we entered the Straits in great fear of mind, for on the one hand was Scylla, and on the other dread Charybdis" This draw is signed with "Enea78" (Enea Riboldi). Opening of the box The box includes the rules, the map, a die, 50 counters for Minerva, 50 for Neptune, 8 counters for the obstacles, 6 counters for the ships and one raft. The map The map represents the sea between Minor Asia (Troy coast) and the island of Ithaca. It looks empty but in the beginning of the game, the players are putting 8 counters "obstacle zone", each of it using 2 squares. Between any 2 obstacle, you have to let at least 10 squares empty. They also have to be 10 squares far from the Asian coast and Ithaca. The counters The Ulysses' fleet is represented by 6 counters numbered from 1 to 6 and a raft. You start the game with the counter "6" (that means 6 boats) then after each problem, you take the counter with the level below and at least the raft. Each player has 50 winds counters: 5 with a value of 16, 10 of 10, 15 of 8, 20 of 4. The obstacle zones represents the different places where Ulysses risked its life or the life of its shipmate. The rules The rulebook is made of 14 pages in 4 languages (Italian, English, German, French). The object of the game is - for Minerva to drive Ulysses to Ithaca - for Neptune to sunk the ships by throwing them in obstacle zones. Each player places wind counters with a vertical, horizontal or diagonal orientation. Then, the fleet moves, bouncing on map borders and wind counters. A wind counter with a force of 8 push the fleet along 8 squares. The rules describe how to solve different specific case where several wind counters interfere. For instance, "the tempest" is a situation where the fleet moves without end between 4 winds. Such situation is managed like any obstacle zone. When touching an obstacle zone, a combat with one die is made between the two players and decides if Ulysses will lose on boat. There is no difference between the different obstacle. I would have preferred a different rule for each zone, with some reference to the associated legend. Some price (2004-2006):
The ODYSSEY overview reference: W106 A game for 2 players from 15 years on Time of game: from 2 to 4 hours Degree of difficulty: 1 (very easy) Date: 1979 Authors: "Care of International Team planning department" Links: Odyssey on boardgamegeek On a similar background, there is a game called "Odyssee" published by Hexagames and available in Germany: the game; a picture; the shop Iliad and Odyssey in French/English with several beautiful images A book ? Go to your favourite bookstore and buy two 3000 years old books: Iliad and Odyssey, written by Homere 9 century before Christ. I am looking for - a scan of the unpunched counters |
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