My name is Travis Legge. I’m a writer and developer working primarily in tabletop RPGs. I’m the creator of the Odysseys & Overlords setting, the second edition of which is currently funding on Kickstarter. The good folks at Flames Rising have granted me this space to tell you what Odysseys & Overlords is, why it’s cool, and why you should help us make it happen for Odysseys & Overlords Second Edition ^[1].

So, gather round the hearth and let me tell you a tale…

The mortal lands are divided. A dozen kingdoms lie scattered across Pangaea, separated by dangerous wilds filled with bandits and monsters. The bravest mortals act as adventurers, guiding travelers between the kingdoms, killing monsters to thin their numbers, and plundering ruins in search of the lost treasures of the golden age. This is the world of Odysseys & Overlords!

Odysseys & Overlords is an old-school fantasy inspired setting. Most of the gods died in a divine Schism 1000 years ago. Only two gods remain. Chandra, Goddess of the Moon, Justice, Nature, and Life empowers her clerics to work good miracles in her name. Ragnar, God of War, Cold, Death, and the Sea demands his clerics march forth spreading the influence of his domains throughout the world. Both divine beings remain cloistered in their respective seats of power, bound from direct interference with mortal affairs by the terms of their truce.

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The primary action of the setting is set on the continent of Pangaea and the island nations surrounding it. A huge swath of the center of the continent, called The Untamed Gauntlet, has become a wasteland filled with ruins and monsters. Several kingdoms fill the remaining land, each with a different feel. The Easternmost nation, Chandra’s Haven, is a Parliamentary Theocracy which also serves as the launching point of many expeditions into the Untamed Gauntlet. Adventurers leave Chandra’s Haven to pursue treasure in the ample ruins of the region. While many other kingdoms have an interest in the ruins of the Untamed Gauntlet, none supports nearly as many expeditions as Chandra’s Haven.

Odysseys & Overlords is designed to cover a wide range of old-school fantasy inspired play. The Untamed Gauntlet allows for exploration, dungeon crawls, and straightforward adventuring. Chandra’s Haven, the Kingdom of Madrea, and Luxania all offer opportunities for political intrigue. The Shard provides a gothic-horror environment ruled by vampires and populated with monsters of all kinds.

While the first edition of Odysseys & Overlords used the Basic Fantasy rules, we’ve decided to move the Second Edition to Savage Worlds. The fun, fast, and flexible rules of Savage Worlds Adventure Edition ^[2], combined with the additions provided in the SWADE Fantasy Companion ^[3] provide the perfect framework to support this setting! To support the release, and hopefully get Odysseys & Overlords in front of as many people as possible, we’ve turned to Kickstarter!

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Odysseys & Overlords Second Edition ^[1] includes new Ancestries, Edges, Magic Items, Powers, and Creatures. Divine domains are expanded and a method for player characters who wish to become gods to attempt to claim divinity is presented. This book is designed to work seamlessly with Savage Worlds and SWADE Fantasy and includes simple guidelines for using the adventures and gazetteers published for first edition with the new rules, so all that material is still viable!

By backing for as little as $5, you can get a pdf of the completed book! All backers have access to preview pdfs highlighting chapters of the final book, with a new chapter revealed each week.

Learn more and lend your support at Kickstarter.com ^[1]!