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Odysseys

“Even so I yearn day after day, longing to reach home, and see the hour of my return. And if some god should strike me, out on the wine-dark sea, I will endure it, owning a heart within inured to suffering. For I have suffered much, and labored much, in war and on the seas: add this then to the sum.”

- The Odyssey, Book V, 243-248

An odyssey is an undertaking so big (one might even say, so epic), it can only be accomplished through the use of multiple quests. An odyssey generally has one overarching goal that unites the a series of quests, and the tasks they contain. An odyssey might have a finite endpoint, or it might be more abstract—the important thing is that it’s BIG.

(In non-heroic terms, an odyssey is a category into which you can sort your quests.)

For example, an adventurer (let’s call him “Odysseus the Cunning”) might have one overarching goal: “Return Home to Ithaca.” To achieve that goal, our heroic adventurer will need to complete several individual quests, including (but not limited to):

• Defeat the Trojans
• Escape the Cyclops
• Go to the Underworld
• Avoid Sea Monsters

Each of these quests might contain a number of tasks. For example, to complete “Go to the Underworld,” Odysseus must do the following:

1. Sail across the ocean.
2. Reach the harbor at the Western edge of the world.
3. Sacrifice to the dead.
4. Summon the dead prophet Tiresias.

Accomplishing all of these tasks completes the quest, and moves Odysseus the Cunning one step closer to completing his odyssey. Now if only he could stop running afoul of the gods…

Is your quest log bursting at the seems? Why not hide some of quests and odysseys by collapsing them? Click the minus sign (-) to the right of the quest/odyssey name. This will collapse the quest/odyssey, and only the name will be shown. Clicking the plus sign (+) that appears to the right of the collapsed quest/odyssey name will expand the quest/odyssey again.





Adventurer’s Tip #27

Need some examples of when you might want to create an odyssey?

• To keep track of all of your schoolwork for various different classes over the course of a semester. Each class would be its own quest, and assignments for those classes would be tasks.
• When you’re managing a number of different work projects all at once.
• Preparing for a major event, or a big trip: anything that requires a lot of planning and organization.