PUBLISHER: WIZARDS OF THE COAST | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Mythic Odysseys Of Theros is the latest setting book for the world’s most played RPG, Dungeons and Dragons. This time round the flavour of fantasy is Greek Myths. Well sort of. Theros is a setting that comes from the Magic The Gathering card game and though it’s very inspired by the ancient stories, details have been changed to make a much more high fantasy settings.
This means Satyrs and Minotaurs become playable races, as do Centaurs, Triton and the cat-like Leonin. You can also be a Human (of course), but the ‘core’ fantasy races are excluded from the campaign, so no gnomes or elves (unless you’ve a very kind DM). Characters also get a supernatural gift, a touch of power that marks them as heroes. They may have a heroic destiny, a lifelong companion, the power of prophecy or crafted by the hammer of the gods themselves. This gives the setting a unique flavour and feel.
The gods also get a make-over. The gods of Theros are clearly inspired by Zeus and chums, but they’ve been reimagined, renamed and redesigned to have not only a more high-fantasy vibe but also be more playable. This is because unlike many other D&D games, the gods are expected to be active participants in your adventures. Players can earn divine favour with them if they so wish, and these are useful bonuses. Of course, the gods want mortals to do things for them and it’s not easy to keep these fickle beings happy all the time. The characters are the playthings of the gods whilst also being responsible for their own destiny; this inherent conflict means that the game will never be short of drama or story.
On top of all that, this is a detailed campaign setting. We have locations to explore, dungeons to delve, towers to climb and monsters to fight. Some of the treasures are particularly evocative and pretty much everything in this book can inspire a whole adventure or side-quest. The Underworld is particularly well done, meaning that character death can be extremely memorable and epic. It is of course, beautifully illustrated and well-designed so it’s easy to use during play.
If you’re looking for something both different yet familiar, or you just want to do The Odyssey but as a D&D game, this is an invaluable book. Recommended for any D&D player who wants to add a touch of the mythic and legendary to their games. Epic storytelling for the epic gamer.
