Mike Mearls Games
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Odyssey and Patreon Update
🕑 Added 2025-06-24 19:27:17 +0000 UTCAs Odyssey comes together, the path forward to publishing actual products has come into view. I wanted to take some time to walk you through were things are going.
Odyssey is going to be its own game. It uses the 5e interface - skills, abilities, AC, hit points - but is built for a much faster, more streamlined, but still tactically interesting experience. I had thought about using 5e's math, but that goal got in the way of keeping the game streamlined. The math will be roughly similar, but stretching levels 1 to 6 into two apprentice levels and levels 1 to 10 leaves too many gaps for 5e play.
What does that mean if you want content for 5e? Since I am still using the 5e interface, that opens up some interesting possibilities.
Procedural stuff, like exploration, dungeons, social challenges, and so on, use the 5e interface. Those rules will work with minor tweaks in 5e.
Monsters are the big one. Odyssey uses levels and roles for monsters. However, since I still run 5e I am going to write a variant Monster Manual that dumps CR and replaces it with Odyssey's levels and roles.
I might be able to convert the Odyssey character options to 5e, but so far I have found that stretching out to 20 levels leads to an overly bloated design. We'll see, but I am not super optimistic.
So that yields two projects:
Odyssey is my new game. It creates a new framework with character classes with bespoke action economies, backgrounds, skills, and DM tools that make creating and running adventures easier.
For 5e, I'll take those approaches and adapt them. The monster framework for Odyssey only needs to adjust its math to match up with how 5e does things. For instance, Odyssey doesn't add your ability modifier to damage, while 5e does. Combined with the rules for exploration, interaction, and other DM procedures, I'm effectively writing my versions of the DMG and the MM.
So, that's where things are going. Questions or thoughts? Share 'em in the comments!
Comments
Mark Craddock
I'm glad Odyssey is being prioritized and can't wait to to run it at a latter date. On a professional level I own 2 game stores in KY. Shadowdark is my top selling RPG right now. I turn the whole line (Core, 3 Zines, Adventures) 2 to 3 times a month. I turn the three 2024 DnD rulebooks 1-2 times a month. I hope Odyssey will join them in the next few years. I appreciate and respect the hard work the designers do at WotC but I really am not fond of Hasbro/WotC's "leadership" am glad to have alternatives.
