Richard Garriot’s Tabula Rasa (Latin for Clean Slate) is an interesting MMORPG game that rethinks how an MMORPG should be designed. Instead of the typical EQ/WoW style of “grind from level 1 to max level cap” mentality, the game takes the player thru heaps and heaps of interesting quests set in an epic battleground for an ongoing battle for survival while dotted with numerous storylines. Let me simplify the explanation of this game a little bit, you get this large playable area/zone where a lot of things are happening in it. You get bases, various quest giver/storyteller NPCs, countless enemies, rolling battles, and events all happening at the same time or scripted to happen at a certain number of intervals per day. The players take the role of a human soldier trained to fight for survival against evil aliens hell-bent on extermination of all humans or any sentient sufficiently technologically advanced species around the galaxy that opposes them.
All is not lost however as another faction of “near-extinct” advanced alien species has left behind devices and advanced technology knowledge called “Logos” (aka alien technological magic) that may help the human races survive or even put the fight on equal footing against the marauding alien armada. The game has this feel of being an FPS (First-person shooter) but in fact, it is a roleplaying game under the hood as dice rolls (hits, damage, etc.) are done but hidden from player view. One of the most interesting things that I have observed is the respawn of NPCs, in other MMORPGs, when a mob respawns it simply appears out of thin air, in Tabula Rasa you will observe enemy transport vehicles (aircraft) flying to the spawn point from the sky, depositing its cargo of squads of enemy soldiers before flying away. No, you may not shoot down the enemy transport but it adds immensely to the flavor of the environment.
One interesting thing in TR is that bases can be captured, lost, and then recaptured. Bases and outposts are of vital importance to the fight because they provide important resources (vendors, trainers, quest NPCs, etc) as well as the all-important medical centers (respawn point). If you lose a base, you will lose the ability to respawn in that particular area and if you happen to die, you will have to hoof it all the way back to the area where you have died so it is the player’s best interest to defend their bases against enemy attacks. Periodically, squads of enemies will attempt to invade a base, while there are automated defenses (NPC troops and automated defensive laser turrets), these aren’t enough and will eventually wear down without help from players and will be taken over by enemy NPCs. Tabula Rasa has a dynamically generated quest system (quests that change depending on the outcome of certain events in the battlefield) and instanced events that take place inside an instanced dungeon or field that features the players (and his party) as the heroes of the story.
Depending on the moral choices of the players, the storyline may change its outcome. As the players grew in abilities and experience they will need new challenges and each new map or combat zones will feature tougher challenges for the players to overcome. Currently, there are about 3 planet areas featured in the game, more will be added as game content updates.
