When Richard Garriott (now called "General British") and his cohorts at Destination Games started Tabula Rasa, they probably never anticipated wiping the slate clean on their own game more than once in order to get it right. Although the release of this epic MMO is a few years later than expected, they indeed got it right.

Tabula Rasa takes place after a surprise attack on Earth by the Bane - a race of brutal xenophobic aliens - that annihilates most of the planet's population. At Earth's darkest hour, an alien technology was discovered, allowing many to escape through wormholes to a handful of alien planets - worlds filled with other beings willing to fight back. Thus, the Army of the Allied Free Sentients (AFS) was formed. But it was more than luck that saved humanity. For centuries, an altruistic race of aliens called the Eloh had visited Earth (among other planets), leaving behind gifts for the inhabitants to uncover. One such gift was the wormhole technology; another was Logos - a mystical power capable of manipulating matter and energy. The Logos language, created entirely from scratch by Garriott, has a profound role in the game.

In Tabula Rasa, players become a Logos empowered soldier in the AFS. Creating a character involves going through the standard procedures of choosing the initial look (gender, face, etc.), but don't worry about it too much, as collected equipment and armor quickly change your appearance.

Recruits at Tier 1, the grunts, possess non-specific combat functions. Players gain experience by completing missions available from non-player characters scattered across the various worlds. Missions are subject to the ever-changing tide of battle. Some may have multiple means of completion, while others present players with ethical and moral dilemmas. Choices made will create a reputation and affect how certain NPCs and factions treat a player's character. Player's gain experience, level up and earn points to allocate between their attributes (Body, Mind Spirit) and chosen military skills (Shrapnel, Machine Gun, Reflective Armor, Tools, Decay, etc.). A unique Character Cloning System lets players clone their character at any time (as long as they have a clone credit earned during play). This is extremely handy for those who want to explore different classes without leveling up a new character every time.

At Tier 2, players pick their career path. Soldiers (Combat Arms) are the primary damage dealers, while Specialists (Combat Support) use radius-based skills to help teammates. Every class has its own specific Logos powers suited to a specific role. Tier 3 allows players to become more focused. Sappers (requires being a Specialist) are experts at robotic engineering and hacking computers. Biotechs (Specialist) use their knowledge of Logos and manipulating biology to heal teammates, poison enemies or create psychic phenomena. A Commando (requires being a Soldier) dishes out the most firepower and absorbs the most damage, while Rangers (Soldier) focus on stealth and long-range fighting. Tier 4 selections allow for even greater specializations (Demolitionists, Engineer, Exobiologist, Grenadier, Guardian, Medic, Sniper and Spy). Since each role does something completely different ,TR offers a great deal of replay-ability.