This Persistent Life: Tabula Rasa Giving players a story filled with choice

This week's guest columnist discovers how playing Tabula Rasa not only changed the way he looks at the genre, but helped him out of a sticky situation.

I'm locked in this gas station bathroom wishing to god I hadn't eaten that super burrito at Poncho Villa two hours ago. This place looks like a scene from the movie Saw and I'm so uncomfortable that I can't stop sweating, and it's not just the smell or the graffiti on the walls. I can't get this damn toilet to flush and I know that that skinny white girl who was in here before me, the one I mistook for a cast member from High School Musical is to blame.

I keep telling myself if I just close my eyes, hold my breath, and stick my hand in the tank, I could pull on the chain and make this nightmare go away. But all I can do right now is listen to the stranger on outside pounding on the door and wish there was a window I could climb out. Sometimes life really does boil down to deciding whether "To flush, or not to flush".

These choices have consequences

These choices have consequences

Cleanliness is all about a good plan

The pounding is getting louder and I can hear this guy shouting at me, and by the tone of his voice I picture him looking like a Big Daddy.

"Almost done in here.... Just another minute," I shout frantically. The toilet's starting to overflow and I really don't want to get blamed for this mess.

Think... Think...Think...I've got it!

Thank god I played Tabula Rasa early in the evening because it's providing me with the building blocks, three solid steps, for my plan. Time is of the essence so I begin taking off all of my clothes.

1. These actions have consequences

In all my experience playing MMO's I've never felt pressured to put much thought behind my choices. Deciding to take on a quest or a mission was simply motivated by an endless cup of coffee, an addiction to a persistent world, and tons of loot and items. Tabula Rasa is changing all of this, and not only reshaping the way I'm looking at what an MMO can be, but how the hell I'm getting out of this bathroom.

Early in the game I'm faced with decision to turn over a thief who's been selling stolen pharmaceuticals to soldiers on the front line, or join him in the profit making. I figure that if I help the guy distribute his stole wares not only will I have a few extra bucks, but I will be helping those who need the medicine the most get it quicker. So yes, I'm getting naked in public, and sure, I might go to jail, but in the end the guy who needs the bathroom as bad as I did will get to it quicker and I won't be blamed for this mess.

The final steps for escape...

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