Tabula Rasa Developer Diary

IGN brings us a new developer diary for Tabula Rasa, in which designer Paul Sage talks about the game's player vs. player system.
There are two basic types of PvP in Tabula Rasa. The first of these is called 'wargames'. Wargames can be conducted by individual players wishing to 'duel' each other, or as squad based challenges where two teams square off against each other. These are meant to be short, consensual affairs that only last until the battle is over, or one of the two sides surrenders. They are not persistent events like Clan Wars, which I will discuss in a moment.

During a wargame, players will have the opportunity to challenge one another and decide, after viewing a summary of the other participant's stats, whether or not to accept the challenge. While on a squad, only the squad leader can offer or accept a challenge to a wargame. Once engaged, the wargame will last until one side wins or surrenders. But, the players should remember that these skirmishes are taking place in the middle of an intergalactic war. So, if the players happen to come under attack by enemy forces, they can still be attacked and killed, at which time they would lose the wargame. Those are the breaks for fighting within the AFS ranks in enemy territory.