A night with Richard Garriott

As a game journalist who has been doing this work for nearly four years now, I must say I’ve had the chance to experience some rather interesting events along the way.

But none, and I mean none, compare to the night that NCsoft gave a select group of us on Wednesday night at the home of Lord British himself, Richard Garriott, in Austin, Texas. Filled with genuine mystery and suspense, the night was a very carefully planned immersion tactic that certainly left an impression on all of us that we’ll never forget.

Usually, press events are relatively simple and calm. They’re either at some swanky hotel, club, or warehouse and often times focus on the real meat and potatoes of a game. Wednesday night, however, had none of that.

Instead of focusing on the actual gameplay and inner workings of the game we were all there to see, the upcoming MMO Tabula Rasa, we were instead beat over the head with the actual back story of what Tabula Rasa is – an apocalyptic earth which was devastated by alien life forms and we as humans have found unconscious powers to fight them.

The night started at around 5:30 p.m. as we all packed into two buses ready to take us from our hotel to Britannia Manor 2 (Richard’s second and most-broken into home). Keep in mind, we were told nothing of what to expect here in Austin. All we knew is that we were going to Richard’s house and to wear comfortable shoes. Beyond that, we were clueless as to what would happen between the time we left and the time we were told we’d be back, 1:30 a.m.

After an extremely-obvious fake pull-over by Austin’s finest along the highway, the tone for the night was clearly set: We were all part of Richard’s fantasy world and we were all part of his game. As we waited on the side of the road, men in black entered the buses with pictures of wanted men in tow. After about 10-15 minutes of this charade, we were back on the road.

Trying to get to Richard’s reclusive compound proved even more difficult by the fact that I just so happened to be stuck on the “old” bus, as it took us three tries to get up a final hill that led up to the home. Once there, we clearly saw how money and time clearly make an already creative man seem even more eccentric to the naked eye.

Upon arriving, we were greeted with the fantastical musings of an obviously out-there kind of personality. Littered across the front lawn were fake alligators and carousels, and of course perched on top of the home itself were the ever-imposing gargoyles — my only wish is that they would have come to life at night just like in everyone’s favorite animated series.

We were ushered immediately to a tent area in the back where an incredible BBQ dinner awaited us courtesy of Salt Lick – some of Texas’ finest food. Still, even during dinner, most of us didn’t really have any idea what to expect. Speculation ran rapid as we were continually left in the dark. Then, after dinner, we were introduced to a “friend” of Richard’s, a doctor who studies the paranormal. This “doctor” then went on to briefly explain what would be happening and why we were there. Apparently, we were there to help with the “discoveries” that were found at Richard’s third home, currently in construction.

Obviously, this was not your normal night and obviously Tabula Rasa was being set up to appear as not your average MMO. After dinner and the initial speech, we were broken up into groups that would tour the house and whatever else the Richard and company had up their sleeves.

Touring Richard’s house was most definitely the highlight of the entire experience. Described as an “adventure traveler,” Richard’s home reflected just that. Once you walk into the home, you’re greeted with everything from crossbows and swords to whatever else you may find at any self-respecting Renaissance Faire.

Each room was completely unique and filled with enough stuff to make successful pack rats extremely jealous. There were animatrons, human embryos and skeletons, beautiful stained glass, and even radioactive materials – oh, and let’s not forget the hunk of the Great Wall of China that Richard snuck out as the ultimate souvenir.

But besides objects, some of the rooms were even filled with characters that were supposed to be a part of Richards life – there was a wine expert who bent spoons, a yoga master from the Bronx who pulled off cheap freak show stunts, and clairvoyant expert who taught us that our mind is capable of so much more than we think. Each individual, as we later found out, was all a part of one elaborate hoax meant to immerse us in this story of Tabula Rasa.

Did it work? Well, not really. It’s hard to expect a flock of skeptical journalists to quickly submit to this kind of pony show. But, it was fun and without a doubt, as I mentioned earlier, an experience we’ll never forget.

There was just one opportunity to really talk with developers of the game and Richard himself, but the time was severely limited and the answers to the toughest questions were dodged like any good PR person would want them to be. But beyond that, with the way the night was presented, you couldn’t help but be a little more excited about this game than when you first came in.

To cap off the night, we were all ushered to the 72-acre site of Richard’s under-development third home. After describing to us all the little details of actually cool things he had planned for the residence, we then took our hardhats and entered the zone of where a host of unexplained artifacts rested. We passed actors posing as construction workers and made our way through the open concrete maze that was Richard’s future home.

At the end of the walk, we were all placed under a half-tent like structure and stood next to a large metal floating ball. After we were all corralled into this area, the doctor then got up on stage and demonstrated how this ball was mysterious and held special powers – you know, that old let’s blow up the microphone trick that Grandma and Grandpa used to do. Once it was established that the ball indeed was special, select persons of the night were called on stage to demonstrate their ability to capture this mysterious power. After knocking out the lights and causing a bit a stir, a fake invasion then began to take place – Las Vegas eat your heart out!

It was complete with your standard alien general warning of doom and then a series of explosions and fireworks that eventually led to troops coming in to save the day. Firing their guns at an invisible but clearly wounded enemy, a helicopter hovered above to give support.

Once all was said and done, the veil was finally lifted on the night and we were told exactly what was going on. We learned that everything was staged and the doctor was no less than a party planner. Then, after a brief fireworks show, the night was over. Our experience had ended almost as quickly as it had begun.

Tired and drained, it was a night that will live with us forever, whether we want it to or not.

More photos from the night can be found here at GGL Wire’s Flickr photostream.