Chris knew the software would take a little time to load and adjust to his personal preferences, so he didn’t panic as he was suddenly swept into the air and seemed to be flying. The bright light seemed to fade a little and his vision began to return. He realized that he was flying above the ground and that the landscape below must be Albion. A small note blinked in the bottom right of his vision stating that the game was being calibrated and to not panic at the slight shocks sent through his system.

As soon as he had read the notice, he began to feel the slight shocks as the VR helmet began sending tiny electrical pulses through each of his muscle groups, testing feedback and reflexes. While not altogether comfortable, the feeling was not as painful as the initial interface and could be compared to the feeling given by the outdated - and possibly fraudulent - muscle trainer systems that relied on electrical currents to build muscle mass. Shortly, the sensations stopped and he received another notification informing him that the sync had completed and was successful.

He felt himself begin to descend, his body being pulled to a stone circle not unlike Earth’s Stonehenge. His descent ended on a path just short of the circle, and he gently tested his footing before beginning the short walk into the center of the circle. As soon as he crossed the threshold of giant stones, a slightly transparent blue barrier formed behind him and sealed him inside.

A large screen appeared in his vision:

Welcome, Adventurer, to Albion Live!

You have entered a fantastical world where you are free to live life as you choose. There are no limits to what you can become in Albion, and the world will change in reaction to your decisions. You’ve taken the first step into this new world, now it is time to see what kind of adventurer you will be.

The screen faded after he had read it and the large stones around him lit up with scenes depicting each of the available starting races. Unsurprisingly, the first several races were common to almost all MMORPG games. Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, and Orcs were all present and accounted for - including their varied “halfling” varieties, which Chris could view when he looked at one of the options.

Several new races were also present. The stone for the Felidaes revealed a cat-like race. Whilst humanoid, they retained cat-like qualities including a tail, claws, and feline facial structure. The Draconic race, like the Felidaes, showed their dragon ancestry via the scales covering their body, as well as their tails, clawed hands, reptilian eyes and snout, and small, wing-like protrusions which lay flat against their spine. Two other stones lit up, but the images were shrouded in darkness and a look at their information sections noted them as “Future Unlockable Classes”.

Chris shrugged as looked back over the options. While each race had several small boosts, none of them would affect the balance of the game. After several long minutes, he finally chose the Dwarven race. The Dwarven stone lit up, displaying more information about the race.

Dwarves:

The hardy Dwarven race hail from their mountain homes dotted across Albion. While many of them are miners of some renown, others have chose to eschew the darkness and live a life above ground.

Perks: Night Vision, Strong-Willed, Miner Sub-Skill.

Making his selection, all of the other stones faded and the one he stood in front of became reflective. Chris got a quick glimpse of himself as he appeared in the real world before the image in the mirror began to change. Where in real life he was just a bit above average height - just a tad under six foot - and weighed a bit under two hundred pounds, the image was much shorter and stockier. He guessed that his new height was around four and a half feet and he must weigh around one hundred and seventy pounds. Still, it wasn’t fat, but the figure of someone who worked for a living.

Chris moved his hands, selecting and changing more appearance options as he created his character. Instead of his short dark brown hair and slight beard, he gave his Dwarven persona hair that fell to his shoulders, tied back into a top knot. He selected the option to have a longer single braided beard which was held in place with a golden clasp. He stepped back, looking his avatar over, and then finished the creation process.

To his surprise, he found himself pulled toward the stone and quickly raised his hands to try to protect himself from the impact. At the last second, there was another flash of light and he found himself facing away from the stone. He turned, and the image in the mirror mimicked his movements. He reached up to touch his face and ran his hands through his now braided beard. “Well, that was unexpected” he thought. Another pop-up interrupted his thoughts.

NOTICE:

In Albion Live, rather than sticking to the usual class-based system we’ve chosen to allow you to shape your characters future. Is fighting your style? You’ll gain skills which will help you in battle. Stealth more your thing? You’ll level in skills that will allow you to disappear. More of crafty, industrious type? Your skills in different trades will increase as you practice different crafts. The skies the limit in Albion Live!

As soon as Chris dismissed this window, a new one took its place.

Thank you for taking part in our Beta program! As one of the first players to enter Albion, you have been granted a special bonus. Your character has been given 25 gold and a small plot of land outside of your starting city. This land is yours to do with as you please. You can build a home, open a business, build a farm, or just sell the property to the highest bidder (NOTE: All sales of land are final)!

Would you like to travel to your property?

Chris nodded his assent, and once more the world faded to white.