Terminus is not a role-playing game in the traditional sense; there are no dragons to slay or kingdoms to save.  However, Terminus has taken many elements commonly found in the traditional role-playing game and fused it with space combat.  These elements include the following:
   
 
    Intricate Storyline
   
  Like many role-playing games, Terminus has a detailed and intricate storyline.  The story line is guided by a scenario web, which directs specific events and plot branching.  The web uses a variety of factors in its design, including your career, previous scenario events, and even your previous mission successes.  The overall result is a storyline that can be played again and again from different careers with varying outcomes.  And unlike many role-playing games, the Terminus storyline is multiplayer.  You can play cooperatively with a friend in the same career or competitively against friends in different careers.
   
    Various Career Paths
   
  You can choose to play one of four career paths while playing Terminus.   Each has a unique perspective on the unfolding storyline.
   
                    The United Earth League
 Job: Military Fighter Pilot

As an officer in the United Earth League, you will fly a variety of spacecraft for whatever missions come down the pipe.  These include patrolling for pirates, escorting VIPs, and defending Earth from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

 
 The Mars Consortium
 Job: Military Fighter Pilot

As an officer in the Consortium Military, you will fly a variety of spacecraft on missions to further the goals of the Mars Consortium.  These range from protecting convoys to uncovering the many conspiracies directed against Mars and her citizens.


 The Marauders
 Job: Pirate

As a pilot in the Marauders, you are responsible for yourself and your clan.  You have to maintain your own ships and finances.  But you will get the chance to fly with your clanmates on missions to support the Marauders.  A wide variety of contracts are open to Marauders, in addition to raiding convoys and wreaking havoc.


Mercenary
 Job: Merchant, Smuggler, Bounty Hunter, Asteroid Miner

As a mercenary pilot, you control your own destiny.  However, you have to maintain your own ships and finances in return for this freedom.  Contracts available to mercenaries include transporting cargo, hunting down outlaws, mining asteroids, or serving as a retainer for organizations with deep pockets.

   
    Non-Player Character Interaction
   
 The Terminus universe is populated with hundreds of people, known as non-player characters.  You interact with them constantly during the game.  Many are pilots themselves, with their own goals and motivations.  They take missions to earn money, build their own ships, and even make friends and enemies!  So, it’s best to stay on their good sides if you can help it.  Other characters live on the stations, working a variety of jobs—everything from a mining foreman to a League Marine.  Although they rarely leave their station, they’re always willing to take some time to talk to you about what’s currently on their minds.
   
    Persistent Universe
   
 

The Solar System of 2197 is a living world, known as a persistent universe.  As long as the game continues to run, the universe keeps running too.  And the universe is designed to actually operate while the storyline is being played!  This persistent universe has two distinct features:

Dynamic Economy:

Each station in the Solar System consumes and produces goods, allowing you to trade in over 150 commodities or gadgets.  Prices, supply, and demand are controlled by an economy model that reacts to the storyline.

Dynamic Missions/Contracts:

All characters in Terminus can post contracts for routine missions.  Station governors wanting a peek at the competition can post spy contracts, or a station low on raw materials will post a contract for more.  Both you and the non-player characters can take these contracts, so the competition is fierce.