A generative NFT project built from 1,074 handcrafted works of art for the builders and creatives—the pioneers—of cyberspace. Dropping in late June.

Community is at the heart of every great Web3 protocol. In Tableland, we aim to build technology that rewards, inspires, and unites our earliest members. Together, we believe a small and aligned group of contributors can build momentum toward a data revolution. We are excited to share the first look at Rigs, an NFT experience for the Tableland community.

NFTs can be a building block to unite technological communities. Well-crafted NFTs can link technology, art, community, and incentives in ways unlike any previous innovation. Rigs are where we will experiment and demonstrate what is possible.

Rigs are beautiful art. Rigs are each unique. Rigs are the ticket to Tableland. Rigs are dynamic and will change and grow with the user. Rigs are an experiment in what NFTs can become for communities. Rigs are characters in a world we are building, and are limited only by our collective imagination.

Tableland awaits, but you're going to need a Rig to get there

It's 2133. The metaverse is now ubiquitous. The singularity caused a re-permissioning of cyberspace. It turns out that AGI was benevolent—human and machine are now one, but most sentients are cogs in the great megalopolis known as The Grid.

The builder migration started slow. We don’t know who took the first step, only that it led to the mysterious subculture we see today. Hailing from the deep mainframe tunnels to the billionth floor of the mega towers, an eclectic group of builders formed a new community away from The Grid. A decentralized zone, void of old rules. They wanted adventure born of pure curiosity and imagination. Something authentic. Something theirs—like their predecessors had a century before.

Out beyond The Grid, where the broad boulevards dissolve into dust and then yawn into the great open source country, you’ll find Tableland. The undeveloped frontier. Terabyte upon terabyte of space waiting to be written into history. It’s where the builders have gone. Divided into Fleets, pilots work day and night to map the canyons and high desert of Tableland. They prepare it for future generations of creators and dreamers. You’re invited.

It's a long journey and the land is vast even after you get there. It’s raw, uncoded, and simmering with endless opportunity. You're going to need a tool to explore. Fortunately, you've got the skills. You know how to build.

Like many others, you scan the chains for wreckage of technology from the web of yore. Part by part, you assemble your Rig to achieve specific tasks. This is your custom machine. There are none that are like it, and this one is yours. It’s a purpose-built code-based ticket to Tableland. And what you do with it is totally up to you.

Hop inside and confirm your signature. There is a lot yet to do. Beyond the certainty of The Grid, a new community and journey awaits in Tableland.

A unique ticket to the Tableland community

Rigs are generated from 1,074 handcrafted works of art for the builders of cyberspace. They are a ticket and the only way to join the Tableland community. Rigs are updated using token-based rules and changes are directly visible on all NFT platforms—a powerful primitive enabled by the Tableland protocol.

The power of Rigs is in their ability to evolve. Based on how an owner decides to explore Tableland, their Rig will change before their eyes. We're excited to announce those details and the roadmap over the coming weeks and months. For that, stay tuned here or in our Discord. For now, we want to dig into the design of Rigs, Fleets, and Badges below.

Fleets

From fast and flat salts to the windy and steep desert mountains, each domain of Tableland demands a different tool to explore. Rigs are divided into eight mission-specific Fleets. Each is engineered to navigate the harsh and unforgiving landscape of Tableland. You'll find the whole Tableland community is ready to welcome you, but your Fleet feels like old friends.

Each Rig is assembled from the parts of machines that built the first truly user-owned metaverse a century before—now affectionately called The Original—decades before the rise of The Grid. These were the Original Rigs, now discarded, disassembled, and forgotten in the back alleys of The Grid.

Most builders fly parts from different Original Rigs. Since the beginning, they have maintained a Rig part table. The table contains 1,074 known parts that have been tracked from The Grid. Within Fleets, parts are modular, interoperable, and differ in rarity. If a rare part is ever lost, it may never be seen in Tableland again.

SELECT * FROM rig_parts;

Combining parts can be quite useful in Tableland. Nevertheless, a small faction of degens are obsessed with re-building every Original Rig. So far, they have managed to assemble one of each Original Rig—185 in total. If you pilot an Original, consider yourself lucky.

SELECT * FROM rigs WHERE name='Dawn SkiPiggy';

We’ll be unveiling each Fleet this week on Twitter at @tableland__.

Badges

There is a lot of work to do in Tableland. While some builders move data day and night, others are there to help newcomers find their way, and still others spread the word back to The Grid. No matter their contributions, all builders are valued. Together, they've come to recognize a handful of special Badges that signal different contributions to Tableland.

Badges are distinct and can only be earned by working in Tableland. Engineers, validators, stewards, and educators display Badges on their Rig for all to see. Builders sometimes contribute so much that they’ll only show their most prized Badges. Since badged Rigs stay badged, this custom is also a way for builders to leave a mark on their Rig forever—an experience powered by Tableland's protocols.

UPDATE rig_badges SET visible = true WHERE rig_id = 56 AND badge_id = 17;

We’ll be unveiling the first set of Badges in late May on Twitter at @tableland__.

Back in meatspace

Sure, Rigs will come in handy if a couple of Sock Puppets try to jack you out on Satoshi Mesa. But back in meatspace, you're going to need your Rig to access the Tableland community and all its opportunities.

It all starts with the community Discord, where Rig ownership will be checked at the door. We'll also be launching developer experiences that will only be available to Rig pilots. The first of these cohorts will launch this summer. From there, Tableland will serve as a launching point to join our regular community programs and special events, access funding and grants, and meet investors and collaborators.

The Creative Team

The Rigs project was developed alongside an über-talented team of artists and writers from Oddfellows.

Executive Creative Directors

Chris Kelly (Instagram)

Colin Trenter (Twitter)

Executive Producer

Erica Kelly (Instagram)

Producers

Dennis Samatulski (Homepage)

Desiree Etzel (Instagram)

Art Direction

Yuki Yamada

Design Team

Joyce Liu (Twitter)

Amy Sun (Instagram)

Yuki Yamada

Justin Burks (Instagram)

Caroline Choi (Instagram)

Story Development

inside.company (Website)

Follow @tableland__ on Twitter for more Rig updates and previews.

Curious about building something like Rigs in Tableland? Check out the docs.