<s>
Tales	B-Protocol
Runner	I-Protocol
is	O
a	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
game	I-Application
created	O
by	O
the	O
South	O
Korean	O
company	O
Rhaon	B-Protocol
Entertainment	I-Protocol
and	O
published	O
by	O
Smilegate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tales	B-Protocol
Runner	I-Protocol
has	O
local	O
servers	O
for	O
various	O
countries	O
including	O
Korea	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
Thailand	O
,	O
Mainland	O
China	O
and	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
16	O
November	O
2011	O
,	O
gPotato	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
their	O
North	O
American	O
servers	O
would	O
permanently	O
shut	O
down	O
on	O
21	O
December	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
29	O
October	O
2012	O
,	O
Nowcom	O
,	O
the	O
primary	O
company	O
hosting	O
TalesRunner	B-Protocol
,	O
released	O
their	O
global	O
server	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
again	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
OGPlanet	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
hosting	O
the	O
only	O
English	O
server	O
of	O
Tales	B-Protocol
Runner	I-Protocol
announced	O
that	O
their	O
servers	O
would	O
close	O
permanently	O
on	O
20	O
April	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
contestant	O
is	O
called	O
a	O
"	O
Tales	B-Protocol
Runner	I-Protocol
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Racing	O
is	O
a	O
key	O
part	O
of	O
Tales	B-Protocol
Runner	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
race	O
though	O
various	O
racing	O
maps	O
in	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
finish	O
the	O
map	O
and	O
collect	O
money	O
,	O
experience	O
points	O
,	O
Alchemy	B-Language
Cards	O
,	O
and	O
various	O
items	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tales	B-Protocol
Runner	I-Protocol
currently	O
supports	O
eighteen	O
different	O
customizable	O
playable	O
characters	O
with	O
different	O
stats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Characters	O
are	O
purchased	O
in-game	O
using	O
either	O
TR	O
,	O
or	O
Astros	O
(	O
USA	O
Tales	B-Protocol
Runner	I-Protocol
)	O
currency	O
or	O
cash	O
for	O
Thailand	O
and	O
Korean	O
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alchemy	B-Language
allows	O
players	O
to	O
create	O
new	O
items	O
by	O
combining	O
various	O
cards	O
obtained	O
via	O
racing	O
with	O
items	O
bought	O
in	O
shops	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
alchemy	B-Language
system	O
also	O
supports	O
upgrading	O
lower	O
level	O
equipment	O
to	O
a	O
higher	O
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
alchemy	B-Language
item	O
supports	O
a	O
different	O
stat	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
increase	O
that	O
stat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
in	O
Tales	B-Protocol
Runner	I-Protocol
can	O
have	O
couples	O
,	O
marriages	O
,	O
and	O
family	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
form	O
guilds	O
with	O
other	O
players	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
being	O
in	O
families	O
;	O
these	O
are	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
guild	O
system	O
in	O
some	O
other	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2013	O
Tales	B-Protocol
Runner	I-Protocol
World	O
Championships	O
was	O
hosted	O
in	O
a	O
Mall	O
in	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
.	O
</s>
