A Tale in the Desert
2003
- point-and-click
- role-playing (rpg)
- sandbox
- massively multiplayer online (mmo)
The story
A Tale in the Desert is a Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game (MMO), presented by Desert Nomad Studios, and set in ancient Egypt. The game focuses on crafting and trading, mixed with strong social and political challenges, and has absolutely no combat. Within the game is one of the most complex crafting and trade skill systems that have ever been created. This is coupled with tests in various disciplines that challenge players to work together or against each other. Be creative in the arts or build massive structures, create complex thought puzzles to challenge other players. The game is a great sociological experiment, asking questions like "Will players work together in a project when working against each other could potentially have more benefit to one of them?".
What it’s like
Sun-bleached and slow, with the flat gold light of an Egyptian desert settling over sand, mudbrick villages, river reeds and hand-raised monuments. The look is that of an early-2000s PC world: pixelated isometric scenes, muted ochre and turquoise, and a sense of vast distances crossed on foot or by caravan. Sound is sparse, mostly wind, distant market chatter and the scrape of tools, so the quiet itself does much of the work. The vibe is patient, industrious and faintly melancholic, a quiet hum of ordinary labour rather than adventure. It suits long unhurried evenings, a slow weekend session, or a stretch of time you want to spend building something rather than fighting for it. Pacing is set by the player: progress comes through gathering, refining, trading and slowly raising standing, with arcs that follow a modest trader or artisan gaining reputation and rivals. There is no combat at all, and the tension is social and economic, with betrayal and cooperation negotiated through contracts, rumour and rival schemes. Intensity is very low: no violence, no gore, no sexual content, just the anxiety of a market shifting underfoot. It is for players who enjoy crafting systems, economic puzzles and watching a community organise itself without a sword in sight.
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