(This article is a user-written introduction to the game. The official ATITD manual can be found on the game website http://www.atitd.com.)
A Tale in the Desert (ATITD) is a multiplayer persistent online world set in ancient Egypt. The game focuses on crafting, production, and social activity. Cooperation with other players is vital to overcoming many of the game's challenges, both on an individual and a group level. Other aspects of the game rely on competition between players (but always of a non-violent sort).
Unlike most multiplayer online games, ATITD has a built-in goal, as well as a definite beginning and end. The people of Egypt are challenged to pass 49 tests and then, as a nation, build seven Great Monuments. The game ends after a certain amount of time has passed, whether or not Egypt has succeeded in its goal. Win or lose, after the end of the game the world is wiped and the game starts over from scratch.
Currently, ATITD is in its second game (Tale 2, or the "Second Telling"), which began on September 3, 2004 and is still ongoing. The first full game, Tale 1, lasted from February 2003 until early September 2004, and ended in a win for Egypt. In the story of the game, the events of the First Telling are those of an earlier generation, and the Egyptians of the present game are the grandchildren of the Egyptians of Tale 1.
Egypt has been challenged by a mysterious adversary called the Stranger to demonstrate its devotion to the Seven Disciplines of Man:
To this end, 49 tests have been designed, seven for each discipline. Every test is available for every citizen to try (provided they have previously been initiated into the discipline for that test by completing some minor challenge). Each test has its own unique challenge. Some require exploration, others demand artistic talent, others measure puzzle-solving abilities, and so on.
Tests are designed to be difficult. Some are extremely difficult. Many, by their nature, cannot be passed by more than a handful of people altogether. For example, in the Test of the Demi-Pharaoh, you must win an election to pass. As only a certain number of Demi-Pharaoh elections are held during the course of the Telling, only a few people in Egypt will ever pass this test.
For one person to pass all 49 tests is an effectively impossible feat, and nobody has ever come close. Luckily, the Stranger's challenge does not require this.
So how does Egypt win the game? We will not know for sure until we get closer to the end of the Telling and the exact victory conditions are revealed by the Stranger. However, assuming things work the same as they did in Tale 1, here is what will probably be required:
The eight Monuments are the only structures from Tale 1 to survive into Tale 2. See the Monuments article to see their locations and the tests that were sealed with them.
Keep in mind that Egypt's eventual victory over the Stranger is a collective achievement. This means that although test-passing is necessary for Egypt to win overall, you personally do not have to pass any tests. So don't feel pressured.
As in any online game, your individual goals are whatever you choose them to be. There is an enormous amount to do in this game, only a portion of it directly related to the 49 tests. You might only find yourself interested in trading, exploration, research, or simply hanging around and chatting with people. That's perfectly fine. All of these things are helpful to Egypt in a general sense ... and more importantly, they're fun for you. As long as you're doing something you find interesting and fun, you're helping to make the Egyptian experience better for everyone -- even if you never pass a single test.