Here’s a MMRPG I haven’t played but that has me curious: A Tale in the Desert. While this isn’t the first MMRPG with no combat (I suppose The Sims Online earns that title), it does seem to be the first one with goals and things to do that don’t revolve around combat. To learn a little more, you might want to read this Gamespy Interview with lead designer Andrew Tepper. I plan on giving this one a go sometime in the near future.

So it’s after 1 am and I just managed to tear myself away from Galactic Civilizations. Back in the day I was a huge fan of “4X” games but as I grew older I found I didn’t have the patience for them anymore. GalCiv seems to somehow pack in that “grab you by the throat and never let go” gameplay with a sleek enough play mechanic that you don’t get bogged down, at least in the “small” galaxy maps. Part of this is probably because you only have a handful of planets to look after.

Add to that alternatives to the basic “Nuke ’em into the stone age” victory conditions and you’ve got a game well worth playing. Or at least, that’s my “initial reaction” determination. It remains to be seen if the game has legs.

Find out more about Galactic Civilizations at http://www.galciv.com.