What Are Role Playing Games, and How Do Classic Dungeon-Crawl RPGs Like Mordor and Demise Fit In?

Updated

Role playing games (RPGs) are games built around a character who grows over time: you track stats, manage inventory, complete quests, and improve through experience rather than pure reflex. Classic dungeon-crawl RPGs such as Mordor 1: The Depths of Dejenol and the Demise trilogy are a specific branch of that genre—first-person, party-or-solo dungeon exploration with heavy character building and a reputation for difficulty. If you want to recognize the genre or decide whether these legacy titles are worth trying, the distinctions below are the ones that matter.

The core RPG loop

Most RPGs, digital or tabletop, share four connected systems:

  • Character progression — experience points, levels, and skills that improve as you play.
  • Stats and rules — attributes (strength, dexterity, and so on) that determine what your character can do.
  • Inventory and equipment — items you find, buy, or earn, and the trade-offs of carrying and using them.
  • Questing and exploration — goals that give the progression a direction.

The loop is: explore → overcome an obstacle → gain rewards → improve your character → face harder obstacles. A game can be an RPG with very little story as long as that loop is central.

How RPGs differ from related genres

These categories overlap, but the usual dividing lines are useful:

Genre What drives play Typical example
Tabletop-inspired CRPG Rules, stats, and choices modeled on pen-and-paper play Party-based computer RPGs
Dungeon crawler First-person exploration of a maze-like dungeon, combat and loot focused Mordor, Demise
Action RPG Real-time combat where reflexes matter as much as stats Hack-and-slash titles
MUD Multiplayer, text-based shared world, often persistent Text MUDs
Text adventure Puzzle and narrative driven by typed commands Interactive fiction

A dungeon crawler is still an RPG—it keeps progression, stats, and inventory—but it emphasizes mapping, resource management, and combat attrition over story cutscenes. A MUD is multiplayer and usually text-first; a text adventure leans on puzzles and prose rather than character builds.

What "legacy" or "old-school" fantasy RPG means

"Legacy" here describes games from an earlier era of PC role playing that are still distributed and played today, often with their original difficulty intact. The site for these titles describes Mordor 1.1 as "the original legacy fantasy role playing game (rpg)" and notes that "other role playing games may come and go, but Mordor 1.1 still provides a challenging dungeon crawl."

The Demise line shows how these games evolved:

  • Mordor 1: The Depths of Dejenol — the original dungeon crawl, still available while stocks last.
  • Mordor 2: Darkness Awakening — described as a Beta release that marked a milestone toward what became Demise, and the entry that introduced multiplayer to the series.
  • Demise: Rise of the Ku'Tan — went gold in early 2000; the original 1.00 release "represents the original intended difficulty level," and a later patch added the well-known "tea-room" feature that some players felt made the game too easy.
  • Demise: Ascension and Demise: Revenge of the Tavern Keeper — later volumes in the trilogy.

That history explains the "old-school" label: original difficulty settings, patches that changed balance, and a community that still debates which version plays best.

Practical differences that affect your decision

  • Single-player vs. multiplayer. Most of these titles are solo dungeon crawls; multiplayer arrived with Mordor 2 and carried into the series.
  • First-person dungeon crawling. You explore from a first-person view, which puts mapping and orientation at the center of play.
  • Difficulty and harsh failure. The original Demise release is explicitly the intended difficulty level, and the genre is known for punishing mistakes—expect to lose progress and learn from it.
  • Version matters. A 1.00 build and a later patched build can play very differently, so check which version you are getting.

How to try these games

The official site offers demos and downloads for the Demise volumes and Mordor titles. Two practical notes from the site's own instructions:

  • The Demise demo and full game use a legacy DEMISE key and email during install. Without the unique unlock keys, the game "will let you play for a few dozen plays over up to a few weeks"—enough to evaluate it, not to finish it.
  • Existing GamersGate or legacy key owners who need game keys are directed to a registration page, and the site points to its eBay store for physical products and e-Junkie for download-only virtual products.

Start with a demo if you are unsure about the difficulty, and confirm which version and key type you are buying before you install.