What Is Demise: Revenge of the Tavern Keeper and How Do You Get It?

Updated

Demise: Revenge of the Tavern Keeper is Volume III of the Demise trilogy, following Volume I Rise of the Ku'Tan and Volume II Ascension. It is a first-person dungeon-crawl fantasy RPG in the Mordor/Demise lineage, not a standalone series. You obtain it from the official Demise site, where it is offered as a pre-release, a full game, and a demo; installing the full game requires a legacy DEMISE key and email, and without valid keys the game allows only a limited number of plays over up to a few weeks.

Where Revenge of the Tavern Keeper Fits

The official site presents the three volumes as a set:

Volume Title Notes from the site
Volume I Rise of the Ku'Tan The original legacy RPG by David Allen, released by MakeItSo LLC and published by IPC Software; still available while stocks last
Volume II Ascension Listed as the second volume of the trilogy
Volume III Revenge of the Tavern Keeper Listed as the third volume, with pre-release, full game, and demo options

The same site also covers Mordor 1: The Depths of Dejenol and Mordor 2: Darkness Awakening, the earlier games in this lineage. Revenge of the Tavern Keeper continues that dungeon-crawl tradition rather than starting a new franchise, so expect the series' style of play rather than a reinvention.

How the Legacy Key Requirement Works

The install process has two inputs and one expected result:

  • Input: your legacy DEMISE key and the email associated with it, entered during installation.
  • Action: complete the install with those credentials.
  • Expected result: the full game unlocks.

Without unique unlock keys, the site states the game will let you play for a few dozen plays over up to a few weeks. That fallback is useful for evaluating the game, but it is not an unlimited install.

Getting the Right Download

The site separates its offerings, so pick the one that matches your situation:

  • Pre-release — an early build of Volume III.
  • Full game — the complete release, which needs the legacy key and email at install.
  • Demo — a trial option listed alongside the other two.

If you already own a key, the site directs legacy key and gift key owners, including GamersGate customers, to a registration page to obtain game keys. New orders are placed through the site's order links for Mordor, Demise, Ascension, and Revenge, with real products available through the site's eBay store and virtual (download-only) products through e-Junkie.

Common Snags

  • No key on hand: expect the limited-play window rather than a full unlock; register or order a key first if you want the complete game.
  • Wrong edition: confirm you are downloading Volume III rather than the Volume I or Volume II entries, which sit next to it on the same page.
  • Physical vs. download: physical stock is described as available "while stocks last," so the download route is the more reliable path for immediate play.

If you are new to the series, start with what Volume I and Volume II offer before committing to Volume III; the trilogy is designed as a sequence, and the site treats all three as one family of games.