Avernum is a series of demoware role-playing video games by Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software available for Macintosh and Windows-based computers. Several are available for iPad, and were formerly available for Android. There are six canonical games in the series. The first three games in the series and the non-canon Blades of Avernum are remakes of the Exile series by Jeff Vogel, who owns the company, collectively entitled Avernum: First Trilogy. The next three games (Avernum: Second Trilogy), also by Vogel, were released in 2005, 2007 and 2009 respectively. The latter games are entirely original built on a newer game engine and not a remake of any previous game. The Avernum games, like other Spiderweb Software games, are designed with gameplay and storytelling before graphical elements. In December 2011, a newer version of Avernum has been released, Avernum: Escape from the Pit, followed by its sequels Avernum 2: Crystal Souls in 2015 and Avernum 3: Ruined World in 2018. Improvements over Exile The original Exile games used a top-down perspective tile-based graphical system, effectively displayed as an X-Y axis wherein each tile in the grid was filled by a base graphic and perhaps an item or character icon. Avernum features a 45-degree axonometric display that appears three-dimensional. The game also adds varying terrain height, allowing for more interesting map layouts. As the first three games in the series are remakes of the Exile series, the primary plot devices remain relatively unchanged, while many new encounters and side-quests are added. With the design overhaul came improvements to the graphical user interface (GUI) and to the storyline as well. Also Avernum has a maximum of four party members instead of six (with a minor exception of two NPCs in Blades of Avernum). In-game art by Phil Foglio lends a more humorous feel to the game. Games The Avernum games take place largely in a subterranean world known as Avernum. The main clash of the game is between the Avernites and the surface kingdom, known as the Empire. The game features several races. The humans are the dominant race in the series, with the Nephilim and Slithzerikai being two other primary races. Among notable encounters in the game are the Vahnatai, a race of highly magical and alien creatures who live in the deeper caves of Avernum. The Avernum series, similarly to the Exile before it, is demoware. The user can download the