First, thanks for checking this out!

Elven Revenue Service is a visual novel inspired by the classic retro-JRPGs that proliferated around the turn of the millennium. Rather than playing the hero on a world-saving quest, however, it asks, "What's it like to be an ordinary person in a world of magic and Elves, or of demons and curses?" The Barkeep, as the owner of the kind of tavern where hero parties often begin, has a unique perspective on it all, but ultimately faces the same sort of mundane problems we all do in our everyday lives: keeping food on the table, navigating relationships, and yes--even taxes. Meet the colorful cast, with Elven tax auditors, dark elf business partners, magic baristas and demonic lawyers, just to mention a few. Look for love with male, female, and gender-fluid characters, or just make some friends as you strive to keep that bar running.

The first demo was released on March 4th, and the feedback from it suggested that players who gave the game a try wanted to see more of a business aspect to it. To that end, a business management mechanic was developed over the time since, and now, it's ready for players to check out!

Elven Revenue Service's Tavern Management System places the player in charge of the bar's stock of beverages, pricing and specials, and overall earning ability. An inventory system was implemented to keep track of various different types of alcohol (beer, wine, and liquor/spirits). Each of these brews comes in different quantities with different profit margins: is it worth it to buy the top shelf beer with a higher profit margin but less volume, or a bargain barrel bought in bulk, with only the thinnest of margins? It's up to you. Players can also influence the bar's attendance through the pre-existing Nightly Event system, where things like, say, allowing a traveling bard to perform may help drum up business.

The gold earned from these business decisions isn't meaningless, either; aside from being used to buy more supply, gold can play a role in decisions made by the player, and will even ultimately influence some of the endings in the final game. As the game develops, my hope is that this system can get a bit more complex and engrossing.

But of course, a visual novel is still about its story, and the demo contains about 20k words, offering the first day of the story for each character's route. While the Tavern Management System is the highlight of this release, there are one or two new scenes that weren't in the first demo. 

Thanks again for reading, and I hope you'll give Elven Revenue Service's latest release a shot!