Gameplay Guide#
Overdue isn't just a knowledge base -- it's a game where your memory is the battlefield. Every volume you shelve starts pristine and immediately begins gathering dust. Your job: fight the decay, climb the ranks, and keep the library from descending into chaos.
The game loop#
- Shelve new volumes of knowledge
- Knowledge accumulates dust over time (Dewey Score decays)
- Review volumes to brush off the dust and reset their score to 100
- Earn pages read (XP) for your efforts
- Level up your rank and unlock badges
- Maintain your review streak for bonus pages
- Watch the Reading Room mood shift based on your library's health
Pages read (XP)#
Every action in the library earns you "pages read" -- your experience points. Overdue volumes are worth double.
| Action | XP earned |
|---|---|
| Shelve a new volume | +10 XP (10 pages) |
| Review a current volume | +5 XP (5 pages) |
| Review an overdue volume | +10 XP (10 pages, 2x multiplier) |
| Rescue bonus (for overdue review) | +20 XP (20 pages) |
| Daily streak bonus | +20 XP/day (20 pages) |
| Shelf bonus: your review brings every volume on a shelf to Dewey 75+ | +50 XP (50 pages) |
The shelf bonus only fires when the volume you just reviewed was below Dewey 75, and the shelf must hold at least two volumes -- an already-healthy shelf (or a single-volume shelf riding the decay cycle) can't be farmed for repeat bonuses.
Ranks#
As you accumulate pages read, you level up through the librarian ranks:
| Rank | Pages required | Perks |
|---|---|---|
| Page | 0 | Create shelves & volumes, review, manage your own work |
| Shelver | 100 | Seasoned shelver |
| Librarian | 500 | Steady contributor |
| Archivist | 2,000 | Master archivist |
| Head Librarian | 5,000 | Full admin access -- curate (edit/delete) any librarian's volumes and shelves |
| Living Document | 10,000 | The ultimate librarian: you've read so many pages you've become self-updating |
Badges#
Badges are achievements you unlock by hitting milestones. They come in two tiers: Common (consistent effort) and Rare (serious dedication).
Common badges#
| Badge | How to earn it |
|---|---|
| First Shelve | Create your first volume |
| Dust Buster | Review 10 overdue volumes |
| Streak Freak! | Hit a 7-day review streak |
| Pristine Stacks | Get all your volumes above Dewey 75 at once |
| Encyclopedist | Author 50 volumes |
| Night Owl | Review a volume after midnight |
| Speed Reader | Review 5 volumes in under a minute |
| Completionist | Earn every other badge |
Rare badges#
| Badge | How to earn it |
|---|---|
| Marathon Reader | Maintain a 30-day review streak |
| Dewey Devotee | Maintain an average Dewey Score above 90 across your volumes |
| Centurion | Review 100 volumes total |
Streaks#
Review at least one volume each day to keep your streak alive. Every day you maintain it, you earn +20 bonus pages. Miss a day and the counter resets to zero. Streaks show up on the leaderboard, so everyone knows who's been putting in the work.
Hit 7 days for the Streak Freak! badge. Hit 30 and you earn the rare Marathon Reader.
The Dewey Score#
Every volume has a freshness score from 0 to 100. It starts at 100 when you create or review it, then decays over time.
| Score | Status | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 75-100 | Pristine | Freshly reviewed, perfectly current |
| 50-74 | Good | Slightly dusty, still reliable |
| 26-49 | Dusty | Getting stale, needs attention soon |
| 0-25 | Overdue | Significantly outdated -- review immediately |
Reading Room mood#
The library's ambient atmosphere reflects your collective Dewey Scores. Keep your stacks healthy and the mood stays calm. Let things decay and the atmosphere turns hostile.
| Average Dewey Score | Mood | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 80-100 | Quiet Study | Warm golden light, everything is serene |
| 60-79 | Gentle Hum | Normal lighting, a slight bustle in the air |
| 40-59 | Getting Noisy | Flickering lights, books slightly askew |
| 20-39 | Call for Order | Red accents, warning indicators everywhere |
| 0-19 | Closed for Renovation | The library is in crisis. Review everything! |
Keyboard shortcuts#
Navigate the library at speed with keyboard shortcuts (desktop browsers):
| Page | Key | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Volume detail | Enter | Review / next volume / done (priority order) |
| Volume detail | Escape / ArrowLeft | Back to shelf |
| Volume detail | ArrowRight | Next volume |
| Shelves listing | Enter | Open the most overdue shelf |
| Shelf detail | Enter | Open the most overdue volume for review |
| Shelf detail | Escape / ArrowLeft | Back to shelves list |
Avatars#
When you register, you choose from 8 unique pixel art heroic librarian avatars -- each with a distinct silhouette, palette, and lore. Your avatar appears on your profile, the leaderboard, and in the navigation bar.
AI bot players#
The leaderboard includes AI bot players that simulate library activity. Bots are marked with a robot indicator so you can tell them apart from real players. Their XP shifts each time the server restarts, keeping competition dynamic.
Bots come in three difficulty levels: casual (low activity), diligent (regular reviews), and obsessive (power users). See the Bot Players guide for CLI management commands.
API endpoints#
GET /api/librarians/me/xp-- Your XP summary, rank, and recent awardsGET /api/librarians/me/badges-- Your earned badgesGET /api/librarians/me/streak-- Your current streak infoGET /api/librarians/leaderboard-- Top librarians by pages read