Game End and Scoring

Inspect each bookshelf and calculate the Grand Librarian score.

The last round

The game ends after the current round when a player shelves the required number of cards: 18 in a two-player game, 16 with three, 14 with four, or 12 with five. Begin one final round normally, then finish its resolution before scoring.

Inspect the shelves

Check each library from the upper-left across each row and downward. Flip any card that fails to continue the alphabetic and numerical sequence. Its category symbols are ignored, but it still contributes to shelf stability. Players may voluntarily flip cards before inspection to prevent a run of cards from becoming out of order.

Award points

Count category books on face-up cards. The largest rectangular group touching the bottom row earns one point per card, provided it is at least two cards wide and two high. The most books in the Prominent Works category earn 15 points; second earns 9; third earns 4. Tied players divide the tied awards plus the next lower available award, rounding up. Lose one point for every Banned Book. For variety, take your smallest total among the five non-banned categories and multiply by three. Reveal your Library Focus and score two for every book of that category.

Winner and ties

The highest total wins. A tie goes to the player with more books on their shelf, then fewer cards in hand, then fewer Banned Books. If still tied, the first tied player to finish reading a book wins.