Anki's Tavern is a gamification addon for Anki inspired by roguelike deckbuilders like Hearthstone and Slay the Spire. It does not try to replace Anki or turn studying into a separate game. Instead, it adds a lightweight layer of choices, progression, relics, quests, routes, and story beats on top of your normal review flow.
The addon is built around the idea that reviewing cards can feel more engaging when each block of study leads to a small decision. You keep using Anki exactly as usual. The addon observes your reviews, awards score and coins, opens a Tavern between blocks, and lets you decide what kind of build or run you want to shape over time.
What it adds
The current version includes a Tavern between review blocks, daily routes, class locking during a run, relics with upgrades and tags, adaptive missions, contracts, events, enemies, HP, a main quest campaign, turn-based boss fights, story journeys, a draggable review HUD, a profile window, and a compact settings dialog.
It is designed to stay close to the Anki experience. The addon should feel like an overlay, not like a separate game layered over your desktop. The global Anki interface is left intact, and the visual parts of the addon are isolated to its own dialogs, HUD, and toolbar options.
How it feels to use
The basic loop is simple:
review cards
finish a block
visit the Tavern
choose a relic, route, contract, or story branch
return to reviews
repeat
Most of the systems are there to make that loop more interesting without getting in the way. Routes are chosen once per day, classes stay locked for the current expedition, relics can level up, and some content only unlocks after you reach a certain level. The main quest runs in 30-day cycles with bosses at the end of each part, so long-term progression has a clear shape.
Design goals
The addon follows a few rules:
It should never change the scheduler, intervals, ease factor, decks, notes, tags, or card contents. It should not reward dishonest reviewing or encourage the user to press Easy when they really mean Again. It should stay mostly text-first, with small visual touches where they help clarity. And it should be light enough to open quickly inside Anki.
Main systems
The game layer currently focuses on a few connected ideas rather than on a huge pile of disconnected features. Relics are curated and can be upgraded up to level 10. The economy is intentionally tight so that purchases matter. Contracts are explicit risk/reward decisions. Events and enemies show up in the run and can affect HP, rewards, or progress. The review HUD gives live context while you study, and the profile window gives you a place to inspect the state of the run without leaving Anki.
There is also a main quest campaign built in a Slay-the-Spire-like structure. Each run can last up to 30 days, with bosses appearing at day 10, 20, and 30. Boss fights use learned abilities, relic effects, and basic turn-based logic so that build choices have real weight.