How to play the Batman films timeline game

The cards cover Batman on the big screen and in animated features, from old cinema serials to recent releases, and you put them in order of release. Each card lists the director and the actor in the cape, or the voice behind it for animated films. You get one film on the timeline to start, its year already known. Each turn, choose the gap where the next film belongs. Judge it right and the year stays on show. Choose badly and the film still lands where it truly goes, costing you one of three lives. Get ten in a row and a lost life is restored.

The live-action films are the anchors, and the actor's name gets you most of the way with them. The animated movies are another matter: they pile up thickly, often several in a short span, and many adapt famous comic storylines. Certain voice actors return across many of them, so the voice line narrows the field without settling it. Comedy and crossover cards, from toy bricks to ninjas, are the ones that trip people up.

Want a longer game? On the deck tree you can tick this deck alongside any other one measured in release years and dates, and they shuffle into a single timeline together.

What's in the deck

Here are 28 of the 35 cards you might be dealt, with 7 more in the deck. Their values stay hidden until you place them.

Batman (serial) Lambert Hillyer, starring Lewis Wilson
Batman and Robin (serial) Spencer Gordon Bennet, starring Robert Lowery
Batman: The Movie Leslie H. Martinson, starring Adam West
Batman Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm, voiced by Kevin Conroy
Batman Forever Joel Schumacher, starring Val Kilmer
Batman & Robin Joel Schumacher, starring George Clooney
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero Boyd Kirkland, voiced by Kevin Conroy
Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman Curt Geda, voiced by Kevin Conroy
Batman Begins Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale
The Batman vs. Dracula Michael Goguen, voiced by Rino Romano
The Dark Knight Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale
Batman: Year One Sam Liu and Lauren Montgomery, voiced by Ben McKenzie
The Dark Knight Rises Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale
Son of Batman Ethan Spaulding, voiced by Jason O'Mara
Batman: Assault on Arkham Jay Oliva and Ethan Spaulding, voiced by Kevin Conroy
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Zack Snyder, starring Ben Affleck
Batman: Bad Blood Jay Oliva, voiced by Jason O'Mara
Batman: The Killing Joke Sam Liu, voiced by Kevin Conroy
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders Rick Morales, voiced by Adam West
Batman and Harley Quinn Sam Liu, voiced by Kevin Conroy
Batman Ninja Junpei Mizusaki, voiced by Roger Craig Smith
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight Sam Liu, voiced by Bruce Greenwood
Batman: Hush Justin Copeland, voiced by Jason O'Mara
Batman: Soul of the Dragon Sam Liu, voiced by David Giuntoli
The Batman Matt Reeves, starring Robert Pattinson
Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham Christopher Berkeley and Sam Liu, voiced by David Giuntoli
Merry Little Batman Mike Roth, voiced by Luke Wilson