Batman: The Animated Series – Almost Got ‘Im Game Review

The Basics:

• For ages 15 and up
• For 5 to 8 players
• Variable Game Play Length

Geek Skills:

• Active Listening & Communication
• Logical & Critical Decision Making
• Emotional Coping Skills
• Strategy & Tactics
• Cooperative & Team Play
• Hand/Resource Management
• Self-confidence
• Imagination
• Bluffing and Misdirection

Learning Curve:

• Child – Hard
• Adult – Moderate

Theme & Narrative:

• Infiltrate the gang of villains and bring them to justice, or be caught and face the consequences

Endorsements:

• Child Geek rejected!
• Parent Geek mixed!
• Gamer Geek rejected!

Overview

Batman: The Animated Series premiered on television in 1992 and ran until 1995. It was exceedingly well received by fans and critics alike for its excellent writing, superb art direction, and outstanding voice acting. One of the many memorable episodes was when Batman hid among a group of villains who were playing cards and telling stories about how they almost got Batman. You can find that episode online, and I suggest you give it a shot. An excellent story with a surprise ending. This game attempts to capture the feeling of that episode, pitting one player as Batman, hiding in plain sight, against a table full of enemies. Can Batman stay hidden, or will he get caught? Play the game and find out.

Almost Got ‘Im, designed by Matt Hyra and published by Cryptozoic Entertainment, is comprised of one custom Poker deck of cards, 13 Character cards, nine Secret Role cards, and various sets of Support cards. The cards are as thick and durable as standard playing cards. The few illustrations on the cards are taken from the Batman: The Animated Series cartoon.

Getting Ready to Play

To set up the game, complete the following steps:

Step One: Determine Who Will Be the Dealer

The Dealer is a special role in the game that acts as both a timekeeper and moderator. They are not a player in the game, but are responsible for dealing the cards, keeping the game going, and helping to resolve character abilities used by other players. It is a very important role and should only be taken on by someone who knows how to play this game well, or at the very least, has read the game’s rulebook.

Step Two: Character and Secret Role Assignment

The Dealer takes the Character cards, shuffles, and deals one to each player. Players should place their Character card face-up in front of them. Any unused Character cards are returned to the Dealer.

The Dealer then takes the Secret Role cards, removing the “Homicidal” and “Healer” Secret Role cards if necessary, based on the number of players. The Secret Role deck is then prepared with the “Batman in Disguise” card. The deck is shuffled, and one Secret Role card is given to each player. Players should look at their Secret Role and then place it underneath their Character card. Players should never reveal their Secret Role card to anyone until forced to do so. Keep it hidden!

It is essential to note that a player will have a Character card that bears no resemblance to “The Batman.” This is intentional, as “The Batman” is in disguise, hiding in plain sight and dressed in a costume that makes them resemble the villain depicted on their Character card.

Step Three: Deal Cards

The Dealer now shuffles the Poker deck and deals five cards to each player, face down. This is the player’s hand. Players should look at the cards in their hands and keep them hidden from their opponents until they are played.

The remaining Poker deck should be placed face down in the middle of the playing area. Deal and reveal the top three cards from the Poker deck and place them face up in a row.

This completes the game setup. Determine who the first player will be and give them “The Brains” token.

Step Four: The Batman is Revealed

One of the players received the “Batman in Disguise” Secret Role card. This player is “The Batman” for the duration of the game. The Dealer now asks all the players to close their eyes. They then ask “The Batman” to open their eyes. When the player with “The Batman” Secret Role card does, the Dealer randomly selects an unused Secret Role card and shows it to them. It is up to the player to decide how to utilize this information to their advantage.

After a moment, the Dealer instructs “The Batman” player to close their eyes and then asks all the players to open their eyes.

The game can now begin!

What’s the Deal With the Cards?

During each round, players attempt to create the Poker hand identified on their Secret Role card. If they can manage to do so before the round’s Blackout step, they can activate their Secret Role card’s special ability. Failure to do so possibly puts the player in danger of being caught by “The Batman” player or by the villains if the player is “The Batman.”

Show Me Your Cards

The game is played in turns and rounds, with no set number of rounds per game. A single game round is summarized here.

Step One: Everyone Takes a Turn

Starting with the player who currently has “The Brains” token and continuing in clockwise order around the game table, each player will complete the following:

1. Draw a card from the top of the draw deck or take the top card from one of the three discard piles, placing the card immediately in their hand.
2. Optionally use their Character card’s noted special ability.
3. Draw or discard until their hand size is five cards.

Step Two: The Brain Accuses

The player who is currently in possession of “The Brains” token can now accuse any other player not currently subdued of being “The Batman.” This accusation must be seconded. If it is not, the accusation can not be put to a vote. The accused is welcome to champion their innocence as much as they like.

If it does come to a vote, everyone except the accused votes on whether the accused is guilty or innocent.

If the accused is found guilty, they must show their Secret Role card. If it is “The Batman,” all the villains win the game! If the Secret Role is a villain, that player is now subdued but remains in the game. They cannot, however, use their special abilities. The game then continues.

If the accused is voted to be innocent, nothing else happens. The game then continues.

Step Three: Blackout!

The Dealer now tells everyone to close their eyes. The Dealer then grabs the deck of cards and walks around the table, asking each player, based on their Character, to open their eyes, reveal their Secret Role card, and their Poker hand. If the player was able to make the proper Poker hand, the Dealer helps resolve the special ability.

After every player has been resolved, the light comes back on.

Step Four: Let There Be Light

The Dealer now announces if any of the players at the table were subdued during the blackout (“The Batman’s” secret ability), unsubdued, or if there were any other changes.

After resolving any changes at the table, the Dealer announces that the round is over and the “The Brains” token is passed to the next player in the turn order sequence.

This completes the round, and a new round begins.

Winning the Game

As already noted, the villains win if “The Batman” player is voted guilty!

However, “The Batman” player wins if they are able to subdue a specific number of players. The number of players needed to win is based on the number of players in the game.

To learn more about Batman: The Animated Series – Almost Got ‘Im, visit the game’s web page.

Final Word

This was not an easy game for the Child Geeks. To begin with, social deduction games are exceptionally subtle in their approach and gameplay. A subtlety that was a bit beyond the younger players, as they attempted to figure out who Batman was—a few tears, even, as some of the questions and accusations became heated. Additionally, collecting Poker hands was challenging for some of the Child Geeks. The end result was a game that interested all the Child Geeks, but very few understood. According to one Child Geek, “I like Batman, but I do not like this game. It was too hard, and hiding is too easy.” Another Child Geek said, “I didn’t like it when people tried to tell me I was Batman when I wasn’t. I also didn’t like that I could not use my special powers unless I had cards I could never get.” Needless to say, when the Child Geeks took a vote, they all decided that this game was not for them.

The Parent Geeks felt differently, finding it fun not only to play as some of the characters they enjoyed as kids, but also to attempt to duck and dodge being tackled by villains and heroes alike. According to one Parent Geek, “A new take on a social deduction game. I liked the Werewolf elements and how you had to collect specific Poker hands to trigger your abilities. There was a lot going on, but it all kept me engaged and happy.” Another Parent Geek said, “What I don’t like about most social deduction games is the meta game, where you have to act like someone else. You don’t have to do that here. You have to say you are not the Batman, and that, I guess, is good enough. I enjoyed it and would play it again with a larger group.” When all the bad guys were captured, the Parent Geeks took a vote and decided they were very happy they caught Batman: The Animated Series – Almost Got ‘Im.

The Gamer Geeks were very familiar with the animated series and the particular episode this game is based on. They enjoyed reminiscing about the show and looked forward to playing the game. After getting it to the table and playing a few rounds, they started to feel less interested. According to one Gamer Geek, “I think this is one of those games that looked good on paper, but falls short of meeting expectations once it gets to the table. It is too fiddly, too accident-prone, and having to collect a specific hand to save yourself from being voted out or taken out in the dark feels entirely unnecessary. There are better social deduction games than this.” Another Gamer Geek said, “I enjoyed the game’s premise and the characters, but the execution left me feeling disappointed. There is too much game in this game, if that makes sense. Social deduction games should focus on the meta game being played in the players’ heads and leverage player interaction. This game taps into that, but fails to fully exploit it for its full potential. Disappointing.” When the lights went out, the Gamer Geeks took a vote and decided not to turn them on again.

Batman: The Animated Series – Almost Got ‘Im has real promise with the right group. As mentioned by the Gamer Geek, it does feel like the Poker element is an unnecessary addition to the game, purposely put there to support the game’s origins. Which is fine in design, but doesn’t make the game any more entertaining or engaging in practice. I felt distracted at times, trying to make the hand I needed, only to fail to pick up the required subtleties to investigate my peers and determine who was Batman properly. Other times, I’d be focusing on all the conversations at the table and completely disregard my Poker hand. The problem with both of these extremes is that the game only really works if you can manage both game aspects in equal measure at the same time.

Which, like others and I have said, felt unnecessary. A shame, as the game’s theme certainly sounded appealing! And it was to the casual players. If you fall into that group, give this game a try and see if you get it or want to leave it.

This game was given to Father Geek as a review copy. Father Geek was not paid, bribed, wined, dined, or threatened in vain hopes of influencing this review. Such is the statuesque and legendary integrity of Father Geek.