
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,581
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Timeline: Inventions
- 2–8 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 2010

2014
Rules assistance for Timeline: American History
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Timeline: American History is a board game released in 2014 for 2–8 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Frédéric Henry.
Which happened first: the Salem Witch Trials or the foundation of Harvard College? Was Watergate before Woodstock? Sure, it's easy to know whether the discovery of America came before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, but how well can you remember everything that happened in between? In Timeline: American History, players have hands of cards and take turns attempting to place the cards correctly into the growing timeline. Easy at first, but rapidly growing more difficult, Timeline: American History tests your knowledge and helps you learn the history of the nation.
Timeline: American History supports 2–8 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Timeline: American History is 15 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Timeline: American History for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Timeline: American History has a complexity rating of 1.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Timeline: American History belongs to these categories: Card Game, Trivia, and Educational. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Timeline: American History and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Timeline: American History are: Frédéric Henry. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Timeline: American History as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.