An interesting document, written by someone here in SHH! boards
Overall Goal: The ferry experiment, to show that everyone is as ugly as he is and that humanity and rules can be easily thrown away.
1. GNB bank robbery
Situation: Joker has already stolen the ammonium nitrate for the ferries. Now he needed money to get into the underworld.
Goal: To steal $68 million from the mob - enough to pay off goons but not enough for the mob to care.
Trickery: Telling the goons to take each other out, only for him to be the sole survivor.
Snafu: The bank manager gets the drop on them, but Joker manages to take him out anyway. Another robber dies in the process, but just as well.
Other possibilities: No bank manager in the picture. Robber kill each other, story goes on as planned.
Result: Robbery goes as planned - other robbers are dead, leaving him with the escape and getaway. Everyone's still focused on getting the mob, so showing his face doesn't really matter.
2. Infiltrating the mob meeting
Situation: Joker has $68 million of the mob's money, which he uses to pay people off. Now he wants the manpower, namely Maronis moles and possibly Gambol/Chechens goons.
Goal: To convince the mob to let him into their system (and tear down their world from the inside out), by convincing them he can kill Batman and everything will get back to normal. To do this, he proves how serious he is by killing Gambol's bodyguard right off the bat.
Trickery: He asks for half of the mob's money even though he doesn't want it. He simply understands that money is how the mob operates, and the only language they know.
Snafu: Gambol threatens him, but Joker is one step ahead and reveals hes had grenades on his body all along. All proceeds to plan.
Other possibilities: Everyones cool with Jokers plan. Nix a cool scar story and Joker would have found another way to kill every mob leader anyway.
Result: Gambol puts a bounty on Joker's head (ultimately his downfall), and the mob now know how efficiently he can kill, since he has no rules and no system which Batman can understand. Maroni is a bit uneasy, Chechen likes the idea, and Gambol just hates him.
3. Infiltrating Gambol's gang
Situation: Joker sees Gambol's weakness (familial violence in his childhood) and a way to get to him (the bounty on his head), and decides to go after Gambol first since he's least trustworthy of Joker anyway.
Goal: Joker wants to take over Gotham's criminal underworld, one mob faction at a time, as well as gain one (hehe) more goon.
Trickery: Joker pretends to be dead, then manipulates Gambol to face his past by telling that particular scar story. After killing Gambol, he claims that the remaining goons are his, but that they will have to kill each other to join him. (Minor choice among the victims.)
Result: Gambol is dead, Joker gains a few more followers - the bounty hunters and Gambol's surviving goon.
4. The initial civilian killings
Situation: Joker gets word from the Chechen that he now has access to the mob's moles (mostly in the police force). He wants to get to Batman, for the mob and for his own amusement.
Goal: Joker bribes Batman with the lives of innocent civilians, as well as get aforementioned civilians to flush Batman out. He wants them to truly understand fear, so they can see what they can do in a world without rules. He goes after Harvey himself, since Harvey is a symbol of good for all of Gotham and he possibly wants to extinguish that flame himself.
Trickery: Joker kills a fake Batman, getting people's attention. He also claims that he is "a man of his word," which he is not, although he does like to kill people. He manipulates Rachel by forcing her to face her own abandonment of Bruce - he implies that he, like Batman, were inspired to become freaks by the women who loved them then left them.
Snafu: Batman ensures Dents safety and disarms Jokers goons. Joker distracts him by throwing Rachel out of the window and escapes. Despite not having killed Dent like he meant to, Joker has discovered something about Batman (his caring for Rachel) that he will use to his advantage later on.
Other possibilities: Joker kills Dent. Continues to threaten Batman as planned. Not much of a movie, but maybe Rachel would have been more prominent in Dents absence. J
Result: By killing the judge and commissioner, Maroni and the Chechen can also get out of prison. Bruce begins to question his mission. Joker also now knows that Batman has an affinity for Rachel, for whatever reason, and might suspect that Dent is Batman.
5. Harvey and Dent killings
Situation: Bruce now has more of an understanding of what kind of man he is up against. Three people are already dead, and the Joker is making good on the rest of his threat. The Joker did not kill Harvey Dent, but he kills these two men to make up for it, or maybe to tease Batman if he thinks Batman is Dent.
Goal: Joker bribes Batman further with the lives of more innocent people. He also leaves a clue as to his next victim will be - the mayor, and plants evidence for Batman to find and feel as if he's catching up. (Batman still doesn't fully comprehend the extent of the Joker's tricks.)
Trickery: The bullet that Batman finds leads him to the next trick - that Joker has infiltrated the honor guard. But it doesn't help him stop it.
Result: It is now known who the Joker's next target is, and the trick for Batman (as well as Gordon) is also underway.
6. Attempt on Mayor's life
Situation: The Joker is making good on his threat to kill the Mayor, which gives the public a heads up. The news media is freaking out about it, but the funeral for Commissioner Loeb will go on as planned. Bruce and Gordon are doing their darnedest to stop it from happening.
Goal: Killing the mayor, causing chaos, and mocking Batman about his inability to stop it.
Trickery: By infiltrating the honor guard, the Joker takes advantage of people's attempts to keep order despite all signs pointing to the opposite. He plants a "Rachel Dawes" name tag on a goon who is wounded, and later found by Dent. Batman, instead of finding the apartment where the presumed sniper is, finds the honor guard hostages and is targeted as a sniper himself.
Snafu: Gordon takes the bullet for the mayor. No matter, the chaos Joker was going for is achieved nonetheless.
Other possibilities: Mayor is dead, city freaks out. Not much of a difference here
Result: Joker escapes, leaving a clue as to his next target: Rachel. Harvey begins to unravel, and Batman (as Joker probably intended) decides to turn himself in. Jim Gordon "dies," and although the mayor lives, the Joker's intent was fulfilled.
7. Attempt on "Batman" (Harvey Dent)
SItuation: Harvey claims he is Batman, in order for Batman to continue his mission. Dent correctly assumes that Joker will come for him while he is being transported across the city, and that Batman will emerge and rescue him. At this point in time (unbeknownst to everyone), Rachel is already captured and taken to the warehouse where she is later killed. Joker goon already has the bomb in his stomach, ready for an MCU escape.
Goal: Joker intends to mock Batman (at the beginning, Dent) further by killing his convoy and cutting him up a bit, as well as get arrested and taken to the MCU so he can get to Lau (and ultimately mock the mob with their money). But why not kill a few folks along the way?
Trickery: Actually, not much. Mostly assault-level firepower and lots of vehicular force. But he certainly doesnt act like he wants to be taken into custody
Snafus: Joker is tricked, as he realizes that Batman is not Dent. (But no matter.) He also wants Batman to kill him (which doesnt happen), as it would mark his ultimate goal - to show that anyone can break.
Other possibilities:
Dent is Batman like Joker originally assumed. Joker is captured. Rachels life would already be up for barter and hed probably use her to get everyone away from the MCU anyway. I imagine hed stall a little more during the interrogation as to ensure nobody would have enough time to get to her. Bomb guy is blown up.
Dent is Batman, Joker is not captured. Hell probably send a mocking video about Rachel, just to mess with them and get people away from the MCU where he can get Lau. No need for bomb guy to blow up.
Dent is not Batman, Joker is not captured. Dent will probably be kidnapped as planned. Joker will probably send another mocking video about the two of them as described above. No need for bomb guy to blow up.
Batman kills Joker. Joker wins, after having shown that anyone can break their morals. Rachel is already on the timer and will die anyway. No need for bomb guy to blow up.
Result: The Joker is captured and taken to the MCU, Gordon (who shows his face as it to say, "HAH!") is back, and Dent is rescued, if only for a little while.
8. Kidnapping of Harvey and Rachel
Situation: Gordon believes that Joker will be tried in court, but things turn around when he gets word that Dent is missing. Batman was already hiding out at the MCU and was likely invited into the interrogation room before Joker is brought in, probably at Gordons request.
Goal: To get Gordon and Batman away from the MCU so he can make his escape, as well as break our good guys with the death of a closely-related innocent.
Trickery: Joker switches the addresses of where Harvey and Rachel are, but he also sets it up so that Rachel will be impossible to rescue (dark room, completely full of gas barrels). Dent, on the other hand, is taken to a room that is lit, and has a clear path to the door.
Other possibilities:
Rachel and Harvey survive, Joker escapes. Hed probably blow up the hospital as planned, maybe having turned Harvey using other methods besides the death of Rachel. Or maybe hed kill Rachel in the hospital in front of Harvey, whatever hed feel like doing.
Rachel and Harvey die. Might as well blow up the hospital anyway, even if theres no one inside hes interested in chatting with.
Rachel survives, Harvey dies. Again, maybe Rachel could have played a more prominent role by Batmans side, but it wouldnt be much of a Batman movie.
Result: By setting up the ultimate trick, Joker mocks the attempts of Batman and Gordon to rescue the two, and so all of them feel responsible for the death of Rachel. Gordon and Batman are also away from the MCU when he makes his escape.
9. Escape from the MCU
Situation: Batman and Gordon are away from the MCU, and everyone's on edge. Lau is still kept in his cell, and only he knows the location of the mob's life savings.
Goal: To escape and take Lau with him, so Joker can be in possession of all the mob's money and have that leverage over them. Mocking Dent, Batman, and Gordon is icing on the cake.
Trickery: Joker doesn't actually use knives to kill any cops, but he eggs Stephens on anyway so Stephens will get close and Joker can take him hostage. He also uses the police's own system (cell phone, holding his goons in the MCU) to blow up the building and escape.
Other possibilities:
Joker does not manage to trick Stephens into getting close to him. Id imagine if that were the case, hed attempt suicide by cutting his wrists with those pieces of glass. Theyd take him out of the interrogation room, or at least bring a medic, who would have to get close to him and he could take the medic hostage. Story continues as usual.
Bomb goon was killed during the car chase or not captured. Who says Joker didnt put bombs on the rest of his goons somewhere in/on their person? Heh.
Result: Lau is in Joker's hands, and so is the mob's money. Rachel is dead, Harvey is off to the ICU in Gotham General, having lost everything he'd been fighting for. Batman and Gordon are the ones who feel most responsible for it.
10. Calling for a mob meeting
Situation: Batman is still alive, but the Joker has all of the mob's money, so he calls Maroni and the Chechen to come and get it. Maroni, seeing the result that has come from them giving power to the Joker in the first place, decides to take him down by going to Gordon and forgetting about the money.
Goal: To usurp power from all of the mob leaders and take all their goons for himself.
Trickery: Joker claims he's burning "his" half of the money, but the rest of it is attached to the other half, sooo
Snafu: Maroni is smart enough to get out of the situation and get the drop on Joker, letting Gordon know when and where to capture Joker. Joker manages to escape the MCU by calling into Gotham Tonight and making another threat, diverting the polices attention.
Result: The Chechen has no money to pay his goons with, but the Joker presumably still has some of those cool $68 million from the bank at the beginning, so all of the goons turn to him. Lau and the Chechen are killed. Joker takes over the Chechens enterprises. Maroni has escaped, for now.
11. Threatening Reese's life/Threatening the hospitals
Situation: Reese is on Gotham Tonight, to reveal Batman's identity after all that has transpired. Dent is in the hospital, recovering from his burns. Batman should not be found anywhere, considering it's during the day.
Goal: To evacuate the hospitals so Joker can get to Dent at Gotham General and break him mentally. Well, since hes alive and available for breaking. Also, to cause anarchy among the citizens of Gotham as they scramble to commit murder. He also wants to take a bus of hostages as to provide a distraction for the police (and Batman) during the ferry social experiment. Also, Joker must have realized Maroni snitched to the police, so he now must stage a distraction to prevent his own capture.
Trickery: Joker dresses as a nurse to infiltrate Gotham General, when everyone has evacuated. One of his goons has also gotten himself a school bus to fill hospital evacuees with.
Other possibilities:
Someone manages to kill Reese. Hospital doesnt get blown up, audience is sad. Joker will take a bus hostage anyway, ferry experiment goes on as planned.
Reese doesnt appear on Gotham Tonight, so Joker cant bargain with his life in exchange for the hospital.
Result: Gordon and Bruce manage to protect Reese until Joker blows up the hospital, in which case the deadline has passed and Reese is presumably safe. Joker also escapes the hospital with the bus of hostages.
12. Turning Harvey Dent
Situation: Dent is gravely burned, having forsaken his lifelong philosophies after what has happened to him. Gordon is scrambling to evacuate hospitals and keep Reese safe. Batman is helping Gordon with the latter, without his knowledge. (He presumably trusts that the hospitals will be evacuated in time, but he doesnt trust that people would let Reese live.)
Goal: To break Harvey mentally and to convince him to adopt a life of anarchy. Trickery: Joker feeds Harvey a crock of lies during their little chat, claiming that he doesnt have plans. He does have plans, but he just doesnt have goals like other people have goals. His ultimate goal is to get everyone to break their rules and show how useless order and humanity truly is.
Other possibilities:
Coin comes up scarred. Harvey shoots Joker. Joker is dead, hospital doesnt get blown up, bus hostages are safe and so are the ferries, but Dent is now a murderer. Joker wins.
Dent sticks to his guns and refuses to break his moral code. Joker might blow him up along with the hospital, depending on Reeses status. Not much of a Batman movie, but Joker gets to take his hostages nonetheless and set up his ferry experiment as planned.
Result: Dent is properly turned and set onto Maroni, Gordon, and Batman, among others who he blames for his predicament. Joker gets to blow up something real good, and takes a bus hostage for good measure. He can also claim to Batman to have planned to turn Harvey the entire time, but there is no real proof of this. His ultimate goal (at least as presented in the ARG) was the ferry experiment.
13. Threatening all of Gotham
Situation: Gotham General has been razed to the ground and a bus of hostages is missing. Unbeknownst to the public (and Gordon and Batman), Dent has gone AWOL. Joker uses Mike Engel, a staple in Gotham news shows, to deliver his last threat.
Goal: To get as many people as possible onto the ferries.
Trickery: His little game was not held within Gothams borders as he claimed, but presented to the people he promised would escape his clutches. Also, theres probably nothing at all wrong with the bridges and tunnels.
Other possibilities:
People use the bridges and tunnels anyway. Even so, plenty would still be on the ferry, at least enough for his use.
Most people dont believe him. Again, enough would likely still use the ferry for the experiment to be held.
Result: Gotham empties as most people attempt to evacuate the island, loading two ferries to maximum capacity.
14. Pruitt building hostage situation
Situation: Batman finds the bus of hostages by using his cell phone surveillance system. Joker is holding them prisoner among 2 floors in a partially-constructed building. Batman and Gordon must ensure the hostages safety while also ensuring the safety of the people on the ferries.
Goal: To provide a distraction for the police and Batman as he oversees the ferry experiment.
Trickery: The goons are dressed as hostages while the hostages are dressed as goons.
Other possibilities:
Batman does not have the cell phone surveillance system, so he does not find the hostages. (Joker doesnt know he has it, at any rate.) No matter, ferry experiment goes on as planned, since Batman does not have river access.
Batman and Gordon do not discover that the goons and hostages are switched. Innocents are killed, Joker doesnt care a whit.
Result: Batman discovers the hostages are switched, and manages to ensure their safety. SWAT secures the goons.
15. Ferry social experiment
Situation: Two ferries are in the middle of the river when the power shuts off. Joker informs them that they are sitting on explosives that will kill them all if detonated. He proposes that they can save themselves if they blow up the other ferry by midnight.
Goal: To show a large number of regular Gotham citizens that they can renounce their morals just as easily as he has.
Trickery: It did not transpire, but its a good bet that the boats probably had their own detonators.
Other possibilities:
One boat blows up the other. He wins!
Batman does not stop Joker from using his own detonator. Both blow up real good. A little disappointment from having to do it himself, but he wins!
Result: Jokers only real failure the citizens of Gotham stick to their guns and do not murder each other. Batman manages to stop Joker from using his detonator on both ferries.
