In 1939, Gotham City, New Jersey was one of the most infamous cities in America. Controlled by corrupt city officials and organized crime, it was clear that if there was to be any chance of saving it, a more drastic solution would be required. It was then that the 'Batman' appeared to strike fear into the hearts of the city's criminals, a cowardly and superstitious lot. First there were the mobsters and racketeers of Carmine Falconer and Sal Maroni, but soon the 'supervillains' emerged - the Joker, the Scarecrow, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, and many more.
It is now 1954, and Batman's crusade is now in its fifteenth year. He is not alone, however, for he has his 'Bat Family's for support in his quest. Their combined efforts will be needed, for Gotham's redemption is far from complete.
Story Premise
Gotham Knights is, or seeks to be, what you might call an “interactive graphic novel,” in the vein of such titles as Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s Batman: The Long Halloween or Hush, with lots of characters and a large mystery to be solved.
Gotham City, Batman, and the characters associated with him hardly need any introduction, but some explanation is needed for the particular version of the world used for this game. Unlike the comics, where characters age much more slowly than in real time, this universe assumes Bruce Wayne was born in 1913, became Batman in 1939, and from there he and the world age in real time. As such, this is a historical game, in addition to a superhero game. Despite being set in 1954, this game does not reflect the campiness of the Silver Age Batman comics. Instead, it is the modern Batman of Year One and later, transposed to a more or less realistic 1954.
Your Characters
Your character should be a member of DC’s Bat Family, not an OC. I would prefer that the more central members (such as Batman, Robin, Batgirl, or Catwoman) be PCs before more secondary ones – it’s a lot easier to have a Batman game without, say, Cassandra Cain than Bruce Wayne.
The GM reserves the right to refuse any character submission.
Themes of the RP
The “feel” of this game comes from Film Noir and other detective fiction of the 1940s and 50s, along with Batman titles such as Year One and Hush. Every Batman fan has “their” Batman, and “my Batman” is the World’s Greatest Detective version of the character. As such, this game is set on the mean streets of Gotham, with one of the major focuses being investigation and detective work, as your vigilante studies blood-spattered concrete and bullet-riddled corpses, seeking to piece the clues together.
This is a superhero game, and as such action will play a role, but players should take care to keep their characters’ abilities relatively grounded, in keeping with the street-level nature of this story.
Another important aspect of this is that I would like to “stage-manage” the characters as little as possible, allowing the players to decide what their character ought to do in a given situation.
1) Follow the rules of the Guild. 2) Make at least one IC post every seven days. If you think you will not be able to post by the end of seven days, please send me a DM and let me know in advance. Do not ghost us. 3) No godmodding or powergaming. 4) Players are encouraged to make suggestions, but the GM's word is final. 5) Consensual relationships between characters are acceptable - but keep it PG-13. 6) Be polite
Batman/Bruce Wayne: Available Nightwing/Richard "Dick" Grayson: Available Red Hood/Jason Todd: Available Robin/Tim Drake: @KaliW Batgirl/Barbara Gordon: @Fabricant451 Catwoman/Selina Kyle: @SouffleGirl123 Batwoman/Kate Kane: Available Batgirl/Cassandra Cain: @scrawls Spoiler/Stephanie Brown: Available
Roleplay Style: Guided Sandbox Genre: Superhero/Historical/Film Noir/Mystery Time Period: 1954 Writing Style: Casual – Advanced Party Size: 5-9 players
Story Premise
Gotham Knights is, or seeks to be, what you might call an “interactive graphic novel,” in the vein of such titles as Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s Batman: The Long Halloween or Hush, with lots of characters and a large mystery to be solved.
Gotham City, Batman, and the characters associated with him hardly need any introduction, but some explanation is needed for the particular version of the world used for this game. Unlike the comics, where characters age much more slowly than in real time, this universe assumes Bruce Wayne was born in 1913, became Batman in 1939, and from there he and the world age in real time. As such, this is a historical game, in addition to a superhero game. Despite being set in 1954, this game does not reflect the campiness of the Silver Age Batman comics. Instead, it is the modern Batman of Year One and later, transposed to a more or less realistic 1954.
Your Characters
Your character should be a member of DC’s Bat Family, not an OC. I would prefer that the more central members (such as Batman, Robin, Batgirl, or Catwoman) be PCs before more secondary ones – it’s a lot easier to have a Batman game without, say, Cassandra Cain than Bruce Wayne. The GM reserves the right to refuse any character submission.
Themes of the RP
The “feel” of this game comes from Film Noir and other detective fiction of the 1940s and 50s, along with Batman titles such as Year One and Hush. Every Batman fan has “their” Batman, and “my Batman” is the World’s Greatest Detective version of the character. As such, this game is set on the mean streets of Gotham, with one of the major focuses being investigation and detective work, as your vigilante studies blood-spattered concrete and bullet-riddled corpses, seeking to piece the clues together.
This is a superhero game, and as such action will play a role, but players should take care to keep their characters’ abilities relatively grounded, in keeping with the street-level nature of this story.
Another important aspect of this is that I would like to “stage-manage” the characters as little as possible, allowing the players to decide what their character ought to do in a given situation.
I had thought about making one for a while, but with a Kelly's Heroes sort of vibe to it so it wouldn't be the same ol' trope. More lighthearted, but still fun.
I was inspired to some degree by cheesy 80s shows, so I certainly wouldn't be against a lighthearted RP.