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I'm just a history buff and nerd with an interest in forum roleplay games.

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Gotham Knights

A Batman RP




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.


















Character Ideas (including but not limited to)

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
<Snipped quote by Fingal>

I'm still in debate. I like Nightwing more but I feel like playing Jason in this setting could be interesting.


I could see Jason as a Marlon Brando/James Dean sort of character.
I would be interested in playing this. Maybe a version of Robin.

Nice, would you be willing to play Tim Drake?
You have my attention, and a potential Nightwing.

Great! Nightwing would be good, but if you still want to play Jason Todd/Red Hood, that's certainly an option.
Once this gets some interest, I'll add the character sheet and some important continuity info for this universe.


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.
Hi fellow new member, loved the post!
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