150 — part 3: optional rules — Action Distance necessary Test required Test required Zig-zagging All distances except Physical contact Dexterity difficulty 15 Success: The distance for this round is modified by 1 degree in favor of the person chasing, but the DEF of the target and any passengers in their vehicle gains a +5 bonus. Fail: The same, but the DEF bonus is only +2. Taking a risk All distances except Physical contact Dexterity difficulty 15. Can be adapted at the GM's discretion Success: The distance for this round is modified by 1 degree in favor of the character. Fail: The distance remains the same. Creating an obstacle* All ranges except Physical contact Depending on the obstacle: ◊ Strength for demolishing things behind you, ◊Dexterity for closing windows, doors, going up a ladder, etc., ◊ Intelligence for setting in motion a mechanism capable of hindering the opponent, ◊ Willpower to incite passers-by to slow down the opponent. Success: The distance for this round is modified by 1 degree in favor of the opponent, but they are subject to a Complication. Fail: The distance for this round is modified by 1 degree in favor of the opponent. Starting a fight with the opponent* Physical contact or Adjacent Dexterity in opposition with the opponent Success: The two opponents are in Physical contact. For two opponents on foot: The target receives 1D6 temporary DD. For two opponents in vehicles: The target's vehicle receives 1D6 DD + the Strength MOD of the attacker's vehicle. Also, the driver of the targeted vehicle must perform a successful test of Dexterity or have an Accident. Fail: The two opponents are in Physical contact, and the chase ends with combat. Jumping from the vehicle* Any distance Dexterity (do not add the vehicle's Agility), difficulty depending on the speed and area targeted Success: The distance for this round is modified by 2 degrees in favor of the opponent. If this value is negative, the person chasing overtakes the person being chased and has to turn back. Depending on the speed, the character receives temporary damage from 1D6 (moderate speed) to 5D6 (high speed). The number of this D6 result can be adjusted depending on the zone (-5D for water, -4D for mud, -3D for a pile of leaves, -2D for sand, -1D for softish ground, +1D for tarmac, +2D for metal, etc.) Fail: The DD are not temporary. Hiding Any distance except Physical contact, Adjacent, and Near. Requires sufficient cover to exist. Test of Dexterity in opposition with the opponent's Perception Success: The chase continues. The opponent can try and find the character, who can lay in wait and jump them, etc. Fail: The chase ends and the opponent finds the character.
151 — chapter 3: chases — CONFRONTATION ACTIONS AND COMBAT BETWEEN VEHICLES The actions below are attempts to damage a vehicle or completely put it out of action (when the attack is aimed at a person in the vehicle, whether it’s the driver or a passenger, use the standard rules for combat). These actions are performed like the others, in the order of the drivers’ and passengers’ Initiative score, from high to low. For tests of MA and RA, all the normal rules apply, including the penalties regarding the target’s and attacker’s movements during ranged attacks. The actions of Hitting and Performing an RA are impossible on board vehicles that are pressurized or have no opening. Action Distance necessary Test required Effect of success / failure Hitting* Physical contact or Adjacent. MA Success: The distance for this round is modified by 1 degree in favor of the target of the attack. The opponent receives the weapon's DD. Fail: The distance for this round is modified by 1 degree in favor of the target of the attack. Performing an RA* All ranges RA If the driver is the one performing the action, the distance for this round is modified by 1 degree in favor of the target of the attack. Success: The opponent receives the weapon's DD. Fail: No effect. Using the on-board weapons All ranges RA Success: The opponent receives the DD of the weapon used. Fail: No effect. Smashing into* Adjacent Dexterity in opposition with the DEF of the targeted vehicle Success: The targeted vehicle receives 1D6 DD + the MAS of the attacking vehicle; the attacking vehicle receives 1D6 DD. The driver of the targeted vehicle must perform a successful test of Dexterity with a difficulty equal to the score obtained by the attacker, otherwise they have an Accident. Fail: The driver of the targeted vehicle must perform a successful difficulty 10 test of Dexterity, otherwise they have an Accident.
152 — part 3: optional rules — When a vehicle no longer has any Hit Points: A vehicle that receives damage equal to or higher than the number of its HP is considered destroyed. If the vehicle falls to 0 HP or less while moving at top speed, the driver has to perform a successful difficulty 15 test of Dexterity or they have an Accident. The passengers must perform a successful difficulty 15 test of Dexterity to extricate themselves quickly from the vehicle, or they receive DD equal to the initial HP of the vehicle. ACCIDENTS An Accident happens when a character fails when faced with a Complication, or receives a critical fail for a movement or action. This means taking a fall, hitting an obstacle, swerving off the road, etc. The type of Accident obviously depends on the surroundings and circumstances. You should always avoid it ending in death or a bloodbath. No matter how reckless comic characters are, they always miraculously manage to avoid police officers, pedestrians, old people, or strollers that seem to be directly in their path… A character on foot receives damage from a fall (see the Chapter entitled Madness and danger), and becomes Knocked over and Stunned. Besides the effects that have already been applied (by the movement action and any eventual action by one of the protagonists), the difference in distance for this round is modified by 3 degrees in favor of the opponent. On the next round, the character has to spend a movement action in order to get back up and return to the chase. A character in a vehicle receives 2D6 DD, and the vehicle loses 1D6 Mass points. If the Mass score falls to 0, the vehicle is too damaged to take off again and the chase is immediately curtailed. If some Mass points remain, the driver has to spend the next round’s movement action in order to get going again, and this gives their opponent an automatic victory for the test in opposition. OTHER PARTICIPANTS? If the chase includes more than two people and is on foot, it is understood (for reasons of simplicity) that the chase is led: ◊ By the character who, among those being chased, has the lowest Dexterity score, ◊ By the character who, among those chasing, has the highest Dexterity score. If the vehicles taking part in the chase have passengers, the chase is led by the two drivers. In both cases, the only change to the rules below is that each character accompanying the protagonists has one free action each round. You can of course apply Complications to any of the participants, or apply everything described above by individualizing the race of each protagonist able to move by their own means.
153 CHAPTER 4: TAILING SOMEONE Although this isn’t shown much in the comics, scenes with police officers following their unsuspecting target is a classic in film noir and TV series. Tailing someone is obviously different from chasing someone, as the target does not know they are being followed and thus is not trying to get away. The risk is that the person being tailed realizes what is going on and tries to escape (if they do, the rules for chases are then used), points out the person tailing them to a police patrol (or passers-by, or some thugs), or that they deliberately change destinations and go somewhere more neutral or dangerous for those following. Tailing someone is basically two actions: keeping visual contact with the target, and making sure they don’t see you. These two actions are both dependent on the distance between the two parties, the discretion of those following, and the vigilance of the target. Here’s how to proceed. 1. The GM “slices” the journey into a certain number of stages. This number doesn’t represent the length ofthe journey, but the differences in the environment. For example, following someone all the way down 5th Avenue in Gotham City could be one section, whereas moving through a mall could be almost a dozen, depending on whether the target disappears into a crowd, goes into a store, exits a restaurant through the kitchens, dives into a cinema or department store and exits at the far end of it, goes into an underground car park, walks down a tunnel to a subway station, etc. 2. Players decide how to organize themselves, i.e. the number of people or distinct teams who will be doing the tailing, and at which point. 3. For each stage, players perform two tests in opposition with the target that will apply to everyone taking part in the tail. These tests are performed by adding together the MODs of each distinct team (when a team is made up of several people, the best MOD of the members is chosen). The more distinct teams or people taking part, the easier the tailing becomes. The target can also receive bonuses for the tests in opposition - see below. The first test is a test of Perception vs. the target’s Dexterity, so the target does not disappear from view. Depending on the distance from which the target is being trailed, the followers benefit from modifiers. This distance is relative and depends on what each side uses to move: being “close” on foot means less than 20 meters away, but in a helicopter it’s 200 meters; this distance also depends on the surroundings. In a small street during market day, a pedestrian would be “close” when a few meters away, but “adjacent” if they are being followed in a clear, wide avenue. Distance Modifiers If the target Modifiers for the target Adjacent +10 Is wary +3 Close +5 Realizes they are being followed +5 (not in addition to the previous one) Distant +0 Knows the environment well +5 Far away -5 Is quick +3 On the cusp -10 Is trained in how to deal with being followed +5 Note: The bonuses for the target can be combined. This means it is particularly difficult to follow someone who is fast, knows they are being followed, knows the surroundings, and has been trained to avoid being followed. Knowing the surroundings and having been trained in how to tail someone each give a bonus of +5 to those doing the following. A critical success allows the tailing to continue and gives the followers a +5 bonus for the next test. A normal success allows the tailing to continue. A fail means that the followers no longer have the target in sight. In this case, it will be necessary to either use an Exploit Point, or find the target (to be handled depending on the situation).
154 — part 3: optional rules — A critical fail means that the followers have definitively lost the target. The second test is a test of Dexterity vs. Perception so as not to be noticed by the target. This test is also subject to modifications, the opposite of the previous ones: the nearer you are to the target, the easier it is to follow them, but the harder it is not to be noticed. The target also benefits from bonuses and penalties to their dice roll. Distance Modifiers The target Modifiers for the target Adjacent -10 Does not look around (they are in their thoughts, looking at their phone, staring at the ground…) -5 Near -5 Believes they are in complete safety -3 Far -0 Is in a place they know / don't know -3 / +3 Distant +5 Is particularly fast +3 On the cusp +10 Knows they are being followed +5 A critical success allows the tailing to continue and gives the followers a +5 bonus for the next test. A normal success allows the tailing to continue without being noticed. A failure means the followers have become apparent to the target, who becomes “wary” (or “conscious they are being followed” if they were already “wary”). In this case, it will be necessary either to use an Exploit Point, or allow the target to get a little further away so as to make things more discrete (to be handled depending on the situation). A critical fail means that the target has noticed and identified the followers. Their reaction (provocation, simply bolting to escape, tricking the followers or leading them to the wrong destination…) will depend of the means the target has, etc. If the trail is a success, the followers obtain the information they were looking for. This could be the identity of the person followed, where they hang out, where they work, where they meet up with their accomplices, the people they meet, any criminal activity they get up to, their daily routine, etc.
155 CHAPTER 5: INFILTRATION The scene where the characters have to enter somewhere without being seen is a staple of comics and action movies, and there are two ways of playing out these scenes, whether the scene is a stronghold, a lair, a secret base, a citadel, etc. (always referred to here as the “HQ”). It’s a high-tension scene where the characters take risks, often barely avoid being discovered, and manage to get past the enemy’s defenses before the alarm goes off and they are discovered, or they arrive face to face with the bad guy of the story. Scenes like this can be played like any other, referring to the plan and characteristics of the HQ, using Ways of HQs detailed in the corresponding chapter. However, you might not have the time or the desire to detail the character’s every move through every corridor of the HQ, every door, every guard, etc. If this is the case, simply follow the tips below, without forgetting all the bonuses granted by the Ways of the characters, depending on the actions performed: 1. Apply the difficulties of the tests and all or part of the HQ’s equipment detailed in Way of defense (one of the three Ways of HQs), adapting them if necessary to the type of HQ (a Justice League secret base orbiting the earth will not have the same type of defense as a medieval citadel high in the mountains). Most often, the tests involve Dexterity (the characters are trying to remain undetected), but you can vary which tests are used as follows: ◊ Strength, for kicking down a door, clearing a way through with a crowbar, moving an obstacle, etc., ◊ Constitution, for passing through an area where breathing is difficult or impossible (underwater, in a cloud of gas, an area freezing cold or burning, etc.), ◊ Intelligence, for cracking a secret code, finding your way around a maze, getting your bearings in a huge complex, etc., ◊ Perception, for detecting security cameras, a hidden guard, finding your way in the dark, etc., ◊ Willpower, for tricking a guard, intimidating an employee, distracting someone’s attention, etc.
156 — part 3: optional rules — If the test fails, the characters can still try and use other actions as a last-ditch effort. You might also decide that each failed test of Discretion makes it more likely the characters will be discovered by the personnel of the base, and that the alarm is sounded after 5 fails. The better the HQ is guarded (i.e. the higher its level in Way of defense) the quicker the alert will be given. For an HQ with level 5 in Way of defense, this will happen at the first fail; at the second fail for a level 4 HQ; at the third fail for a level 3 HQ, etc. Once the base is in a state of alert, the characters have been spotted, their infiltration has failed, and it is time either to escape or start shooting! 2. You should consider each level as corresponding with a point where a test is necessary (this could be a wellguarded passage, a hall full of enemies going about their business, a reinforced door with a secret code, a pit full of wild animals, a patrol with sniffer dogs and infrared vision goggles, a wall that has to be climbed, a surveillance drone flying overhead, etc.) 3. Consider each level of Way of size as equal to the 15 minutes necessary for the characters to get from their point of entry to the part of the HQ they want to reach. This time is of course without any complications. Reaching their objective in an HQ with level 5 in Way of size (i.e. a huge complex) will thus take the characters 1 hour and 15 minutes. For small hideouts (HQs at level 1 in Way of size), this time is instead deemed to be taken for the characters to perform a search of the space, or obtain what they want. Feel free to adapt these theoretical explanations to the situations, using your common sense. 4. If the HQ has personnel (these could be guards, but also robots or aggressive animals, etc.), consider each level in Way of aid to correspond with the theoretical number of people stated below: ◊ Level 1: 2 or 3, ◊ Level 2: a dozen, ◊ Level 3: around thirty, ◊ Level 4: around a hundred, ◊ Level 5: several hundred.
157 CHAPTER 6: INTERROGATION Investigation plays a big part in both the Batman comics and Batman RPG, so it’s likely that at some point the characters will have to interrogate an uncooperative witness. This person’s reticence can be voluntary (a suspect who does not want to rat on their accomplices) or involuntary (the witness can’t remember, is frightened for their life, is in a state of shock, etc.). For a shocked witness, the interrogator will have to gain their trust before trying to make them remember, using whatever details are already known. When it comes to interrogating hostile witnesses, or those that refuse to talk at all, using force is never a good tactic, despite the fact that it is sometimes present in the comics. In fact, studies show that information obtained under duress is not reliable, and that the person being interrogated develops a growing disdain for their captors that makes them even more determined to keep their secrets. To give up any information, the person being interrogated has got to see it as being in their interest in some way, whether it’s for money, a symbolic reason, because of emotional attachment, selfishness, or something else. The procedure is as follows. The interrogator first chooses their method, and thus which characteristic will be needed: ◊ Willpower, to intimidate, develop empathy with the person being interrogated, to bluff, provoke them to get a reaction, make them feel sorry for themselves, sweet talk them, appeal to their morals, or any other means to get what you want from the person being interrogated. ◊ Perception, to detect a change of attitude, a lie, shame, irony, or any other emotion felt by the person being interrogated. ◊ Intelligence, to pinpoint incoherencies, find weak spots in their reasoning, trick the person being interrogated, cajole them into accidentally giving away a piece of information, use reasoning to convince them that it is in their interest to help, etc. The GM next establishes how the person being interrogated tries to escape the situation, and this defines the characteristic used: ◊ Willpower, to resist simply through force of character. ◊ Intelligence, to bamboozle the interrogator, use any inconsistency against them, invent credible lies, avoid trick questions, remain calm when provoked, etc. ◊ Perception, to detect the interrogator’s intentions, what they themselves are trying to hide, etc. The tests are then performed in opposition. The sensitivity level of the information in the eyes of the person being interrogated (1: completely harmless; 2: of little importance; 3: important; 4: crucial; 5: absolutely vital) determines the number of successes that have to be obtained. Each of the interrogator’s fails takes them a notch away from getting the information they seek (and each critical fail takes them two notches away). Each of the interrogator’s successes brings them a notch closer to getting the information they seek (and each critical success brings them two notches closer). Once the interrogator has obtained the required number of successes, the person being interrogated gives up the information. Note that if you want to handle each interrogation more finely (or if one piece of information makes the interrogator want to know something else), each piece of information can be subject to a different series of tests. Just make sure that your game session doesn’t turn into an interminable series of rolls of the D20… Also, each test covers one interrogation, whether it lasts ten minutes or an hour. If the necessary number of successes is still not achieved when the interrogator decides to give up, this means that they did not manage to obtain the information they were looking for, and will have to find it elsewhere or by other means… To raise the stakes a little, you can add bonuses or penalties to these tests, depending on the circumstances (the interrogator is wrong-footed, they have a time limit to respect, the person being interrogated makes a mistake or breaks down, are put under pressure, etc.), by applying the following factors: Knowledge of intimate details of the life of the person being interrogated: +3 bonus. Pre-existing animosity or resentment (for example, due to the interrogator’s use of violence): penalty of -3. Having something in common (a passion, knowledge, memories): +2 bonus. Ideological opposition (the person being interrogated is hostile to their interrogator for ideological reasons): penalty of -2.
158 PART 4: ADVICE FOR THE PLAYERS AND THE GAME MASTER
159 CHAPTER 1: FOLLOWING THE LOGIC OF THE COMICS BASIC PRINCIPLES If this is your first game, go round the table and ask the members of your group what they know about Gotham City and its inhabitants (superheroes, super-criminals, GCPD, journalists, etc.). This will allow you to judge to what extent you’ll have to describe certain places and characters. Next, remind them of some of the game’s key elements. The principle of minimal difference with real life for all the everyday elements (level of technology, the price of objects and services, etc.). Unless otherwise stated, everything that exists in a modern American city, like smartphones, surveillance cameras, and social networks exist in the Gotham City they will be steeped in during the game. The idea of an alternate America where there are familiar elements, but using well-known names from our reality is to be avoided. As in the comics, avoid naming real brand names or personalities that might break the feeling of being elsewhere. If you say “an Italian sportscar” or “the president of the United States”, everyone will know what you mean, but keep actual names for expressions like: “a WayneTech surveillance drone” or “an article in the Gotham City Gazette written by Vicki Vale”. Basically, treat Gotham City as a sort of autonomous city-state, part of modern-day America but with few links with the rest of the country. The importance of assuming responsibility for one’s actions. Gotham City is a place of shadows, and its inhabitants have their dark side too. Any character can decide to break the law and have their own moral code or professional ethics, but this also means having to handle all the consequences. Unlike other role-playing games, you can’t just exterminate all the beasts in a dungeon and merrily continue the adventure with a smile: in Gotham City, the newspapers are looking for scoops, the police build up their files, the inhabitants tell their stories on social media, criminals hold a grudge. And Batman is watching… Keep in mind the principal norms of the comics, even if there is no need to remind your group of them. They will serve you above all when leading a game session and writing your own scenarios: MASKS ARE WORN FOR A REASON Nobody (well, almost nobody) knows who Batman is. Even the city’s top intellectuals haven’t managed to crack this years-old mystery. Jim Gordon talks to Batgirl without realizing she is his own daughter. Similarly, we don’t know exactly who is behind the Court of Owls, orthe identity of the mysterious White Rabbit. If your group is familiar with the secrets of Gotham City, everyone will have to remind themselves that their character probably has absolutely no knowledge of the big revelations readers of the comics have been privy to. THE WEATHER IS ONLY THERE TO SET THE MOOD In Gotham City, the nights are inky black, and even the days are a thick murky gray, thanks to a mix of industrial pollution and densely cloudy skies. These perpetually threaten to soak the city in rain, but there’s also a chance of storms, fog, or even snow depending on the adventure. Despite being on a protected bay away from the sea, Gotham City is still a port ravaged by icy winds carrying corrosive sea spray. A blue sky is almost suspect here, probably the sign of a flashback, a dream, or an hallucination (check out the Gothtopia or Everybody Loves Ivy story arcs in the comics).
160 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — THE ANONYMOUS DIE, THEFAMOUS COME BACK TO LIFE If you want to create tension in a scene, have some grave menace hang over ordinary Gothamites rather than celebrities - readers of the comics know that the rich and famous generally manage to escape from the most dangerous of dangers thanks to miracles of science or the supernatural. Even in the big story arcs built around catastrophes (Contagion, Cataclysm…), the famous are spared from the calamities that affect the rest of the city’s inhabitants without differentiation. In your games, ordinary folk can have a strong bond with the Heroes: members of the family, romantic relationships, neighbors to be helped, devoted colleagues, etc. Your players will feel more invested when these background characters are taken hostage or caught between a rock and a hard place. STOP ‘EM, DON’T KILL ‘EM Despite the high level of danger inherent in the adventures you’ll be leading, you can always get a famous characters or one of your players’ Heroes out of a tight spot by using one of the many devices employed in the comics. A “fatal” fall? The Hero will end up without a scratch, or only lightly hurt because they were able to grab hold of a gargoyle, land on a shop awning, drop into a truck carrying sand, etc. A huge fire? Your heroine is in the building and the floorboards suddenly give way… but she was able to shut herself in a cold-storage room just in time, jump from the fifth floor into an open dumpster that was miraculously just below the window, etc. GIVE VANQUISHED SUPER-CRIMINALS A WAY OUT This is particularly important if your Heroes don’t have the same moral compass as the Batman Family and are tempted to finish off their opponents. If combat leaves a super-criminal fatally vulnerable, give them a means of bowing out before their HP drop to zero. Mr. Freeze might have to return to his secret laboratory because his cryogenic suit has sprung a leak; vines sprout from the ground in a park and encase an injured Poison Ivy before carrying her to safety; Scarface sacrifices his Ventriloquist and disappears into the sewers as a lone dummy; Bane, in difficulty, plunges into Gotham City bay; etc. Note also that to reproduce this system, the rules make provision for certain criminal geniuses to flee in most situations. REALISM IS GREAT, ACTION IS BETTER When your Heroes are investigating or simply keeping watch over the city, the environment is totally realistic. There’s no reason an autopsy report, an article in the papers, or a balance sheet would be different for a story set in New York or Los Angeles. However, when the adventure requires it, you can take a few liberties with realism in Gotham City. If someone drops from the 40th floor of a building and Batman catches them just before they hit the ground, the person is safe and sound, even if the laws of physics would dictate they have quite a few fractures. If the Batmobile has to burst into a crime scene at just the right moment, there’s no point taking into account the traffic jams along the way that might make it arrive late. Two-Face should be able to escape a courtroom guarded by dozens of police officers, and Mr. Freeze can always create a crazy amount of ice way beyond what the humidity of the air would really allow. Let the idea of realism reign over your investigations, and have fun setting up exciting action scenes using the rules of the game, but don’t worry about making everything 100% realistic. WE’LL SLEEP WHEN WE’RE DEAD Heroes never take much time getting better; with just a few stiches from Alfred, Batman is quickly up and at ‘em (the characters’ Hit Points represent both their vitality and their resistance, and the rules about healing exist to cover this extraordinary rate of recuperation). Supercriminals can escape from Blackgate Prison or Arkham Asylum as often as you like, and it takes them no time at all to find an operational base and team of men ready to follow their next evil plan. When Bruce Wayne or Elliott Caldwell announce that they are going to build another skyscraper, building starts just weeks later. In Gotham City, everything goes faster than in real life, apart from the ageing of the main characters. Unless your group specifically asks, avoid slowing down gameplay with the chores and minutiae of everyday life. And above all, when a scene is uninteresting, you can simply say “Later…” or “Meanwhile, the other team…” so they understand they’re going down the wrong track.
161 — chapter 1: folloWinG the loGic of the comics — You have total freedom for your descriptions, as long as this serves the enjoyment of your group. Here are a few examples that diverge from the traditional approaches of role-playing games that you can use to recreate the comics feel: ON THE OPPONENTS’ SIDE Without giving away any of the major plot points, you can pepper your descriptions in the game with tidbits of what a super-criminal is preparing to do in order to build the tension in your group. “Somewhere in the city, a mysterious silhouette has just finished building their futuristic army.”; “A silhouette appears in the doorway of a clandestine casino. Players at the poker and craps tables immediately freeze. The only sound is of a roulette ball circling and jumping in the silence. Eyes wide, the players scramble for the exits, leaving their winnings scattered behind them…” ON THE VICTIMS’ SIDE The same principle works for creating a feeling of urgency in your group when a hostage has been taken, a series of kidnappings has taken place, or a crowd has been gassed by the Joker. Like the authors of the comics, feel free to take a quick pause from the action to describe the terror and panic of the victims: “The journalist continued scratching desperately at the inside of the coffin, but her fingers were now soaked in blood and it was increasingly difficult to breathe.”; “Detective Gibson had been very careful making sure no one was following him on his journey home from GCPD HQ, and yet he didn’t think twice about opening the parcel waiting for him at his apartment…”; “Arriving at the emergency room, the Willis family were astonished to find hundreds of other people already waiting, all with the same symptoms.”; etc. CUTAWAYS Take your inspiration from the layouts of comics and visual style of superhero movies and TV shows to remind your group regularly that the adventure is taking place in a bustling metropolis. This could be through simples phrases reminding them what Gothamites are up to (“As soon as the working day was over, swarms of people headed to the department stores to buy their last Christmas gifts”; “At this time of night, the only movement on the streets came from drunkards leaving the bars, ambulances, and GCPD patrols.”). These “cutaway scenes” can help create an underlying feeling of menace, especially if you describe the crowds of people pouring into the malls, subway stations, or Knights Stadium. BACKGROUND NOISE The city is never completely quiet, even (or especially) at night. The sound of accelerating vehicles or car horns always hangs in the air, ambulance and police sirens scream from afar, and the thwoop of helicopter blades speeds by. The cold wind whistles between the buildings, and distant fog horns float across town from the port. Telling your group about the screeching of tires, far-off gunshot, and sporadic explosions will help fill the night with tension and danger. Add to that the constant news reports and social network babble and you’ll be able to paint a densely-atmospheric scene and slip in any subtle hints you might like, whether through your Heroes’ smartphones or earpieces, or by describing the fascinated crowds watching “Breaking News” being shown on a big screen. You get the idea - try to reproduce the spirit and feel of the comics by respecting its codes and describing the ambiance. These two elements are incredibly efficient in a role-playing game, creating an engrossing world while maintaining the impetus of the adventure.
162 CHAPTER 2: CREATING A SCENARIO There are no set rules or magic formula for creating a scenario, apart from one perhaps: do it your way. Some people like to start with a general feel, others with a certain scene, an image, a diabolical plot, or even just a character they would like to include. Any of these are good - start with what motivates you and keep that motivation going from the start of your creative process to the end of the final game session. What follows only aims to give some pointers for anyone who finds creating scenarios a little difficult. Even if the desire to create is there, for some people the process can seem complex or intimidating, especially for people not used to writing stories or bringing them to life for a group of players. So, these are just pieces of advice - more seasoned players might find them too obvious, but we think they might be useful for anyone just getting started with scenarios who only knows the most basic plotlines of the comics. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to ignore what follows, modify it, or even completely twist it - your story will undoubtedly be all the better for it. And of course, don’t feel obliged to apply every last piece of advice to the letter. Take what you find interesting and leave the rest for later, or never, depending on how you feel about it, what your players like, and how much you want to try out some new styles of gameplay. A SCENARIO: STORY, OR TOOLBOX? Before we get started, there’s one important point we have to mention: all the scenarios that you’ll find included with Batman RPG have been written so that anyone can understand them. Apart from giving extra context to this particular world, their aim is to explain as clearly as possible the causal links (this leads to that) and timeline (this happens after that, or an event dated something like “December 25th at midnight, a super-criminal in a red costume broke into Wayne Manor by coming down the chimney”). Presented like that, you might have the impression that all scenarios must be created to play out in strictly one way (the Heroes do this, then they go there, where they meet Mr. Someone, and he tells them to check out X, Y, or Z, etc.) and that your duty as the GM is to make sure this is followed strictly by the players. And it’s true - some scenarios closely follow a pre-determined storyline and no other way is possible. This might inspire you to create your scenario in a similar way, as you would when writing a plot for a film or a book, and it’s true that it’s a lot simpler to create a mostly linear story than one where the players are completely free to do what they want. However, the reality is a little more subtle, and we would advise you to keep the following in mind when at the creation stage: 1. The great thing about role-playing games is the freedom they give players, and no matter how a scenario is conceived, the story is not set in stone - it should be something that comes to life and takes turns along the way that you may not have predicted. While the conception is up to you, the actual ‘creation’ will take place when it is played with your friends. It’s a collective creative experience, and one scenario can play out in very different ways depending on the people bringing it to life. Your task as GM, when creating and then guiding the scenario as it is played, is to make the shared experience as successful as possible, something that those playing will remember fondly. BATMAN REMAINS A CLASSIC. Since their invention in the 1970s, roleplaying games have had a wide range of different approaches, sometimes requiring very different Ways of creating and presenting their scenarios. The approach of Batman RPG is pretty standard, and so are most of the suggestions that follow, but after giving details, we also wanted to mention the 'toolbox' method (also known as 'sandbox', which sets the scene and then lets the Heroes follow the different possible directions as they please). This can be a really interesting system for those looking for a long campaign to dig into.
163 — chapter 2: creatinG a scenario — 2. In reality, all scenarios are filled with ideas and situations to inspire you when guiding your players. Your creation, even if it is really well prepared, will always require a certain amount of improvisation when put into action. This might only concern small details (the color of a car, the look of a background character, the presence or absence of a bank at a certain location…) or everything in a scene that you had absolutely not anticipated but needs to be built from scratch, on the fly, so that your players don’t hit a narrative brick wall after taking a particularly interesting but unpredictable detour from your logical plan. Whatever creative methodology you use, forget trying to make a scenario that will cover every single curveball question or action your players might come up with. And it’s precisely because you can’t predict every eventuality that your scenario might be just a few lines of text on a piece of paper, as long as you’ve thought through enough of the main elements and plot points to face the diverse situations that might arise (see also “Conducting a role-playing game session”). TO WRITE, OR NOT TO WRITE? THATIS THE QUESTION Now let’s talk about the actual writing of your scenario: as long as it isn’t destined to be used by any other GMs, careful and ordered writing (as found in scenarios sold for other role-playing games) is absolutely not obligatory, and while some people will find that a formatted resource helps free their creative spirit, others will see it as constricting or even intimidating. As for all creative processes, what’s really important is to avoid anything that could represent an obstacle or inhibition. You don’t like writing? Fine, so don’t write anything: make do with notes, images, music, charts, maps, or even paintings if that’s what works for you! The important things is to have with you the tools you’ll need when you’re with the players, because they’re counting on you: a good story, a clear vision of the motivation of each protagonist, the main thrust of the scenario (see below), the elements necessary for setting the scene, the key details of the action scenes or investigations, and the various ‘acts’ and ‘phases’ that your scenario will ultimately have. If, however, writing things down is something you want or need to do in order to define elements that would otherwise be too vague or disorganized, then do it! The objectives remain the same as above, and don’t worry how it looks - no one else but you is going to read your text, so spelling, handwriting, and use of slang are absolutely not a problem. Whatever form you decide to use, your aim must be to express your ideas as freely as possible, only keeping in mind the following aims: ◊ To keep the coherency of the story and motivation of the protagonists (this point is really crucial), ◊ To stay true to the world of the Batman comics, ◊ To make sure that both you and the players enjoy the experience, ◊ To respect the rules of living in society regarding opinions, decency, and the depiction of violence (see the section “The moral contract of role-playing games”). WHEN THE SCENE IS SET AND YOU'RE FEELING INSPIRED: Music, the atmosphere, concrete aids for the game (i.e. something featured in the scenario that you have physically made so that the players can examine it as their characters would) are some of the many possible sources of inspiration. It's also quite possible that the desire to use a certain type of dramatization, or that a particularly strong atmosphere or scene, despite having been conceived way before any story existed, may serve as the spark that triggers the creation of a whole scenario. A GM most certainly has the right to indulge themselves, and our best advice would be to dig into your inspiration when such desires arise. The only limit is how 'playable' the result of this inspiration is: be sure it doesn't put the Heroes in an impossible situation, and that they are not mere spectators (see also the section about managing a role-playing game session).
164 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — WRITING FOR SOMEONE ELSE As you may have gathered, all these pointers for how to create a scenario are simply tools you may use when building an adventure in Gotham City, and are not aimed at telling you how to write scenarios for publication in a magazine, on a website, or elsewhere. That is a quite different subject that would require much more detailed explanation, and here is not really the place. However, the following few recommendations might still be useful to you, even if you are not planning on letting anyone read what you have written. Regarding the creation of scenarios, experience tells us that it is sometimes really useful to imagine that what you are producing, no matter what form it takes, is actually destined for use by someone else (that person might even be you six months later, when you’ve forgotten all or part of what you were working on). This might help you check whether each of the following points is coherent and clearly defined in your scenario: ◊ The elements that punctuate and advance the story (what we call “plot points” in plays, movies, or TV shows) and are often interlinked (e.g. the Heroes discover Harley Quinn’s hideout; there, they learn that she is preparing an attack on a fashion show). ◊ The motivation and objectives of the main protagonists or factions, the price they are willing to pay to achieve their goals, and their capacity to react if they realize won’t be able to or if things move quicker than they anticipated (apart from the fact that these are important for any scenario, they give more context about the choices made by the various protagonists and can help ease improvisation, something that is quite likely to be necessary). ◊ The means at the protagonists’ disposal (personnel, funds, weapons…) ◊ The events (including the Heroes’ actions) susceptible to have a major influence on the situation and thus be really important in advancing the story (e.g. as soon as the Heroes give Jim Gordon the proof that Carmine Falcone is mixed up in a certain situation, Falcone starts a vendetta that sees his henchmen wreak havoc downtown). THE ELEMENTS OF A SCENARIO To start off with, here are the elements that most scenarios include and can help you to prepare game sessions for your impatient players. Not all of these elements are absolutely essential, but each of them can help you build on the (sometimes scant) material you may have when starting to create a scenario. The most important thing is to add some or all of the following elements to the base idea or element you want to build your scenario around. It could be that during this process, you realize that the idea you initially started with has a fatal flaw, or isn’t as strong as you had hoped, or it takes the story in a direction you’re not thrilled about. If this is the case, there are a couple of solutions: ◊ Forget creating your scenario for the moment; nothing satisfactory is coming from it, and it’s better to rest a little until inspiration hits than try to trudge on and come away with something bad that will only give players a disappointing experience. That’s not a solution we recommend of course, but let’s be truthful: sometimes, it’s not the right time. Just keep in mind that practice makes perfect, and that if you don’t find the ‘magic idea’, it’s worth considering lowering your expectations and start off by building (or playing through) a simple, classic scenario, perhaps taking inspiration from a story you like. Who knows, perhaps some good ideas will come from it? Feel free also to read the scenarios that can be found online or to purchase; apart from the inspiration they can be, or even the core idea for your scenario (but with any number of variations and additions you can bring), they will teach you about structure, plot points, and perhaps the pitfalls to avoid… ◊ Forget your original idea. It could be that it wasn’t as good as you thought it was, but you can still keep the most interesting elements that came from it and adapt them to a different, better idea. A quick example. I started off wanting to make Clayface the main antagonist in my scenario, but his polymorphous capacities allow him to easily gain victory over the Heroes for the challenge I had chosen (killing a young singer from Gotham City whose skyrocketing success was bringing hope to the city dwellers). So let’s change bad guys! Annoyed by the singer’s success, Harley Quinn or Punchline could be the perfect antagonists in a
165 — chapter 2: creatinG a scenario — story like this, and if I still feel like using Clayface in a story, he can have more of a background role, possibly manipulated by Harley during an epic fight scene, or perhaps joining forces with the Heroes after becoming completely enamored with the young singer - to such a degree perhaps that he wants to take her place during the final of a famous TV reality singing show… But let’s get back to the building blocks of a scenario, listed below. You don’t have to address them in this order, and we would even advise you to start with whatever you feel more at ease with. The most important thing is to imagine what each element can bring to your story, and not to concentrate on any that don’t inspire you or make you feel less at ease. They are not supposed to allow you to control absolutely everything, but rather to help improve the role-playing game experience. So let’s take a look at: 1. the atmosphere, 2. the layout of the story, 3. the stakes / main focus, 4. the antagonist, 5. what sets things off and why the Heroes intervene, 6. what the Heroes do, 7. additional help, 8. the twists and turns, 9. the big climax. THE ATMOSPHERE Gotham City has a strong atmosphere to it already, and the reasons for this are well known (see the section entitled “Following the logic of the comics”), but you can still add your personal touch, something extra that will make your players remember their session because there was that little something special in it. This is also the moment to treat yourself - is there a particular scene, feel, atmosphere, or setting you like in a film or comic? Then why not use it as the guiding principal for your story? Or if that doesn’t seem possible, maybe it would work memorably for just a scene? You can convey the atmosphere through: 1. The weather: Rain and cold are two things typically found in a sinister urban landscape like Gotham City, but heavy snowfall, a cyclone that hits the coast, or a heatwave can also radically change the face of the city. They’re also easy to describe to your players, easy for them to imagine, and present very different challenges for your Heroes. Perhaps you’ve sometimes wondered how comfortable it is for a tight-suited crimefighter to watch over a city with icy winds sweeping down the avenues, or deal with humidity so high they can barely take a step without sweating profusely? Don’t get bogged down in realism, or make the Heroes’ lives impossible by giving them chilblains, bronchitis, heatstroke, or three costume changes a night. However, mentioning from time to time what the temperature is, and the problems that adds is an easy way to get your players to really live the adventure (for example, 80 mile an hour winds make it impossible to use the Batplane, or perform any daring deeds swinging from a rope; the thick layer of snow and ice covering the city completely changes the style of a fight against some thieves when they are surprised on a terrace of the Bank of Gotham City; the scalding heat that has invaded the city transforms any chase down the city’s alleyways into a heroic struggle against suffocation, humidity, and dehydration…) For a particular scene, the time of day can also add ambiance, whether it’s sundown with its traffic jams and overfilled subway cars, a cold sinister dawn or a calm and bright one, the dead of night while everyone is asleep, or late evening with the city’s nightlife at its peak… 2. The milieu in which a scene or the whole scenario is set: TV series often use this device to set the scene for their stories, taking advantage of the characters, codes, and secrets associated with a certain milieu. It could be a community, a neighborhood, or something else. Italo-Americans are very present in Gotham City, thanks to the Falcone, Calabrese, Cassamento, and Maroni families, but all sorts of influences are imaginable in a place like Gotham City with communities of people arriving from around the world. There are also big differences in the areas of the city and the people that live there - you could have a neighborhood that’s really proud of its bank robbers, another with a sect of homeless people with dark secrets to hide (like Deacon Blackfire’s), or a secret society of wealthy Gothamites said to have been running the city for centuries which goes by the name of a nocturnal bird (like the Court of Owls). The world of work also has various atmospheres, and your scenario will have a different slant depending on whether it takes place in the oak-paneled halls of a venerable university campus, or down with the dockers, prison guards, or GCPD officers. Your story could take place in the dingy places that some gangsters love and workers don’t, or the hospitals where doctors and nurses vainly fight the city’s violence and misery… And if you feel like it, it’s quite possible to use several different ambiances for sections of your scenario, or its big scenes.
166 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — The only pitfall to avoid is prejudice about certain things and the overuse of clichés. Both are easily avoided as long as you: ◊ Get inspiration from the comics (a lot of writers are very careful to avoid these pitfalls and set their story somewhere out of the ordinary. No-one will be mad if you get inspiration from this and do the same), ◊ Use clichés as isolated examples and not universal truths (no, not all members of the Japanese mafia talk with a gruff growl like samurai in the movies, but it could be fun for your players to come across a lieutenant from the Hasegawa yakuza clan who has hints of this sort of cliché), ◊ Confound your players’ expectations; your scene takes place in the dim corridors of an old library? Why not eschew the cliché of an old library attendant with no patience, and create a relaxed young librarian more than ready to help? Or an ex-con who’s done his time and found a passion for history and ancient books? Some films, series, or comics might be of aid here too, as long as you concentrate on works where the authors have made an effort to search something different and give their characters something new. 3. The emotional baggage of the story’s antagonist. Even if you don’t take into account their lairs, Batman’s enemies each have strong character traits and a very specific feel. If you choose Bane, your story will be particularly concerned with outcasts and the seedy parts of the city. You’re more likely to find characters like Harley Quinn, Joker, and Punchline is slightly wild places like a funfair or Arkham Asylum. Mr. Freeze will transport your players to a land of ice, while Poison Ivy will infuse your scenario with the lush darkness of a jungle or undergrowth. A story built around Penguin’s shenanigans will be split between the cozy living rooms of the elite and the over-thetop luxury of the Iceberg Lounge. Write about Killer Croc and your Heroes will be sloshing through the sewers. A scenario with Solomon Grundy will have the foul stench of a swamp littered with the undead… And if you find these examples boring, then go the opposite route - take the antagonist out of their usual environment, as long as it still has a strong feel to it. 4. The genre your story references: Batman stories (and this role-playing game in particular) are big on action, but this doesn’t mean you should neglect the special atmospheres often found in genre pieces. Your scenario will have a very different feel depending on whether you choose an approach close to horror movies, stressful thrillers, stories full of dark
167 — chapter 2: creatinG a scenario — secrets, or gangster films set in the Prohibition era. You should also feel free to explore genres that might initially seem very far from the world of Batman: the postapocalyptic genre has worked well in comics like Batman: Zero Year. A pulp detective novel feel isn’t incompatible with the adventures of masked crimefighters either. And why not go steampunk and get inspiration from comics like Batman: Gotham by Gaslight? Or try your hand at survival horror, with Gothamites driven made by a disgusting substance added to the water supply by the Joker? As you can see, there are many, many possible sources of inspiration when creating a feel for your scenario. You can combine elements from more than one, or you may prefer to discard them all and simply use the classic elements we expect from a story set in the streets of Gotham City. The most important thing is that you feel at ease creating the atmosphere you have chosen, and enjoy it. Your enthusiasm and feel for the subject will be evident to players. A STORY OUTLINE A lot of comic book scenarios use the following pattern: ◊ A spark: The incident that starts it all, like an intriguing encounter with the antagonist where the Hero does not come out on top. ◊ A struggle: The Hero searches for the source of the antagonist’s powers, what mischief they are planning, or how to beat them. ◊ A danger: Perhaps a confrontation with one of the antagonist’s allies, or someone else who has the solution. ◊ A climax: A final confrontation where the Hero is tested but triumphs. This is the plan we suggest for an improvised scenario (see below). But there are of course other ways to organize a story that are equally as valid, and most stories actually use the pattern above several times over (for example, a classic comic book story might typically contain a chase or a section featuring a struggle for survival, like the Heroes finding themselves surrounded by patients from Arkham Asylum who have suddenly become violent because of Scarecrow’s fear toxin). Whatever you choose, here are few examples of possible structures: A chase, for example, will see your characters embark on a stressful cross-city race. It’s a story element
168 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — particularly useful for a ‘survival’ genre story, with the Heroes plunged into a Gotham City plagued with riots and panic, or hundreds of criminals simultaneously escaping from the city’s prisons. But it can also come in handy for short, sharp scenarios where the Heroes are following an antagonist leaving chaos in their wake. Once past the incident that sparked everything off, the feeling that players should get from their game is one of a dangerous, white-knuckle chase, but still with some short moments of respite serving to boost the feeling of urgency to come soon after. A police mystery will of course be centered on trying to find the perpetrator of a crime through investigation. It’s a system that fits particularly well with stories featuring police officers, where you have to focus on the details of daily life to create your atmosphere. Be careful though - this may not be the best choice for an improvised scenario, unless your inspiration comes from a police story that you know really well, and you know how to use all the details given in the Guide to Gotham City. With a few action scenes, your story will be similar to a pulp fiction novel, where the details of the people and places the detective comes into contact with are essential for fleshing out the atmosphere, as long as you make sure to stage everything properly. With its dark back alleys and abundance of flamboyant criminals, Gotham City is the perfect setting for such stories. Choose a few factions, set up the key elements of the criminal intrigue (see the section entitled “Creating an investigation”) and you’ll have many hours a play ahead of you, as soon as you feel able to handle the session and improvise the trials and tribulations of some background characters. Note that this approach is very intensive, and probably best suited to GMs with a certain amount of experience… A deep dive into conspiracies: This story layout requires the setting up of one or several factions with complex criminal goals and very high stakes. The spark that sets everything off sees the Heroes on the hunt for secrets that they will discover little by little. A good example of this approach is The Court of Owls, but you can imagine something completely different, leaving aside the city’s elite elders and replacing them with the odious nouveau riche, or minorities that are no longer prepared to watch others hold all the power and money, or maybe even occult, criminal organizations like the League of Shadows. Many thrillers feature plots like this, and while it might seem complicated to devise, a conspiracy basically only needs a few basic elements: ◊ High stakes (e.g. taking control of the city’s underworld, gaining power over the whole city, the dawn of a new era or arrival of a powerful being, the banishment or disappearance of all crimefighters, etc.), something that cannot be attained immediately and requires a plan with several steps. ◊ A series of clear steps that allow this goal to be attained, such as (for taking control of the underworld) 1) Eliminating several low-level gang leaders, 2) seizing control of several areas of criminal activity through violence, 3) corrupting the police officers investigating contraband in the city, 4) getting the other cartels to accept a monopoly or a certain type of trafficking, 5) gaining a certain respectability by being accepted into the circle of the city’s rich elite. ◊ A faction that could be affected by this upheaval, and is possibly supported by allies (e.g. the Falcone family, corrupt judges, some super-criminal, a corrupt business bank…) ◊ The forces fighting against them (e.g. the GCPD, the Heroes, a radical lone crimefighter, ordinary citizens fighting the disastrous effects of crime on vulnerable people in their own neighborhoods, one or several competing criminal organizations, etc.) The discovery of a conspiracy can take many forms: a chain of events (a discovery leads to a secret, solving the secret leads to another secret, etc.; but all these discoveries simply lead to the discovery of the ramifications of a criminal network), a crescendo, where Heroes start with a minor crime but little by little discover the importance of what’s happening, and with one discovery after another realize how vast the conspiracy is, with consequences reaching ever bigger and more powerful circles. Discovering an anonymous victim leads the Heroes to a succession of discoveries - there’s a traffic of toxic materials, a gang is mixed up in it, the gang is working for a large mafia family, corrupt members of the police force are involved, someone in city hall is also dirty, Dr. Hugo Strange is profiting from the trafficking, there’s a larger criminal enterprise at work, the whole city is at risk, the aim is to provoke a national catastrophe… Feel free to mix the two approaches. The Heroes’ successive discoveries help create and maintain the story’s interest and intensity, while also giving useful revelations and twists, for example when they discover with stupefaction that the person or institution they trusted as an ally is actually involved in the conspiracy they are fighting…
169 — chapter 2: creatinG a scenario — THE STAKES There is always some overarching peril in a story, and every scenario should have one or several elements that the efforts of the antagonist and Heroes focus on. It’s probably best to have just one peril for a short scenario, but if you’re creating something more lengthy, you’ll undoubtedly need to mix several elements. However you organize things, whatever’s at stake should always be clearly defined in your mind, and remain coherent with the personal motivations (e.g. the sense of justice) of the Heroes (e.g. the crimefighters) to preserve the stakes presented in the scenario (e.g. the safety of the inhabitants of Gotham City) through their chosen objectives (e.g. stop the antagonist from going through with their diabolical plan). You’ll see when reading the following lines that the notions of the Heroes’ challenges and objectives are easily confused. We have only separated them here for clarity, but when devising your scenario, it’s good to try and keep the stakes separate from the objectives presented to your Heroes in the opening scene. This allows the story to focus on the overarching peril, something that shows how the antagonist fits into the story before it concerns the Heroes. Such an approach also allows all the space necessary to explain the motivations of the Heroes, reinforcing the feeling of their personal implication. A good example is Batman himself - his whole reason for fighting stems from the traumatic event in his childhood, and this becomes his leitmotiv, what powers his personal implication, regardless of the challenges he encounters. A Hero who has lost someone close to them will be more emotionally invested in the efforts of Mr. Freeze to awaken his wife Nora, for example. Let’s take a look at a few example taken from the comics: ◊ In Batman: The Court of Owls, Batman’s mental and physical survival are at stake, as well as the control that the corrupt occult elite hope to continue to have over Gotham City. ◊ In Batman and the Signal, the problem is the chaos created by a super-criminal, and Duke Thomas’ training as a professional crimefighter. ◊ In the story Soft Targets from the Gotham Central comics, the police try to stop the Joker’s murdering spree around Gotham City. ◊ In Batman: Hush, the story shows how a former childhood friend tries to get his revenge on Batman, and how Batman’s life is endangered. ◊ In a more exotic vein, in The Brave and the Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman #3 (2019), the Heroes try to find the person behind the murder of the king of Tir Na Nóg so that the fairy folk can find peace. To simplify things, what’s at stake in a story can thus be a person (Batman, Signal, the Joker, the unknown author of a crime), a thing (a place such as Gotham City, a neighborhood, a particular building, etc.; jewelry or money from a bank or a ransom; a weapon in the form of a gas, a person, an invention…) or an abstract notion (chaos, revenge, love, peace, hatred, etc.) Most of the time, these elements are combined to form a strong concept: Batman: Hush for example is about Batman (a person) targeted by revenge (a notion)… A PERSON The world of comics is very person-centric: series use the same name as the featured heroes, and these (like most of their enemies) have explicit pseudonyms and bright, unique, and particularly recognizable costumes so that their identity is immediately conveyed to the reader. Most are considered famous to a certain degree, and a lot of stories are based on the torment between their calling as a crimefighter and the obligations inherent in keeping their identity secret. This means that comics often have simple objectives for their main characters, like stopping a super-criminal and the threat they represent, or surviving the attacks and schemes that target the hero. This last situation is particularly true for Batman: the Dark Knight is quite a symbol, and several stories naturally revolve around his survival in the face of criminal plans and obsessions (for example in Batman: The Court of Owls, Batman: Hush, etc.) The advantage of a role-playing game where you can play a crimefighter is being able to focus on these first two elements: ◊ The antagonist and the need to stop them, and ◊ The Heroes themselves (something that is practical given that the implication and motivation are obvious for the crimefighters in question.) Stakes involving the latter are also valid for other characters, not just crimefighters: whether the Heroes are journalists or attorneys that have discovered a huge case of corruption, or some minor criminals that have discovered a terrible secret, someone will try to keep them quiet, and the scenario will show the attacks they receive and their efforts to stop the perpetrators. The
170 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — survival of the Heroes themselves is at stake, with added details such as truth, justice, or an important secret. The same is true if the Heroes are honest police officers: their goal might be to nab a dangerous criminal, or to save themselves from being shot and killed, or from false accusations cooked up by corrupt colleagues. The stakes can also involve one or several third parties that must be found, freed, protected, arrested, or stopped, for example: ◊ A missing person, ◊ The target of a sinister plot hatched by the deranged mind of a super-criminal, ◊ A person endowed with unique gifts indispensable to a villain’s Machiavellian plans , ◊ An honest police officer, journalist, or prosecutor that some criminals want to silence, ◊ A witness in a serious affair involving personalities (whether hardened criminals or people previously considered as being honest), ◊ A kidnap victim, ◊ A hostage, ◊ An informant or the accomplice of a criminal with crucial information about their activities, ◊ The dangerous right-hand man of a criminal who is seriously interested in taking the place of their boss, ◊ The antagonist’s sworn enemy that the Heroes could turn into an ally, ◊ etc. In any case, stakes based on a person will center the story around this person, their past, their friends or family, the places they frequent, their character traits or past actions... Your scenario will be very different depending on whether this person is the Hero, the antagonist, or someone else. A scenario centered on the Heroes, for example, will heavily feature their secret identities, tastes, loved ones, past, and everyday life. Just be sure to incite your players to talk about their character so you can find, when necessary, things that will make them invested in the details of the scenario (see the example about waking Nora Fries above). A THING OR AN OBJECT Another type of plot focus can be concrete things. Places, objects, weapons, fortunes… Objects are almost always a means to attain something else. Lots of stories in comics don’t detail the actual stakes because they are understood. The main focus could thus be the money in a bank vault, because the fact that it gives access to comfort / power / a luxurious lifestyle is more or less evident for everyone. This focus nonetheless exists, and it’s good to keep it in mind when thinking about the protagonists’ motivation. It’s rare for characters to be completely disinterested by money, but your scenario will be more interesting if Man-Bat isn’t just trying to rob a huge reserve of diamonds because they are shiny and cost a lot of money, but because if he sells them he could develop a serum capable of curing his wife’s poisoning. This idea is also to keep in mind for character motivation. Imagine that Ra’s al Ghul is your antagonist and that the stakes are the ransom being demanded in exchange for a group of rich individuals that the League of Assassins has taken hostage. You think that this has the basis of a good storyline, but what if one of your players suddenly asks: “But why does Ra’s need money? He’s got all the financial resources of Qurak!” The same goes for a powerful weapon: if Two-Face wants to get hold of a certain type of deadly gas, it better not be because he just adores owning weapons of mass destruction; your story will be much more compelling if he has a plan in mind that requires him to obtain the gas - for example, perhaps he wants to hold the entire city hostage by demanding a ransom? This thing that the object allows the person to obtain might be: ◊ Power (when the stakes are related to a town or neighborhood, a specialized skill, a crucial secret, a community, a certain source of energy, a weapon, a piece of technology, etc.), ◊ Riches (when the stakes are the vaults of a bank, a collection of jewels, or anything else of value that can be used to bargain with), ◊ Justice (when there is some proof that could incriminate a criminal or prove the innocence of someone wrongly accused), ◊ Information (when there is a crucial clue, a treasure map, etc.),
171 — chapter 2: creatinG a scenario — ◊ A place or situation (when the object allows its owner to access an otherwise unreachable place, or achieve a certain state of being- e.g. a machine that would allow Mr. Freeze to bring his wife back to life). Although more rare, the thing representing the stakes could also be an end in itself: an antique object wanted by a collector, a souvenir or artifact that the antagonist or someone else feels a strong attachment to. In this case, the most important thing is that the motivations linked with this object are sufficiently strong to explain all the efforts made. Whatever the specific situation, both the object of desire and the reasons for it being so coveted have to be coherent with the motivations of the antagonist and any NPCs involved. A NOTION The focus may also be a notion like honor, revenge, love, hate, redemption, happiness, truth, justice, power, control, peace, etc. However, some of these notions (love, redemption, happiness) only feature rarely in the comics, because they are expressed over a long period of time. They can still provide some useful and unusual challenges for the characters’ stories, although perhaps with a little more complexity. As you may have noticed, most of these notions center on one or several people (getting revenge on the Heroes, finding out the truth about a murderer, gaining control over the elite of Gotham City…) and can be attained by using something (a weapon, some information, evidence, etc. as we saw earlier). But depending on whether you focus on the person, the thing, or the notion in question, the scenario will take on a slightly different aspect, and separating things in this way can clarify the way to go about conceiving your scenario. If you choose love (between two people shunned by opposing gangs) as your focus, it matters little whether your scenario is romantic or tragic, but it will definitely revolve around this romance and the two teenagers. Choose revenge (of an honest cop against a gangster, even if it means using illegal methods) and your scenario will be centered around this hateful, tragic tension. Choose truth (against an error of justice provoked by the Heroes, who have been manipulated) and your scenario will be built around the intensive search for proof and the actual perpetrator of the crime. You should thus approach the “question of the stakes” like the rest of our advice: as a tool to help you create a good story. And make your choice based on two things: ◊ Your taste, desires, motivation, and instincts, ◊ The interest that this central concept will spark in your players, thanks to the possibilities it offers in terms of scenes, atmosphere and types of story. THE ANTAGONIST “Antagonist” is the name we use to indicate the person or institution that will oppose the Heroes as they try to fight the evil plans being carried out. This is definitely our story’s “bad guy”, and as Alfred Hitchcock wisely said, “The better the villain, the better the movie”. Your choice of antagonist is crucial, and one of the charms of Gotham City is to offer a vast choice of colorful antagonists that you and your players will be delighted to encounter. Perhaps you love the Joker? Killer Croc? The Penguin? Ra’s al Ghul? Is it your dream to map out your own adventure? Perhaps you prefer to surprise your players by choosing an anonymous citizen as the story’s main evil? Well go ahead, of course! Choosing the antagonist is not so difficult. Depending on the main premise of your story, the choice of evildoer will often become obvious by itself. The very typical criminals to be found in Gotham City often already have their motives baked in, whether it’s creative chaos and dark tomfoolery for the Joker,
172 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — revenge on the elite for the Penguin, brutal punishment of criminals for Wrath or the Reaper, a demonstration of his superior intellect for the Riddler, brutal dictatorship over the Lumpenproletariat for Bane, the triumph of his sect of misfits for Deacon Blackfire, the means to bring his beloved back to life for Mr. Freeze, ruining Bruce Wayne’s life for Hush, profit for the Falcone and Maroni families, control of the underworld for numerous gang leaders like Two-Face, pyromania for Firefly, pitiless violent arbitrary justice for Ra’s al Ghul, etc. Make sure that the motives and actions of these famous criminals fit with what you have chosen as the focus of your plot, and clearly state their aims for the scenario, i.e. the way their motivation will become clear via the stakes and situations presented in your story. You have chosen the focus to be the Gotham Museum of Antiquities, because its amazing rooms and collections offer you the perfect backdrop and history. If your antagonist is the Riddler, his goal will be to challenge the Heroes with a deadly, intellectual treasure hunt through the museum, punctuated by devious mechanisms. If your antagonist is Ra’s al Ghul, his aim will be to get hold of a certain antique exhibit that houses a hidden dose of dionesium (the substance that can revive the dead via Lazarus Pits). If your antagonist is the Penguin, his aim will beattract the city’s elite to the museum for a nightmarish gala night in rooms filled with devilish deadly perils. If your antagonist is the Joker, his aim will be to pillage the deathly-dull museum and vandalize the yawn-worthy bric-a-brac it contains. If your antagonist is Bane, his aim will be to attract the lofty leaders of the city to the museum for a ruthless Last Judgement. If your antagonist is Grundy, his aim will be to break everything, with particular care taken with the mummies. If your antagonist is Poison Ivy, her aim will be conjure a lush primordial forest from the floor of the museum space, in the hoping of covering the cold, ugly building with beautiful foliage. Etc. I think you get the idea… THE OPENING SCENE AND INVOLVEMENT OFTHE HEROES The question of knowing how to start the scenario and involve the Heroes (and thus the players) is often the first thing you think about when starting to create a scenario. It is a really important question, but one you may like to return to when you have a clearer view of the form your scenario is going to take. This is because a good opening scene doesn’t automatically lead to a good story (we’ve all watched movies that start off strong and then get lost in a clumsy story). Also, initially concentrating on your ‘big opening scene’ might bog you down, because it contains the essence of a lot of elements - the atmosphere, plot points, focus, antagonists, etc. - that you have yet to define fully, and are difficult to find immediately when thinking not of them individually but of the scene that will feature them all together… The best approach is probably to go back to this question when other parts of the scenario have been fleshed out and you can decide the best way to start the story. That’s easy to say, but how is it done? The archetypal start to a comic is the Hero catching a crook in the act while on a ‘flying patrol’ around Gotham City. It’s been done before, but it works and has all the key elements of a solid opening scene: ◊ Involve the Hero through their sense of duty and vocation as a crimefighter, ◊ Start with an action scene, ◊ Present the stakes, ◊ Stage a dynamic scene. Now you can choose the setting, the NPCs, and the dynamics of the scene to suit your tastes and your players, simply making sure that everything is coherent with your story, and that it reflects the goals of the antagonist for the scenario, and thus their main motivation. However, don’t think that the involvement of the Heroes is a given just because of this opening scene, especially if they have the opportunity to resolve what you initially presented as a focus point of the story before taking a step back to reveal the bigger picture.
173 — chapter 2: creatinG a scenario — Let’s imagine that you’re creating a story where the first scene has the Heroes on patrol when they come across some gangsters fleeing the scene of a robbery. In your mind, the bigger story will be about data crucial to the country’s security that is stored on a hard drive stolen by the criminals along with other valuable items. After a chase and some energetic combat in an abandoned factory, the Heroes turn the stolen items and criminals over to the police. For your players, the story is over, even if one of the bank’s customers is panicking because a certain hard drive is still missing. Why would they talk to the Heroes? Wouldn’t the police suspect the Heroes of having kept the hard drive, rather than admit their incompetence and hand the case over? This question concerns more generally the implication of the Heroes, and it’s an easy one to resolve in Gotham City, because the vocation of the police officers, crimefighters, criminals, etc. naturally inspires them to get involved. However, things get more complex when the Heroes are enrolled in the forces of order, or are dedicated upholders of justice, or part of the underworld driven only by gain. Generally speaking, if the Heroes are ambivalent about order and justice, it’s trickier to find reasons for them to intervene and put themselves in danger in stories that are part of the chronicles of Gotham City… Make sure then that you ask this question clearly when creating your scenario, so that you don’t reach a narrative impasse, or your players find themselves in a situation where they don’t see why their Hero would intervene and wonder whether what’s happening has any importance or is just there to keep you happy and not “ruin the scenario”. It can be useful to detail the underlying motivations of each Hero, but that will rarely be enough on its own, so it’s important to examine in detail the Heroes’ motives for taking part in the story, and make sure these are present throughout. From this point of view, a crimefighter’s vocation is a double-edged sword - on one side it’s a constant motivation for fighting crime, but on the other it suggests that the objectives at the heart of the scenario can only be attained by dedicated crimefighters, and not by the police through a standard investigation or procedure. For example, imagine that the Heroes happen to discover the body of an assassination victim. Batman would naturally want to find out who is behind the crime, but your players may not have the same keen sense of justice as the Dark Knight, and might just simply call 911 so the police can handle it, leaving the masked crimefighters to continue watching over the city. It may be that the overload of work at GCPD attenuates this effect, and pushes the players to investigate themselves, but you can never be sure of their reaction. It’s better to find a solid reason for the Heroes to get involved, and this will undoubtedly make your scenario even better… THE HEROES’ EFFORTS This covers everything that the Heroes can do to resolve the challenge(s) they face. In order for each player to find a way to make their character motivated and involved, we advise you to vary the challenges that the group will encounter, even if your scenario is short. An acronym used for several scenarios of this style might help you - I.C.O.N.E., which stands for Investigation, Confrontation, Organization, Negotiation and Exploration. If your storyline only includes one or two of these concepts, the action might be a little repetitive, and more importantly, might exclude certain characters for whom they don’t ‘fit’. Imagine that the Joker leaves Amusement Mile and drives a truck filled with deadly gas at break-neck speed toward Downtown. A chase based exclusively on piloting and distance attacks, two forms of Confrontation, might make a great scene in a film, but could bore your players because it only involves characters who are competent in these two things. It’s up to you to vary the types of effort required of the Heroes, choosing a wide range without putting too much emphasis on only one type of action, like Investigation or Confrontation. Try to plan using a number of challenges, in the order you prefer, such as: Investigation The players have to find out what the Joker's plans are, in particular what exactly is his target: City Hall, Wayne Tower, the GCPD? Even sat on the back seat of a car, you can still search the web, question witnesses, gather clues, download maps... Confrontation After multiple swerves and attacks, keep the protagonists moving by taking different routes, with other vehicles: they might have to run, jump onto rooftops, get into a fistfight… Organization The Heroes will have to coordinate their plans with helpful NPCs (the GCPD's surveillance specialists, a geeky group of amateur drone pilots, some parkourloving vigilantes, etc.).
174 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — Negotiation Why not team up with other criminals? Like Don Falcone, who really needs Gotham City to remain calm and prosperous, or Edward Nygma, who already knows who the gas is destined for. Exploration With his truck now smashed, the Joker and his henchmen jump into the sewers with the gas cannisters. This underground labyrinth could well be full of surprises and traps… If you run out of ideas, take a look at the capacities the players have chosen for their Heroes, as this might give you some inspiration for situations that could challenge them specifically. HELPERS The easiest part of creating a scenario is probably defining what help your Heroes and the antagonist are going to receive. This help can be a person or an organization, and will probably be easy to choose once your story is clarified, but you might also want to include a particular character (like Oracle or Alfred) or organization (like the GCPD or a particular gang). It’s best then to ask yourself the question with this in mind, as choosing the aid your players will receive and the advantages that come with it can influence both the setting of a scene and the way it goes down. Be careful however to limit the role of these helpers to what they are: a help, not the stars of the scenario. There can be many reasons that explain why these helpers can’t complete all the tasks given to them by the players, despite usually being left to the Heroes of your scenario. The helpers have families and obligations, capacities below those of the Heroes, less motivation than the Heroes to get involved with a problem and take risks, reasons to fear for their life or the lives or their loved ones, etc. Routine tasks with no narrative value (like questioning neighbors) can however be taken on by helpers, allowing you and your players to concentrate on more essential activities. EVENTS Events englobes all the scenes, challenges that separate the opening scene in the scenario from the final scene. Most of the time the ideas for these stages will come to you naturally, because they fit the demands of the initial situation. However, it’s possible that despite having a clear idea of the beginning and end of your scenario, you are not sure of the number of scenes between the two,
175 — chapter 2: creatinG a scenario — nor what will happen in them. The best thing to do in this case is to choose simplicity, and follow this advice: ◊ Pare things down: A lot of players get lost or have a hard time following a clear lead, so make sure you don’t encumber your scenario with too many twists and turns. Around 3-5 stages seems like an ideal number, and the chain of events should always be clear to the players. ◊ Have a clear vision of the essential elements that will get the Heroes to the final scene (e.g. they absolutely have to identify the antagonist, stop their evil plans, then investigate in order to locate the lair where they are hiding and put them out of action for good). ◊ Imagine the means (and the scenes) that the Heroes will need to use to obtain these elements (using the previous example: an investigation based on the clues left by the antagonist’s henchmen; intervening during an attack on a convoy of heavy weapons; finding the address of the industrial zone used as an HQ by the antagonist). ◊ Imagine the consequences that failure provoked or encountered by the Heroes might have on the story: a combat gone wrong, an important emergency that the Heroes don’t deal with, a discouraged action that they decide to perform regardless, an indispensable ally that they alienate through carelessness, aggressivity, or showing off, etc. Without going into all the details, anticipating failure will help you to improvise if everything or just something doesn’t go the way you had envisionned. In addition to helping the structure of the scenario, events are also a way of engaging the players by introducing a certain dramatic tension, colorful characters, surprising environments, or a special atmosphere. Try to make sure each scene or event contains at least one of these elements. Your favorite comics can also be a powerful source of inspiration. A BIG FINALE The grand finale scene is just another event, but with certain specific qualities and functions. It: ◊ Represents the end and dramatic climax of the scenario, ◊ Provides an explanation for all the elements of mystery carefully kept secret up to this point, ◊ Closes the story you have written (including any unresolved secondary intrigue) and makes clear the future of all the protagonists. In a role-playing game, the climax is often a final confrontation with the main antagonist, and it’s the most difficult fight that the Heroes have faced up to this point. We all know examples of this sort of ultimate combat, during which the story’s villain will give a monologue detailing his flawless Machiavellian plan, just before the Heroes put a stop to it… This cliché is difficult to avoid, because it deals so well with all the closure necessary for the narrative. However, you can mix things up a little in your scenario using the following elements: ◊ Victory comes from something else than a fight (the Heroes give back to the antagonist the thing or person they thought was gone forever; they reveal to the antagonist that they have been manipulated from the very beginning; they free some other force that then vanquishes the antagonist, etc.) Such solutions will always be very closely linked to the general motivation and personal goals of the antagonist, but it’s worth considering them, if only to make these aims and motivations a little more dramatic or complex. ◊ As the scenario progresses, give explanations about the successive mysteries that you have devised. This will limit the bad guy’s obligatory extended monologue in the final scene. ◊ An end that comes not in the final scene but during an epilogue that gives the last bit of explanation and story closure, probably through some kind of revelation (e.g. the Heroes have followed and beaten a criminal, but some details seem off. Then, a few days later, the characters attend a smart dinner in the city, where one of the other guests who they thought was an ally, reveals that the whole thing was one of their schemes, and that the heroes have been manipulated to fight the criminal from the start and, of course there’s, no evidence to incriminate the person). ◊ A scene that doesn’t necessarily bring about a happy ending; contrary to most action movies, there’s no reason a role-playing game scenario can’t finish with the Heroes failing, partially or completely. This is partly because victory over the antagonist depends on multiple factors including combat decided by rolls of the dice. Also, your players might well be distracted, negligent, too confident or obtuse, and a series of poor decisions should lead to spectacular failure (e.g. they get their asses kicked by The Bad Guy, then Batman and the GCPD swoop in, deal with the problem easily, and proceed to tell the Heroes
176 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — what utter losers they are). When defeat is deserved, it can teach players a lot more than a victory, and you can be sure that the players will be more attentive and hardened the next time, especially if they want to get back the pride they lost previously… Whatever you do, make sure that the final scene is memorable, especially from a dramatic tension standpoint (e.g. the Heroes or some innocent citizens are in a life-threatening situation), and don’t neglect the atmosphere and setting (e.g. the antagonist’s baroque lair, the blackened GCPD HQ after a fire, the top of Wayne Tower in the middle of a storm, in the middle of riots happening Downtown, Arkham Asylum overrun by its patients…). ORDER AND LINK UP THE SCENARIO, THEN LOOK FOR ITS FLAWS Once you have all or some of the elements detailed above, it’s time to arrange them into the principal stages of the story, and give them connections, i.e. events that provoke or lead to the following section (e.g. the Heroes go to a certain place and discover a certain clue) or, to put it another way, advance the scenario toward its resolution. This structuring stage is essential, because it gives you a view of the scenario as a whole, and allows you to order or even construct it all, i.e. from the opening scene until the story’s resolution, made possible by the events that allow the Heroes to get to the final scene from the opening scene. The ‘links’ in the story are like little hinges that separate the sparking of an incident and its resolution, allowing us to get from one scene to another. Make sure you have a clear idea of what your links are when creating your scenario, as this will allow you to: ◊ Check that the scenario and links between scenes are coherent (scene A has link 1 which leads to scene B, and to link 2 which leads to scene C, etc.) ◊ Make sure the Heroes have the means to get to the end of the scenario, through a number of stages that is neither too long nor too quick (see below: Beware of shortcuts!) ◊ Have a clear idea of the main narrative thrust of your scenario when it is being played through, so that you never get lost when improvising and are able to put your players back on track if ever they go astray. It might be useful for you to draw out a quick plan of the steps of the scenario, with named arrows (e.g. “TwoFace’s revolver”, “Alfred contacts them”, “they go to the ACE Chemicals factory”) for each link. These will most likely be a piece of information (given by an informant or witness), an event (something provokes the intervention of the Heroes), or an action (the Heroes do something in particular). You can also write down a list of objectives for the characters for each stage (e.g. the Heroes have to stop the hostages from being executed), and the main problem encountered (e.g. the gang that has taken the hostages and their perfect knowledge of the terrain). A clear vision of the objectives and dangers of each scene will allow you to concentrate better on handling the game when playing. Once these links have been defined, it’s time to check that the scenario doesn’t have any flaws. Look at it carefully from different perspectives, actively trying to find weaknesses, by asking yourself these kinds of questions (this list isn’t exhaustive and will of course depend on your scenario): ◊ Why does the antagonist do that, at that moment? Couldn’t they do it earlier, or later? With less risk? Or effort? ◊ Is there no other way for them to achieve their goal more easily? ◊ Why is this aim of real use to them when you take into account what they already have? ◊ Do the antagonist or Heroes have a means (a supercomputer, a weapon of mass destruction) or a capacity (insider knowledge, a superpower) that would allow them to solve the affair almost without striking a blow, or by taking a shortcut that would avoid most of the exciting obstacles you have meticulously created for them? ◊ Why does the antagonist only use limited methods to do a certain thing if it is so important to them? ◊ Does all of this seem coherent and plausible for the world of Batman? ◊ And what if my players don’t realize that they have to do such and such? Of if they miss a clue? Or are really determined to follow one of the false leads I’ve devised?
177 — chapter 2: creatinG a scenario — ◊ Do the Heroes have enough reason to take so many risks during such a scene? Or enough reason to do this specific thing that is essential to the scenario? ◊ Is there a risk the plot development or event that you have planned could be interpreted as punitive or arbitrary? ◊ Etc. Don’t forget that during the game, you will be opposite several intelligent people, and it is quite possible they’ll find a flaw you haven’t thought of. Most of the time, your players will just ignore it because they won’t want to ruin your efforts (by pointing out, for example, that Clayface, using his shapeshifting powers, could have gotten round the security system long ago, and wouldn’t need to execute such a complicated plan). We can all think of examples of films or TV series with a poor plot, too many CGI effects, and illogical twists, and the result is generally pretty awful. This is even more true for a role-playing game, because your players will have all the time necessary to reflect, and won’t be distracted (like someone watching an action movie) by a succession of exciting colorful scenes, incapable of stepping back and reflecting too deeply about a certain piece of ridiculous dialogue, strange behavior, or an unlikely situation. This makes it even more important that you spend a bit of time checking that your scenario doesn’t have faults of this kind. CREATING A SCENARIO “ON THEFLY” You only have a few hours before your players arrive? Yesterday you were asked to create a scenario for that evening? You want to invite your friends for a roleplaying session and they love Batman? You just want to relax, and enjoy a quiet evening with a role-playing game that’s not too stressful or complicated? The following advice is just to help you quickly create a scenario that’s simple to play, simple to manage, and close to the spirit of comics. Not the vast, intricate works of the authors and artists that have helped elevate the Dark Knight to the level of icon over the past 80 years, but all the pages of comic books you remember from your childhood and whose innocence you sometime miss. After all, there’s no written rule that says the best roleplaying game sessions have to include a complex, rich, tense story… Your mission in this particular case is to decide what will form the heart of your scenario, using the outline of “trigger incident / hero challenge / events / resolution”: ◊ The atmosphere: Unless you already have an idea in mind and the means to bring it to life during a game session, stick with dark-skied menacing Gotham City as your setting. The Guide to Gotham City also contains a good selection of memorable places and settings. ◊ The antagonist: Choose one of your favorite characters, making sure they present a difficulty to the Heroes (they are hidden in their lair and/or are invincible as long as the Heroes haven’t found their weak spot). ◊ The stakes: Choose something simple and immediate. The spoils of a bank robbery will often suffice, but it’s become a cliché, so try and think of something that represents deep-seated motivation for a Gotham City-dwelling antagonist (chaos for the Joker, renown for the Penguin, etc.) The advantage of money is that it’s a resource that appeals to almost all criminals (which is also why hold-ups are the most common crime to be found in the comics). Another simple focus might be a person your antagonist would like to kill, find, capture, etc. Just make sure that the person in question fits the motivations of your criminal. ◊ The opening scene: This should be defined pretty naturally by what you have already decided for your scenario. ◊ The means the Heroes use to achieve their task, i.e. foil the antagonist’s plans then find them and beat them. ◊ The form of the story’s resolution (generally a climax with a final combat involving the antagonist in a memorable setting) And there you have it! You don’t really need anything more. After all, your players shouldn’t be too demanding, and everything will now depend on how you bring it all to life. The advantage of this type of scenario is that it represents a good way to have a very relaxed roleplaying session, where your players may well have more leeway than in a strictly-defined scenario. Let them express themselves as much as they want, play through the daily routines of their secret identities, and bounce off their ideas. Don’t go for a full parody though (which can be fun for a few minutes but gets very old very quickly) and make sure that everyone around the table agrees with and is interested by what happens in the game.
178 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — CREATING AN INVESTIGATION AND THE STEPS FOR RESOLVING IT Gotham City is known as “the city of crime”, so here are a few pieces of advice about criminal investigations. They’re really not aimed at giving you readymade investigations, but should help you ask all the necessary questions. THE ELEMENTS OF THE INVESTIGATION An investigation will generally be based on three elements: the criminal and their motivations; their victim(s), and the type of crime committed. The criminal will normally be the antagonist in your scenario, but you could also choose to make them an ally of the perpetrator of the initial crime, or perhaps your antagonist is a victim of a plan dreamt up by the real brains behind the affair, and destined to be punished in their place. Depending on the type of crime (“individual” or “collective”, the latter meaning that it has such aims and human and financial requirements that it can only be put into action by a criminal organization), the “criminal” can be represented by an individual (possibly aided by a few henchmen) or by a whole faction, like a gang, a sect, a cartel, a terrorist organization, the secret service of an unscrupulous state, a small group motivated by extremist ideology, etc. In all cases, you should quickly define their identity, general motivation, job, past, allies, enemies, favorite places, network of contacts, and the type of people they frequent. These will all be very useful if you have to improvise during an investigation being conducted by the Heroes. The victims will often be decided by the nature of the crime committed. They may have been chosen as part of a plan, i.e. based on the motivations of the antagonist (e.g. Carmine Falcone has hired a hitman to deal with wiping out the arrogant new District Attorney). However, they could also have been chosen at random (e.g. the Joker releases a dangerous gas in some busy avenues on the night of Halloween; Anarky hacks the computer system of a bank and strips hundreds of families of their life savings…), or they may not even realize they are the victim of a crime, despite suffering the consequences (e.g Arthur Langstrom’s pharmaceutical laboratory has contaminated the drinking water of an entire village, but the inhabitants are only now beginning to wonder why their children’s faces have started to take on bat-like features). Similarly, victims can be direct (e.g. a millionaire couple is attacked in Crime Alley when leaving a movie theater) or indirect (e.g. plaintiffs in a law suit have their case dismissed or sabotaged by corrupt police officers). The crime, by which we mean the initial crime, the one that is part of the main focus of the scenario (either because the Heroes are trying to find the perpetrator or prevent them from striking again, or they are attempting to protect the victims, etc.), not the crimes and offenses they witness over the course of their investigation (like the injuries they themselves will receive). This crime should either: ◊ Be the work of some unknown person (for a “Who done it”-type scenario) that the Heroes have to identify, or ◊ Have been perpetrated by someone known, perhaps even well-known (although this could always be a false lead or a manipulation) and the Heroes will have to find proof to incriminate them, or clues allowing the culprit to be found and put out of action. In all cases, the crime itself should represent sufficiently high stakes for the Heroes to feel it essential to stop the perpetrator, as much for the victims as for the good of Gotham City and the defense of justice as a whole. As we have unfortunately seen over the years, man’s imagination for different crimes seems almost limitless, but below you’ll find only those that we feel fit in with a scenario set in Gotham City. Choose your crime carefully, because it will heavily influence the atmosphere of the scenario. Vintage comics often opted for break-ins, bank robberies, and theft at gunpoint in order to adhere to the laws concerning publications for children. And even if you have a lot more leeway to use the element you want in your scenario, keep in mind the sensibilities of your players - although movies and TV series routinely show violence nowadays, some people may still be uneasy when faced with certain crimes, and you might also find them tough to deal with over time. Examples of individual crimes: ◊ Theft with violence and/or break-in, ◊ Physical attack, ◊ Kidnap and/or holding someone hostage, ◊ Assassination, ◊ Serious corruption, ◊ Terrorism, ◊ Etc.
179 — chapter 2: creatinG a scenario — Examples of collective crimes: ◊ Organized crime, professional gang theft, ◊ Terrorism, ◊ Embezzlement and/or money laundering, ◊ Abduction and blackmail, ◊ Organized fraud and corruption, ◊ Manufacture, transport and/or resale of illicit substances, ◊ Human trafficking, ◊ Destruction of property, ◊ Heavy weapon trafficking, ◊ Manufacture of weapons of mass destruction, ◊ Military, economic, or industrial espionage, ◊ Wide scale pollution and/or poisoning, ◊ Clandestine gaming and betting, ◊ Racketing and extorsion, ◊ Computer piracy, ◊ Etc. THE DETAILS OF EACH ELEMENT Next, determine the details of each of the following three elements. Be careful not to make them excessively complicated though, especially if the author of the crime is of limited intellectual means. Batman is lucky to battle a lot of criminals who have created their own sophisticated plans, but that’s not true of everyone, and it would be suspect if the leader of a small gang of dirty bikers was behind a cunning plan worthy of an evil genius. Keep in mind also that a lot of criminals act impulsively, and often (according to police reports) illogically, and it’s through their mistakes that we find clues and evidence. You don’t have to approach an investigation scenario as a complex struggle against a twisted mind that has left nothing to chance. The crux of an investigation doesn’t have to be identifying the killer - it could be their reaction or that of those around them: high society investigations are very, very different from those set in the seedy underworld… The motivation of the criminal: What were they trying to achieve by committing this crime? If the choice of victim
180 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — was intentional, how were they chosen? How did they chose when and where to strike? What were the reasons behind organizing the crime, and are they working with other individuals or groups? What does the criminal and their allies have to gain that justifies taking the risks involved? Etc. The characteristics of the victims: Their past, job, social status, etc. The degree of precision of these details will naturally depend on how important they are in identifying the criminal. If the victim was chosen at random, the details will just serve to fill out the background atmosphere. If, however, the motivation of the criminal was a targeted attack, every detail about them can help the Heroes in their investigation. It’s also possible for a scenario to include a targeted crime disguised as something completely random. The details of the crime: When? Where? How? Are there any witnesses? What clues or leads can you get from the crimes scene? The answers depend on the nature of the crime of course, and will be very different depending on whether the crime is just one event (even if it is premeditated and required preparation) like an attack at gunpoint, an assassination, or a break-in, or whether the crime has been repeated and is perpetrated over a length of time, like trafficking (of drugs, weapons, people…). Some crimes have a lot in common with a way of living (like cartels trafficking contraband, or mafia gang extorsion of businesses) and detail will include the number of people involved, the system used, the frequency, the places and the moments, the means necessary, the complicity of certain people, the profits, what the proceeds are used for, etc. Also, never forget that crimes generally provoke jealousy or even hatred, and that your Heroes may need to find allies from a rival gang or even a victim of the criminal who has decided to get justice for themselves… Also, if your investigation concerns a conspiracy (i.e. a coordinated chain of actions planned by several criminals), you can split the organization of the hierarchy into the roles of each person or sub-group based on the various steps of the conspiration (e.g. for trafficking illegal products: group 1 handles collecting the base materials; group 2 prepares them; group 3 transports the products to Gotham City by sea; group 4 sells the product wholesale to ally gangs who then sell it individually and transfer the profits to group 0 - i.e. the head of the cartel - who then distributes the money to each group.) Once you have defined how the whole chain works, you can choose at what stage in the process the Heroes are alerted to the existence of the trafficking, and then how they will start their investigation (for example, they may learn of brutal reprisals against some resellers who tried to cheat the organization, or hear about an extremely dangerous new product that has just appeared on the market). THE SETTING AND THE ACTORS: THE‘SANDBOX’ APPROACH This approach aims to determine the elements of the microcosm that your Heroes will find themselves in. From its center to its suburbs, Gotham City functions like many microcosms, where outside elements have very little influence. As this is the case, when preparing a series of game sessions involving the city, why not choose the paradigms that will affect the Heroes during the scenarios? “CAMPAIGN” PLAY You are particularly advised to use this approach if you prefer “campaign” play, i.e. regular sessions with a suite of scenarios that may be linked or independent. The difference between a single and campaign scenario is similar to the difference between a movie (which is generally centered on one storyline) and a series, which can have several storylines or narrative arcs, generally revolving around the characters. This means that a campaign will often contain more details about the Heroes’ daily lives, their progression, and possibly even their destiny. The “sandbox” approach also gives your players more leeway for initiative, and is particularly advised for scenarios where the Heroes are part of the forces of order. Officers in the criminal brigade will always have several cases ongoing at any one time, and your players will be able to choose to focus on whichever one they prefer. This means that you will never be able to prepare for every outcome, but no matter - your job as GM will be to present Gotham City as a living organism, almost a character in itself, an environment in eternal flux, with its share of ambitions, movement, tension, and misery. GOTHAM CITY AND ITS FACTIONS Start by setting the scene, listing a few factions that you would particularly like to focus on, chosen from the three categories below. We advise you choose based on your affinity for one or the other, and select factions
181 — chapter 2: creatinG a scenario — that operate in different areas of the city or at different levels of society (from the elite to the slums), so that you bring to life every level of Gotham City (and not just one neighborhood or level of society). Four or five should be enough to start with - you can always add others depending on the directions the campaign takes. 1. The factions that help enforce order are those whose missions center on maintaining order and following up crimes and offenses: the GCPD, the District Attorney, courts of justice, a group of masked crimefighters, federal agencies, etc. 2. The ‘neutral’ factions are those whose motivations (such as profit, concrete or spiritual help for a certain category of the population, recognition, or the people’s vote) are outside the scope of order or justice: City Hall, the media (newspapers, TV, radio, social networks), companies and corporations, unions, storekeeper groups, business circles, celebrity cliques, attorneys’ offices, ethnic or religious communities, charities, NGOs, private security companies, etc. The choice is huge and it’s obviously best to choose factions who have a reason to become involved in the proceedings of the campaign. 3. Criminal factions are those whose motivations (religious, ideological, or purely for profit) justify breaking the law: neighborhood gangs, mafia clans, groups of super-criminals, religious sects, occult circles, terrorist organizations, small violent groups, etc. PORTRAIT OF A FACTION Next, you should determine, for each faction: ◊ Their main characters (generally the leader and their close circle or principal subordinates in the organization), ◊ Their missions or motivations (winning a fortune through extorsion, betting, trafficking, etc. for the Maroni family; committing break-ins to maintain their luxurious lifestyle for the Tusk gang; surreptitiously running Gotham City for the Court of Owls; maintaining a semblance of order and justice by losing as few officers as possible for the GCPD; making profits that can be reinvested in research and innovation, and supporting just causes for Wayne Enterprise, etc.), ◊ Roughly the number of members, ◊ Their zone of operation, if the faction is especially present in a particular place (the Narrows for a league of citizens determined to fight insecurity; the 13th floor of certain skyscrapers for the Court of Owls; the tunnels under the city for Bane’s gang; Wayne Tower and the company’s other locations for Wayne Enterprise), ◊ Their allies (chosen from the following: other factions, groups, communities, or personalities with a certain sway in Gotham City), ◊ Their enemies (ditto), ◊ The stage of their development (if they have just been formed, are at the height of their powers, are losing momentum, declining, near extinction), ◊ The threats they face (internal powers struggles and/ or weaknesses; dangers posed by their competition or enemies; unforeseen circumstances and twists of fate), ◊ Their probable path (e.g. catastrophe, wreck, split, internal squabbles, decline, stability, growth, success, triumph, etc.), ◊ Their main problem currently (e.g. for the Maroni family, the kidnapping of one of their suppliers by the Falcones; for Bane, Batman and his annoying crimefighter friends; for the GCPD, a new supercriminal who has appeared downtown, etc.), HEAR THE HEART OF GOTHAM CITY BEAT Once the elements above have been determined for each faction, you already have some good sources of inspiration for bringing Gotham City to life. Define some probable significant stages of evolution for each, and use one of these stages or important moments from time to time during a game session. The steps can be related to the Heroes’ actions (for example, arresting a certain gang leader has allowed another faction to take control of a certain sector of trafficking) or be completely unrelated, like an echo of the soul of Gotham City resonating around them… Another useful tool: a common thread for the events that are supposed to happen, with details on how the factions and public opinion evolve depending on the major events (for example, if Bane suddenly emerges to terrify the
182 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — city and easily trounces the forces of order). The vibe of Gotham City is partly the result of the mindset of its inhabitants - their fear or anger regarding the Heroes’ actions, and the media’s hysteria or contempt, can both greatly contribute to the dramatic tension of game sessions, and thus the pleasure that you and the players will have playing your campaign. Et voilà! The heart of your Gotham City is ready to beat. All that’s left is for you to offer your players two or three tidbits of information about the tension in the city or the narrative arcs through which you will be presenting your “star factions”. As rounded as these might be, they will doubtlessly not be enough to immerse your players in the adventure, so keep make sure you have some additional intrigue (cases to resolve for GCPD officers, famous criminals or dangerous organizations to bring down for crimefighters, etc.) that you can entice your players with through rumors, articles in the papers, or posts on social media, and you will soon see this microcosm come to life organically over the course of the game sessions, thanks to your imaginative ideas. CONCLUSION The contents of the previous pages might seem intimidating. They are the fruit of a certain amount of experience of role-playing games and a certain approach to creating things. Role-playing games are not an exact science, and our advice is not aimed at giving you facts that are valid for everyone at every moment. Take it for what it is: simple advice that we think is useful to share with anyone who wants to write their own scenario set in Gotham City, and from which you can decide what to take and what to leave. Other books about role-playing games, and the scenarios for other games available online or in stores may also have information, examples, and inspiration. Just remember that you should always keep in mind the source of your desire to write a scenario, because that’s where the source of your story is and the energy you’ll feel when having it played through - a shared moment of storytelling, like every session of a role-playing game.
183 CHAPTER 2: CONDUCTING A ROLE-PLAYING GAME SESSION THE MORAL CONTRACT OF ROLE-PLAYING GAMES Role-playing games bring people together to collectively create an adventure, and three essential principles have to be respected so that everyone enjoys the experience. 1. The players are here… to play! This means they should be happy to get into the mindset of the scenario and follow the leads given by the GM, especially those aimed at immersing the Heroes in the adventure. If the Heroes prefer to go out clubbing or eat a pizza instead of finding the culprit of a crime they’ve just discovered, then perhaps the actual players will also want to do something other than take part in a role-playing game! It’s all about being a good sport and playing along rather than looking for faults that might arise in the scenario, during the adventure, orin the middle of some improvisation. The GM is rarely a professional scriptwriter and definitely not some videogame AI perfected over numerous years by an army of developers, so having a positive and tolerant mindset will obviously help the game sessions run smoothly. The same goes for the GM: a punitive or competitive attitude goes against what is expected from a GM (see below) and will rapidly make players forget this spirit of benevolence. Don’t forget that this is all a game, and that however intense the adventures and situations may be, the sole aim of an adventure is for everyone playing to have a really enjoyable time, together. 2. The GM always has the final word. Conflicts between the players and the GM may arise from time to time regarding a point in the rules or something that the players see as illogical or contradictory. These discussions should be kept short, because often each side is sure of their position and it just wastes time for everyone. If the problem is something in the rules, checking them will generally clear things up (and if it doesn’t, use your common sense and let it be known, if necessary, that the GM’s word is final). If this problem is something in the scenario, the players must accept that something they are not yet privy to, or that the adventure will reveal to them later, justifies moving past what currently appears as an inconsistency. It’s up to the GM to make sure it all works out (even if this means tweaking the scenario), and if in the end it turns out that the problem is a mistake made during the conception of the adventure, then refer to point 1 again: players shouldn’t insist about a fault, and the GM should do their best to repair it through some trick of the storyline… It should be kept in mind also that the GM has the right to cheat, as long as it’s for the good of the scenario. If Harley Quinn performs a test to escape from the Heroes at the beginning of the adventure and receives a critical fail, her capture might endanger the entire scenario, so the GM can cheat and deem the roll a success, or even decide that no die roll is necessary. Everyone wants the adventure to be epic, and no-one will want to sacrifice that because of an unlucky roll of the dice. This is where game screens come in handy (and can serve to provide the coincidences or unexpected lucky breaks you sometimes come across in comics, movies, and series). Kind in mind nonetheless that Batman RPG has various tools (Exploit Points, the capacities of the Ways, etc.) that allow any injustice like this to be bounced back from… 3. No-one playing has the power or overblown ego to think they can solve every conflict. As with any gathering of people, it’s not impossible that some personalities will clash. While the GM’s role is naturally to diffuse any such situations, they don’t necessarily have the authority, capacity, or magic wand that will force people to get along, even by dictating the solution (they may also be part of the source of the conflict). If the spirit of cooperation and benevolence advised in point 1 isn’t working, it may be time to bring the game session to an end. And if the conflict continues outside the setting of the roleplaying game, then that’s beyond the realm of our expertise…
184 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — WHO, WHEN, WHERE, HOW? THEINGREDIENTS OF A GOOD ROLE-PLAYING GAME SESSION You have a scenario, now let’s see how to put it into action. The first stage is of course to bring together all the essential elements. PEOPLE MOTIVATED... ...to play in the setting of Gotham City and bring to life the Heroes featured in the scenario. Everyone is welcome, as long as they want to spend an enjoyable moment together. This means giving the game the full attention it requires, i.e. no messaging, no watching videos, and no checking social media while playing. Try as hard as you can to convince your players to disconnect from any distractions while they are in a game session, as this will make it run a lot better. The important thing is for the group to agree on the rules for everyone regarding concentration during the game, and which distractions are allowed. This will avoid arguments, whether between players or with a GM who tolerates too much or on the contrary gets annoyed whenever they are not being listened to assiduously enough by players… As for everyone’s behavior, follow the classic rules of respect and manners that you probably already use in society. Role-playing games are a collective experience, and it’s important that no-one participating is rude or aggressive with the other players, and that everyone makes an effort not to hurt anyone’s feelings with what they say, how they act, the jokes they tell, or the attitude they have. Don’t think that these ‘good manners’ don’t fit with the grim atmosphere of Gotham City: the feeling of cohesion and benevolence in a group will only help to reinforce the immersion in the game, and with both the GM and players focused, they may even be annoyed by anyone who doesn’t respect a fellow player. SOMEWHERE CALM Role-playing games can be played in a very minimalistic fashion, using mostly words and a few resources (digital or on paper) to keep track of the essential technical points. However, even if some games are played in noisy conventions, a certain amount of calm is still necessary in order for everyone to hear what is happening and be able to concentrate sufficiently on imagining the various scenes played in the scenario. Try as much as possible to avoid any sources of distraction and outside noise. Similarly, it’s best to choose a place where both the GM and the players will
185 — chapter 2: conductinG a role-playinG Game session — feel free to ‘be’ their character and raise their voices when the excitement of the game is at its height. For any shy players, this may mean finding somewhere secluded away from prying eyes. Also, as role-playing games are fairly static affairs, make sure everyone is comfortable, especially if the session is due to last several hours. The ideal place to play would be somewhere that evokes the dark, urban atmosphere of Gotham City. No one is suggesting you play at the darkest end of Crime Alley, but playing in a park on a sunny Sunday morning in spring won’t necessarily help bring to life the sinister feel of the plot, unless of course the GM is a particularly gifted speaker or the players are super concentrated. A QUIET MOMENT Finding a free moment to get everyone together is sometimes really difficult, and there’s no miracle solution except for the motivation of each person to free up the time necessary for the game session. Most scenarios need several hours to be played through, so it may be best to set up in advance all the slots you’ll need to get through one, or set a weekly time if you plan on playing regularly. There’s no ideal length for a game session, but you’ll probably need at least an hour (just for everyone to get into the mood) and shouldn’t go over four or five hours so that everyone can stay 100% focused and alert. However, if you take a few pauses, there’s nothing stopping you from playing all weekend or just the 40 minutes you have spare at lunchtime with your workmates… Whatever length you choose, you should have a clear mind when playing; choose a moment that allows your mind to be calm, and the session to avoid becoming disagreeable or even stressful. For example, don’t finish playing too late at night if you have to get up early the next day. THE NECESSARY ELEMENTS For minimalists, this can be very little (the character sheets, a handful of dice, and the necessary references for the rules and scenario). Groups that prefer more theatricality can add plans, game screens, special dice, touchscreens to show plans and images, a speaker for background music, etc. To keep you in the zone, we recommend you use the miniatures and board for Batman ™ : Gotham City Chronicles, plus any other elements that might intensify or facilitate an evocative staging of the scenario. For example, you might like to write out the note that Alfred Pennyworth scribbles a few seconds before being kidnapped, or choose a book from your bookcase and insert a playing card in it, a mocking clue from the Joker. This sort of accessory helps immerse everyone playing. Oh, and don’t forget drinks and snacks. Everyone likes those. SOME ADVICE FOR NEWBIES: THE ROLE OF THE GM The players have all arrived, you have everything you need, and the game can commence. Here are a few general pieces of advice aimed at new GMs that can also remind more experienced GMs of the basics. During a game session, the GM looks after the following things: ◊ narration (bringing the scenario to life), ◊ information (giving players the info their Heroes obtain), ◊ description (descr ibing the atmosphere, surroundings, characters, scenes, and situations), ◊ regulation (using the system of rules and making decisions if ever there are doubts), ◊ orchestration (powering the game session and managing the small group of players). Don’t panic: all of the above boils down to a few simple bits of behavior that most GMs integrate naturally. Here are the details. NARRATION The job of the GM is essentially to know the scenario sufficiently well (its structure and plot points) that they can adapt to any unexpected actions made by the Heroes while also keeping the momentum going (phases, scenes, the links between them, etc.) Most scenarios require a bit of improvisation during the game, for example when the Heroes want to meet a very unimportant NPC, or visit a place that has absolutely no function in the scenario. The GM has to be able to roll with these wishes whilst also keeping in mind the necessities of the scenario with regard to story progression and the motivation of both the antagonists and background characters.
186 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — INFORMATION Informing players takes place on two levels: ◊ What the players have to know in order to play in this setting, like the atmosphere and look of Gotham City, the existence of masked crimefighters, the level of technology, and also the main principles of the rules, the genre references that Batman RPG is based on, etc. This will generally be dealt with during the first game session, but it’s possible that a few reminders will be necessary during others for those less familiar with the setting, the rules, or the genre. And of course, players will be probably have their own questions along the way. ◊ What the Heroes know, whether it’s notions that pretty much all the citizens of Gotham City are familiar with (like the bad reputation of the Narrows, or the meaning of that strange bat-shaped logo projected onto the clouds), or information specific to the scenario that they learn as the story advances (like the implication of a certain criminal in the case they are investigating). The GM is naturally the only source of information during the game, with perhaps some extra context from the players’ knowledge of the setting (see the later section, “How to handle experts and newbies”). Make sure the players don’t use any information they already have but their Heroes are not supposed to know (like Batman’s secret identity). Also try to avoid having the Heroes act on information specifically related to the game session itself (like “It’s already 11.37pm. I’d be amazed if there was a combat scene this late”, or “If the GM has asked for a test of Perception, that means there must be something to find. Let’s search the apartment a third time!”) DESCRIPTION The GM is the eyes, nose, ears, and even the heart of the Heroes. They have to describe to the players what their Heroes see, hear, smell, and feel in every scene and situation. This means being ready and able to describe the following elements: The situation each Hero finds themselves in at any moment during the game. Each place, if possible by making them sound interesting. Keep in mind how important the settings are in comic books, films, and series - they really contribute to the quality and feel of the final work. The same is true of role-playing games, and Gotham City and its surroundings have enough soul to give you a large choice of memorable, high-tech, gothic, and ruined settings that use the comics for inspiration. Try to give even the most banal places something that gives them character, something your players will recall when it’s time (“you know, that humid hoarder apartment that smelt of mold “ or “of course, those gothic ruins lost in the middle of the moors “). The atmosphere of Gotham City is pretty uniform, so certain descriptions may be repeated sometimes. All the more reason to go beyond the standard, dark urban feel and add some memorable traits. It might be a certain smell (of dust, fried food, engine oil, a wood fire, trash, cooking, sweat, cleaning fluids, perfume, etc.), an impression (of misery or opulence, clutter or minimalism, oldness or newness, sadness or a zest for life, ugliness or beauty, calm or busy, etc.) or just the architecture, the surroundings, or the objects and people. See also the section below, “A game of atmosphere”. The NPCs the Heroes interact with. Just like the places you describe, try to give NPCs a memorable look or character trait so they stand out from the crowd. This will depend on their age, gender, profession, general appearance, and their function in the scenario. Even two 35 year-old muscular GCPD officers sent to escort the Heroes can be different from each other - one may be known for his moustache, cheery disposition, and dubious links with certain criminals, whereas the other could have some battle scars, appear cold but honest, and have a tendency to be brutal… Of course, the more importance an NPC has in the scenario, the more fleshed-out their traits will be. A lot of comic book stories revolve around the flamboyant personalities of the city’s super-criminals. Even for more secondary characters, feel free to choose one or two terms that define them, or an image or a reference (a certain character in a certain comic, movie, or series) that you can use at the right moment. This trait could be: ◊ physical (looks, body type, hair, facial features, etc.), ◊ part of their character (endearing or sinister, benevolent or cruel, lazy or full of energy, affable or exasperating, arrogant or timid, egocentric or selfless, joyous or depressed, sweet or violent, sarcastic or respectful, anxious or relaxed, etc.),
187 — chapter 2: conductinG a role-playinG Game session — ◊ a habit (a tic, a phrase they say often, a passion, a routine…), ◊ something from their past (the image the Heroes have of a GCPD detective will undoubtedly be different depending on whether in their past they have been in the military, a scientist, an accountant, a delinquent, a journalist, a psychologist, homeless, an attorney, a hacker, a boxing coach, etc.), ◊ their reputation (for being corrupt, a hypocrite, a brute, unstable, an epicurean, negligent, a charmer, a moralizer, a traitor, nice, a liar, etc.). REGULATION Batman RPG offer a game system designed to bring to life the adventures of characters based in Gotham City. Your roles as GM is first of all to teach the players these rules, and make them simple to navigate during play, notably by answering all the questions players will ask you during the game sessions. You will also have to decide the outcome of certain disagreements using your common sense rather than poring over the rule book for hours during gameplay. Never let the rules supersede the importance of the story (for example, if a roll of the die is going to ruin the future of a Hero or principle antagonist at just the wrong time…) or spoil a great action that won’t be handled properly by the game system. Again - the rules are at your service, not vice versa. Feel free to adapt them before the game session or during play. ORCHESTRATION The idea is not to put on a show for static players, or distract them by performing a number behind the game screen. Role-playing games require the active participation of players, but it also your role by definition to be the leader of your little group. You decide the beginning and end of the session, dictate the rhythm, and introduce the main sections - you set the tone, as it were, for the game session. You also have to make sure to keep the players’ attention, using all the elements (combat, settings and background characters, mystery, etc.) available to you in the scenario, thanks to the game items (dice, figurines, etc.) and whatever else you think will help improve the game experience, whether it’s background music, evocative images from the comic books you can show to players, or anything else that could help foster a fun atmosphere. Pace is essential in all of this, which is why we’ve created a whole section about it below. THE PACE OF A GAME SESSION As Batman RPG is a game of investigation and action, it’s best to avoid any pauses and maintain a certain rhythm during the game sessions. Even if certain dynamic players can contribute a lot to this, it’s the GM who dictates the speed at which events arrive one after another, the level of detail in the scenes, the parts that are alluded to but not played (like a hideout, a trip, a wait at the hospital, a good night’s rest) and the ones handled second by second, like the combat scenes. It may seem a little intimidating, but the rhythm of the game comes quite easily if you stick to a few simple principles. THE RHYTHM OF A SCENARIO AND GAME SESSION Just as a movie has its own pace, which is different to that of the individual scenes that make up the movie, a ‘played’ scenario also has its own pace, distinct from the rhythm of the two or three game sessions that are necessary to play it through. The rhythm of a scenario comes essentially from its structure (for more info about this topic, read the section “Creating a scenario”) which governs for example the number of action scenes and when they occur, as well as the most intense moments of the story. However, this structure, which is designed to be malleable, is also subject to the rhythm adopted by the participants in the game session. Here are ten pieces of advice that might help you: 1. Adapt the atmosphere around the table: Your players might be tired, preoccupied, in the mood for joking about, or perhaps ready for a fight and looking forward to leaving real life behind for a few hours in Gotham City. However they are feeling, don’t try and bluntly go against their mood if it’s not what you were hoping for, as this will almost certainly cause friction. Instead, try to reel them back into the game by reminding them what happened previously - describe the current scene or situation for each character,
188 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — and give a recap of what the Heroes were considering doing next. It’s up to you to get their imaginations fired up! 2. Keep things moving: There can be long pauses during play, mostly when players are stuck and don’t know what to do next, or get into long discussion about certain hypotheses or the best way to proceed. Whether they find themselves at a dead end or are taking too long to get a plan together, the GM should intervene if they feel the session and/or discussion is going nowhere. This can be done is several different Ways: ◊ Remind the players of a crucial piece of information that they’ve not taken into account but will help the discussion to advance, or even help them reach a decision (to make it a little less obvious, this ‘helping hand’ can come from an NPC, an e-mail, the local news, etc.), ◊ Remind them that the clock is ticking (in the game, and in real life!) and that they need to make a decision (here too this can come from an NPC: “Every hour that passes reduces our chances of finding my nephew alive!” or “Detective, the switchboard is swamped with distress calls. What should we do?”), ◊ Provoke an event that figures somewhere in the scenario (the computer finally spits out a piece of information they were waiting for; a witness comes forward; Jim Gordon finally finds the time to meet with the Heroes; the lab has the results of the analysis at last…), ◊ Give details of the consequences of the Heroes’ inaction (while they are talking, they are informed that their enemy has just committed another heinous crime…), ◊ “Release the Kraken”, i.e. set off a surprise action scene, if possible related to the scenario, or at least related to a common crime in Gotham City, that has a possible (even tenuous) link with the scenario (e.g. a holdup that the Heroes can stop, and from which they gain a useful piece of information that will help the story progress). 3. Allow the players to express themselves: Let the players talk to each other in character as much as they want (within reason), bring their Heroes to life, and decide on their actions. They are, after all, the Heroes of the story - they drive the scenario, and most of the time that requires them to perform an action. You can certainly include some events that they cannot influence from time to time, but avoid scenes that you have lovingly created but leave the Heroes passive spectators. Similarly, avoid ignoring something said by a player about the action they would like their Hero to perform, whether it’s clumsy or great, just because it doesn’t fit with what you had in mind. There’s nothing more frustrating for a player than to see their idea left aside by the GM as if they hadn’t heard it. Make sure you listen to your players, even if this means subjecting them to the inconveniences of their decisions or modifying your scenario to something you hadn’t envisaged. Your adaptability is part of your improvisation skills, and if it ever gets too much for you, feel free to stop things early or make a scene last a little longer so you get to the end of the allotted game time, and have enough time to prepare and adapt everything for the next session. 4. Don’t play out every detail of every scene: Instead, especially for less important scenes, concentrate on the key moments. The Heroes are visiting a famous billionaire? Take the time necessary to describe the atmosphere of the manor, and the slightly stiff politeness of the butler, the first words spoken by the host, but after that keep the billionaire’s speeches short by giving the players the gist of what was said. Also, feel free to summarize the end of a scene, making sure you’ve given all the important information and left them with a memorable description. 5. Make sure there’s at least one big event during a game session: As much as possible, avoid the sort of session where the Heroes are lost, almost nothing happens, and everything feels slow or even boring. Players should leave the table feeling like they’ve had a good time and made progress in the scenario, perhaps thanks to nail-biting combat, a striking scene, or an unexpected revelation. And if the Heroes’ actions don’t allow for any of that, try to beef up a slightly mundane scene with more atmosphere or a particularly colorful or obstinate NPC… 6. Concentrate on the atmosphere: Without the special atmosphere of Gotham City, this game would be a run-of-the-mill role-playing game set in the present day. Even if it means including a few clichés, make sure your players have all the juicy details about the darkness that reigns, the huge buildings and narrow alleys, the filth of the city, the stickiness of it, the corruption. It might be best to do this through
189 — chapter 2: conductinG a role-playinG Game session — small recurring touches rather than a long diatribe. For the details, you can get inspiration from not only the comic books, but also movies, series, and novels that take place in such environments. This is also true for the places where scenes happen - try to set the scene with a brief description that quickly helps everyone imagine where they are (a small apartment that’s cozy but cramped; a high-tech but lifeless office; an oppulent but sinister manor; an abandoned store filled to the brim with worrying costumes and novelties, etc.) Sordid, weird, and funny details are all great ways to get a reaction from your players. 7. Go wild with special effects: You’re in luck - special effects and background characters don’t cost anything in role-playing games. Without being over-melodramatic, ridiculous, or adding too many fireworks, feel free to destroy big buildings and show how emotional the characters get (panic, joy, distress, anger, etc.). It all depends how far you push it but going a little over-the-top during a huge scene involving drama and/or action (with explosions, screaming, windows smashing, the screeching of tires, a terrified crowd, and evil laughing) can turn a game session into something memorable… 8. Roll the dice: Sometimes, there's nothing like a good dice roll to spice up a game session. If you feel things are slowing down a little, ask for a roll of the dice for an action being performed by the Heroes, something that might generally have been considered a sure thing. When used judiciously, a roll of the dice can reinforce the fun aspect of the game, first of all through the simple action of rolling, but also because it represents a sudden challenge to the Hero. If the worst comes to the worst, you can always roll the die behind your screen, with a mysterious air and no explanation. This will get the players intrigued and bring a little tension back to the game session. 9. Use the resources: Whether it’s game boards or miniatures, Batman RPG has some outstanding resources you can use, and these can help certain players get into the scenario. They’re also useful for injecting a bit of energy into a game session, using a background scene (such as interrogating a witness, searching for a clue in an unknown place) that might otherwise have just been described orally but can now be brought to life using figurines. While some people don’t particularly appreciate this type of staging, the vast majority of players really enjoy it when the board and miniatures are used, and it’s a good way to get players engaged with the game again. This is especially true given that, in role-playing games, almost any scene described or acted out by the GM should be considered important by the players! 10.Build up suspense for the next session: Using the classic cliffhanger really isn’t necessary, especially if the game session ends at a point in the scenario that still leaves some mysteries unsolved, and if the players seem motivated for the upcoming action. Nevertheless, suspense is important, so feel free to finish a session with an enigmatic phrase, surprising event, or a troubling detail suddenly brought to the attention of one of the Heroes. And if for some unlucky reason the game has to stop in the middle of an action sequence, there’s absolutely no shame in using a good old cliffhanger, leaving the Heroes in difficulty until next time.
190 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — FIGHTS As combat is an important part of the comic books, it’s only logical it should also be in a role-playing game of investigation and action like Batman RPG. However, while each fight includes some statistics decided by rolls of the dice, things will be much more engaging and interesting if you dramatize it properly. Ideally, the objective is to reproduce the kinetic energy of combat from comic books and action movies. Here are a few pieces of advice. DEFINE THE STAKES While we generally know what the aim of the Heroes is, the objectives of their opponents can be a little more vague, depending on the circumstances. In this case, it’s up to you to determine them, based on: ◊ The personality of the Heroes’ opponent (the flamboyance of the Joker, the Penguin’s need for revenge, Killer Croc’s wild anger, the twisted mind of the Riddler, etc.), ◊ Their specific motivation in the scenario (see “Creating a scenario”), ◊ The personal interest of the antagonist at the moment of the fight (fleeing to avoid comprimising their plans; fighting to the death to finally get the revenge they need; tricking the Heroes and teaching them a lesson; retaliation for having been insulted; protecting an escaping gang leader; protecting money or an artefact at all costs; proving who is the strongest, etc.). SET THE SCENE Furniture, sharp and blunt objects, girders, vehicles, garbage bins, fire escape ladders… Comic book fights often use elements from every part of their surroundings. Feel free to give your players lots of details so they can take advantage of the surroundings too, especially if they use Exploit Points and get critical successes (or failures!) You might like to check the chapter about using the surroundings in the rules for combat. USE YOUR BACKGROUND CHARACTERS Innocent bystanders panicking at being assaulted, henchmen willingly sacrificing themselves or screaming frustratedly while charging at the Heroes, terrified police officers reacting irrationally, passers-by screaming and throwing themselves to the ground while glass explodes around them, other individuals delighted to be able to film a fight on their phones, criminals performing evermore acrobatic and inventive moves to fight the Heroes… The idea is to put a bit of life into the dice rolling that defines combat in a role-playing game, using the emotions expressed by everyone present during the fight, whether it’s the Heroes’ opponents, a third party, or just anyone unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong moment. Enraged or panicked people often react unpredictably or absurdly: use this to spice up combat with things like an enemy henchman who tries a reckless jump, an ordinary citizen trying their hand at being a crimefighter but putting themselves in danger, or one of the bad guys’ accomplices who thinks the best way to escape is through the thick of the action! As long as you don’t go overboard and make everything a caricature, the more you put into the description of a combat, the more the players will be invested in it as well. And there’s no rule against using humor from time to time (critical fails are the perfect moment), as long as the combat doesn’t become a farce. DESCRIBE THE KEY EVENTS These include the hits taken by the Heroes and their opponents, and are reflected in a loss of Hit Points. As much as possible though, try to describe the injuries taken by each protagonist (more or less realistically, as you prefer), as well as the noises and the damage taken by the surroundings. Think of the elements used in movies and TV series: whistling bullets, impacts, the thud of punches and kicks, windows or objects breaking, distant police sirens, etc. You can use noises, smells, and visual effects (the smashing of glass, explosions, clouds of dust…) to engage the hearing, sight, and smell of the Heroes.
191 — chapter 2: conductinG a role-playinG Game session — URBAN ATMOSPHERE With its diversity, personalities, and history, Gotham City is the perfect place for a dark, urban adventure. Your game sessions will be that much more memorable if you take the time to make players feel like they are steeped in the atmosphere of this very special city. As the place works like a microcosm (it’s the archetypal American metropole gone rotten with violence), your Heroes will very rarely leave the city limits (see the introductory section, “Following the logic of the comics”). And despite the vast choice of neighborhoods and settings it offers (downtown, port, suburbs, industrial zones, swamps, etc.), you may still find yourself having a hard time varying your descriptions, despite the myriad of possibilities of Gotham City. The city does has many sides to it though, and here are four examples. FOUR TYPES OF PLACES TO HELP VARY YOUR DESCRIPTIONS GOTHAM CITY, THE INDUSTRIAL CITY IN CRISIS You grow up in fear here. The walls are red brick and the roofs corrugated iron. Your school is vaguely supported by a philanthropist. You survive on the docks and wastelands, under the subway flyovers, and in the sordid bars. A few details: trash, the cries of a baby, the steam escaping from the sewers, former factories that are now squats covered in graffiti, sirens of the GCPD that never get close enough, flickering neon signs, burnt out cars without a single tire, the wind whipping up rubbish from the makeshift garbage dumps, workers who hide in their apartments after sundown, wild dogs on the hunt for any food they can find, homeless people huddled around a fire in an oil barrel… GOTHAM CITY, THE OLD BRITISH COLONY The walls here are of carved stone and the roofs slate. Here, you grow up surrounded by servants in manors full of family portraits, then in private schools and universities. You play polo, row, box and play tennis. Your family is buried in vast monoliths in a cemetery with 300 year-old trees. The revealing details: gargoyles and lancet windows, carved English woodwork and French billiards, blazers, libraries, secret passages, the smell of tea, beeswax, and freshly-cut grass, vintage cars, tweed suits, statues, and mysterious ornaments… GOTHAM CITY, THE CITY OF LIGHTS Heirs and prodigies - the billionaires are changing the face of the city, erecting giant skyscraper homages to themselves in glass and steel, demolishing the old neighborhoods to make way for their manicured esplanades… and testing their latest gadgets on a grand scale. Dark Gotham City is also a place of illuminated avenues, giant spotlights pointed at the sky, and advertising blimps. It’s also a capital of vice: casinos, nightclubs, and strip bars. The city welcomes the nouveau riche, and the proceeds of all criminal activity. Details for your descriptions: sportscars, skyscrapers with penthouses and private helipads, security guards at the entrance to stores and restaurants, wads of bills thrown into a crowd of partygoers, the smell of luxury perfume and Cuban cigars, paparazzi chasing stars of the nightclub scene, fur stoles and lamé dresses, suited waiters taking a cigarette break outside the staff entrance, etc. GOTHAM CITY, SYMPTOM AND CAUSE Madness is so prevalent in Gotham City that it can form part of the description of any neighborhood. Children there grow up traumatized by violence; adults inflict their neuroses on those around them; the most devilish plans can bring together entire groups for criminal chaos. Gotham City bears the mark of attacks made by psychopathic super-criminals like the Joker, but you can also invent more discrete messages: the same cryptic sentence on the back of stop signs, children murmuring the same nursery rhyme every day at midday, a scrawled message taped to the back of police officers who are later found inanimate in a back alley. Feel free to let incertitude reign: this sewer tunnel didn’t seem so long on the way here; the Joker spray-painted on the concrete seems to be watching you as you move; that woman in the crowd - haven’t you seen her twice now? A few details to keep everyone worried: you can feel something’s wrong (“Looks like it got dark earlier today.”; “The temperature seems to drop with every step you take.”); there are more and more coincidences (“For the third time today, a car smashes into a motorbike right in front of your eyes “; “A streetlamp blows just as you are passing underneath”); certain acts become incomprehensible (“Everyone in the bus is staring at you.”; “The cook lets everything in his wok burn without blinking an eye.”) AND WHAT ABOUT BATMAN? As Gotham City’s protector, the shadow of Batman looms over the entire metropolis, as it will no doubt do over
192 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — many of your game sessions. Like some of the city’s other personalities and monuments, Batman is an integral part of Gotham City, present through the Bat-Signal projected onto the clouds, the Batplane zooming past in the sky, a glimpse of the Batmobile speeding down one of the city’s avenues… The same is true for his principal enemies, and nothing evokes the atmosphere of the city more than a huge playing card placed on the roof of a department store by the Joker, Oscar Cobblepot appearing on TV at some socialite event, or the images of a jewelry store heist pulled off by Catwoman… And yet the symbolism of Batman is even stronger. We always expect him to intervene, while other supercriminals or famous crime fighters can just live their lives without the Heroes knowing anything else about them, except the details you have used to set the scene in Gotham City. Be ready then to answer all the questions that your players will doubtlessly ask you: is Batman in the city? If so, why doesn’t he come to help the Heroes beat the super-criminal they are trying to take down? Or, if he doesn’t help, how do you explain his absence? And what happens if the Heroes try to call him by firing up the Bat-Signal? Here are a few pieces of advice to help you handle this cumbersome NPC, also useful for replying about Gotham City’s other celebrities. There are several possibilities: 1. Batman is one of the characters in the scenario (background or main) and is supposed to intervene, perhaps under certain conditions (the Heroes have to do a certain thing; a certain event has to happen…). This is the simplest thing to handle, because Batman’s actions and conditions for acting are dictated by the story. 2. Batman is not supposed to intervene. In this case, you’ll have to explain why he is absent or reluctant to act. Several reasons are possible: ◊ He’s busy elsewhere. Gotham City is sufficiently large for there to be other events requiring his attention than just the one the Heroes are concentrating on. The Heroes can hear a rumor, glimpse a scene, or receive information about a certain super-criminal who has just reappeared in the city and is troubling the forces of order. This should be enough to explain Batman’s absence - he’s fighting crime elsewhere. The Dark Knight may also have been requisitioned by the Justice League.
193 — chapter 2: conductinG a role-playinG Game session — ◊ He’s recovering: the comic books often briefly show Batman having to take a little rest. You too can use this excuse, mentioning a recent combat with Killer Croc that left the Dark Knight injured, or major destruction that has occurred at the home of a famous billionaire. The players (but not the Heroes!) will easily understand why Batman is absent from the skies of Gotham City. ◊ We just don’t know: if neither of the two previous solutions feels right to you, then Batman can just mysteriously disappear. The GCPD has no idea where he is, the honest citizens of Gotham City are worried sick, but the mob and other partisans of chaos are rubbing their hands. Without having this disappearance linked to the current scenario, it can add a bit of mystery to your game sessions, and put the weighty mantle of Gotham City’s security squarely on the Heroes’ delicate shoulders. Once the protective, paternal figure of Batman is no longer on the horizon, they’ll be able to show what they’re really made of! As to why the Dark Knight has disappeared, there are many possible reasons: a death in the family, he’s chasing a super-criminal on the other side of the globe, he’s in outer space with Superman, he’s spending a romantic weekend with a certain Selina Kyle, he’s been kidnapped by the Court of Owls, or perhaps it’s a real mystery the Heroes will have to resolve in an upcoming scenario! ◊ The Dark Knight is out of favor: several comic have shown the concerted character assassination of Batman led by the Joker or Hugo Strange. You can also use this sort of event, giving the details to the players in the introduction to your scenario. For example, Batman is wanted by the GCPD for a crime (that he has obviously not committed) and public opinion is against him after a compromising (but faked) video is leaked online. Disowned and hunted down, the Dark Knight suddenly has to lay low and is probably investigating who is behind these lies… SECRET IDENTITIES AND SHADOWS OF GOTHAM CITY: WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT CRIMEFIGHTERS AND SUPER-CRIMINALS? Batman RPG is populated by characters whose every secret can be known by players of the game, as long as they read the comics. This means that everyone playing has to respect a fundamental rule of role-playing game: all the characters (both Heroes and NPCs) do not know what the players know and have to act accordingly (also see below “How to handle experts and newbies”). This might seem obvious for things as fundamental as Batman’s secret identity, and the difference between what the players and the characters know can turn out to be rather delectable, for example when the Heroes come face to face with a famous billionaire pretending to be irresponsible or awkward. However, some people could be tempted to cross that line, for example by going to talk to Bruce Wayne about their difficulties in the hope that Batman will intervene. In this situation it’s up to the GM to decide whether this approach will have the desired effect or be met with complete indifference (also check the section above “And what about Batman?”). And while we would advise against encouraging such an attitude, the GM’s choice will be based on what they want to concentrate on in the scenario, the motivations of the NPCs involved, and the amount of tolerance they are willing to have for this way of playing. Beyond this difference in what the players know and their characters don’t, the most important question is what the characters are susceptible to know or learn about the celebrities (heroes and super-criminals) that feature in a scenario. Not only regarding what is common knowledge (and thus known by almost all the citizens of Gotham City, like the special relationship between Jim Gordon and Batman, the evil madness of the Joker, or Carmine Falcone’s role as godfather of the underworld), but also what can be found through online searches, or what a certain person in Gotham City (like a top investigator, a well-informed journalist, or a monomaniac collecting every possible piece of information about a high-profile court case or crime) may know and thus tell the Heroes about. For every well-known character (whether a crime-fighter or super-criminal), your role as the GM will be to define: ◊ What is public knowledge, ◊ What the newspapers and Internet report, ◊ What only the police knows or suspects, ◊ What only certain people in Gotham City know after discovering the secrets (like Hugo Strange or all the members of the Batman Family for Bruce Wayne), ◊ What only the Heroes are susceptible to learn through their investigation.
194 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — However, regarding these different degrees of knowledge, there is no definitive truth that we can provide for each NPC, famous or not, as this depends on the era and narrative arc featured in the comics. For example, who remembers that the distinguished Silver Saint-Cloud discovered the secret identity of Batman back in Detective Comics #474 (December 1977)? The only rule then is as follows: for each degree of information, the GM decides, and it is only valid for the current scenario. And while we would advise respecting the main principles of most comics (like the fact that the Batman’s training with Ra’s al Ghul is only known about by the League of Assassins), the GM is free to create a story revolving around a certain secret, or create an alternative Gotham City where this secret (in our example, the fact that Bruce Wayne was once the disciple of a sinister character like Ra’s al Ghul) would be common knowledge… (see also the section below “I know what I don’t know “ and what follows it.) Freedom is one of the most important ingredients of a good role-playing game! AND WHAT IF YOU DON’T REALLY KNOW THE WORLD OF BATMAN? For 81 years now, creators (scriptwriters, artists, cinematographers, videogame designers, etc.) have been contributing to enrich the world of Gotham City, so it’s quite normal for a GM to feel intimidated when imagining and then bringing to life an adventure in such a dense, rich, and heavily-documented world as Batman’s. There are however a few simple principles that will help you to feel as at ease in this role-playing game as in any other. FIND YOUR INSPIRATION Without necessarily taking a deep dive into every detail of Gotham City, you’ll probably feel the need to find some sources of inspiration (whether it’s comic books, movies, TV series, or any other work of fiction that uses the city as a backdrop and seems to correspond with what you are looking for), just as you would with any other roleplaying game inspired by an original work. There are so many comics with diverse approaches, atmospheres, and focuses for you to find something that fits with what you want to do. If necessary, feel free to inform players of the atmosphere you have chosen for your adventure - it can be anything from the campy, fun Batman of certain cartoons to the darkest depressing vision of Gotham City. The amount of realism or prevalence of supernatural elements can also be explained to players, as without such information they may not approach the atmosphere, clues, and events you have created in the same manner. You can also use the context of particular comic series like Rebirth or New 52. DON’T BE AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES Whatever the role-playing game, a GM is never infallible. You are probably not an expert, and while it’s important to respect the world the story is based in (if only because it serves as a ‘common reference’ for everyone playing), you have to avoid feeling paralyzed at the idea of committing the slightest mistake about Robin’s favorite pizza or the number of windows in Wayne Tower. The Guide to Gotham is there to help you, and there are a ton of details to be found in the comic books. For the rest, simply use your imagination any time you don’t know the specifics of something your players ask about, or something you need to create the adventure. You just have to endeavor to stick to the world of the Dark Knight and make your answer believable. Remember that the most important thing is not the details but the adventure that your Heroes are going to experience in the Gotham City you have created. CONSIDER YOUR GOTHAM CITY UNIQUE Your role as a GM is not to contribute to the collective work that has been built by DC Comics over the course of more than 80 years, but to create an adventure that takes place in Gotham City and that your players can enjoy. Your role is to use the rich source material to inspire your creativity, not to feel restricted by everything that the artists have created over the decades because you take it as some sort of dogma that has to be respected. If it helps, think of your version of Gotham City as just that - yours. It’s a place where things may be slightly different from the comic books, and that’s OK. Who’s to say how the city will evolve? HOW TO HANDLE EXPERTS AND NEWBIES The Gotham City presented to inspire you for use in this role-playing game is as close as possible to the one
195 — chapter 2: conductinG a role-playinG Game session — seen in the DC Comics, but certain choices still had to be made about: ◊ The era represented, although this is still possible to change, ◊ The details of the map, ◊ The illustrations (starting with the size of Batman’s ears!), ◊ The differences from one adventure to another regarding the description of a place or character, ◊ How to “fill in the blanks” of what the existing stories have never described. We offer a playable version of Gotham City based on and faithful to the comics, but it would be impossible for this version to correspond exactly to all the other versions presented in the graphic novels, or depicted in the movies and videogames. One thing is sure - as GM you’re likely to encounter players ready to debate minute details of your descriptions. Ever worse - your ‘expert’ players might start squabbling between themselves about the number of floors at Wayne Tower, Alfred’s year of birth, or the materials used in the manufacture of Batman’s gadgets. This is a complex universe, depicted in many different media, with millions of fans, so your knowledge might sometimes be lacking or disputed. Here are a few pieces of advice for dealing with difficult players who think they are experts on Gotham City. IMPOSE YOUR VISION AND ALLOW YOURSELF A MARGIN OF ERROR Above all, don’t get into a sterile argument with your experts about sources and proof - it will not bring anything positive to the game. As GM, you already have enough to handle without the additional stress of ‘proving’ that your descriptions are correct, and it will only get in the way of you running and managing the game session. Your vision of Gotham City does not have to be 100% aligned with what others have drawn or filmed, it should exist to serve the game experience that you have created. Prepare your sessions well, but always concentrate on the quality of the adventure rather than encyclopedic exactitude. If you commit an error in a description, remember that inconsistencies are super important and can be an occasion for you to progress. You’re allowed to make mistakes, especially when you are improvising so many details during a scenario. Learn from your mistakes and have fun! If an anomaly arises that poses a serious problem for the current intrigue or the realism of the characters, it’s probably better to own up to your mistake and set the action off with the description corrected. Your authority as a narrator and referee should never be perceived as authoritarianism. USE THE GAPS IN THE FICTION In real life, it’s often very easy to check the exactitude of a description through direct witnesses or other evidence. However, a fictional city, even one as intricately described as Gotham City, will always be by its very nature incomplete, meaning that there is always the possibility of creating a small space where only your imagination and sense of realism serve as references. If you don’t feel at ease in a neighborhood or building that has often been described in the adventures of the Batman Family, sidestep the problem: have the action take place “in a part of Wayne Manor that is undergoing renovation”, “an annex of the GCPD situated a block away from Central Booking”, or another location that only exists in your scenario. For an event that does not need to take place at a precise location, choose the classic “at the corner of Dakota and Williams”, i.e. two minor streets that you have invented and will not be subject to a pedantic player commenting “There’s no bank there, it’s a Martha’s Deli,” or “But that street has been one-way since 1998.” A FEW WAYS TO REPLY TO A SELF-PROCLAIMED EXPERT ON GOTHAM CITY ◊ Teaching Mode: “You know, there are various versions of this world… But here, we’re playing in my Gotham City, with the details that I want to describe. Feel free to create your own scenario, then we’ll play in your Gotham City.”
196 — part 4: adVice for the players and the Game master — ◊ Yes-but” Mode: “YES, you’re right, there actually was a pizza place linked with the Maroni family on the corner of Kringle and 17th street, BUT Firefly burnt it to the ground a few months ago. Not everything that happens in Gotham City is in the comics…” ◊ Procrastination Mode: “How about you note down everything that’s not right in my descriptions and send it to me tomorrow, OK?” ◊ Irony Mode: “Where did you read that? Oh, in a comic book? You know, the guys behind those would invent anything to sell a few more copies. What we have here is the real Gotham City. What do you trust more, what we’re playing through now or what some artist dreamt up for a magazine?” ◊ Ultimatum Mode: “We can double-check everything if you like. I have 400 comic books for us to go through… But if we do, we’ll have to stop the session. This is a role-playing game, not Wikipedia”. USE THE EXPERT FOR THE GOOD OFTHE GROUP Not all experts are annoying players. Let’s imagine that even you don’t have in-depth knowledge of Gotham City, and your group of players includes a mega-fan of the adventures of the Dark Knight. Check with this person when creating the Heroes, so that their expertise serves everyone without taking them out of the experience. For example, their heroine is a native Gothamite who grew up in the Narrows and is now part of high society, so it’s normal that they are able to endow the other Heroes (who may have just arrived from Blüdhaven or Metropolis) with their encyclopedic knowledge of the history and geography of the city. Feel free to let them add to certain descriptions: “When you get out the taxi, you’ll discover the famous Wayne Tower - Debbie, please do tell us a little more about it.” This transfer of expertise from a player to their character is also useful if your scenario involves players being members of the GCPD, and one of the players has in-depth legal or criminal knowledge: talk with them about it, and if possible make them play a member of Internal Affairs, or someone who has to train a group of rookie cops. During the game, if you have to describe the details of a procedure that you don’t understand, you can let this player take over: “Of course, your colleagues turn to you to know what they should do. What do you tell them?” “I KNOW WHAT I DON’T KNOW” However deep your knowledge of the city that your players will be steeped in, you have to run your games and write your scenarios taking into account the different levels of secrecy around your Heroes’ adventure. There are open secrets that millions of us know: the identity of Batman, the location of the Batcave, Alfred’s military past, the various different Robins, etc. Others are not necessarily common knowledge: mention White Rabbit and connoisseurs will think of Jaina Hudson; talk of the origins of Catwoman or Huntress and some players will have the mafia in mind… At any time, you should be able to remind your group of the difference between what we know and what the inhabitants of Gotham City know: “For you, Bruce Wayne is a playboy billionaire who lost his parents in tragic circumstances, that’s all.”; “You are a simple guest at Wayne Manor, like everyone else. There’s no reason for you to start touching all the clocks you come across to try and find a secret passage.” This situation may seem paralyzing or frustrating for the Heroes, be in reality it can be quite enjoyable. Use it when playing out situations where secrets create a second meaning in every sentence: encounters with Bruce Wayne, Barbara Gordon, or Dick Grayson; a group of friends or colleagues betting on Batman’s real identity; an arrest that takes the Heroes to Arkham Asylum or Blackgate Penitentiary, surrounded by prisoners with very familiar names… Gotham City is overflowing with secrets and enigmas. If you need to get a very secret piece of information to your group, feel free to make the Heroes encounter people who know a lot about the city and its inhabitants, like Oracle, Alfred Pennyworth, or Leslie Thompkins. This lets us understand that they have some sort of link with Batman - thus making them targets for his enemies - without involving them in any sort of major revelation. These characters share the secrets of the Batman Family but also take care not to reveal them. “I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT CHARACTER “ In one of your game sessions, you choose to present an NPC at a certain moment of their life, for example detective Renee Montoya before it is revealed she is a lesbian or district attorney Harvey Dent before the acid attack that transformed him into Two-Face. Your expert players will thus be experiencing a different variant of “I know what I don’t know”, this time related to the future
197 — chapter 2: conductinG a role-playinG Game session — of the character in question. Make sure they know that, when you’re in charge of a game, nothing is written in stone. The essential principle of an interactive game is to be able to change the course of things, even if that means creating a new version of Gotham City with your players, in a similar fashion to stories like Batman: Earth One and other alternative worlds shown in the comics. Don’t let the experts bring everyone down through fatalism or sticking strictly to the original storyline. “You know what happens to Harvey Dent, but that’s in a Gotham City where your characters don’t exist. What do you do here and now, knowing that there is this threat hanging over him?” If your Heroes’ actions stop Sal Maroni from disfiguring Dent, Two-Face won’t exist - or will exist later, under different circumstances - but only in your game sessions. The super-criminal will still be a fascinating character, for both you and all the other fans around the world, but you can try creating a Gotham City where Dent continues fighting crime, something that will no doubt be fascinating for you and your group. If your expert just won’t tolerate this, then perhaps it’s time to renegotiate the ‘contract’ between you and your players. Some fans are so blindly devoted to these characters and this world they love that they have a hard time accepting the important interactive element of a role-playing game. It’s not a problem, but it can be a pain for the other players in your group. If you really want to keep this expert in your group, make up plotlines where there’s only a small risk that the history of the city or destiny of a major character will be modified - you’ll still have an enjoyable time together. AND WHAT ABOUT NEWBIES? Let’s imagine for a second that your group, or just one of its members, has never taken the time to discover Gotham City. It’s up to you to take them on a tour! While playing, resist the urge to give them all the references of the books, games, and movies that you can think of. Giving someone a ton of homework to get through will do nothing for their knowledge during the game, and may well put them off playing altogether. Think of a fictional franchise you don’t know very well, and how isolated you would feel in the middle of a group of fans of that franchise. They might spew out endless references that are meaningless to you, but you don’t have to do the same when explaining Gotham City to someone who knows nothing about it. Luckily for you, the basics of daily life in Gotham City are essentially the same as those of any major city in the 21st century: it’s easier to describe a subway station, a street in Chinatown, or a student’s apartment that a school of witchcraft or a faraway galaxy. Start with familiar references and introduce more unfamiliar ones progressively, through the media, conversations, and sometimes scenes that the Heroes will witness themselves. Give new players information that every Gothamite knows, plus anything that their character might have gleaned from their daily life. “There’s a masked crimefighter who wears a bat costume and terrorizes criminals. Some of your colleagues at the GCPD have seen him: he’s very tall with a voice like rumbling thunder.” Whatever’s mysterious for the people around the character should be for them too. “Robin is a young man in a costume who accompanies Batman in his fight against crime. As he’s been seen over a number of years now, some say that there have been several of them.” If there are contradictory versions or conspiracy theories, this is often the first thing that will come to mind for the average Gothamite: “Basil Karlo was a star of B-movies, but apparently he’s working for a group of criminals now… with the Penguin, perhaps. My brother-in-law says he’s a shapeshifter, but I think he’s just really good with disguises.” Don’t forget another point that Gotham City and our daily lives have in common: the mix of fear and fascination we have for super-criminals. Harley Quinn is already a cult character in the real world, so imagine her popularity in a universe in which she actually exists! Few Gothamites have crossed paths with the Joker, but there are collectives of fans, t-shirts with his face on, and hundreds of people who dress up as him for Halloween or Mardi Gras. Make all the famous characters into phenomena of society, surrounded by an aura of glamor, fantasy, and rumors, and treat lesser-known NPCs like urban legends: “It’s said there’s a creature, half-man half crocodile, who lives in the sewers, but I think it’s just a story to scare kids with.”
198 CHAPTER 3: THE ROLE OF THE HEROES - BECOMING A CHARACTER IN GOTHAM CITY STRENGTH IS THE LAW Batman RPG puts particular emphasis on characters such as police officers, crimefighters, and criminals. This means that the law and justice are essential to how our Heroes and NPCs act, and it’s for this reason that we thought it might be useful to give you a quick summary of how criminal proceedings are dealt with in Gotham City, not only because this will help present various characters in a precise and realistic manner, but also to show how it affects the job of the GM. A lot of series and movies show attorneys, people accused of crimes, and trials, proving that the world of criminal proceedings, laws, justice, and the rights of the defense are a rich theme to be exploited in scenarios for their moments of drama and unexpected twists. The following elements are not aimed at turning every player into a legal genius. They are to be taken more like tools that can remove a certain amount of doubt if there is incertitude or a disagreement during a game session, as well as provide some material for interesting developments in a scenario. You are, of course, free not to take into account any of what follows, or only use some of the elements if you prefer to place the emphasis on action and fun while staying faithful to the indulgent approach that most of the comics take in this realm. CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS As in any country that respects human rights, criminal proceedings aim to give anyone accused of a crime a fair trial, guarantee the rights of the defense, and place the actions of the officers investigating the case under the supervision of a magistrate. In Gotham City, and elsewhere in the country, the legal system obeys the principles dictated by the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. In theory, any Hero (police officer, attorney, or crimefighter) taking liberties with this procedure runs two main risks: ◊ Having the entire investigation invalidated for procedural irregularity (as the rights of the suspect were not respected, their detention or their confession are null and void), or even having the accused file a complaint that could go as far as a court case. ◊ The Heroes being the subject of an investigation opened by a department entrusted with controlling the actions of the forces of order, such as the Office of Internal Affairs for Gotham City police officers, especially when there are multiple minor infractions, or in the case of a serious and obvious breach of duty. But Gotham City is known for its corruption, and so it’s up to the GM to decide whether the department in which a Hero detective works takes particular care to follow procedure or whether it’s corrupt, with most of the officers and street cops accepting bribes, taking liberties with the law, using excessive violence, manufacturing fake evidence, shaking down store owners, or even taking seized weapons and valuables for their own profit. In such a toxic environment, any Hero that respects the rules should probably be as worried about their colleagues as the criminals they encounter on the streets, and this can be a really good source of inspiration for a GM… SEARCH WARRANTS The Fourth Amendment dictates that most searches for proof conducted by the forces of order must be authorized by a warrant signed by a magistrate (judge or district attorney). This warrant can concern a person, a place, or a vehicle, and gives police the right to search and confiscate any incriminating evidence. It must be based on ‘reasonable doubt’ as to the existence of proof
199 — chapter 3: the role of the heroes - BecominG a character in Gotham city — that the search will reveal. It also has to be ‘reasonable and precise’, i.e. not allow an extensive interpretation that would grant police officers excessive power without justification. The mandate can, for example, only authorize a certain part of a building to be searched as part of an investigation. In theory, the pieces of evidence found on-site that are unrelated to both the warrant and the investigation require additional specific mandates in order to be admitted as evidence. However, GCPD officers do not need a warrant in the following cases: ◊ During an arrest (the search concerns the immediate surroundings of the person arrested, in order to ensure there is no hidden weapon or accomplice), ◊ When the owner gives their consent for the search, ◊ When there is a risk that the proof could be destroyed before the warrant can be granted, ◊ When the police officer has reason to believe that illicit products or contraband are inside a vehicle, ◊ When proof of an offense or crime is plainly obvious to the sight, hearing, or smell ‘of all’ and can be perceived by the police officer during legal observation, ◊ When a police officer hears someone call for help, ◊ When a police officer is chasing a criminal and/or has to prevent them from causing harm, ◊ In a case of force majeure, when public security is endangered. ARREST Arresting a suspect comes after ‘probable grounds for arrest’ (in the case of flagrante delicto, or dependable information given by a witness or the police officer) or the accusation of an individual as part of an investigative procedure, which spawns the granting of an arrest warrant by a magistrate. This arrest warrant is established based on a sworn statement or collection of concordant items of evidence that allow a magistrate to believe that the information presented by the police officer is sufficiently strong to justify an arrest being made. In all cases, jurisprudence dictates that the suspect retains the right to remain silent, to make a telephone call, and have access to an attorney before any questioning. The arrested suspect is taken to central booking or the nearest local police station. Aside from their clothes, the items in their possession at the time of the arrest are temporarily confiscated or, if the items are illegal, sealed as evidence. If the suspect was not arrested as part of an ongoing investigation, the officer in charge of the case conducts a search to check whether the person already has a criminal record, then questions the suspect in order to record their version of the facts, in the presence of the attorney that they have chosen or were assigned by default. In the case of a serious crime, more in-depth questioning can be performed with the district attorney or their representative, once again in the presence of the suspect’s attorney. In the case of a minor offense, the suspect is discharged and summoned to appear at a later hearing. For a crime, if the questioning or evidence have not allowed the suspect to be declared innocent, they are incarcerated at the police station before being transferred to a penitentiary. Talks are then held between the officer in charge of the investigation and the district attorney’s office regarding the next step, and any extra investigation that might be necessary (searches, witness interrogations, neighborhood canvassing, phone taps, scientific studies, forensic examens, etc.) and whether the investigation has any bearing on other persons of interest. ACCUSATION When all the evidence seems complete and sufficient to obtain a conviction, the police officer prepares a report that the district attorney then uses to draw up an indictment. The suspect is then brought before a judge, in the presence of their attorney, who has previously been able to talk to their client about the elements of the investigation in order to prepare their defense. The judge is informed of the facts and the suspect’s criminal history. The suspect can then plead guilty (which has the effect of stopping the procedure in order for the sentence to be decided and announced) possibly as part of a plea bargain, or protest their innocence, in which case the procedure continues and a proper trial is initiated.