A BATMAN RPG Has Just Been Announced

Play as vigilantes, criminals or Gotham City cops in the official Batman tabletop RPG! French publisher Monolith Edition has announced Batman Gotham City Chronicles: The Role Playing Game, to be powered by the d20 System. The company already produces the boardgame of the same name, which they successful Kickstarted for nearly $4.5M last year.

It's not clear whether by "D20 System" they mean the d20 System (from the early 2000s) or if the game will be powered by the 5E ruleset; I'm guessing the latter. The announcement below does refer to it as a "fully adapted D20 System Rulebook". The game will be coming to Kickstarter, though the date has not yet been revealed.

"Gotham City. This city can do things to people. Change them. I've seen it happen too many times. That's why I'm here. I've seen too many people become monsters."
- Batman - Gotham Knights #23 - Here Be Monsters

Let’s celebrate Batman Day by releasing exclusive news from Gotham City!

Monolith’s roleplaying game set in the Universe of the Caped Crusader allows you to dive into this imposing city in depth, defending Gotham as a vigilante or a police officer.

Remaining true to the essence of Batman, as portrayed in the comic books, was our overriding vision. It’s allowed him to survive 80 years as a Pop Icon, living through multiple media and platform transformations.

So, with that goal firmly in our minds we have assembled a team of Batman Universe Masters and roleplaying games Masters to bring you 5 Batastic books.

• Gotham’s Heroes by François Verstraete - A fully adapted D20 System Rulebook -
• Gotham City Guide by Xavier Fournier and Alex Nikolavitch, helped by François Hercouët, editor for the French publisher of DC Comics. A mighty reference tome, detailed and exhaustive, an insight into the City and the world of the Bat.
• Gotham’s Chronicles by Nicolas Texier, Olivier Caïra and Mahyar Shakeri – A book of scenarios to test your resolve.
• And, in order to provide the broadest roleplay experience possible, the remaining 2 books will be Campaign settings revealed during the Kickstarter campaign.

You can play as the city's well-known vigilantes and criminals, but also your own creations, or face the tough calls and grind as a Gotham City Police Department officer, who have much to be pitied for in a city like Gotham City.

It is an ambitious project and we’re looking forward to telling you more about it. International artists will be illustrating the books and here’s some teaser sketches for Gotham’s Map by Olivier Sanfilippo as well as rough sketches by Anthony Jean. Stunning!

 

[Morrus]

I wonder about WotC publishing a second d20 system to be genre universal.

Yes, we know you do.

 

[Von Ether]

Could we play with the vigilante class from Pathfinder? (it is in the SRD).

The new about an upcoming Batman RPG was published time ago, but now it is about the future Kickstarter.

* I wonder about WotC publishing a second d20 system to be genre universal. Master & Mutaminds was never compatible with D&D, and never it was the intention.

* I guess this game shouldn't worry too much about to show lore, but to remake forgotten characters, but more about crunch. Because if I want to know more about the background, I only need to read the fandom wiki, and here I can find a lot of source of inspiration.

Why wait for WotC?

DriveThruRPG

www.drivethrurpg.com

Here's the (WIP) Batman from the "Roi de Gotham" adventure
(the French preview adventure that was published a few months ago)
Bruce Wayne aka Batman, vigilante level 20

I'm still willing to see what the final product looks like, for example, this maybe maxed out version of Batman among many in the book that you could use as a PC/NPC.

But overall, the trend I see when superheroes are stated out at the top tier that they are (pun intended) over the top. Many such builds try to include every power a super has had over half a century of "continuity" and legion of writers trying to escape the corners they wrote themselves into along with some fan wish fulfillment.

One should pick the era and the version a hero they want to emulate. Batman's been reinterpreted so many times, there's plenty of versions to pick from.

 

[Sunsword]

None whatsoever. Nobody owns the term '5E'. I can invent a new frying pan and call it a 5E frying pan.

(Well, other than angry customers who might feel misled).

There is no better frying pan than the 2E frying pan. Fight me!

 

[Sunsword]

Exactly, so, to paraphrase B5 "it's d20, but not from d20" I've been checking this out the last couple of months on a Comicbook & Supers MeWe group, and i'm reposting here my attempts to explain the system so you have a better idea what it'll look like and hopefully answers questions/concerns people have about it (and btw, the KS is scheduled for March 2021)

<Snip>
Could you post a link to the MeWe group?

Levelling up means +1 to either HTH or Range attacks (max +6), +your HD on even levels, +your CON bonus on odd levels up to level 10, +2 ability points (rank 1-2 abilities cost 1 pt, rank 3-5 cost 2 pts each)
Rules Tests are d20 + stat bonus vs difficulty (easy 5, diificult 15, almost impossible 25) with critical and fumble possible. Using a Luck point gives you +10 on that roll

On Even you get a +1 bonus to Range or Melee right? Do you gain a HD on even levels too? Do you add your CON bonus on odd levels to HP?

 

[Stacie GmrGrl]

I'm sold. I'll use this game for source material. I don't care the dice system.

I'm constantly surprised how people think that d20 can't do something like this when we have games like d20 Modern, Silver Age Sentinels d20 and Star Wars d20/Saga (as just a few examples).

 

[Emirikol Prime]

It's a French boardgame company which already has the license and already produced a successful Batman boardgame which made $4.5M on Kickstarter. They also produced a Conan boardgame.

View attachment 126514

As to how they got that license in the first place, I imagine like most companies they reached out to the IP holder, set up a pitch meeting, made a proposal, agreed on terms, and worked out an agreement.

The rulebook designer is François Verstraete, who I'm not familiar with.

Unfortunately none of that gives me RPG hope.

 

[Philippe Tromeur1]

The rulebook designer is François Verstraete, who I'm not familiar with.

Neither was I, until I listened to a very long interview of the guy here : (in French)

In fact, I know the guy (though I didn't know his family name), he worked for years in various RPG stores in Paris.
He's also worked for years for various magazines about miniature games, RPG's, movies, and other geeky stuff.

Though he's not a big name in French RPG's, the guy is quite experienced in writing and RPG's. He'll be working on a popular, long-lived and well-playtested system (Chroniques Oubliées has been around since 2009). The system is being tweaked to Batman gaming, they've already been working on it for months.

FV was not some random guy picked up to write the Batman RPG alone, he's the main sponsor of the project since the beginning (according to the interview above), and he's leading an experienced team including specialists of RPG's (Olivier Caïra, Nicolas Teixier, Mahyar Shakeri) and comics (Xavier Fournier, author of some excellent books about comics), closely working with Urban Comics (the company that publishes hundreds of DC comic books those days).

 

[Gebeji]

Here's for the MeWe group (it's a general comics/supers, not specifically for the Batman rpg) MeWe: The best chat & group app with privacy you trust.
and yes to all your questions, up to the maximum stated (at least in the original game, that might change for the Batman rpg)

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

What about Bird of Prey? Should any characters be "nerfed" to can be adapted into TTRPG?

A d20 set in the current age is possible, but a d20 Modern with the right power level and totally compatible with the medieval fantasy version is a different matter.

This is not only the RPG, the superheroes aren't easy to be adapted into games, because these need a right balance between failure and success, power and weakness. Lots os videogames characters are as superheroes, but they can't become easily in anything as a Mary Sue/Gary Stu. Injustice: gods among us and the sequels show us if we want character with different level of power, then we have to choose between the gameplay or the loyalty to the original background.

* Now I am thinking about Monolith Edition is a too young French company for a project so special. Are they ready for a RPG?

* When the RPG of Prodigious: the adventures of Ladybug and Cat-Noir?

 

[Sunsword]

I'm sold. I'll use this game for source material. I don't care the dice system.

I'm constantly surprised how people think that d20 can't do something like this when we have games like d20 Modern, Silver Age Sentinels d20 and Star Wars d20/Saga (as just a few examples).

I think it comes down to assumptions and expectations. I think Classes can reinforce the Supers genre in a lot ways.