Well with this lineup, it sounds like some villain plot is prompting Oracle to rally the troops. I'll be Nightwing.
And I've got a plot idea if we're serious about this. I think it'd be more fun to confab with the villains by PM rather than just spell it all out in the public thread, though. The short version is that it explains why all the heroes involved are sans-powers.
I need to shop-talk the Ivy/Quinn concept with Em - but fire us both a PM with your idea, Drin
Since the Bat family is fairly central to everything, it might be worth us hashing out an origin story. How did Batman start out? How did that spawn Nightwing and Batwoman? How does Green Arrow factor into the backstory? Or do the Fans versions of Nightwing and Batwoman have origin stories independent of Batman?
Also, if we've got a lot of Batman villains running around, do they have past histories with the Bat clan? We've got a Quinn... but did anyone call dibs on the Joker? Is the Joker still around, or did he die in some past encounter with Batman, etc?
Would it be worth everyone posting a paragraph or so on their particular take on the character, so we can all "Oooh", "Aaah", and bounce of each other's ideas a bit?
It'd be a shame to cook up a fantabulous plan, and then find that everything doesn't fit in.
I think it's probably safe to assume that everything in Gotham is more or less as it is in the comics. History is something you can be pretty fast and loose with. Being a new universe will give a writer freedom to deviate if they aren't as into the comics history without worry of the continuity police, too.
Only guideline for the plot I just pitched to Jen, keep it to non-powered heroes. Green Arrow and the Bat-family works perfect. Any Gotham villain can fit in easily, too.
Someone might want to make a thread icon for this, too.
Why aren't we allowed powered heroes? Do they just not exist, or is there some reason they just aren't involved with this particular plot arc? What constitutes "non-powered" - does that rule out characters like Hawkman or the Flash, or are their powers "tame" enough to fit in?
I don't wanna feel like I have to be careful not to contradict or conflict with people's secret plans; and yet because have no idea what they are I have no way of knowing if I'm conflicting with them or not.
I wasn't planning on Ivy having any specific history with the Bat, aside from knowing that he is a caped crime-fighter... so whatever his origin is, whatever twist you guys put on your chars, me and Ivy will be learning about it together
Harley is possibly the only exception, but I need to talk to Em about that.
No one has volunteered to play the Joker so far - and understandably so. Of all the characters, he is probably the most difficult to write well.
Anyhoo, off to read that PM now..
I don't mind if anyone wants to play a hero with powers. They just might fit in a little odd amongst the non-powered sorts.Why aren't we allowed powered heroes?
I'll be a villain! Whomever the villain will be, I don't care much. Whomever's needed the most, I suppose.
You want to be working with Ivy and Harley, or seperate to them? It might be interesting to have conflict between the villains themselves
Would it help if we had a checklist somewhere of who wants to play who?
I've already lost track.
It was only that everyone seemed to be attracted to non-powered characters, that's all. You kept going back to Green Arrow, and that prompted a story idea.Originally Posted by Captain Untouchable
Even if we go with a different story (which is actually sounding more likely now) Flash is still kinda "game-breaking" in terms of power if the majority of the group is in the Gotham league.
By non-powered, I meant simply no powers of their own. That qualifies Hawkman and a bunch of others, including Green Lantern now that I think of it, but it would be easy to just say that he is otherwise occupied when these RP events are going on.
I only suggested it as a plot device, though. If someone has their heart set on a character with powers, okay. It just sounded like a good theme to get things moving.
I'm sure it was a good theme, and a good idea. Unfortunately, only the people you PM'd know what that theme / idea is, so it's very difficult to say any more about it.
I was merely enquiring for the purpose of understanding the kind of world that we're in. If there are superheroes with powers running about the place, that might work as a motivation for Queen to go all gadget to compensate for his lack of powers. If there aren't powered heroes around, that changes the dynamic, the character motivations, etc.
I'm not sure I agree about Flash being game breaking, though. He only has one ability: running really fast. Surely that's no more game-breaking than someone like Batman or Green Arrow having infinite financial resources and access to high-tech R&D facilities?
Being able to run and react faster than the speed of light is game breaking in the hands of a proper writer. I recall one of the season finales of Justice League as a classic example. After an epic two-part battle with every powerhouse in the League on the field, Flash shows up out of nowhere and ends the whole thing. As it should be.
Flash is absolutely in the big leagues. When the power levels of the team are spread out across the spectrum, as in the Titans, then sure he isn't all that unbalancing. But when 3/4 of the rest of your crew is an acrobat detective, like most folks appear to be interested in here, the scale's a bit off.
So far we have had interest in Batman, Batwoman, Green Arrow, Nightwing, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn (correct me if I'm wrong here, or if I missed anyone out) so on the whole it seems like we want to try some Batman/Gotham stories.. but there is nothing to stop anyone writing some other DC character, and somehow making the character 'their own' / fit into the Gotham landscape.
At this point, we are still just shop-talking ideas, so nothing is set in stone - and by 'we' I mean everyone. Drin just PM'd me and Em the basic framework for a story, which powered or non-powered characters could easily take part in. Mainly, it was a pitch to see if I would be interesting in taking Poison Ivy down a specific route as a villain.
Doesn't matter really. I think it could be interesting to have some conflict between the villains too. I've not read much DC or Marvel, so I am somewhat at a loss as to how to convincingly write one of the characters. Some background checking leads me toward Black Mask, though if anyone else has an idea for a good villain to fit into the storyline, just throw 'em out there. I'm not picky!You want to be working with Ivy and Harley, or seperate to them? It might be interesting to have conflict between the villains themselves
Peter and I have been spinning some interesting Batman / Green Arrow ideas. One of the ideas I'm personally toying with is having Oliver Queen as an employee of Wayne Enterprises, and having someone else as the CEO of Queen Industries... possibly a "taken public" Queen Industries, in a similar vein to the plots of Batman Begins and Iron Man.
A potentially interesting option for a villain who wasn't part of the "Ivy League" would be the head of Queen Industries. They could potentially be the Lex Luthor of Gotham: a kind of kingpin who is a nemesis for the Bat/Arrow clan when they're out of costume, as well as in.
There is of course the possibility of adapting a different villain to fill that role too - a reimagined Riddler running Queen Industries could be interesting... or even a "hero", but one who classically clashes with Green Arrow or Batman, so that we aren't having everything as clear-cut good vs evil?
If Tell were to play Black Mask, he would probably fit well into that role.
That could certainly work. Wasn't the original Black Mask (Roman something) the head of the Gotham mafia at some point? He could potentially work as the DC/Gotham equivalent of the Kingpin, in a way.
In this universe he could be. That's what he was in the last Batman animated movie.
And what's that supposed to mean?!
From what I've read, Black Mask (i.e. Roman Sionis) was a horrible businessman, but a good criminal overlord and organizer, which seems a bit at odds.
The beauty of this plan of course is that you can get away with ignoring a lot of the existing character stuff, and just calling it "reinventing" them.
Would anyone be interested in playing either Deathstroke, Deadshot, or an alternative shooting or object throwing DC villain? I had an idea for my Green Arrow backstory, and while I'll happily play one or the other myself, it's always more fun having other people to bounce off.
Last edited by Captain Untouchable; Nov 18th, 2010 at 05:51:38 PM.
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