1989 was a big year for me and movies because it was the year I started going to them without my parents. First was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, second Ghostbusters II and third was Tim Burton’s Batman. I read the novelizations for all three ahead of time. I remember a particular fever pitch around Batman, with lots of merch everywhere. There was one bad-ass t-shirt of Batman standing over a bunch of injured thugs on the ground around him — I saw it at Macy’s and somehow convinced my mom to get it for me. Looking at photos of it now online, I am not entirely sure it wasn’t a bootleg. You bet I wore it to the theater.

Anyway, Batman Role-Playing Game (1989) was part of the merch push for the film. It’s a stripped down version of the DC Heroes box set, retooled to focus on Gotham. It’s tricky to evaluate! By 2024’s standard, this is kind of a tall order for an intro RPG and even by 1989’s standards, I am not sure there is really that much of a dial down from the full DC Heroes complexity to justify itself as an introduction (much of the text is exactly the same). Just go right to the box set, right? The movie complicates things though. If I had seen this on shelves at the time, I would have picked it up and lived and breathed it that summer, no doubt. I am sure there are lots of folks who got into the hobby through this game. So in that regard, it doesn’t need to make sense.

Complexity of the system aside, it’s a pretty cozy one-book game. You get a solo scenario to hold your hand through learning the system and a full group scenario that squares off against the Joker and is a pretty good lean in to ’60s-era gonzo Clown Prince of Crime stuff. There’s a good character creation system that covers all the essential powers and gizmos and then some. Lots of character profiles (probably the prime draw) and a good quick and dirty guide to Gotham.