Night In Gotham (1986)

This is an adaptation of the patrol system from Night in Gotham, the 1986 supplement for Mayfair Games' DC Heroes' Roleplaying Game. It's interesting for several reasons.

First, it approaches superheroism as only partly plot-driven. The patrol system here randomly generates crimes, the idea being that the characters have to juggle both plot and patrols, as well as any personal subplots. The idea, often floated in later pulp or superhero games, that only key scenes of conflict and heroism should be played out, doesn't work here. Mayfair would later expand on this concept in their Underground RPG, in which patrolling a neighborhood adjusts the features of the neighborhood like its crime rate, stability, jobs, etc.

Second, it's a glimpse into pre-Crisis Gotham City. Depicted since that time on two large islands (the Nolanverse brought the Narrows into existence), Gotham City in Night in Gotham is an inverted "U", surrounding a bay. Each of the districts is given their own traits, prevalence of incidents, and specialties of crime.

Third, it indicates the type of things that Gotham City heroes, including Batman, were supposed to be dealing with in 1986. It includes minor crimes like vandalism as well as somewhat challenging scenarios like being targeted by law enforcement.

The supplement was written by Walter Hunt and edited by Jackie H. Leeper. Hunt is now a science fiction writer, his webpage can be found here.

Enjoy going on patrol in Gotham City!

There are ten patrol hours in a night. Players choose which district they are patrolling in.

I went on patrol in Gotham City at night for an hour...

...in the Central Business District, the financial nexus of the city.

...on the Lower East Side, a deteriorating working class neighborhood.

...in Chelsea, a Bohemian neighborhood of artists and intellectuals.

...at the East River, a neighborhood of former glory now tenements and low-rent offices.

...in Bristol, an exclusive community of mansions and riches.

...in Bryanttown, a tenement neighborhood surrounding a closed chemical plant.

...in Chinatown, an ethnic enclave that handles its own business.

...in Neville, the center of Gotham nightlife.

...in Midtown, a middle-class urban neighborhood.

...on the Waterfront, a reformed entertainment district entwined by darkness.

...Uptown, a somewhat declined wealthy neighborhood with many tourist sites.

...in the Bowery, a claustrophobic warren where the police don't go.

...in Glendale, a neighborhood surrounding a modern college.

...in Evanstown, a seemingly pleasant small town style community.

...in Irving Grove, a suburb near the edge of town.

...in Gotham Village, a failed attempt at public housing projects and industrial blight.

...in Sommerset, a seemingly quiet neighborhood near Arkham Asylum.

...in the Scituate, a middle-income neighborhood torn up by new stadium development.

...in Lyntown, a rabbit-warren of closed factories, chop shops and railyards.

...at Victoria Place, home of high tech industrial facilities and residential areas.

...in Manchester, a working class melting pot neighborhood with historical sites as well.

...in Coventry, a middle class community of single family homes and small shopping centers.

...in Charon, a weird suburb of cemeteries, Arkham Asylum and historical mansions and neighborhoods.