In 1986, before he became a more controversial figure, Frank Miller would give the world one of the most influential Batman stories ever. The Dark Knight Returns is set in a dystopian version of 80’s Gotham, with Bruce Wayne in his 50s as the world goes to hell. When he can’t take it anymore, Bruce suits up as Batman once again to face off with new threats like the Mutant gang, old threats like Two-Face and the Joker, and a climactic face-off with Superman himself. The mini-series would influence future comics, be adapted as a two-part animated film series by Warner Bros Animation, and be a major influence on the film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Cryptozoic Entertainment, makers of tons of tabletop games and trading cards, are now running a Kickstarter campaign to create a board game based on the iconic graphic novel. And already it’s set to be one of the more interesting games I’ve seen in this medium.
First off, the game is entirely a solo player affair, which given the current situation in the world, is probably a good thing. Players take control of Batman in four scenarios or Books, based on the events of the four issues of the comic. It’s a battle of endurance, rather than leveling up, as Batman must survive each Book with limited resources and trying to keep his Grit, Health and Sanity from reaching zero before achieving his goal. Players much used the four rounds for each Book to locate clues, figure out the Boss’s location, and defeat them. Players can choose Fight and Detective cards, but whatever cards they don’t pick end up going into the Event deck, which can change things up dramatically. Each Book can be done alone, or done in a marathon round with no recovery for Batman, creating a game about 90 minutes in length. You’ll have Allies like Robin or Gordon to help against Bosses like the Joker or Superman.
There is still a ton of details I’m not going over. One key detail for backers is if they back the deluxe edition, they’ll get miniature figures of the game’s characters to use for playing. The current goal for the campaign is $250,000, with stretch goals yet to be announced as of this writing. The estimate for the release is December 2021. At this time over $107,000 has been raised so we can expect it to be funded in the next few hours since it released today.
If you’re someone who loves The Dark Knight Returns or simply would like a board game you can play on your own instead of worrying about getting friends together, check it out here. And if it meets its goal, you can be certain Marooner’s Rock will be there to cover it.
