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Adam West Batman Analysis


Cassandra

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Batman is a Gadgeteer/Martial Artist with a Base (Wayne Manor/Batcave), three vehicles (Batmobile/Batcopter/Batboat), and a sidekick (Robin).  Alfred is a Competent DNPC (resourceful but sometimes needs to be rescued).  Aunt Harriet is a DNPC who has to be rescued from time to time during the first two season.   Batman used experience points from the first two seasons to remove Aunt Harriet as a DNPC, and to have Batgirl as a sidekick.

 

Batman's costume is protective against extreme cold (LS: Intense Cold) and heat (LS: Intense Heat).  It provides protection against things like acid (Armor +6 rPD +6 rED), but the Caped Crusader lives by The Code of the Hero Psychological Limitation, and is Vulnerable to Ambushes/Treacherous Attacks (2x STUN) so he can be overcome.  Fortunately he has high rolls in both Security Systems, Lockpicking, and Contortionist allowing him to escape the various death traps that he and Robin are put in ever week.

 

That Utility Belt has a number of standard devices that are used in most episodes of the city.

 

EB 8d6 (STUN Only), No END (+1/2)), OAF: Batarang (-1)

EB 6d6, NND (LS: Self Contained) (+1), [16c] (-0), No Range (-1/2), OAF: Bat Sleep Gas (-1)

Entangle 4d6 DEF 4, Takes No Damage (+1/2), [8c/Recoverable] (-0), No Range (-1/2), OAF: Batcuffs (-1)

Simplified Healing (BODY/STUN) 6d6, [16c] (-0), OAF: Universal Bat Antidote (-1)

Mind Control 12d6, Set Effect [Forget] (-1/2), No Range (-1/2), [16c] (-0), OAF: Batnesia Gas (-1)

 

 

The Bat Rope is more Clinging (Only for Climbing up a wall) rather when Swinging.

 

Batman has at least FB: Local Police Powers, but they might have been transferred to Londinium instead of having International Police Powers.  He also has FB: Law License (having prosecuted criminals twice), a Rep: Caped Crusader 14-, Money: Filthy Rich, High Society, Criminology, and Deduction (Robin also has Deduction but with a higher roll as he figures out the clues often faster then Batman).

 

To be continued.

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The Batshield is seen often enough to warrant inclusion. I recall a small breathing tube but that was at most one or two episodes so no need to bother.

 

 

The Batshield would be represented by Missile Deflection [All Ranged Attacks] Adjacent 

 

Batman actually should have Extended Breathing as he was once covered in quick harding plaster for several minutes.

 

The breathing tube should be LS: Breathe Underwater as the Dynamic Duo and Batgirl were getting gassed all the time.

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Regarding Bat Villains, there share a new things in common.

 

They are Show Offs.  They will go out of their way to let Batman know they are behind the current crime wave.

 

They are obsessive.  They focus on their motif (Jokes, Riddles, Cats, Eggs, etc.)  This weakness often lets Batman figure out their next scheme.

 

They are overconfident.  They capture Batman and Robin and leave them in a death trap and just assume everything will go as planned (A weakness they share with Dr. Evil).

 

They have Followers.  Usually Four with names, and four others who only show off in Batfights.  Male Villains will have a Female Sidekick who is often used to lure the Dynamic Duo into a Trap.  Many times this Female will betray the Villain due to some Persuasive argument from Batman.

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Screenshot%202016-08-26%20at%208.35.29%2Close up with the Bat-shield

 

1) Whenever I see SWAT teams with those man sized shields I always flash on this.

2). The LS vs extreme heat & cold are change at base only because I remember when they were fighting Mr. Freeze Batman saying to Robin something to the effect of "It's a good thing we wore our Bat-Thermal underwear today."

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20 pts (per 6e) - Psychological Complication (Very Common, Strong) : Must run to the aid of others; cannot walk in such circumstances.

Evidenced by:

* Running to the secret door to enter the bat cave.

* Running from the batpole to the batmobile

* Running from the batmobile into the building where the commissioner's office is located

* Running back from the commissioner's office to the batmobile

* Exiting the batmobile and running toward the bad guys...

 

Apparently Adam West's Batman can't walk in the face of danger...

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I think that it'd also be safe to say that the Adam West Batman suffered from mild Unluck, as embodied

by the classic line from the original Batman film:

 

"Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb."

 

 

Major Tom 2009 :sneaky:

Holy Taglines, Batman!

 

Unless it came up more than once, I don't think that's necessarily Unluck.  Most of the time, he seemed to fall ass-backwards into clues.

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I think that it'd also be safe to say that the Adam West Batman suffered from mild Unluck, as embodied

by the classic line from the original Batman film:

 

"Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb."

 

 

Major Tom 2009 :sneaky:

Holy Taglines, Batman!

 

Darn it, I'd already given him Unluck and used that catch phrase.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Have you been talking to one of the palindromedaries?

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A case could be made for giving him Unluck--I remember the first time he took on The Mad Hatter, who tried to use his Super-Instant Mesmerizer on him--but Batman reflected the Mesmerizer beam with his utility belt-sized Bat-Mirror, right into Robin's eyes.

 

"Holy Ricochet!"

 

Robin topples like a felled tree, and Batman rushes over to help him--only to get redirected underneath a big dump bucket of plaster-of-paris, which gets dumped on him.  Will he escape?  Find Out Tomorrow--Same Bat-Time--Same Bat-Channel!!!

 

But I agree he also has a great deal of Luck, which would explain not only how he's able to escape all those villainous deathtraps, but how he has the perfect gadget in his utility belt no matter what the situation.

 

Hope that Bat-Helps.

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Definitely Unluck. I had the Complications figured out, the Martial Arts with maneuvers like POW! and ZING! and KA-POW! and some Skills - but I forgot to save it all, and a computer glitch wound up flushing everything. If that's not Unluck I don't know what  it is.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Let's blame a palindromedary!

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Darn it, I'd already given him Unluck and used that catch phrase.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Have you been talking to one of the palindromedaries?

 

 

Didn't need to talk to any of the palindromedaries; some lines are just that memorable -- like, for instance,

"I am not a number! I am a free man!" or "Open Channel D."

 

 

Major Tom 2009 :eg:

Uncertified retroculture geek

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It's been years since I've seen the show. I don't even remember the bat shield, for example.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Same bat palindromedary same bat tagline

I recently re-watched it. And even I thought that the Bat-shield propably beat the Bat-shark repellant in ridiculousness.

I mean at least the repellant was in the Bat-copter wich is more likely to be used over water.

 

The shield was at least used 2 times, so it might warant a writeup.

 

I always thought that Batman had a small power pool for the spur of the moment gadget that he has to overcome whatever situation him and Robin are in.

That is a usual problem with heroes in their Solo titles (and I count this as a solo title, not a group title), especially adpaters/gadgeteers like Superman, Batman, Iron Man, Spiderman.

It might be better to just chalk this up to writer decisions rather then an actuall power that needs writing up.

 

20 pts (per 6e) - Psychological Complication (Very Common, Strong) : Must run to the aid of others; cannot walk in such circumstances.

Evidenced by:

* Running to the secret door to enter the bat cave.

* Running from the batpole to the batmobile

* Running from the batmobile into the building where the commissioner's office is located

* Running back from the commissioner's office to the batmobile

* Exiting the batmobile and running toward the bad guys...

 

Apparently Adam West's Batman can't walk in the face of danger...

Mostly that was based on the tendency to re-use stock-footage a lot in that time of film-making.

In battlestar Galactica (original series) there was maybe one set of footage for space combats. That was used every other episode.

 

That being said, Crime was afoot. Why would he not hurry?

And he did usually take enough time to go down the checklist on his batmobile ("Batteries to power, Turbines to speed") until later seasons when that became a bit grating.

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A few notes

 

Batman has Absolute Range Sense.  In "The Great Train Robbery" Batman tells Shame the exact distance between them.

 

Batman and Robin can run the mile in three minutes.  They needed to in order to prevent King Tut from finding the Batcave through an abandoned mine in "I'll be a Mummy's Uncle".

 

 

Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series could be considered a sequel to the Adam West Batman TV series given the similar tone and the design of the Batmobile.  Adam West even guest starred in a couple of episodes, once as Thomas Wayne.

 

 

Based on The Legends of the Superheroes TV Special in the Following Superheroes are active in the Adam West/Batman Universe.

 

Atom

Black Canary

Captain Marvel

Flash

Green Lantern

Hawkman

Huntress

 

Based on the same 1979 Special the Following supervillains are active in the Adam West/Batman Universe.

 

Aunt Minerva

Giganta

Mordru

Riddler

Sinestro

Solomon Grundy

Weather Wizard

 

 

The Green Hornet and Kato guest starred on the Batman TV series three times, one in a Window Cameo.

 

Judy Strangis who played Dyna Girl on the Electra Woman show once appeared as a teenage fan of Chad and Jeremy on a Catwoman episode.

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