Armchair Reviews: DWAITAS -- The Ninth Doctor Sourcebook

I approached the review of this sourcebook with some trepidation. After all, the Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space (DWAITAS) series of sourcebooks had been solid entries every time – with the Doctor series churning out astoundingly consistent source material in the tone and spirit of each of the eras, despite the volume (or paucity thereof) of actual episodes during that Doctor’s era.

However, this one was the incarnation of the Doctor that revived the franchise on TV -- and one that had eight sourcebooks preceding it. Was it going to live up to expectations? Or might it lapse into a boring re-tread of what had gone before?

A Solid Framework

Dedicated collectors and followers of this particular series of sourcebooks would, I’m sure, agree that some aspects of repetition are actually the strength of this series.

I’m very fond of the presence of the initial chapter of each of these books that give an overview of the peculiarities and strengths of this particular Doctor’s personality, and the character of the adventures during this era.

The roll call of protagonists and antagonists (statted out, with descriptions and explorations of their role during this era, of course) is also a given. But it’s unarguably essential to a sourcebook like this. It’s also very well done: character sheets for each with a great selection of iconic imagery for each. As always, I love that the TARDIS has its own writeup.

Perhaps that’ll be my next campaign idea: a Doctorless campaign with “companions” recruited by the TARDISes of various incarntations. Hm, a Storm of TARDISes has a nice ring to it.

Unique Challenges

This era only saw one Season / Series, meaning a quite a bit less source material in terms of episodes (we’ll come back to the Eight Doctor’s sourcebook as soon as I pick it up), but these episodes – in conjunction with the section tackling handling adventures in this era in greater detail – really give players a lot of options in running Doctor-y or Doctorless campaigns with the mix of personal drama, neo-pulpish adventure, and witty banter.

I really have to say that these synopses are well-written – and have been over this series of because. Concise, but filled with easy-to-follow details (useful for the GM who hasn’t quite reviewed every single episode in the given era, and may not have the time to do so). They also always raise concerns regarding continuity (that some sharp-minded GMs and Players will likely tackle in or out of play.

There’s also great notes on running your players through the episode as an adventure – fantastic I’m sure for the fans who’ve always wanted a chance to be a real companion of The Doctor.

Furthermore, the smaller pool of adventures does give the writing team an opportunity to really go in-depth and all-out in mining and milking these episodes for (a) adventures; (b) spin-off adventures; (c) motifs and leitmotifs of the Doctor’s adventures to reinforce the feel; (d) ideas on using location and enemies in different or expanded ways.

For the Fans

There is some added benefit here for me as a fan – some of my favorite episodes can be found here (“The End of the World, Dalek, Father’s Day, and The Parting of Ways), along with the first appearances of some enigmatic continuing characters. Much of the analysis and extrapolation here helps feed that fan prediliction for speculation, and is a rich source for both theories, and possible adventuring in the continuum of Time & Space that the Doctor inhabits.

Highly recommended.

Doctor Who: Farewell to Time & Space?

Well this is a short one. The new 'edition' of the Doctor Who RPG, formerly known as Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space (DWAITAS) --

is now known as --

-- Doctor Who Roleplaying Game. I guess enough time has passed since the FASA one, but I do wonder at the change. Was it because of the sheer length of the old name (despite the neat acronym), or because of some legal issues?

In any case, I do enjoy the look of the new book. Darker, somehow drawing from a shadowy yet still science fiction-y feel. The wild eyed, grey-haired look of the Doctor also somehow adds to the subtle shift in feel, though it's still the same system (Vortex) as before. A regeneration, as it were.

However, with the change in the status quo of the Doctor Who universe, is it finally time to clock in some gaming hours for this? Only time will tell.

A sourcebook on the 8th Doctor!

Something I never thought I'd see out (and thankfully, Cubicle 7 made it happen): The 8th Doctor Sourcebook!

We'll see if I can pick this up in the upcoming months, but it's good to see this out on DriveThruRPG.

I'm curious to see if, aside from the TV movie and the recent webisodes, they included material from elsewhere (radio dramas and books) to beef up his timeline.

In comparison to all of the other Doctors, he's had both the longest (in terms of years) run and the shortest (in terms of episodes) run.

Still, it's great to see this portion of The Doctor's history getting RPG treatment!

Doctor Who Series 08 Ep 01 - Spoilers and Speculation

So the new Doctor officially enters the fray with his first episode, and I watch it to see what new wrinkles (pun intended) this Doctor will add to the canon.

Also, I'm eager to see where the plotline concerning lost Gallifrey where lead -- and to watch the acting chops of Capaldi in its full glory.

He does his manic Doctor quite well, but I'm more interested in the influences of the first Three Doctors on his character, plus the occasional Fifth & Seventh Doctor, rather than any riffs on the Fourth, Sixth, or the Tenth or Eleventh.

 

Episode 01 - "Deep Breath"

We certainly get a good measure of the manic side of The Doctor during this regeneration and recovery episode. We also get a lot of heavy-handed discussion about the apparent age of The Doctor and the reaction of his companion.

Of greater interest to me is the emergence of the supposedly darker side of The Doctor. Was the lead android pushed, or did it jump (the latter, I believe, for reasons I'll touch on in episode 02)?

I think it's good to see Clara's usually unflappable character unbalanced quite a bit. It allows for that "perky-optimism-as-defense-mechanism" vibe that we got in her first appearance. However, it's very distressing for her character to be dismissed right out of hand, given her important role in saving The Doctor's entire timeline in a past episode of a prior series.

Thematically, I suspect that the villainous creature in this episode being a throwback to a prior episode alludes to this series (and Doctor) being a reexamination of various Doctor Who tropes and elements, and digging at the core of them -- perhaps deconstructing them and reconstructing them for the modern age.

Missy is of interest, not only because she refers to The Doctor as her boyfriend, but also because she bears the same name as a minor character in a prior episode that also involved Cybermen. Some leaked production stills show her and The Doctor appearing together in front of some walking Cybermen, so perhaps there is a connection there?

I do like the sense of there being raw intelligence and untapped physical power in this incarnation of the Doctor (he physically overpowers the lead android, after all). It really lends itself to the feeling that The Doctor is always holding himself back.

Onwards to Episode 2!

The Five Doctors - Comparing Attributes

Now that we have the stats for the first five Doctors in Doctor Who: Adventures In Time And Space, we can do what we did to other officially recognized RPGs based on licensed settings: compare their stats!

I've decided to do that exercise purely based on their Attributes and Skills, excluding their special traits and gadgets usually on their person. I'll also do it on a per-attribute (and then later, per-skill) basis, just to see what patterns or insights come up. Most of it won't be a surprise to long-time fans of the series, but perhaps there are some eyebrow-raisers hidden. Let's see!

Awareness: The Doctor's Awareness is set at 4 all throughout his incarnations. This places his awareness above human average, but below an exceptional level of awareness (wherein intuition is rarely wrong). He's certainly not at the human maximum (which is 6). This may seem surprising, given the current portrayals of The Doctor, but each of these older Doctors had personality quirks that -- it could be argued -- dampened their innate awareness. Still, one might argue for a higher value here for all of them.

Coordination: Given the age of the 1st Doctor, I'd argue for a below average rating here. The 2nd Doctor is certainly in the 3 to 4 range to my mind, and the 'Intergalactic Man of Mystery' feel of the 3rd Doctor certainly places him at 5. The 4th and 5th Doctors are also men of action, but not to the almost James Bond-ish levels of the 3rd Doctor.

Ingenuity: Well, this is interesting. As a measure of intelligence, as well as "general knowledge and practical experience", this attribute would certainly rank the Doctor at beyond the human maximum (6) most certainly. What's of note is that the 5th Doctor garnered a jump to a value of 8 -- perhaps as a measure of increased experience after those four prior lifetimes of adventure?

Presence: The Doctor is certainly always above average in terms of force of personality. I like that the 3rd and 4th Doctors are reflected as being individuals who can "charm or boss their way through almost anything", with the 5th Doctor as a return to the former levels (given his drop in self-assuredness, no doubt).

Resolve: As an attribute reflecting willpower and determination, I agree whole-heartedly with the first three Doctors having the human maximum rating. I'm not so sure about the 4th, though it could be argued that his tendency to go off on tangents could be interpreted as a lack of focus (he's still better than 'above average', but not at the peak of human ability). I can understand the 5th's rating here, given his occasional self-doubt.

Strength: This has the most variance, and tells a great story. The 1st Doctor's advanced age was, certainly, well-reflected in this near-crippling value rank. The 2nd Doctor, rejuvenated but not at human average, makes sense, but I'd have put him at average. The 3rd Doctor, with his man of action status, certainly figures at above average but not at strongman levels. And the 4th & 5th certainly struck me as being average as well -- the 5th Doctor's fondness for cricket certainly is better reflected in coordination rather than here.

Armchair Reviews: DWAITAS -- The Fifth Doctor Sourcebook

With the release of the Fifth Doctor's Sourcebook for the Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space RPG, we have the opportunity to run our own version of the classic episode The Five Doctors, for gaming groups that have really wanted to all play not just Time Lords, but The Doctor!

Again, like the other sourcebooks in the series, this one provides the predictable crunch (new traits, character sheets for the Doctor / Companions / acquaintances / enemies) and fluff (series and episode synposes), and provides some thematic explorations and comparisons to the episodes and themes from prior incarnations.

Of note are the plot motifs that keep repeating in this season: betrayals, surrogate parenthood, (relatively) large adventuring groups in the TARDIS, and so on.

By this fifth book, it's great to compare the growth of the Doctor and the selection of Companions throughout his career. I also noticed how often the Master figured into this season's adventures.

For a hard-core canon fan, there are many adventure seeds suggested that deal with inconsistencies or contradictions found in the season as compared to prior episodes or seasons. That alone may be enough to start an entire campaign. Clara's Commandos, anyone? She can't save the Doctor all alone, you know...

Armchair Review: DWAITAS -- The 4th Doctor Sourcebook

And the next installment of the DWAITAS Doctor
Sourcebooks is out. It's the 4th Doctor -- portrayed by Tom Baker -- the longest running of all the Doctors so far, and arguably the most popular of the original series sequence.

Like the prior installments in this excellent series, DWAITAS - Fourth Doctor Sourcebook not only provides the predictable crunch (new traits, character sheets for the Doctor / Companions / acquaintances / enemies) and fluff (series and episode synposes), but also provides some thematic explorations and comparisons to the episodes and themes from prior incarnations. It even includes a synopsis of the lost episode "Shada", a must-have for die-hard Whovians.

I say, doesn't Skarga's sphere remind you of Rover, from The Prisoner?

Chapter One: Playing in the Fourth Doctor Era

Some really interesting insights here, as I'm used to thinking of the Doctor's older shows in episodic form, rather than as the grand sweep of a campaign arc. While many would cite the change in characterization as the most obvious change, I'd missed the fact that the Far Future of humanity is mapped out in this cycle of stories. Also, as pointed out in "The Demystification of the Time Lords", it's true that the mysterious Time Lords and Gallifrey are not only fleshed out more, they're also taken down a peg and portrayed as a decadent and decaying culture that possesses a great deal of power and influence in the multiverse -- a theme certainly worth exploring.

Chapter Two: The Fourth Doctor and Companions

The Two Companions that really jumped out at me here are -- surprise -- Romana and Romana. The first incarnation was not only beautiful, but had a distant and aloof aspect to her beauty; the second incarnation was more sweet and approachable in seeming, perhaps indicating the change in her personality after having been influenced by the traveling Doctor's ways (or maybe she just like Princess Astra's looks, just like she said). Of course, Leela and Sarah Jane Smith are also memorable, but the counterpoint of an equal Time Lord to the Doctor really shifted the dynamic for me in this era.

Chapter Three: The Fourth Doctor's Adventures + Shada in the Appendix

For those interested in canon, the complete run of the 4th Doctor's adventures, and adventure hooks and NPCs, opponents, and gadgets aplenty -- this section is a treasure trove of gaming delights.


The next installment can't come soon enough for me!

Armchair Review: The Time Traveller's Companion

If there's one sourcebook you should get for your Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space (DWAITAS for short) RPG to really play in the mythology of the Whoniverse, it's DWAITAS: The Time Traveller's Companion.

The title might mislead you into thinking it's about companions -- no, it's really about being a time traveller in the universe of Doctor Who.

It tackles the history of the universe from the point of view of the Gallifreyans, sheds some light on how the Daleks first resolved to take out their planet and race in a Time War, explains the social and political classes of the Time Lord world, and why they initially came up with their non-intervention stance.

Rassilon -- who created the Rassilon Imprimatur -- facing down the
Doctor as he tries to break Gallifrey out of the time lock.

The book also gives a lot of options in playing people from Gallifrey beyond a single racial package -- there are options based on caste, and role in society. There's also a section on the different types of TARDISes available to renegade Time Lords who may or may not be working for the Celestial Intervention Agency (CIA), a shadowy organization that is historically significant to both the Doctor, and to all of Gallifrey.

There's a great amount of explanation and recapping of the temporal mechanics that have arisen in the course of the 50 year old TV series, and a respectable set of adventure ideas that arise out of those mind-twisting possibilities. There are weapons, gear, and feared artifacts from the luminaries of Gallifrey, and a joyous celebration of the many NPCs from that planet that have appeared in the show.

To top it all off, there's a TARDIS sheet that will help you understand how to craft your own TARDIS, and pilot it based on the control panel -- and what happens when key items are damaged or destroyed while travelling!

Pick it up if you're serious about a time & space romp campaign!

Armchair Review: The Third Doctor Sourcebook

And the Third Doctor Sourcebook is out. And I am once again that young Filipino boy in the 70s and early 80s of the Philippines who would excitedly find a book about a TV show that I liked from the U.S. or U.K. in local bookstores normally dominated by non-SF/Fantasy stuff.

The Third Doctor, played by Pertwee, is the earliest doctor that I've been able to watch during those PBS pledge nights for KTEH in the California Bay Area -- so I'm especially stoked!

This sourcebook once again underscores the key elements of the featured doctor's personality, how it differs from prior incarnations, how it affected the stories and adventures of the Doctor and his Companions.

Here's an excerpt:

By contrast, the Third Doctor is less a renewal and more of a reboot. He is an active crusader against evil, utilising not only his wits but his martial skills as well. Neither of his previous incarnations took the fight to his enemies so directly. The Third Doctor also has a flair for fashion and a love of gadgets, particularly vehicles. He is not a reluctant hero or an underestimated schemer; he’s an action hero.

Another benefit of this concisely-written, well-laid out book in the series is an example of how initial ideas in revamping an ongoing campaign (especially a Doctor Who campaign) can impact future adventures. There's also a lot of material concerning U.N.I.T. campaigns, making this a great companion sourcebook to the DWAITAS U.N.I.T. Sourcebook.

Finally, fans of the series: will get writeups and history on The Third Doctor, the Brigadier, insights on how to craft a campaign with (most) adventures set on earth, the treatment of earth as a prison for a normally time-and-space spanning campaign, episode synopses with lots of adventure ideas and crunchy bits for villains and NPCs! A must-have for Doctor Who and DWAITAS fans.

Blog Wandering - The Seasons of the Doctor

from: http://siskoid.blogspot.com/

Blog Wandering: Taking a brief break from writing stuff to point you at great content (possibly gaming related) that I chance upon on on the web.

Happened upon this while researching about the Doctor's Companions for some possible Victorian era outfits - Siskoid's Blog of Geekery. It has many things, but the posts that I've latched onto are a treasure trove of posts that provide stats beyond the current sourcebooks of the Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space RPG.

There are stats for the Doctors, the Companions, and for the NPCs and monsters in each episode.

Furthermore, Siskoid writes about each season as though the shifting and changing showrunners, actors, plotlines and arcs were all part of a tabletop RPG -- a very politically / dramatically charged one. Here's a starter list:

Character Sheets:

The Sixth Doctor
Peri
The Fifth Doctor
Turlough & Kamelion
Tegan
Nyssa
Adric
The Fourth Doctor
Romana II and K-9

Seasons:

Doctor Who RPG: Season 23
Doctor Who RPG: Season 22
Doctor Who RPG: Season 21
Doctor Who RPG: Season 20
Doctor Who RPG: Season 19
Doctor Who RPG: Season 18
Doctor Who RPG: Season 17

It's a really impressive series of posts, considering that he's also doing reviews of each of the episodes in those seasons, sharing his evaluations and insights into the shifts and changes in character and plotline, as well as (I assume) some of his knowledge on what was going on behind the camera.

For those interested, the official sourcebooks for the First & Second Doctors are available here:

• The First Doctor Sourcebook
• The Second Doctor Sourcebook

Armchair Review: DWAITAS -- The Second Doctor Sourcebook

Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space -- The Second Doctor Sourcebook is a must-have for Doctor Who
completists. But it is also a wonderful resource for any DWAITAS campaign, because of the detailed stats for different Cybermen incarnations, Daleks from this era, and the Ice Warriors of Mars -- this is, after all, when The Doctor began leading the charge as a hero, instead of being a more manipulative mastermind (as in his prior incarnation).

Book Breakdown

Once again, a lot of black & white pictures from the series to help give a visual grasp of this era of The Doctor. The Doctor and his Companions are statted out, along with his villains in the era:

• Cybermen (Marks 2 through 4, Cybermat, Cyber-Controller, Partial Cyberman, etc.)
• Daleks (Black, Humanised, Emperor, etc.)
• The Great Intelligence (Robotic Servents, Yetis Mark I and II)
• Ice Warriors

Lots of tips and tricks to capture the feel and themes of this era as well.

And of course, synopses and adventure hooks for the episodes of The Second Doctor. It's a great look into the resonant themes of this era in British Science Fiction -- and a great source of RPG ideas for our modern times.

On the Radar: Some Thoughts on the Ennies

I was browsing through the winners of the Ennies, trying -- I suppose -- to see how up-to-date and in tune I really was with the popular view of the RPG industry. Overall, I sense that I'm really a niched kind of gamer, with off-center tastes, but I'd hesitate to call myself eccentric or unusual given the pool of gamers out there.

Here are a few things that caught my eye:

Night's Black Agents gets the Silvers for Best Game AND Best Writing

I did an Armchair Review for this RPG and its related campaign, The Zalohzny Quartet, and I heartily agree with the award. It's a lovely crafted subgenre that does spectacular work in focusing on the parent genre -- espionage -- for genre emulation.

I think a lot of people recognize its many merits; after all it was nominated for Best Rules, Best Interior Art, Best Game, Best Writing and Product of the Year!

On a meta level, the Gumshoe ruleset is certainly coming along nicely. It's gotten so that the ruleset allows for a greater variety of genre scope.

In fact, with Night's Black Agents, Ashen Stars, Trail of Cthulhu, and Mutant City Blues, a possible sub-campaign premise in my developing Confederation Chronicles campaign would be:

Not all Lasers are released into the wilds of space. Some are tasked to keep track of worlds and systems being brought into the fold of the expanding Confederation -- to make sure that the weaknesses, dangers, and existential threats that might be lurking beneath the surface of these rediscovered wonders do not destroy all that the Confederation has built.

Trained, Motivated, and gifted with special abilities that set them apart from their peers, these Ultra-violet Lasers stand against another Fall of Night, as the Confederation struggles toward a true rebirth.

Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space wins the Gold for Best Family Game AND Doctor Who: The Time Traveler's Companion wins the Silver for Best Supplement

I quite like this RPG, and I'd never actually thought about it as being a family game. The de-emphasis on combat (and rules that support this -- with talking and running taking place before any combat initiative-wise) was, in my mind, a great nod to this genre of TV show.

In retrospect, it does have a family appeal with the emphasis on resorting to communication first, before resorting to an out-and-out rumble.

The supplements for this RPG have also been astounding, with real love for the entire series very evident. A review of the Second Doctor's sourcebook will be upcoming.

Other Items of Note

Eldritch Skies gets a Judge's nod -- a game whose take on the Cthulhu mythos deserves a return, beyond my initial Armchair Review. Certain themes and aspects of the themes and tone make it a fresh feel on the standard mythos treatement, in my humble opinion.

Also, this Pathfinder RPG seems to be really popular. ;) Probably should give it a read.

Timelords and Elements -- opposing factions in a Temporal Cold War?

Some of my thoughts about the Plagues that I posted earlier skipped to the idea of a Timelord analogue, with a fantasy equivalent of Gallifreyan citizens trying to enforce an optimum timeline that saves the best kind of multiverse from an extra-multiversal invasion / infestations (which is how they view the Plagues).

And then I happened upon my fascination with Sapphire & Steel, and decided to take the Timelords entirely out of that setting and figure out how to merge the Timelords and the Elements into a single universe.

The Doctor is, of course, a rebel to his race. The Elements -- well, Sapphire & Steel in particular -- have spoken about others trying to obtain their loyalty These others, known as Transient Beings, apparently can change their appearance and prefer a more centralized chain of command, greater control over time -- even though they apparently seem to be working toward similar ends.

That almost sounds like Gallifrey, particularly when the Doctor starting running afoul of their attempts to curb his travels and 'meddling'. Now that the Doctor locked them away, what about the Elements? Particularly two trapped Elements in a Nowhere trap?

Sounds like a fun element to throw into a DWAITAS campaign!

Armchair Review: DWAITAS -- The First Doctor Sourcebook

I recommend Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space -- The First Doctor Sourcebook for two target audiences. The first audience: the fans of Doctor Who who want to get more material on the first incarnation of The Doctor; the second audience: any RPG GM looking to set up a campaign similar to Doctor Who but without the Doctor constantly saving the day.

Wait, what?

Let me explain. This incarnation of The Doctor is delightfully illuminated by these two quotes:

" Back when I first started, at the very beginning, I was always trying to be old and grumpy and important, like you do when you're young."

-- and this one --

" Later incarnations of the Doctor invite interesting people to travel with them on the TARDIS, to see the galaxy to their young eyes and to feel young again. The First Doctor appearsold, but he's by far the youngest of the Doctors... he doesn't want companions for that... In this era, arguments and disagreements between the TARDIS travelers could be much more bitter and long-lasting than in later years. One side or the other often has to be dragged into the adventure... This Doctor is also physically frail. While he does occasionally demonstrate superhuman endurance or strength, he is easily winded and has to rest frequently. He often relies on Susan or another companion for support. "

This Doctor is knowledgeable, but that knowledge may not necessarily be shared with you or for your benefit. This Doctor can be just as responsible for getting you into the adventurous situation that you're in, as he could be instrumental in getting you out of it. He's new at this heroic adventuring thing, and is for the most part an explorer who is driven by curiosity and superiority and an alien sense of righteousness and possibly  a thousand other emotions that are passingly similar to human ones. Thank goodness his granddaughter is so nice.

Book Breakdown

I don't think I like this horned look for
Vikings. Perhaps I shall rewrite it...

It has a lot of black & white pictures from the series which help add to the classic feel of this period of the series. Most of the material is more geared toward setting up the campaign feel, the campaign elements, and a handful of write-ups and rules-related material to help run the game using the DWAITAS system (easily translatable to other systems).

Chapter One really focuses on the overview and setting the tone for a First Doctor era or First Doctor-esque campaign. Really useful for planning key elements and themes of what is essentially a romp through various mini-settings and genres.

Chapters Two through Ten are a set of synopses plus game mechanics and character write-ups for twenty-eight First Doctor adventures, with pictures from the episodes. And it takes us from the beginning of the First Doctor's documented career to the end. We are introduced to well-known villains like the Daleks and the Cybermen as they first appeared, along with some less popular but important characters like WOTAN, a Timelord known as the Meddling Monk, and The Celestial Toymaker.

Recommendation
Buy this book if you're a compleatist fan of Doctor Who, or want to run a First Doctor campaign, or really want to do your own take on a new Timelord exploring his corners of the galaxy, out from under the shadow of the Doctor!

On the Radar: Doctor Who RPG and Sourcebooks

Looking to adventure in the universe of the Doctor? Hoping to spend some time on Gallifrey, or take in the sights on Skaro? Well, for those of you who haven't been keeping tabs, there is an official Doctor Who RPG out and available.

And in true Doctor Who fashion, it regenerated to keep up with the current incarnation.

Choose Your Doctor

If you prefer Tennant over Smith or visa versa, there's a Doctor Who RPG available for you:

Tenth Doctor version

Eleventh Doctor version

Of course, if you're a compleatist, you can always purchase the adventure packs for the Tenth and Eleventh doctors if you wish -- yes, they're different in each version -- or if the adventures don't matter to you so much, perhaps buy the Tenth Doctor version of the RPG and buy the Eleventh Doctor upgrade pack. Oh, wait, the upgrade pack's free!

Choose Humanity

Of course, you could choose instead to be a member of U.N.I.T. and battle all those strange things that keep invading Earth with neat technology, and not so much of the 'run, don't shoot' philosophy of the Doctor. You could also use it for a Torchwood campaign, since it doesn't look like they're coming out with one.

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for U.N.I.T., primarily in the person of the Brigadier and those doomed, brave, often nameless soldiers that keep getting mowed down like Star Trek redshirts.

Perhaps we can take a page from Dog Soldiers and X-COM and put together a proper counter-alien team. Too much killing for The Doctor, you say? Well, he isn't always around, you know.

Fight Nasties

Of course, you need your own set of (properly frightening) opponents. If the adventures weren't enough for you, you could certainly pick up the Monster Manual of this RPG -- Doctor Who: Aliens & Creatures. Want to tackle the Cybermen, or face off against the Weeping Angels? Then this is the book for you, you mad, doomed soul.

Doctor Who Series 07: Spoilers and Speculation

I know it's not really the 7th Season of Doctor Who. It's more like the 7th Season of the Doctor Who series that restarted in 2005. But that's why it says Series instead of Season, hehe.

I did watch some of the old series (primarily reruns of the Tom Baker, Pertwee, Colin Baker, and Sylverster McCoy eras), and am enjoying the current series now.

This is despite the rubbery science of the show (I know that it was originally supposed to be a kid's show), and the episodes where the writing is uneven or with more deus ex machinas than normally seen in a show full of them.

[ did some reformatting on this, because I wanted to put a little bit more spoiler warning -- which has become a thing online -- before the actual spoilers and speculation of the post ]

Spoilers -- I'm not kidding!

In episode 701, a couple of things caught my eye.

First is the supposed nano-infection of Amy Pond by the nanocloud. She was supposed to be slowly turning into a humanoid Dalek -- but because she held onto human emotions (love, primarily), she was able to stave it off long enough to get off-planet. But wouldn't the nano-cloud either continue to convert her, or perhaps remain dormant?

Second, the soon-to-be new companion (Oswin) who apparently dies at the end of the episode, who is apparently a genius, has been [ LAST CHANCE -- SPOILERS! ] fully converted into a Dalek, and is apparently capable of hacking all of Dalekdom -- even capable of erasing the memory of the Doctor from the path web. She also seemed particularly pleased even though she knew she was going to die; almost like she had figured another way out.

Speculation -- worse than Spoilers!

Did she have a way out? We know she's supposed to eventually become the new companion (or perhaps a descendant or relation of hers, it's possible), and we know she'd done at least two impossible things (even for the Doctor) in terms of Dalek technology.

Did she hitch a ride on Amy's latent Dalek-ness?

And what about these rumors that Amy's not necessarily going to die, but instead transform into something else?

Eagerly awaiting the mid-season finale!

Campaign Premise: The God in the Machine

If you've ever encountered the TV series Doctor Who, you'd know that his adventuring party -- sorry -- companions don't always get out alive. Which makes the Doctor, or something like him, perfect as a campaign premise.

The Doctor is very much a deus ex machina, armed with two other deus ex machinas. Not only is he 'the last TimeLord' with powers and abilities sometimes limited, sometimes vastly beyond those of mortal ken -- he also has a T.A.R.D.I.S. (a sentient, timetraveling, multidimensional device that can shapeshift but is frozen into the form of a police call box), and a sonic screwdriver (you read that right). He is brilliant, fallible, unpredictable, and capable of terrifying reversals of fortune -- which his opponents have found out, much to their dismay.

From a campaign perspective, he provides some much needed continuity (if not direction) for games where a Total Party Kill can occur from time to time. He also allows characters to gracefully retire (with an option to return in some future incarnation), and allows for new characters to join the story.

If we were to use The Doctor as a template, perhaps for a Mystara campaign, we'd want to retain certain key elements to the nature of the character:

• brilliant, arrogant, always knows best, fallible, dangerous, merciful, feared by many, loved by a few, with an annoying tendency of not always wanting to explain what his plans are until they've succeeded or gone horribly wrong;
• has lived a long time; has forgotten more than you'll ever know; has encountered more things than you ever will;
• has a device that can travel in time and space, but isn't the smoothest or most reliable of rides (and the Neil Gaiman-penned episode gives a suggestion as to why);
• a keeper of secrets -- dangerous ones, many best left buried;
• assumes, sometimes incorrectly, that all his companions are as capable as he assesses them to be;
• likes to travel;
• plays favorites;
• has a different sense of morality from the rest of his kind;
• has a fluid personality and skill set from regeneration to regeneration;
• occasionally teams up with past and future incarnations of himself.

Okay, maybe that last one wouldn't be so spectacular in a campaign. However, the rest of it does give us a way to hop around Mystara's many places and time periods and generally mess with the fun locales, meet the movers and shakers of the world, elevate the lowly and humble the mighty, and right a few wrongs along the way.

How would I introduce him? Well, I'd start off with a riff on either X2 -- Castle Amber (Chateau d'Amberville) or the first adventure in the Wrath of the Immortals campaign. An imprisoned man with strange powers that seem to confound and defy known principles of nature and magic -- he'd either tag along or constantly 'bump into' the members of the party that he likes, gains their trust, sends them off on missions, sometimes accompanies them...

... actually, Wrath of the Immortals is an excellent jumping off point, since there is a part of the ending wherein beings more powerful than the Immortals appear and set metaphysical things right (not necessarily all the countries decimated, lives lost, etc.) which is a nice echo to Gallifrey and the TimeLords and the Time War and the Daleks and Rassilon and the Hand of Omega and the Nightmare Child...

A campaign like this would mean that the PCs are major players of a sort. They can change the fate of the entire timeline, regardless of character class or level, by being in the right place at the right time. By helping steal a weapon or destroy an artifact, by helping a dynasty rise to power or by helping avert a catastrophe, by sending key individuals down the right paths or by becoming beings of immense power and influence themselves.

They could go anywhere -- to countries present and past, to the Hollow World or to one of the moons, to hidden dungeons in the depths of the earth or to floating fortresses in the skies, and to all the known and unknown dimensions.

Furthermore, adventure can find them. The Doctor has had his enemies and friends leave messages and traps and gifts for him in the strangest of places -- why not our analogue in Mystara?

Another thing: if there is indeed a time war being waged between our Doctor and some other Uber-Immortal, it allows for certain things to be changed from the last time you visited either Alfheim or Darokin or Alphatia or the Empire of the Ghouls or the Shires of Yluaram. What do you mean? You've never heard of the Shires of Yluaram?