Have you heard? It's coming out in October! Details are sketchy, and Shag is legally bound to hold out on us aside from the fact that he play-tested it. We know it's a boxed set that contains a Gamemaster's guide, Player's guide, an adventure, character sheets, quick start rules, pre-generated characters as well as tokens and dice for around 60 bucks, but we know very little else [Edit: Hero Press knows a little more].
The real question is: What do *I* want from this game? I own copies of the last two iterations, FASA's and the Timelord game, neither of which I found very satisfying. FASA's CIA (Celestial Intervention Agency) was an ok way to open up the setting, but the rules copied from their Star Trek game never captured Who adequately. In Timelord's case, there wasn't much of a chargen system in the book, or even an opening up of the world, basically assuming you'd play the Doctor or one of his established companions. There were some fun skills though, like bench-thumping and screaming. So the first was a practical RPG, but didn't capture the flavor. The second was the opposite.
So here's my wish list for New Who RPG:
1. Must open up the world, which won't be easy with the Time War reducing the number of TARDISes and Time Lords to one. Either it didn't happen or we're before it does. It'd be kinda cool if they published an adventure that sent you to the Time War, wiping out all Time Lords but your own (then again, making new characters can be tough). Another possibility is using the fobwatch trick.
2. Must balance Time Lords and Companions. Not everyone can play a Time Lord, not if the flavor of the show is to be respected. One way to do this is to give all the Companions the "drama". They give the Time Lord a reason to care, unerringly lead it to the villain with their "getting into trouble" skill, say exactly the right thing for the Time Lord's intuition to kick in, etc. And they should be able to do so mechanically. New Who has done a good job of giving Companions "stuff to do", so playing Companion should be a lot more palatable now. Which brings me to...
3. It must cater to Classic Who. A true Doctor Who game can't just have the Eccleston/Tennant material, it should give fans of the Classic series the chance to use the old monsters, the more relaxed UNIT, Gallifrey itself, etc. Supplements could later allow you to run Torchwood, UNIT or Sarah Jane stories.
4. Easy, anything goes-style rules. Not only does the Doctor's popularity offer a chance to initiate non-gamers to the wild world of tabletop RPGs, but it should feel like the show, where solutions can be grabbed out of thin air. Bafflegab (the UK version of technobabble) should be a skill that makes things happen, dammit!
5. Support. For fans, a book of Friends & Foes would be great, even if "Friends" are rarely very useful except as examples of how to make characters, but I'd love for the game to be supported by published adventures. Not only do these help make the game a good introductory one, but could be really fun thanks to the breadth of possible settings.
So that's the long and short of it. If it manages to do all these things, it'll be a well-spent 60$. What would YOU like to see in a Doctor Who RPG?
The real question is: What do *I* want from this game? I own copies of the last two iterations, FASA's and the Timelord game, neither of which I found very satisfying. FASA's CIA (Celestial Intervention Agency) was an ok way to open up the setting, but the rules copied from their Star Trek game never captured Who adequately. In Timelord's case, there wasn't much of a chargen system in the book, or even an opening up of the world, basically assuming you'd play the Doctor or one of his established companions. There were some fun skills though, like bench-thumping and screaming. So the first was a practical RPG, but didn't capture the flavor. The second was the opposite.So here's my wish list for New Who RPG:
1. Must open up the world, which won't be easy with the Time War reducing the number of TARDISes and Time Lords to one. Either it didn't happen or we're before it does. It'd be kinda cool if they published an adventure that sent you to the Time War, wiping out all Time Lords but your own (then again, making new characters can be tough). Another possibility is using the fobwatch trick.
2. Must balance Time Lords and Companions. Not everyone can play a Time Lord, not if the flavor of the show is to be respected. One way to do this is to give all the Companions the "drama". They give the Time Lord a reason to care, unerringly lead it to the villain with their "getting into trouble" skill, say exactly the right thing for the Time Lord's intuition to kick in, etc. And they should be able to do so mechanically. New Who has done a good job of giving Companions "stuff to do", so playing Companion should be a lot more palatable now. Which brings me to...
3. It must cater to Classic Who. A true Doctor Who game can't just have the Eccleston/Tennant material, it should give fans of the Classic series the chance to use the old monsters, the more relaxed UNIT, Gallifrey itself, etc. Supplements could later allow you to run Torchwood, UNIT or Sarah Jane stories.
4. Easy, anything goes-style rules. Not only does the Doctor's popularity offer a chance to initiate non-gamers to the wild world of tabletop RPGs, but it should feel like the show, where solutions can be grabbed out of thin air. Bafflegab (the UK version of technobabble) should be a skill that makes things happen, dammit!
5. Support. For fans, a book of Friends & Foes would be great, even if "Friends" are rarely very useful except as examples of how to make characters, but I'd love for the game to be supported by published adventures. Not only do these help make the game a good introductory one, but could be really fun thanks to the breadth of possible settings.
So that's the long and short of it. If it manages to do all these things, it'll be a well-spent 60$. What would YOU like to see in a Doctor Who RPG?
Comments
I'm pretty much with you on the wish list (and the feelings about the two previous Doctor Who RPGs), however I strongly believe you are going to be disappointed if you're expecting 'official' material for the Classic Era.
I'm pretty positive that Cubicle 7's license is purely for the new Who and not the pre-RTD old stuff. I think that'll be up to the fans to develop for themselves.
Like you I'm intrigued about the in-game set-up to introduce players to the universe - will a player's Time Lord be the only one left (instead of The Doctor); will it be "parallel universes"; will the Time War be side stepped totally?
The question you raise is probably the most significant when it comes to even imagining the game.
A UNIT team
A group sponsored by "private" individuals with an interest in ETs and the like.
Alternative time travellers. - With the timelords gone someone's going to have to look after the Universe...
Just a couple of thoughts for you! ;o)
So I'd really like to see the actual format of the series modelled.
I wonder what the developers consider to be their sources. RPGs often have to go beyond the televised canon.
When I play this (and I will), I'll probably convert some BF audios into adventures, then lend it to the players so they can compare their Time Lord to the Doctor. Done this for James Bond games and we've always enjoyed watching the film afterward and shouting "that's what *I* did!" "That's me!" etc.
Except I probably don't have to worry about players having already heard them.
I also wanted to share my love for the FASA and Timelord games. I think it's fair to say that regardless of the system, you really need a GM that understands Doctor Who and role-playing. Otherwise it will be a disappointing experience, regardless of the system.
The Irredeemable Shag
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