Timelord

I've been thinking about a Doctor Who RPG for a while, one that stays true to the spirit of the series, rather than a piece of generic rubbish with a Doctor Who veneer glossed over the surface.

So, when I found this link I was interested.

I don't know if it's the first Doctor Who RPG, or if it's just an early one, but the fact that it's now freely downloadable for personal use makes it a great starting point for exploring systems and settings within the universe of our favourite Gallefreyan.

I haven't thoroughly delved into it yet (or the free expansion), but I plan to shortly.

Perhaps there will be a time travelling FUBAR expansion on its way.

Comments

Siskoid said…
Timelord is the second Who RPG, and is from the early 90s. It's alright and as you say, it's free.

The previous game, FASA's, was based on their Star Trek RPG and much too crunchy as far as combat went, also pushing a Celestial Time Agency paradigm that wasn't really like Doctor Who.

For my money, Cubicle 7's recent Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space is the best at recreating the show's tropes and atmosphere. It smoothly makes talking, running and acting take initiative precedence over combat. It's got action resolution that allows for "no and" "no but" "yes but" and "yes and" effects that models cliffhangers, sudden turns and moments of almost unbelievable success rather well. It balances Time Lord and Companion usefulness. It uses Story Points to further make its point. It has a fun idea regarding Companions leaving the game as a sort of delayed death effect (three strikes and you want to be put off the ship). It treats Dalek gun arms and other weapons as they should be, "Lethal" rather than dolling out random damage. It's incredibly easy to learn and use.

The clear winner, especially for someone interested in modeling certain realities through game engines.
Sunday, 03 July, 2011
Vulpinoid said…
Thanks for that background info, and also for the insight into the new Doctor Who game. I've been meaning to pick up a copy of it, but life has thrown more important things in my way to spend money on (No new gaming books this year, and I think only one last year).
Sunday, 03 July, 2011
Siskoid said…
A new 11th Doctor re-issue is about to come out, so that might make a good jumping on point (same content, different look).
Sunday, 03 July, 2011
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