Quote from: MacAndrew;582623As another potential customer - How good is it for statting up new timelord characters? I remember reading somewhere that the game is designed to be run as either The Doctor + Companions or Humans only.

No idea where you heard that. The system fully supports the game with a group of Timelords, a new Timelord + companions, a UNIT group, etc.

QuoteAlso, how does it deal with gadgetary?

The rules seem simple & effective. Gadgets have their own "Gadget Traits", and can even hold their own "Story Points". The game outlines quite a few gadgets from the new series, everything from the sonic screwdriver to Jack's vortex manipulater wristband, and it has rules for characters building their own gadgets, I haven't playtesed the rules, but they seem solid enough.

Quote from: TristramEvans;582633No idea where you heard that. The system fully supports the game with a group of Timelords, a new Timelord + companions, a UNIT group, etc.

Must've dreamt it

Quote from: TristramEvans;582633The rules seem simple & effective. Gadgets have their own "Gadget Traits", and can even hold their own "Story Points". The game outlines quite a few gadgets from the new series, everything from the sonic screwdriver to Jack's vortex manipulater wristband, and it has rules for characters building their own gadgets, I haven't playtesed the rules, but they seem solid enough.

Sounds pretty good. Thanks!

The hard part is managing the Story Point economy. And while more experienced characters get fewer SP, I've found it's a moot point when you have a good roleplayer with high earning potential in such a role.

In all, the system is very FATE-like, with many of the same problems and solutions.

Quote from: chaosvoyager;582674The hard part is managing the Story Point economy. And while more experienced characters get fewer SP, I've found it's a moot point when you have a good roleplayer with high earning potential in such a role.

In all, the system is very FATE-like, with many of the same problems and solutions.

What the heck is "managing a story point economy" ?

Can't you just play and let the story tell itself?

Quote from: Bill;582677What the heck is "managing a story point economy" ?

Can't you just play and let the story tell itself?

Story Points are the fate/drama mechanic resource pool. More powerful characters (Time Lords, for example) get very few, while normal humans (Companions, for example) get a lot.

The 11th Doctor has 8 to start with, while Amy Pond has 12.

You can earn them through being heroic, acting on a bad trait or allowing it to affect you, or when the GM basically hands you some in return for losing control of your character (like if a squad of soldiers run into the room with laser rifles drawn and the GM just says "You're taken to a holding cell," continuing the scenario from there, rather than playing out what might be an awful and unnecessary combat scene).

You can also lose them for killing in cold blood, or killing when it can be avoided.

You can spend them to:

- Beg a clue from the GM when stumped
- Add 2d6 to the dice pool for a roll
- Shift the outcome of a roll by one or more degrees
- Remove damage
- Control the narrative in a significant fashion (the example they use is the fates the 10th Doctor inflicts on the Family of Blood)
- Affect the narrative in lesser fashion
- Expand the capability of gadgets or items
- Exhibit a previously undisclosed- and undefined skill
- Give to other players to help them out

These are pretty powerful tools, and a GM who isn't careful with how they're dispensed can end up with a game where the players face no challenge, or where one player is constantly outshining the others by earning them through heroism or invoking bad traits.  

So yeah. While "managing a story point economy" is a sort of dry or mechanical way to describe it, it does take some attention for the GM to make sure that Story Points aren't being abused, that there are enough in play for the players to succeed at difficult tasks, and that all of the players are feeling like they're able to spend and earn them on an equal footing.

great hellboy writeup, TE :hatsoff:

Quote from: Ladybird;582454Also has some great initiative mechanics

You're welcome.

RPGPundit

Has luck would have it I played the new Dr Who for the first time tonight.  As I played on the the pregens from out of the box and scenario turned out to be interaction heavy with very few dice rolls call though out the game (we didn't have any combat at all), I don't feel I've given the mechanics a real test. But they seem pretty sound and intuitive to me.

The adventure itself featured two companions only. It was one of those Cthulhu inspired sort of Dr Who adventures about a quaint village with dark secret involving druids, standing stones and cosmic events; you know the kind. As it was set in the 1970s Britain and I picked the "musician" template I decide on a whim to play a young Rick Wakeman, sort of like people might play historical figures other games set in the past (okay let's be hinest, the GM dared me to!). I played him like a total New Age stoner, which I imagine isn't probably that far from the truth. But on the positive side that him very open to accept all the weird things going on in the village and I even found a musical solution to the adventure.

We laughed a lot.

Quote from: beeber;582766great hellboy writeup, TE :hatsoff:

Thanks, I've got an Abe somewhere around here to...

ah, here we go



AWARENESS: 5
COORDINATION: 4 (6 in water)
INGENUITY: 5
PRESENCE: 3
RESOLVE: 3
STRENGTH: 3

TRAITS:
Amnesia (Major Bad Trait)
Brave (Minor Good Trait)
Code of Conduct (Minor Bad Trait)
Dependency (Water, Minor Bad Trait) Abe must completely submerse in water every few days or he weakens and beomes sick (-1 to Strength every day after the second, cumulative).
Distinctive (Minor Bad Trait) Abe often wears a rudimentary disguise in public (fedora, glasses, fake mustache & trenchcoat)
Empathy (Minor Good Trait)
Experienced (Special Good Trait)
Fast Healing (Special Good Trait, Limitation-only in water)
Friends (BPRD Contacts - Major Good Trait)
Immunity (Cold, Special Good Trait) Abe's body temperature can easily adapt to the extreme temperatures below the waves.
Last of My Kind (Ichthyo-Sapien, Minor Bad Trait)
Obligation (BPRD - Major Bad Trait)
Tough (Minor Good Trait)
Weakness (Fire, Minor Bad Trait)

Special-Amphibious This Trait provides Abe with the ability to survive indefinitely underwater (at least as far as breathing goes), adds a +2 bonus to his Coordination in the water, and provides Abe with the following additional Traits while underwater: Keen Senses, Quick Reflexes, and Sense of Direction.

Special-Night Vision Abe can see in very dark conditions, such as deep below the ocean tides.

SKILLS:
Athletics: 5 (Swimming); Craft: 2; Fighting: 4; Knowledge: 4 (The Occult & Paranormal); Marksman: 4; Subterfuge: 3; Survival 5 (Underwater)

* - As per Hellboy, this profile of Abe reflects the character before any of his origin is revealed, so no mention of Langdon Everett Caul or any suggestions that Abe might be immortal.

Well, as you can see its a pretty flexible system.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;583321Well, as you can see its a pretty flexible system.

RPGPundit

Yeah, I think it will replace BESM 2e as my go-to "light crunch" adventure system.

Quote from: TristramEvans;583323Yeah, I think it will replace BESM 2e as my go-to "light crunch" adventure system.

"light crunch" is a good way to describe it, and its interesting how the system really is functional beyond just the Doctor Who genre.

RPGPundit

Quote from: jdurall;582715Story Points are the fate/drama mechanic resource pool.

I can't stand that sort of metagaming game mechanics. I realize many people love it, but anything those 'points' do can happen in a game without the extra mechanic.

When a gm points at a player and says 'Hero Point' I feel actual pain.

Can't the heroic action stand on its own? I care about what's happening in the game not minigame/metagame mechanics.


Rant over.

We've played a few sessions. We've had no issues with the rules (which are pretty much light and unobtrusive), and the character gen worked well. I wanted to play an alien, and what I ended up with was just right - a character that could do the things I wanted from the species, without being over/under-powered.

One of the authors ran a demo for me, and I love it. It is very much like Cinematic Unisystem, but with several positive refinements. (I prefer the 2d6 vs. 1d10, for example.)

Also, the books are gorgeous. Not that that affects play. But still.