Which kind of campaign:
One where the Doctor is played by the GM?
One where the Doctor is played by a single player?
One where the Doctor is rotated among players?
One where there's a timelord but its not the doctor?
One where there is no timelord?
RPGPundit
What about a game where everyone is a Timelord? Yeah!
Otherwise, I like the rotation idea. With everyone getting a chance to play allies of the doctor and then eventually the doctor.
Quote from: PaladinCA;359286What about a game where everyone is a Timelord? Yeah!
This is pretty much the option that I chose. In fact, if all goes well, I'll finally be starting the game tonight. The two for-sure players both wanted Doctor-level characters, but I wasn't particularly comfortable with anyone (myself included) playing The Doctor himself. My solution:
Jenny - The genetic facsimile of the 10th Doctor from the episode "The Doctor's Daughter". Fully Gallifreyan, though perhaps not fully "Timelord".
Thorne - Son of Rose Tyler and the Human Metacrisis Doctor, born in "Pete's World". Three-quarters human, one-quarter Gallifreyan.
A possible third player has chosen:
The Arborist - A 100,000-year-old human immortal, who may (or may not) be Za, a "caveman" encountered by the 1st Doctor and his granddaughter Susan in the very first series.
Two out of three players fancied the notion of playing The Doctor, but didn't want to play The Doctor himself, and were happy with competing versions. The third player was okay with being a very high-level companion, something akin to Captain Jack. Everyone wanted a tangible connection to The Doctor, though.
An added benefit of not having The Doctor not actively in play as a player character is that I have the option of having him appear as an NPC in
any of his incarnations.
!i!
One where the Doctor is played by the GM or one where there's a timelord but its not the doctor.
The Doctor knows a lot about everything. I think players can't handle it.
Another timelord, played by the GM would be interesting. Perhaps a darker timelord than the Doctor. Perhaps the Master.
Quote from: RPGPundit;359281One where there's a timelord but its not the doctor?
This. I've never liked rpgs where the players are expected to take on actual pre-existing characters (as opposed to transparent rip-offs of pre-existing characters, but at least in that case there's potential for the character to eventually grow and change into something else).
All (or mostly) Timelords (akin to how I approach Star Wars) or rotating. Dr. Who himself as at most an occasional NPC.
That or UNIT in alt.60s meets Tohoverse / Quatermass goodness. With either NO Timelords or they show up like at the end of the First Age in Tolkein. The bastards. Never there beforehand Oh No. And then they gotta muck about and show off.
I'd go for a different Timelord, to avoid watching bad characterizations of the Doctors.
Also, I'd probably start far away from Earth, in one of the various space opera settings from the old show.
Quote from: Ian Absentia;359300A possible third player has chosen:
The Arborist - A 100,000-year-old human immortal, who may (or may not) be Za, a "caveman" encountered by the 1st Doctor and his granddaughter Susan in the very first series.
Wow! Tribe of Gum FTW!!
Quote from: RPGPundit;359281Which kind of campaign:
One where the Doctor is played by the GM?
One where the Doctor is played by a single player?
One where the Doctor is rotated among players?
One where there's a timelord but its not the doctor?
One where there is no timelord?
RPGPundit
My preference is for a campaign where there is a Time Lord but it isn't The Doctor.
Allen
"One where there's a timelord but its not the doctor" is the only game type I have ever tried, neither attempt really worked, but not because of Timelord issues.
Quote from: TAFMSV;359380Also, I'd probably start far away from Earth, in one of the various space opera settings from the old show.
I rather liked the Human empires and such Pertwee ran into once he finally got off of Earth. They've been continued in later doctors, but the ones from his episodes are the one I remember the most. Draconians were neat too.
My preference would be for a game with a single Timelord who isn't the Doctor and play of him/her rotates between adventures. Each player would run a different regeneration of the Timelord and would have a stable of companions they would choose from when not playing the their regeneration.
Quote from: Ian Absentia;359300Thorne - Son of Rose Tyler and the Human Metacrisis Doctor, born in "Pete's World". Three-quarters human, one-quarter Gallifreyan.
That sounds like such motherfucking godawful fanfic-wankery, right down to the character's crappy name.
RPGPundit
Quote from: RPGPundit;359425That sounds like such motherfucking godawful fanfic-wankery, right down to the character's crappy name.
Welcome to the world of roleplaying games, asshole.
!i!
Quote from: RPGPundit;359425That sounds like such motherfucking godawful fanfic-wankery, right down to the character's crappy name.
RPGPundit
You must really dislike Ian, to take a meaningless shot like this. What the hell does this even mean ? You are weird.
Regards,
David R
Quote from: Ian Absentia;359428Welcome to the world of roleplaying games, asshole.
Aw, don't mind him - he just needs his diaper changed and a nap.
Seanchai
Oh, and about the OP, I'd rather there be no Time Lord. It's hard to re-create the Doctor and Companions tend to be mechanically boring or appendage like around Time Lords. 'Course, I haven't read the latest incarnation of the rules, so maybe that's changed. Still, we were happiest with our Torchwood game.
Seanchai
I chalk it up to Tourette's. Funnily enough, he doesn't have a problem with "Jenny", whose name is a pun on "genetic anomaly", or that she's The Doctor's "daughter".
Say, Pundy, do you have a problem in your
Amber game if players come up with new Amberite offspring? Or your LSH game if players come up with the younger brother of an established hero? I ask for two reasons:
- There are published precedents in both series for just this sort of thing.
- Basing a roleplaying game on a popular licensed property allows, and even encourages just this sort of thing.
RPGs set in established literary settings
are fan-fic wankery from the outset, you moron. You of all people should know this with your LSH/Doctor Who cross-over action where your two favorite Mary Sues engage in
intellectual slash/fic (http://www.therpgsite.com/showpost.php?p=352021&postcount=11) on each other.
!i!
Quote from: RPGPundit;359281Which kind of campaign:
One where the Doctor is played by the GM?
One where the Doctor is played by a single player?
One where the Doctor is rotated among players?
One where there's a timelord but its not the doctor?
None of the above interest me.
Quote from: RPGPundit;359281One where there is no timelord?
This could be a possibility. However, without a timelord then it really isn't a Doctor Who campaign, is it?
Quote from: jeff37923;359445This could be a possibility. However, without a timelord then it really isn't a Doctor Who campaign, is it?
A
Torchwood campaign, or maybe a UNIT game. I think Seanchai and Casey777 have the right of it here. It's certainly the option that's most free of constraints.
!i!
Quote from: Ian Absentia;359451A Torchwood campaign, or maybe a UNIT game. I think Seanchai and Casey777 have the right of it here. It's certainly the option that's most free of constraints.
!i!
OK, I could see that working for Players.
Quote from: Ian Absentia;359451A Torchwood campaign, or maybe a UNIT game.
I'm salivating for the UNIT materials that are on the horizon.
Quote from: Ian Absentia;359451It's certainly the option that's most free of constraints.
Yeah. Unless you've got a player who can pull off a Doctor-like character most of the time, it becomes, in my opinion, more of a hindrance to the game than anything else.
Seanchai
I'd rather play something like 'Sapphire and Steel'... widened to a more cosmic setting. So I guess that means everyone is playing a Timelord... or something similar.
Quote from: jeff37923;359445This could be a possibility. However, without a timelord then it really isn't a Doctor Who campaign, is it?
More a Dr. Who 'verse campaign. I've run an American Torchwood campaign using CoC that was rather fun while it lasted. Updated XFiles & Delta Green vs. Dr. Who Aliens (Salurians and Sea Devils in Innsmouth). Threw in the time clock from Lovecraft but didn't get a chance to use it, had planned to do some time travelling to the '60s and before.
If you remember the New Adventures (?) series by Virgin Books, they typically focused on companions' adventures. That would work for the space stuff, or just be members of one of those empires doing their thing.
I was thinking about this the other day when I heard about the release of a dr who rpg. I think i would want some sort of structure where each session is largely self-contained. each session all the players together generate a situation and threat, perhaps including some element of randomization. then the doctor/gm has to resolve the problem and all the other players take on roles of natives to the situation and provide twists and complications. if the doctor/gm fails to resolve the threat, then the doctor has to regenerate and the role of doctor passes to a different player.
Quote from: Simlasa;359464I'd rather play something like 'Sapphire and Steel'... widened to a more cosmic setting. So I guess that means everyone is playing a Timelord... or something similar.
I've been trying to get a
Saphire & Steel campaign of the ground using
Nobillis for some time now. It's been difficult. The fact that I have no real idea what
S&S is about, doesn't help.
Regards,
David R
Quote from: David R;359608I've been trying to get a Saphire & Steel campaign of the ground using Nobillis for some time now. It's been difficult. The fact that I have no real idea what S&S is about, doesn't help.
Regards,
David R
Last I looked the entire TV series was up on UTube. The radio shows are cool too...
One distinctive thing about Sapphire and Steel is that, unlike Dr. Who, they really don't care all that much about the fates of individual humans... they don't hesitate to use humans as bait and won't bother to save anyone if it doesn't further their mission.
Sapphire seems softer but it's more because of her function as liason than a heartfelt concern.
The Whispering Vault has a great S&S feel to it... if you can look past all the Hellraiser trappings.
Quote from: Simlasa;359464I'd rather play something like 'Sapphire and Steel'... widened to a more cosmic setting. So I guess that means everyone is playing a Timelord... or something similar.
They could play whatever Cap'n Jack was supposed to be when 1st intro'd. A time agent somethingorother but not a Time Lord. Though workaday flunky Time Lord work could be like that show. Or just keep 'em mysterious like in the show? As for the "enroaching Time corridor" bit, perhaps the Time War between the Daleks and the Time Lords is really shaking up the 'verse and time's fragmenting and flowing all over the place. The party's agents sent to patch things up, on a world or a sector of space.
And WTF wasn't I aware of this show until now? David McCallum and Joanna Lumley in a show like this? Yes please! I still think Lumley would make a good female Dr. Who or at the least a Time Lord.
Sapphire & Steel Overview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu-p-g4jNDA) :hmm:
I'm also getting vibes of the time traveller guy from Star Trek TOS (Assignment: Earth) when they visit 1960's earth.
Quote from: Simlasa;359652Sapphire seems softer but it's more because of her function as liason than a heartfelt concern.
Here's a rather cool example of that, where she explains time, hinting at it's nemesis role :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHdseqqdZgo&feature=related
And of course, the really cool into :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gjHmEUiaxo&feature=related
QuoteThe Whispering Vault has a great S&S feel to it... if you can look past all the Hellraiser trappings.
I really dig
WV but I don't really get the
S&S vibe from it. I mean capturing beasties and returning them to the
Vault is cool and all, but
S&S seemed a lot more sinister and unexplainable even though they were capturing or restoring
some things to their natural order....I think.
Regards,
David R
It might be because I first sought out Sapphire and Steel because of someone referencing it on a Whispering Vault thread... so when I watched it I was looking for the parallels.
The Stalkers in Whispering Vault do more than just capture and return though... it's not spelled out as thoroughly but there are mentions of other roles they play... such as the Warden campaigns where they set up watch in an area of time/space (kinda like Buffy with the Hellmouth...). There are also the Stalkers who have judged the Unbidden and set them free.
S&S probably seems more 'sinister and unexplainable' because it doesn't have a line of RPG books to lay the whole background out in black and white.
Dr. Who would seem much weirder if he didn't have non-timelord companions to keep his explanations flowing.
This is all very interesting, I'm going to have to consider my options. I may consider the possibility of doing a rotating GM spot, though I don't know how well that'd turn out with this group.
RPGPundit
The Dr. Who game I played long ago (think it was #3) had a good character generation system.
Players could create TimeLords or Companions. Both were built on the same approximate number of skill and attribute points. So while your Timelord had all those cool skills and abilities, your companions could be pretty butch in their own areas. The rules stated you didn't have to spend all your points, which was good for people who wanted to play "everyday people" as companions.
While they listed the first few doctor's infos and implied some stats, you were suggested to be your own groups and doctors. This, in play, seemed to work best. It saved you the hassle of rotating The Dr. or fighting over who got to be Who.