Doctor Who?

[okumarts]

Any people thinking of running a Doctor Who campaign in Traveller? I'm new here, but not to Traveller so there may be something out there already that I haven't found with my google-fu.

[jaz0nj4ckal]

My group is in the process of converting the old FASA Doctor Who to Traveller rule set. It is slow going because we are trying to keep the feel and look of the old 60-80’s genre. So you might want to look into the older FASA system or use an ad-hoc system.

Over the weekend I watched Day of the Daleks and Genesis of the Daleks. While watching I penned a few stats down of the creatures and characters from the episodes, so I might have a few stats to put up soon for you.

[Reynard]

How many terms of service does a 900 year old man have?

[jaz0nj4ckal]

How many terms of service does a 900 year old man have?

That is a good one!!! ++smiles++

[Captain Jonah]

15. That’s when he automatically fails his Time Lord career re-enlistment rolls.

That’s also about the time the Time Lords kicked him out, he stole a half working TARDIS and now flies the time lines as an Adventurer.

Of course he is Jack of all Trades 4 so the other skills are not so important

[jaz0nj4ckal]

We have to come up with stats and rules for his trusty friend the Sonic Screwdriver. In addition to the +4 Intelligence Jelly Baby candy.

[jaz0nj4ckal]

Oh...my fault...how could I forgotten K9....

"Good boy K9!!!!"

[locarno24]

In addition to the +4 Intelligence Jelly Baby candy.

+4 Persuade, surely? Have a Jelly Baby.

[steelbrok]

How many terms of service does a 900 year old man have?

He only gets to roll terms for his current regeneration

[jaz0nj4ckal]

How many terms of service does a 900 year old man have?

He only gets to roll terms for his current regeneration

Hey...that is not a bad idea...

[Old timer]

There are rules in Psion book 4 for time travel, and a selection of careers that might fight the doctor.
Reckon the sonic screwdriver would give +2 to most skill rolls.

[Captain Jonah]

How many terms of service does a 900 year old man have?

He only gets to roll terms for his current regeneration

He wakes after regeneration with many of his skills intact. He seems to lose some along with the old personality and then gains new ones.

Perhaps he has a core of Terms in the time lord and drifter careers plus a big JoaT then has a floating nuimber of terms that relate to his current Incarnation.

For example he could be a permanent Time Lord 6 terms, Drifter 2 Terms, Scientist 2 Terms. Then he gains 1-5 terms for each incarnation which are lost when he changes.

Immediately after he reincarnates he is extremely capable. Its not like he starts from scratch each time.

[Reynard]

As for companions, they can have *maybe* a few terms in ANY career and are more about roleplaying than being very good skillwise. I'm not putting down companions but reflecting their role in the Dr Who universe, Captain Jack being the big exception. It's still worth playing the companion because the universe is dangerous and challenging. Things get too tough and the Doctor saves your bacon.

[jaz0nj4ckal]

I would handle Dr. Who as a NPC, which leads the party around on crazy adventures, so his term and level is really not important. In addition, the character can be used as a wild card to get the party out of sticky places of trouble.

[Captain Jonah]

You could theme it more as a Torchwood type thing. A team of slightly normal people who have met one of the Doctors in the past but deal with Doctor Who type problems.

Several of the current batch of companions have been doing things when they met the doctor. Or re met the doctor.

The Doctor could be a visiting NPC, who pops in from time to time or is that last desperate help for when you are about to get the planet blown up.

Unit, Torchwood, Captain Jack on his own, the Alternate Mickey (the time travelling commando type from the alternate verse)or the Sarah Jane Adventures (may she rest in peace).

No reason why a Doctor Who adventure must be locked into following the Doctor round all the time, there seem to be alien visitors all over the place, enough star ships to hitch hike across the universe, other people who can time travel etc.

It could be that the new players starting adventure is when they are caught up in an adventure with the Doctor, they meet him and each other and have a crazy adventure through space and time. Then they are returned home.

Thing is now they know there is more out there it’s as if the veil has been pulled aside, now they can see what other people ignore or rationalise away. Several episodes have had people who know what the doctor was in them. The players now know the truth, they know that shooting star is an alien ship coming down to land, they read the stories in the paper and they know that those monster attacks everyone laughs about could be true.

So do they sit at home and worry or do they go and investigate for themselves.

Doctor Who is an entire verse, a Doctor Who game can be far more than just a trip in the Tardis and following the Doctor around.

[jaz0nj4ckal]

I have not seen Torchwood, but I will check it out as soon as possible. Thanks for mentioning it.

[IanBruntlett]

I have not seen Torchwood, but I will check it out as soon as possible. Thanks for mentioning it.

When the BBC were working on the recent Dr Who's, they had to send stuff through the post. Stuff with "Dr Who : BBC Wales" was viewed as something that might disappear en route. So they used an anagram - of Doctor Who - Torchwood. Whilst it is a spin-off, I think it is target at a more mature audience than Dr Who. Much in the same way as "The Sarah Jane adventures" are aimed at a younger audience.

[Reynard]

I like the concept of the Doctor as a plot device driving adventurres rather than being a player character. No sense giving him actual careers or terms of service. Even today his actual background and abilities are a mystery to show watchers. Give him a high JoaT and treat it as the scriptwriters' perogative. His stats are nothing too unusual except probably INT and EDU though his END may be a little better than average the way he gets thumps and recovers some time soon. STR, DEX and SOC are dead on normal.

The Doctor's job in a campaign or even just a few scenarios is to drag the players into bouts of individual or interconnected adventures filled with robots, strange aliens and lfe form and weird happenings culminating in his closing the door to that unusual blue box and disappearing. He'll be there to point the way when the GM wishes players go a certain way or rescue players only if something get far too difficult be never runs the show. At points he may go walking off leaving the players to seize the moment then reappear bring new troubles with him.

Best watch as many episodes, old and new and think from the companions' perspective.

[Rusty_Unycorn]

Dr. Who meets... The Third Imperium...
Ok, that one would be odd.

[Reynard]

Really? Consitering the human civilizations he's encountered all through past, present and future and how most adventures don't focus on the bigger picture, the 3rd Imperium, with it's myriad of world government types,seems so... Whoish.