For a while now, but especially since the recent reboot, I have been a Doctor Who fan. I only caught random episodes on PBS as a kid (primarily Tom Baker/Doctor 4 episodes), then quickly became hooked during the Christopher Eccleston run, and rabid fanboy afterDavid Tennant came onboard.
Cubicle 7 is not the first to tackle a Doctor Who RPG. I played one at a convention years ago, taking the role of the Doctor while the others played various companions. I remember my techno-babble being exceptional. However, Cubicle 7 has created a version clearly aimed at a broader audience than those who would normally play an RPG. First, it’s a boxed set, containing everything you need to get playing (though I only have the PDFs, so I need to supply my own d6s.) Second, everything is separated by role: there’s a player’s guide and a gamemaster’s guide, and there’s nothing needed that requires you to read the other role’s book. Finally, the text tries to be a helpful to new players as possible, though never to the point of being condescending to the reader.
This is a first impression based on a read-through of all the PDFs of books included in the boxed set, provided as a review copy from the company.
Bigger on the Inside than the Outside
Included in my PDF bundle is:
- Player’s Guide, which includes all the rules needed for players, and most of the “how to play an RPG” type content.
- Gamemaster’s Guide, which includes all the rules needed for GMs (including those already included in the Player’s Guide), advice on running the game, and story/universe information (including a big section on time travel.)
- Adventures Book, which includes two complete adventures and then many pages of adventure seeds and suggestions.
- Various other sheets, including pre-generated PCs for the main characters, blank character sheets, example gadgets, and a “Read This First” introduction sheet.
All of the books are well laid out and very flashy. This is clearly a Licensed Product- it is filled with images exclusively from the Tennant run, and a style that matches the show’s graphics. I caught no spelling or grammatical errors on my read-through, a refreshing change from so many products nowadays… though they do continue the trend of leaving out an index (sigh.)
Allons-y!
The system is this: roll 2d6, add some numbers, try to beat a target number set by the GM, success or failure determined by degree against that target number. Nothing ground-breaking that experienced RPG players haven’t seen before, simple enough for most players. Character creation is point buy, involving core attributes, skills, and traits, all focused on being able to make Who-style characters, though not necessarily able to make ANY character, as some more generic systems would do.
The trade-off between making powerful characters like the Doctor and more ordinary characters like his companions are in Story Points. Story Points are used like bennies/action points/etc. from other games, allowing more control over the story (and survival.) The best part of this mechanic is the amount of ways suggested to us and gain them, both in the story point chapter and sprinkled throughout the text.
My favorite part of the rules is how the version of initiative works. Instead of all actions being equal, a round moves in: Talkers, Movers, Doers, then Fighters. Thus, conflicts tend to play out to give plenty of opportunities built in to avoid just raw fighting… often as it works in the show.
Big Ball of Timey-Wimey Stuff
You also get various things to help you run the game: a run-down of many of the aliens that have shown up in the new Doctor Who episodes, some rules for time travel, Time Lord technology, and a few other touches on how to structure adventures. There isn’t much of a focus on a lot of the backstory of the “Who-verse”- for example, I didn’t find a section on the Shadow Proclamation- instead focusing on running the standard story model of show up at an interesting place and time and have stuff happen. The exception is the references to UNIT and Torchwood as potential adventuring groups, which makes sense.
Overall, I think Cubicle 7 did a great job on making a fantastic product and the perfect jumping-on point for the new or experienced RPG fan who is also a Doctor Who fan (of the new series at least- only minor service is given to older shows.) The system is generic enough that it could have been done as a Savage Worlds supplement or something similar, and possibly could have be made something else with a more “indie-style” treatment… but this isn’t necessarily a complaint. The way it’s all put together makes it a very strong treatment that fans will love. Plus, any RPG that features rules for jiggery-pokery and timey-wimey balls automatically gets some props.
I’d like to see a Doctor Who MMORPG game myself 😉