Diary of the Doctor Who Role-Playing Games, Issue
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COVERING ALL DOCTOR WHO RPGS The fanzine devoted to Doctor Who Gaming ISSUE # 20 „CURSE OF THE AMAORIAN SECTOR CHICAGO TARDIS 2012 CON„THE REPORT GHOSTS - GALLIFREY OF CASTLE 2013 CAMDEN‰ CON REPORTADVENTURE MODULE DOCTOR WHO CARD GAME REVIEW - GAMER ETIQUETTE 109 „GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTE NOT ALL WHO„SOME WANDER STARS BURNARE LOST OUT„ NOMADS ADVENTURE ARTICLE MODULE and MORE... ‰ ADVENTURE MODULE EXPANSION N‰ ADVENTURE MODULE 1 LOST DOCTOR WHO RPG MATERIALS DISCOVERED! EDITOR’S NOTES CONTENTS It’s been a while. A LONG while. But we’ve been hard at work. We know this issue has taken us a long EDITOR’S NOTES 2 time to get out to print, but… this is the issue that most REVIEW: Defending the Earth Supplement 3 editors dream of being able to share with their reader‐ REVIEW: Time Traveller’s Companion Supplement 4 ship—when you are able to present something that has REVIEW: Primeval RPG 6 never been known or seen before. For us here at REVIEW: The Doctor Who Card Game 7 DDWRPG, this issue comes as close to a “DISCOVERY OF Cubicle 7 Product News 8 MISSING DOCTOR WHO” that is possible within role‐ FASA Follow‐Up 10 playing circles. Just as exciting for us as discovering a lost INTERVIEW: Ray Winninger 17 episode of the television series, we are able to present to The Gallifrey Supplement 25 you content related to the FASA Doctor Who role‐playing The Lost FASA Doctor Who Adventure Modules 30 game that was unknown and thought lost forever. To say Notes for Players on FASA’s Doctor Who RPG 57 that our staff is excited about this would be an under‐ GM TIPS: The Terrible Power of “No” 61 statement. We really hope that you share this excite‐ Gamer Etiquette 109 62 ment with us and enjoy what we are able to present to Black Tree Doctor Who Miniatures Update 63 you. A special thanks needs to be given to Ross Babcock, Not All Who Wander Are Lost ‐ Nomads 64 the President of FASA, for his efforts in sharing this amaz‐ Some Things We Really Like 71 ing information with us. We also extend a special thanks MODULE: Curse of the Amaorian Sector Expansion 72 to Ray Wininger, one of the original FASA writers that we REVIEW: A History 86 interviewed in this issue, and who filled us in on even REVIEW: All Our Yesterdays 86 more information we never knew about the original Doc‐ Doctor Who Card Game Wins Origins Award 87 tor Who RPG. Providing historical information and docu‐ Gaming Seasons: The Hartnell Years 88 ments gives us amazing context to our whole hobby. MODULE: “The Ghost of Castle Camden“ 116 But this issue is not a FASA‐centric issue. We pre‐ MODULE: “Gone But Not Forgotten” 117 sent reviews and news of upcoming Cubicle 7 Doctor MODULE: “Some Stars Burn Out” 121 Who‐Adventures in Time and Space materials, as well as EVENT REPORT: Steampunk Shoot 128 adventure modules and more that can be used for which‐ EVENT REPORT: One Ring Goes Into Archive 130 ever Doctor Who RPG you prefer to play. EVENT REPORT: Barrowman Hollow Earth Tour 131 With excitement shared with you, EVENT REPORT: Steampunk Maker’s Fair 132 EVENT REPORT: Chicago TARDIS 2012 Con 133 ‐Nick “Zepo” Seidler [Editor, DDWRPG] EVENT REPORT: TeslaCon 3 143 EVENT REPORT: Gallifrey 24 Con 150 LIKE us on facebook to get updates on our fanzine: Start With the End in Mind 150 www.facebook.com/ddwrpg NPC FEATURE: Margaret Williams 162 Download our fanzine online at: GM TIPS: Special Equipment for Characters 166 http://homepages.bw.edu/~jcurtis/modules.htm Doctor Who Yahtzee 170 CARTOON: Xue Who 170 THANKS TO CONTRIBUTORS Ross Babcock, Steven Dieter, Lance Ducker, GAMER POLL: Best Doctor Who Miniature Game 171 Eric Fettig, Brody Haslup, Steve Hill, Robert Saint John, Jeff Johnson, Den‐ CARTOON: Our UNIT 171 nis Kytasaari, John Lavalie, Jeff Miller, Pete Murphy, Mark Anthony Quested, Neil Riebe, Chris Shaw, Siskoid, Ade Smith, and Ray Wininger. BACK COVER: Coming Next Issue 172 DIARY OF THE DOCTOR WHO ROLE-PLAYING GAMES - A DOCTOR WHO FANZINE is published by the Earthbound TimeLords © 2013. Issue #20 published 07 July 2013. The fanzine is published for the purpose of review and enhancement of the Doctor Who television program and its related Doctor Who role-playing games and is FREE. ‘Doctor Who’ and related photos are copyright to the BBC, and no infringement of their (or anyone else's) copyrights is intended. Articles are copyright of their respective authors. Support the BBC and the program. Contact the Earthbound TimeLords at [email protected] . Print Run is Electronic. This issue of the fanzine is dedicated to the editor’s friend Theresa from long ago who first introduced our editor to Doctor Who circa 1982. That was a life‐changing day and he has enjoyed and appreciated how it has affected his morality, imagination and love of learning ever since. Our hat is off to you Theresa, always. 2 REVIEW: DEFENDING THE EARTH: THE UNIT SOURCEBOOK SUPPLEMENT ••••• of ••••• DOCTOR WHO‐AiTS RPG SUPPLEMENT CUBICLE 7 (2012) ‐ PRODUCT #CB71104 ISBN 978‐1‐907204‐43‐2 MSRP £23.99 /$34.99 The second supplement for the Doctor Who‐Adventures in Time and Space role‐playing game has finally been released in print form. With the BBC allowing Cubicle 7 to release expansion supplements in book form (the set had originally even planned and even laid out as a box set), the long‐awaited Defending the Earth: The UNIT Sourcebook supplement has finally gone to print and been delivered to those who ordered it (it was first offered for order in 2010 by cubicle 7). For those that are curious, the set is definitely worth the wait! Inside the pages of the exquisitely bound and color printed hard‐ cover is a plethora of information that truly expands the Doctor Who gam‐ ing experience even more than the previous Aliens and Creatures box set did. What can gamers expect inside the cover of this 160 page book? The book begins with a history of UNIT that avoids the controversial UNIT dating con‐ troversy by simply describing certain on‐screen encounters rather than giving them concrete dates. Later in the history, the retconned “Mawdryn Undead” dating seems the order of the day as the Brigadier’s retirement and placement of modern UNIT stories are addressed and given specific dates. The book then gives us an overview of “Modern UNIT” as it is called. In this section, rules are presented for the creation of an operating “base”. Special rules, as well as traits (good and bad) for bases are presented, allowing GMs to create a center of operations for earthbound adventures that characters may be a part of. This section includes stats for UNIT vehicles (from jeeps, to tanks, to hovercraft). A small section of gadgets is included (surely these would have been gadget cards had the box set design stayed intact ) and more than enough information on UNIT as an organization and how it operates. One of the more interesting inclusions is a chapter of “UNIT Personnel”, which give stats for many of the UNIT members that have appeared on‐screen. Sadly this is very officer heavy rather than featuring NCOs or grunts (sorry, no CPL Bell). But the section is excellent for including various generic templates for UNIT characters, as well as presenting UNIT specific traits that can be used. The first stat for a non‐currently‐on‐TV Doctor is presented here (the Third Doctor) so we will see if Cubicle 7 stay consistent with their future releases. Also, a UNIT‐era Sarah Jane Smith stats are given, as well as the Doctor’s various companions related to UNIT (Liz Shaw, Jo Grant, Harry Sullivan). Perhaps the most exciting part of the supplement are the expanded combat rules that are in the book. For those who run more adventurous and combat‐oriented games, this supplement fleshes out the rules that one might have wished to see in the original game. Sure the supplement starts with the canned “guns are bad in Doc‐ tor Who” reminder, but then expanded rules on marksmanship and sniping, expanded weapons tables, expanded explosives rules, as well as rules on mass battles (using new “squad cards”) are presented. If you want a bit more action in your Doctor Who role‐playing experience, this supplement will help you out. The book ends with a section on covering up UNIT operations, a special section on gamemastering UNIT adventures, as well as two UNIT adventures (“Prison of the Slav‐ ers” and “Mind the Gap”) and numerous story seeds (that again would have been part of an adventures handout if it were a box set). Overall, this set takes the Doctor Who‐AiTS RPG and gives it the adult flair that experienced gamers wish would (or could?) have been included in the core set. In our estimation, it is an expansion that should not be missed. Even if one does not want to add action, vio‐ lence, or realism into one’s game, this supplement gives stats, informa‐ tion, and equipment that will enhance any Doctor Who RPG. A LOOK INSIDE THE HARDCOVER BOOK 5 out of 5 TARDISes. 3 REVIEW: THE TIME TRAVELLER’S COMPANION SUPPLEMENT ••••½ of ••••• DOCTOR WHO‐AiTS RPG SUPPLEMENT CUBICLE 7 (2012) ‐ PRODUCT #CB71103 ISBN 978‐1‐907204‐42‐5 MSRP £26.99 /$39.99 The most recent release, at least as an electronic PDF file, for the Doctor Who‐Adventures in Time and Space RPG is the long‐awaited supple‐ ment The Time Traveller’s Companion.