 Goto [ Index ] |
System and Substance
The system itself is very simple. Characters have six attributes, a variable number of traits, and a set of twelve common and very lumpy skills.Character creation starts with assigning attributes. There are a few helpful guidelines as to how many points you should assign to attributes and how many to traits. There are six attributes, but they're not what you think they are. They are: Awareness, Coordination, Ingenuity, Presence, Resolve, and Strength. Once attributes are determined, on a scale from 1 to 6, then you choose traits that help to define the character's specialties and affinities. Most traits are 'Good,' some are 'Bad' (which give you points to spend elsewhere) and some are 'Special' which confer benefits or induce requirements in ways different from 'Good' and 'Bad.'
As I said, this is not a detailed system; you are not going to go into as much detail as, say, Champions. On the other hand, if you look at this as a relatively rules-light 'introductory' RPG, the system is quite adequate to the needs of the setting, which is a bit wild and wooly and can't have rules for every eventuality. Like most rules-light systems, it does leave the GM a bit up the creek, but there are large chunks of the GM book that address that.
The crunch of the system takes up thirty-one pages; this is not a remarkably robust system, and they do not try to cover every eventuality. (They even have a mild warning in the GM book about 'cheaters' or, at least, players who might game the system to their advantage.) It is fairly straightforward. Basically, you add your attribute and appropriate skill to each other, add in any bonuses (or subtract any penalties) from traits, and add in the result of a 2d6 roll. Your goal is to roll high, as high as possible, above a specific target number based on the difficulty of the task. The amount you make or fail that roll by gives you levels of success (in a remarkably intuitive way; see 'Interesting Things,' below.)
The system has a 'Story Point' mechanic which appears to be quite popular in 'rules-light' systems in recent years; Story Points pretty much let you bend the rules somewhat, in general by improving levels of success. You can spend more than one Story Point, and if you can collectively spend enough story points, there are significant ways that players can change things in their favor. Again, the GM is given quite a bit of advice as to how to handle this. You gain Story Points by basically being a good guy; the one example they have of loosing Story Points is by killing.
There are plentiful examples throughout the book, most of them involving characters from the series. All in all, it introduces the player gently into the system and the idea of rules-based role-playing.
The section on time travel deserves mention, because this is, after all, a game about a time-traveling police box. The section on time travel and Gallifreyan Time Lords is 18 pages long -- it sounds like a lot, but with the casual tone and the proliferation of art, it goes by fast. It's rather straightforward, but it also doesn't shy from intermediate questions like the Grandfather Paradox. It appears to be a fairly 'tolerant' time-travel system: Time travel is permitted (obviously) but there is more than a little responsibility on the part of the time-traveler to ensure that paradoxes do not happen. Paradoxes can have a variety of effects, and while killing your granddad might not make you evaporate from the timeline, Other Bad Things can happen... almost all of them suitably dramatic and allowing the players the chance to respond to and correct the situation. CoNTINUUM this most certainly is not! At the same time, it is a perfectly adequate explanation of how time travel works in the game, if a little complex in one or two places, and there are some concepts that 'make sense' and serve as good fodder for a creative GM.
Contents and Style
First off, the thing that people will notice first: The cost. At about $60 USD, this is not the cheapest thing on the shelves. You do get quite a bit of game for the price, but there are cheaper and more 'efficient' (i.e. more game for your buck) games out there. Where much of the price goes, however, is quality of delivery. The game is visually very polished and quite attractive, and more than that, it bills itself as 'everything you need,' and it does deliver on that. While I have doubts as to how much the system was playtested (or even for that matter how much of it COULD be playtested, considering it's lightness) it does not appear to be exceptionally broken at all.For the price, the game comes in a box, with two full-color bound manuals, a number of pre-made character sheets and a whole sheaf of blank ones, a counter sheet for Story Points, a set of six d6 dice, a booklet with two introductory adventures, and a number of 'gadget' cards. ('Gadget' cards are not a game mechanic in the game, they are used more like handouts and to show who might be holding a particular gadget.) Everything is in color and is very high quality -- hence where the price tag comes from, I suspect. There is no painted or pen-and-ink artwork in the books at all, it's all photos from the (new) series.
Opening up the first book, there is the inevitable 'What is roleplaying?' part, then a brief description of what a Doctor Who game is like. Surprisingly, while there is some discussion as to how the Doctor himself should be fit into the game, there are numerous assurances that you don't need the Doctor to run a campaign; it presents several options for playing without that character, which I was glad to see. They also emphasize the importance of the 'companions,' in that they are individually as important as the Doctor himself, and that focus should be on the group, or at least give everyone equal time in the limelight. (This appears to be a recurring theme in the new series as well; companions are no longer merely 'tin dogs.') That being said, one of the things that grated on me personally was the repeated reference to the Doctor and the companions and their qualities, characteristics, etc.; however, I must admit a bias I have against 'signature characters' of any form in any RPG, so please take my umbrage with this grain of salt.
The book is written in a very casual style, quite accessible and easy on the brain. There were a few 'in-jokes' or at least things that would pique the interest of long-time Who fans, but nothing obnoxious or voice-breaking.
The second book is the thicker Gamemastering Book, and while it replicates a fair amount of information from the first, it also goes in other directions with it, and adds quite a bit more. There are of course stat blocks for various potential enemies, but there is also a rather extensive 'How to GM' section that I found rather comprehensive.
The GM book also has the bulk of the setting information, which is not a lot. Probably the one thing I didn't like about the game is the dearth of setting information; there is a presumption of slightly more than passing familiarity with Doctor Who. This may be justified (it isn't in my view,) but it is rather glaring. You should probably look elsewhere if you are wanting lots of setting and background meeble. There are plenty of hints and suggestions as to plots and games to run, but again, it presupposes familiarity with the series.
Also, the game focusses on the current incarnation of the series, the one that came after the TV-movie, and following the off-screen Time War. Again, there are some passing references to the original Doctor Who series, but they are neither obnoxious nor more than passing (and in fact, as being more than passing familiar with the Doctor Who canon, I found them a bit frustrating! Then again, attempting to include the often-self-contradictory Who canon into any game is likely a recipe for disaster.)
The game focusses on thinking your way out of conflicts rather than fighting; it does not dismiss fighting altogether, but that is definitely meant to take a back seat to the usual way things are resolved in the series. This is most certainly not a 'Torchwood RPG' and it specifically distances itself from that particular tone. In fact there's a whole section on 'Things to do besides fighting when confronting bad people with guns.' (While they do aim for a more 'optimistic' tone, the GM section does have a bit to say about atmosphere and drama.) Some players might take an instant dislike to this section, titled as it is 'Guns Are Bad,' and in fact it might color their views of the entire game. There's little helping that, and it's really a matter of opinion.
This ties into the morality of the game. It is quite up front about it: The players -- whether they are the Doctor and his companions or a completely different cast -- are the 'good guys'; the people who want to hurt them, blow up the universe, take over time and space (the term 'temporal marauder' actually comes up, which I think I can safely say is a tip of the hat to the old FASA game) and in general make things unhappy for most people... they are in various shades of 'bad guy.' Bad guys do this while good guys do not. Bad guys may have enough firepower to take over the Belgian Congo, while the good guys will avoid taking up arms (let alone taking a life) and will think their way out of problems. It's a noble sentiment, and while it does require a GM who is willing to entertain outside-the-box solutions to problems other than 'Firepower,' it's different in tone than a lot of intermediate RPGers are used to. It is, however, not subtle in that bias, and while not offensively preachy (to me) it is pretty firm in that stance.
Interesting Things
This is surprisingly not a 'typical' RPG, and there are a few things that it does differently that does let it stand apart. Whether these are worth the price tag is up to you, but they are a bit different, and don't fit well into the other two categories above.I will note again that this is a set meant for novices. It's basically the old 'red box' D&D Basic Set. The focus of the game is on enjoyment, and not in strictly simulating events, fictional or historical. You are not going to get hard numbers and details on how a Spartan phalanx might do against a platoon of Sontarrans (though you can probably guess the outcome....) In fact, you won't really be getting hard numbers on anything. The system is meant to resolve questions with a dice roll or two, and to carry on with the story.
The attributes show a distinct bias towards 'mental' pursuits. In fact the entire game has a strong bias against combat in general. This is probably not surprising, considering how much oversight the BBC probably had over the game, but in a way it matches the source material well, and it's somewhat refreshing. There is in fact very little in the way of hard and fast weapon stats.
One thing that I had to make especial mention of is the phasing system in rounds of conflict (not necessarily combat.) The bias of the game against violent conflict resolution strongly shows here. Basically, what you are going to do that round determines what order you go in. The order is basically: Talkers, Movers, Doers, and Fighters. As examples: If you're going to talk your way out of a situation, you go first. If you're going to run for cover, you go second. If you're going to use a skill of some sort, or try to do some sort of 'timey-wimey' thing, you go third. If you're going to shoot up the place, you go fourth. This is a very different way of handling conflict rounds than most RPGs do, and it has its appeal. It very closely reflects the mood of the series (even Daleks appear to pause for one of the Doctor's soliloquies) and it is a different take on 'who goes first' in a conflict round.
Success and failure in rolls is, as noted above, divided into three levels of 'quality' each, but the way these are presented make it surprisingly intuitive and easy for the GM to remember. They are, basically, answers to the question 'Did you succeed in the roll?' and the answers are: 'Yes, And...,' 'Yes,' 'Yes, But...,' 'No, But...,' 'No,' and 'No, And....' The meaning of each level of success/failure should be pretty apparent. I found this to be notable, and it will be easy for a novice to grasp this concept easily.
(One last footnote for me to squee geekishly in: Good heavens, there was an actual almost-completely-serious Red Dwarf reference!)
Conclusions
This is a fairly rules-light system, with a distinct bias in its makeup to reflect the series and also its intent. This is a game meant for novice, potentially younger players, and effort was taken to make it highly accessible, as well as inoffensive (the emphasis on mental and social challenges rather than combat, the extensive 'Things to do other than fighting' section, etc.) and dissuades violence. (At least as 'dissuading of violence' as a game can be when it deals with genocidal pepperpots wielding both disintegrators which can vaporize platoons, and suction-cup arms which can crush faces.) There is not a lot of setting information, just enough to tease and tantalize, and the great majority of it presumes familiarity with the new series on the part of the reader. It is an easy read, and concepts are presented straightforwardly with suitable examples. Characters are not simplistic, but they do not have great complexity in their stat blocks. There is a strong emphasis on playing the game rather than working the numbers. The system is not going to win awards or make gaming history, but there are a number of fascinating things in it that warrent at least a blink from most gamers.
In the final analysis, most experienced gamers can safely (and will) give this game a pass. There isn't enough setting information to mine it for use with another system, and the price tag is off-putting for a whole new system. Some players might take active, militant offense at the unabashedly anti-violence stance the game takes. On the other hand, if you have siblings or cousins or relatives or even -- gasp! -- parents who are getting into RPGs and are a bit over their head with some of the offerings out there, this could be a good gift to draw them into the hobby. It is very novice-friendly, quick to learn, quick to make characters in, quick to get into and quick to get up and running.
Help support RPGnet by purchasing this item through DriveThruRPG.
