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View Full Version : Running a Game in the Doctor Who universe: Need system suggestions



turkishproverb
2008-12-05, 12:13 AM
Well, the title says most of it. I'm looking for a good system to run a Doctor who style campaign in.

So far, I've considered, and would like opinions on:

nWOD
d20
TIME LORD (official RPG from the mid 90s)

any other suggestions? Opinions on these?

Jayabalard
2008-12-05, 12:41 AM
the GURPS Time travel is a pretty good reference, and I found a couple other people trying to do a Dr Who style game using GURPS

http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=14788
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/ianmcdonald/who-rpg/

Waspinator
2008-12-05, 12:44 AM
You might consider GURPS 4E. The "Infinite Worlds" book would be useful. Also, GURPS Space.

Lert, A.
2008-12-05, 01:16 AM
Considering the local posters, I was expecting the first comment to be Mutants and Masterminds.

I am shocked.



Now I'm waiting for the GURPS alternative crowd (Fudge) to show up.

*waits patiently*

BobVosh
2008-12-05, 01:19 AM
Stargate system could work.

Didn't you post a thread like this two months ago?

turkishproverb
2008-12-07, 07:50 PM
Stargate system could work.

Didn't you post a thread like this two months ago?

Yea, but it didn't go far and the players decided to do mekton instead.

NPCMook
2008-12-07, 08:18 PM
CORPS or BAEA Time Lord setting

turkishproverb
2008-12-07, 08:30 PM
Corps? BAEA?

NPCMook
2008-12-07, 08:37 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CORPS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EABA lol sorry it was EABA

turkishproverb
2008-12-07, 08:48 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CORPS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EABA lol sorry it was EABA

Thanks, I'll look at them. Always good to know about new systems.

Beleriphon
2008-12-07, 09:50 PM
I will say M&M second edition, but the the addendum that you should use Agents of Freedom to flesh out the more human character you'll need. The Doctor himself is quite capable of being represented using M&M, and I suspect has been on the Atomic Think Tank.

NPCMook
2008-12-07, 10:08 PM
http://www.btrc.net/files/eabafree/eabalitev10.pdf

http://www.btrc.net/files/nutshellc/nutshell_v15en.pdf

Free quick start rules for CORPS and EABA

Kyace
2008-12-07, 10:20 PM
No one has mentioned Traveller? (Or GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars) >.>

turkishproverb
2008-12-08, 07:42 PM
Traveler; That's a name I've not heard in a long time. A long time...

The Glyphstone
2008-12-08, 07:50 PM
Well, does anyone really like dying during chargen?

Tacoma
2008-12-08, 07:55 PM
I thought you said Ruining a game in the Doc Who universe.

I was gonna say Rifts.

turkishproverb
2008-12-08, 11:35 PM
Well, does anyone really like dying during chargen?

buh? what does that have to do with anything?

Kyace
2008-12-09, 12:15 AM
buh? what does that have to do with anything?

Old Traveller joke. There was some sort of roll you had to make after char generation but before the game started that was possible to die on. I've heard the joke but am not very familiar with the system, mostly suggesting the Gurps Version as the Traveller fluff was supposed to fit Doctor Who quite well.

golentan
2008-12-09, 12:16 AM
buh? what does that have to do with anything?

In traveller, it is quite possible to die during chargen. If I remember right, you then have to start over with a completely different character. If you were a marine, tough. No marines. How does merchant sound?

I sort of liked it. The counterpart was you could get AWESOME stuff starting out with enough luck to stave off dying for an extra couple of terms of service.

lisiecki
2008-12-09, 01:08 AM
Well, the title says most of it. I'm looking for a good system to run a Doctor who style campaign in.
So far, I've considered, and would like opinions on:
nWOD
d20
TIME LORD (official RPG from the mid 90s)
any other suggestions? Opinions on these?

See, the only game on here i know well is NWOD, and that strikes me as being the opposite of Doctor Who.

With the things the Doctor and Jack have done, according to the rule system, they would be barely self aware killing machines that are unable to interact with other people out side of killing/or sexually assaulting them, and possibly eating them.

Knaight
2008-12-09, 08:07 AM
Fudge could work, just because its so versatile, and I know someone made a Savage Worlds version thats free.

Another_Poet
2008-12-09, 10:31 AM
When I play a Dr Who/Metroid style game (yes I just combined Dr Who and Metroid.... mmmmm so good) with my group, I use a simple set of homebrewed rules:


Name your Specialty. (Example: Engineer). 3d6 on all relevant skills.
Name your Other Specialy. (Example: Hacker). 2d6 on all relevant skills.
1d6 on everything else.

Everyone has 6 hp.

Everyone has a weapon: either a rifle, pistol, laser rifle, or laser pistol. All weapons deal 1d6 point of damage (but give better range to the rifles than the pistols, lasers don't need ammo, bullets however can sometime breach armour that lasers can't).

Unarmed attacks deal 1d4 points of damage. If you have a martial arts Specialty or Other Specialty, they deal 1d6 instead.

Everyone has an Evasion score. It's 3d6 if you have a military-type Specialty, 2d6 if you have a military-type Other Specialty, or 1d6 if you don't have a military-type character. You roll Evasion once per combat round and your opponents' attack rolls have to beat your Evasion score to hit you. Each attack (whether it hits or not) reduces your Evasion by 1 for that round.

Everyone has an armoured space suit, which reduces all damage by 1 point (or 2 points if you have a military Other Specialty or 3 points if you have a military Specialty).

If you hp drop to 0 or below you are still alive, but take suit damage (air leak, disabled arm, etc.) and regain 1d6 hp. If it falls to 0 again you take a physical wound and regain 1d3 hp. Next time you reach 0, you're dying or dead.

Everyone has the basic equipment needed for their Specialty and their Other Specialty.

Everyone has ONE SCI-FI ITEM. Time-rewinding device, healing nanites, gravity bomb, scout drone, whatever - pick one outlandish sci-fi item and your character starts with it.

Pilot is unavailable as a Specialty or Other Specialty, because neither Metroid nor Dr Who are about dogfights. If you need to pilot a ship, your autopilot will roll 3d6 on it. Just decide the maneuvre and go. But generally, the action takes place on weird planets or inside large ships/stations.

I add some creepy electronic music for atmosphere and the game goes pretty well. People seem to love it. So far we've been trapped by malfunctioning supercomputers and (separately) hunted down a fission-reactor-eating space monster.

It's fun.