The Campaign of the Doctor (Inactive)

Game Master Clebsch73

I would like to recruit 2 to 4 players to start a campaign using the Doctor Who Adventures in Time and Space rules (DWATS) published by Cubicle 7. I am not looking for players to submit characters at this stage. Rather, I'm looking for players with PBP experience who are serious Doctor Who fans. For each submission, I will look over characters created, posting reliability, and posts, looking for creativity and a certain amount of writing ability. No need to purchase anything until you are selected as a player.

I would like for each player to eventually purchase a core rulebook for reference, but the system is straightforward and not complicated to use either for creating characters or for determining outcomes through stats and dice rolls. The fun of the game will not be in figuring out how to create a character who can power over opponents but rather characters who are interesting and consistent with characters seen in the series.

So, please post the following (including a little bit about why each is your favorite):

Which Doctor is your favorite? If you pick a Doctor from the pre-2005 series restart, please indicate as well your favorite Doctor of the new series (9th through 12th).

Which companion is your favorite? Same deal if your favorite companion is from the pre-2005 shows, include your favorite companion of the series since 2005 as well).

Which episode is your favorite episode? Ditto, include an episode since 2005 if your first favorite is from pre-2005.

I'm asking these questions to determine your level of interest in the series. It will be important to be familiar with the character of the Doctor and the themes explored over the years. If you are not a big fan of the series, please do not post. I'm looking for dyed-in-the-wool Whovians. See the spoiler below for my favorites if you're interested. I'm most familiar with the more recent seasons Doctor Who, but players familiar with the whole series are certainly welcome.

I would also prefer players who are no longer in school or in situations that may include change of jobs, such as having children, moving, or active military. Please consider carefully if you can commit to a long-term campaign. It can be pretty disruptive when a player has to withdraw, so I'd like to head off some of the more common reasons.

I would like at least two players but could see as many as five if there are a lot of good candidates. For the first segment of the campaign, I'd like players to play characters who travel with the Doctor as opposed to the Doctor himself. The initial campaign will probably be some kind of group effort to locate the Doctor after he goes missing. Or else, I'll play the Doctor as an NPC.

Once we've got the rules figured out and have gotten to know each other as players and GM, I might open up things to allow a player to play the Doctor as a PC. If everyone wants to play the Doctor, we can take turns or perhaps explore a segment with multiple Doctors, such as has occurred in the show (such as The Day of the Doctor.

Be thinking about what type of character you would like to play if selected. No need to say anything about that in your recruitment posts, although you're welcome to post your preferences if you have any. Possibilities include using pregenerated characters based on companions from the series (such as Clara or Rose), established non-companion characters from the series (such as Madame Vastra or Jenny), or companions or friends of the Doctor of your own creation.

If you have questions, please post them. I'm not in a great rush to get things started, so check back once a week to see what the status is. Once I've selected a set of players, we can discuss characters and start working out the game system. I'll send PMs to those selected.

If you have played with the DWATS system, please indicate that as well.

So, please post the following (including a little bit about why each is your favorite):

Which Doctor is your favorite? If you pick a Doctor from the pre-2005 series restart, please indicate as well your favorite Doctor of the new series (9th through 12th).

My favourite Doctors are Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker.

I grew up watching Dr Who as they were released [insofar as I ever grew up]and when the series was re-started in 2005 never got into it as much as the old.

Which companion is your favorite? Same deal if your favorite companion is from the pre-2005 shows, include your favorite companion of the series since 2005 as well).

Leela. OK I was very young and she was very hot.

So sue me.

Liked Amy Pond a lot from the newer series.

Which episode is your favorite episode? Ditto, include an episode since 2005 if your first favorite is from pre-2005.

I really loved all of The Dawn of the Daleks. In fact I loved Daleks ever since I first saw them when I was about 5 and they scared the sh##t out of me. It is hard to recall individual episodes from the 1970s. But I liked a lot of the old Dr Who villians, The Master, the Cyber men and most of all the Daleks. See also [link=Dead Ringers]www.youtube.com/watch?v=55lfbMr8gqo [/link]

I have watched *EVERY* available Dr. Who show from the very first one in 1963 thru to now. Sometimes multiple times.

My favorite "old" doctor was Tom Baker, my favorite "new" doctor was David Tennant.

My favorite "old" companion was Leela (oooh, tight leather mini-skirt!), my favorite "new" companion was Clara Oswald (she was just so *cute*!).

I can't name a single favorite episode, but I have about a dozen from the "new" series, including the Snowmen, the Pandorica duo, A Good Man Goes to War (was that a single or a duo?), the resolution of how the Doctor got shot by River Song and survived, and the recent episode where the Doctor went back to Gallifrey and saved Clara, who went on her own adventures with "Me".

My life situation is stable and I usually check all of my games every day, but occasionally work ramps up to an 11 and I may not be able to post *every* day - but that probably won't happen very often.

I never watched the shows from the 60s-80s, although at some point, PBS started airing them (I grew up in Indiana). I liked science fiction but I had heard the sets and props were done on such a low budget, it was not very impressive. Star Trek, low budget in its own way, had kind of spoiled me, so I did not watch the show, even though by the 80s I had some friends who were fans.

I didn't even begin watching the new series on a regular basis for a few seasons. But since the 10th Doctor, I've been hooked and have gone back and watched all the episodes of the revived series. I'm probably going to model this campaign more on the new show than the old, but I doubt that will be too significant. What counts is that players know and love the Doctor and support his general program of defending earth (without using violence whenever possible).

I meant to put my own preferences down and forgot.

I did not think to ask people to state their favorite villain, but if you have one, that would be of interest as well. I never took to the Daleks the way Joynt Jezebel describes. I think they're a little too cartoonish, lacking in depth or character, just the same rant. I have found it interesting that the new series has tried to redeem them a little, identifying why they are the way they are, changing them so they can become more human.

Regular posting is a plus, but my work schedule and other PBP games (I GM two others) sometimes forces me to skip a day. More important is long-term commitment and notifying the group if RL is going to prevent a new post for more than a day or two.

I am generally fond of all the episodes involving River Song. I also liked the Day of the Doctor and the Time of the Doctor.

A Good Man Goes to War (Demon's Run episode) reminded me that I also like the Paternoster Gang a lot and might employ them in the campaign. My favorite line from the Snowmen is when Madame Vastra and Jenny show up at the house where Clara and the Doctor are and says, completely deadpan and in classic English accent, "Good evening. I'm a lizard woman from the dawn of time. And this is my wife."

A close second is when she announces to Jenny that she captured Jack the Ripper and Jenny asks, "How did you find him?" Madame Vastra replies, "A bit stringy."

I'm curious . . .. I don't like the new series as much, because they've gone out of the way to prevent truly negative consequences for anybody you get a chance to care about. Parallel universes with everybody still alive, banishment instead of death, reset the universe's timeline, etc. Yes, River lives on as a computer simulation instead of as a person. Yes, her parents were caught by the Weeping Angels, and then lived long lives together, continuing to share their love through it all. Even the "big negatives" can be seen as happy endings.

The old series didn't have that kind of twist to it. When something went horribly wrong, people paid a price for it.

So, my question is really, do you plan on continuing the lack of serious consequences of the modern series, or are you going to allow mistakes to cause real penalties and problems for everyone involved?

@hustonj
This response got kind of long, so I'll spoiler it.

I've been a Dr. Who fan for a long time. I got started with old-school classic Who. My first Doctor was Tom Baker and I was thrilled to see it return to the air in 2005.

I am truly interested to see where the series goes in October.

I, like hustonj, have been a bit bewildered as to why the writers of the new series always go out of their way to "remove" the Doctor's access to a companion when they leave. Rose stuck in an unreachable alternate universe, River basically dead, Amy and Rory stuck in the 1930's (I think) that the Doctor can't reach (can't remember why), and Donna Noble with her mind wiped who will die if she even sees the Doctor.

In the first series, each companion just went their way, back to their old life.

Weird.

I, like hustonj, have been a bit bewildered as to why the writers of the new series always go out of their way to "remove" the Doctor's access to a companion when they leave. Rose stuck in an unreachable alternate universe, River basically dead, Amy and Rory stuck in the 1930's (I think) that the Doctor can't reach (can't remember why), and Donna Noble with her mind wiped who will die if she even sees the Doctor.

In the first series, each companion just went their way, back to their old life.

Weird.

No necessarily, Romana 2 and K-9 Mk. II remained in E-Space with the understanding that the Doctor would never be able to return and retrieve them. Adric died a fairly complete and final death. Zoe and Jamie were returned to their own times with no knowledge of the Doctor or their adventures with him. Even during the First Doctor's tenure, Katarina performed a noble suicide, possibly aided by the idea that she was already dead.

The new series has increased the emotional value of companions and therefore that likelihood that the Doctor will do what he can to retrieve or reconnect with them. Therefore the writers need to provide more excessive reasons to separate the companions from further stories.

I have the old FASA boxed set. Can I play too? :)

The above discussion is interesting, but moot so far as this campaign is concerned. I will not be determining if/when/how a companion leaves the game. That will be up to the players and the dice. If someone gets tired of playing a character and wants to start a different one, the old character can be retired in whatever manner the player wishes. If a PC should meet his/her/their death as a result of dice rolls, I won't bend the rules much to prevent the death, although if there are other ways to interpret a failed roll, I will generally do what seems best for the enjoyment of the game.

For what it's worth, Martha Jones simply left and I don't think anything has happened to her to prevent the Doctor from reconnecting.

I have the old FASA boxed set. Can I play too? :)

I don't think the FASA game is at all related to the Cubicle 7 version I am going to use other than the subject matter is Doctor Who. Tell us about your favorite Doctor/Companion/episode/other. You can pick up a copy of the Cubicle 7 Core rulebook on PDF for about $30.

Ok, I guess I need to throw my hat in the ring as a big DW and DWAiTAS fan. :)

Which Doctor is your favorite? It really is a tough call for classic. I would have to say Tom Baker only because he was the Doctor that first hooked me. (Toss up with Jon Pertwee and Paul McGann). New, I have to go with David Tennant, but Eccleston a close second just because he was the reboot. (Does John Hurt count as Classic or New? :) )

Which companion is your favorite? K-9. Doesn’t he count for Old and new? :) Although, like many here, Leela was a lead for favorite in my youthful mind back then. Clara too for current companions just because like her whole storyline.

Which episode is your favorite episode? Hands down, “Day of the Doctor”. Tennant, Smith, Hurt, Baker, Bad Wolf, and so much more Whovian goodness. :) Until then I probably would have said The Five Doctors or End of Time (Timothy Dalton? :) )

I'm keeping the recruitment open until I get a sufficient number of candidates. Keep checking back about once a week to determine the status. I suspect there are lots of people who are Doctor Who fans and who might like to role play a character. It just might take time for some of them to notice there is an opportunity to do so.

I don't have any interest in playing, but I do have an interest in lurking and following your game. I hope it all works out.

We are providing a kind of performance, so an audience is welcome. I think this campaign will put a premium on making each post as interesting as possible. Players who just post a dice roll and a single sentence, such as "I shoot at the Dalek," won't make the cut. That's one of the things I'll be looking over once we get a few more potential players.

Players who provide visual descriptions that give important clues to the emotions the character is experiencing will be preferred over just saying, "Rorak is very angry." Better is "Rorak frowns, his face turns slightly red, and his fists are clenched as he glares at the enemy."

Recruitment will remain open for at least another week. Hoping to get a few more interested players.

I’m interested! I’ll answer your questions shortly.

Favorite Doctor: Tenant, but Capaldi is a very close second. Tenant just sort of captured what made the show fun. He was a bit manic and a bit mournful and just so excited to be part of the crazy universe. Capaldi did a great job of harnessing that feeling. I think that stems from the fact that they were both fans before they were the Doctor so they had a lot of fun with it. They wanted to be an adventurer through time and space since they were young...and so did the Doctor.
Favorite companion: The Ponds, but Martha is a close runner up and Donna is close on her heels. Amy and Rory subverted so many tropes that made the Doctor/companion relationship dull (plus they were both funny and daring.) Martha was capible and confident and if they made a show about her and Mickey fighting aliens I’d watch it every week. Tenant and Tate worked so well together and it showed that there doesn’t need to be a love subplot to make a compelling relationship. Their friendship rivals Leslie and Ron for TV’s greatest mixed gender bromance.
Favorite episode: This is tough. There’s a lot to love. Skipping the obvious well loved but gimmicky episodes (Blink, Midnight, Heven Sent) I’m leaning toward The Doctor’s Wife (which is so full of hilarious lines) or Vincent and the Doctor (which makes me cry every time.)

I’d prefer to play an original companion to a pre-gen. I have no interest in playing as the Doctor at all, though I have no objection to another player being the Doctor.

Favorite villain is The Master. The scene where he sings Scissor Sisters on his imperial airship of doom is maybe the best thing that has ever happened on TV.

Welcome. Toward the end of this week, I'll start looking at the PBP characters and posts of those who have responded. If you've played any significant amount of PBP on some other platform than Paizo, let me know where I can look to see what you've done elsewhere.

No one has mentioned playing the DWAITS system, which is okay. We can learn it together. It's not hard and making characters is straightforward.

Each character has six attributes which are essentially the usual six of D&D and Pathfinder, just differently named, with scores ranging from 1 to 6 (higher for some NPCs), a set of skills with scores ranging from 1 to 6, and traits (both good and bad) which operate a lot like advantages and disadvantages in GURPS, giving bonuses or penalties in certain circumstances. Equipment doesn't play a big role except for special gadgets like the sonic screwdriver and the TARDIS, which traits like characters do. Most pre-gen companions don't have particularly high scores, generally nothing above a 4 and most lower, both for attributes and skills.

In game play, whenever rolling to determine the outcome of something, an attribute and skill will be named (or sometimes two attributes), and a character's scores for each will be added. Then the player rolls 2d6 and adds that to the total along with any modifiers for traits and other circumstances. The higher the result, the better.

The dice rolling does not get into a lot of detail and combat is pretty basic, since in Doctor Who, if you're survival depends on winning a firefight, you're probably lost. A lot of the particular results of a roll are made up by the GM as needed.

I'll post more after the final set of players is determined.

I’ve run DWAITAS before. I’ve only PBP on the Paizo boards, but some of my games have lasted years.

Have you considered a UNIT or Time Agency game so that we’re Doctor-less full time (or at least most of the time)? It’d spare you from doing a GMPC who is far more powerful than we are, but we still get to play in the DW sandbox.

Don't know if you're still looking for players.

Favourite Doctor Probably Matt Smith, I admit I've not watched all of Capaldi's Who (nor pre-2005), though I'm interested to get back into it as I went to school with the next one (Jodie Whittaker). Capaldi seemed good in the role, but seemed to have lacklustre writing...

Favourite Companion Probably Donna, in part because she broke out of the stereotype. Pluse she actually impressed me as I thought she'd be a bit too over-comedic. I also quite enjoyed Mickey and Rory, though I don't know if either really qualify.

Favourite Episode That's difficult. I have a weakness for 'Rose' as it kicked everything back off. Silence in the Library is another favourite that I always comes to mind... Probably 'The Doctor's Wife' would be my favourite, Idris was awesome...

Prior Experience: This, though it was short lived (I was Max, to save you looking it up). I also post on http://www.giantitp.com forums (with the same username).

I'm not hugely familiar with Pre-2005, I used to watch it on and off, but not consistently (I've probably seen most of it, but not in the right order). I've watched all post 2005, excluding the last season (which I watched the first few). I've also watched pretty much all of Sarah Jane Adventures...

I should be fairly reliable, Wednesday is usually IRL gaming night, so I tend to post less. Weekends are sometimes busy depending on what I'm doing with the kids.

Have you considered a UNIT or Time Agency game so that we’re Doctor-less full time (or at least most of the time)? It’d spare you from doing a GMPC who is far more powerful than we are, but we still get to play in the DW sandbox.

This is a possibility, but I'm not set on any particular campaign type. I don't think having the Doctor as an NPC or a PC will unbalance the game, since the plots can account for the Doctor's abilities.

We also have the possibility to imagine an as yet unseen regeneration of the Doctor, either a female, as is scheduled for next season or something new and different. There are lots of options.

These decisions will be made once we have the group of players selected.

I'll start evaluating candidates after this weekend. New players can still apply after that, but only up until I make the decision about which players will be invited to play.

Great! I’m still in.
How many people are you looking for?

I never took to the Daleks the way Joynt Jezebel describes. I think they're a little too cartoonish, lacking in depth or character, just the same rant. I have found it interesting that the new series has tried to redeem them a little, identifying why they are the way they are, changing them so they can become more human.

I grew up with the Daleks. I know a lot of other people who grew up with them who love, or love to hate, the Daleks. I first saw them when I was 6 or 7 and they scared the sh## out of me, which they certainly didn't even as an older kid. I suspect I would react to Daleks the way you do if I first encountered them as an adult.

Which Doctor is your favorite?

Peter Capaldi, once he was paired up with Bill Potts. He really owned the role at the point, once Clara was gone.

Which companion is your favorite?

I really love Craig and Wilf the few times they get to be the companion. But as far as long term companions go, Donna all the way.

Which episode is your favorite episode?

It's a tie between Midnight from season 4 and Dalek from season 1.

I've played a tiny bit of Adventures in Time and Space, on the boards here until the game abruptly died.

Welcome to the mix, Twilik. I've had a busy week, but I'm going to start reviewing applicants. I don't have a set number of players in mind. Two would be minimum and four would probably be about the most, but if there are five or six excellent players, it could work with more.

While the Doctor usually works with just a single companion or even solo, there are episodes where he teams up with a group, such as Dinosaurs in a Spaceship and A Good Man Goes to War. We'll discuss the possibilities further once the group has been determined.

Ok, so 2-6 out of...7 applicants? Sounds good to me.

When there were often 3 companions (in the early series), the only complaint by the writers was that they had to split them up into pairs to give everyone something to do onscreen. I don't think a large group would be a problem in an RPG.

I have worked in VFX for Doctor Who doing the 1st cyberman for the reboot shows.

Which Doctor is your favorite?

SOOo hard, love Peter Capaldi, and Tom Backer, [My doctor] but Sorry I know what you don't and have to say it's Jodie Whittaker hehe.

Which companion is your favorite?

This this is a hard one as there is one very short-lived companion that I just can't get out my head. And that is the Sexy, or The conciseness of the TARDIS, or the real doctor's wife. Just for the short time, she was with him. "I just wanted to say, hello"

Which episode is your favorite episode?

So so many but there is one that shows you just what and who the doctor is. That episode is Heaven Sent if you know nothing of the doctor that one episode tells you all you ever need to know.

You should have added one more,

Doctor who Quote

“Heroes are important. Heroes tell us who we want to be, but when they made this particular hero they didn’t give him a gun, they gave him a screwdriver to fix things. They didn’t give him a tank or a warship or an X-Wing, they gave him a call box from which you can call for help and they didn’t give him a superpower or a heat-ray, they gave him an extra heart. And that’s extraordinary. There will never come a time when we don’t need a hero like The Doctor.”
― Steven Moffat

Type of Companion you would like to play?
Please, please, please a Sontaran Nurse.

So who will travel with the The Lonely God

I have chosen five players to report to the discussion thread where you will find instructions on character creation. For the others, thank you for your interest. Sorry I couldn't choose everyone.

Allons-y!

Joynt Jezebel
ZenFox42
Kayri_Khaos
Meetch
Twilik