''The Doctor Who Role Playing Game'' is a licensed

roleplaying game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, eith ...

published by

FASA FASA Corporation was an American publisher of role-playing games, wargaming, wargames and board games between 1980 and 2001, after which they closed publishing operations for several years, becoming an IP holding company under the name FASA In ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

that is based upon the BBC television series ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

''.

Description

''The Doctor Who Role Playing Game'' allows players to assume roles similar to

the Doctor The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...

and his companions or to become agents of the

Celestial Intervention Agency Celestial may refer to: Science * Objects or events seen in the sky and the following astronomical terms: ** Astronomical object, a naturally occurring physical entity, association, or structure that exists in the observable universe ** Celest ...

. The game uses a revision of the role-playing system originally developed for FASA's '' Star Trek RPG''.

Publication history

FASA acquired a license to produce a role-playing game based on ''Doctor Who'', and a game was developed by Guy W. McLimore Jr. and William John Wheeler. FASA published the game in 1985 with illustrations by Jane K. Bigos, David R. Deitrick, William H. Keith Jr., Dana M. Knutson, Dave R. Marsh, and Todd F. Marsh. The boxed set contains a 48-page "Player's Manual", an 82-page "Game Operations Manual" and a 64-page A Sourcebook for Field Agents." The box cover features the

Fourth Doctor The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Tom Baker. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from ...

and Leela, although by the time of publication, they were no longer involved in the television series. FASA published two solo play

gamebook A gamebook is a work of printed fiction that allows the reader to participate in the story by making choices. The narrative branches along various paths, typically through the use of numbered paragraphs or pages. Each narrative typically does not ...

s based on the game: * ''Doctor Who and the Vortex Crystal'' (1986) by William H. Keith, Jr., featuring the Fourth Doctor,

Sarah Jane Smith Sarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running BBC Television science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' and two of its spin-offs. Sarah Jane is a dogged investigative journalist who first encounters alien ...

, and Harry Sullivan and the Daleks, set on the planet Gathwyr. * ''Doctor Who and the Rebel's Gambit'' (1986, ) by William H. Keith, Jr., featuring the

Sixth Doctor The Sixth Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Colin Baker. Although his televisual t ...

, Peri, and Harry Sullivan, set during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. FASA published three supplements to add more background: * FASA 9101 ''

The Daleks (The Doctor Who Role Playing Game) ''The Daleks'' is a supplement published by FASA in 1985 for ''The Doctor Who Role Playing Game'', which is based on the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Contents ''The Daleks'' contains information about Docto ...

'' (1985) A two-part module that includes full details about the Daleks' back story and a new scenario. *FASA 9102 '' The Master'' (1985) *FASA 9103 ''The Cybermen'' (1985) This includes "Cyber Files: CIA Special Report" FASA also published seven adventures: * FASA 9201 ''

The Iytean Menace ''The Iytean Menace'' is an adventure published by FASA in 1985 for '' The Doctor Who Role Playing Game''. Plot summary The player characters are assumed to be members of the Celestial Intervention Agency, and are sent to London in 1885 to inv ...

'' (1985) Set in Victorian England. * FASA 9202 ''

The Lords of Destiny ''The Lords of Destiny'' is an adventure published by FASA in 1985 for ''The Doctor Who Role Playing Game''. Plot summary ''The Lords of Destiny'' is an adventure in which the Companions are sent aboard a gigantic 10,000 km long World-Shi ...

'' (1985) Set in a giant starship and mobile world. *FASA 9203 ''Countdown'' (1985) The

TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space") is a fictional hybrid of a time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. While a TARDI ...

materializes aboard a ship of the Earth Empire on an emergency medical mission. * FASA 9204 ''

The Hartlewick Horror ''The Hartlewick Horror'' is an adventure published by FASA in 1985 for '' The Doctor Who Role Playing Game'', itself based on the long-running BBC television series ''Doctor Who''. Plot summary The player characters, usually consisting of one o ...

'' (1985) Set in the English village of Harlewick, where residents are disappearing. * FASA 9205 ''

The Legions of Death ''The Legions of Death'' is an adventure published by FASA in 1985 for '' The Doctor Who Role Playing Game'', itself based on the long-running BBC television series ''Doctor Who''.. Plot summary The player characters, usually composed of a Time ...

'' (1985) Set in

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

Britain during the Roman invasion. * FASA 9206 ''City of Gold'' (1986) Set on Earth in the 21st century. * FASA 9207 ''The Warrior's Code'' (1986) Set in feudal Japan.

Reception

Paul Mason reviewed ''The Doctor Who Role Playing Game'' for ''

White Dwarf A white dwarf is a Compact star, stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very density, dense: in an Earth sized volume, it packs a mass that is comparable to the Sun. No nuclear fusion takes place i ...

'' #72, giving it an overall rating of 8 out of 10, and stated that "I can appreciate what an achievement it is to wrap together the ''Doctor Who'' mythos into a coherent whole, having tried it myself - there has been a lot of effort put into this game, and it shows." In Issue 41 of ''

Different Worlds ''Different Worlds'' was an American role-playing games magazine published from 1979 to 1987. Scope ''Different Worlds'' published support articles, scenarios, and variants for various role-playing games including ''Dungeons & Dragons'', ''Rune ...

'', Scott Slingsby was critical of the game, writing, "The TV programs are classics in the truest sense of the word. The role-playing game is not! In other words, the BBC series is humorous, exciting, interesting, and a lot of fun. On the other hand, reading FASA's ''Doctor Who'' can best be described as work ... The rules are dull, repetitive, and lacking in originality." Slingsby concluded by giving the game a below-average rating of 2 out of 4, saying, "FASA may have reproduced the body of the Doctor and his universe, but they did not capture the series' soul." In his 1990 book ''

The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games ''The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' is a book written by Rick Swan and published by St. Martin's Press in 1990 that explains role-playing games and provides reviews of those that were on the market at the time. Contents ''The Complete G ...

'', game critic

Rick Swan Rick Swan is a game designer and author who worked for TSR. His work for TSR, mostly for ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'', appeared from 1989 to 1995. Swan also wrote '' The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' (1990), published by St. Martin' ...

was disappointed, writing, "''Doctor Who'' strives mightily to capture the flavor of the long-running British TV series, but though it gets all the details right, it misses the essence. ''Doctor Who'' — the series — is witty and fun. ''Doctor Who'' — the game — is dry and dull." Swan thought the game mechanics were "adequate but unimpressive", but was impressed by the plethora of background material. Swan concluded by giving the game a rating of 2.5 out of 4, saying, "''Doctor Who'' loyalists are likely to enjoy it, but players who've never heard of the Doctor will probably wonder what the fuss is all about." In a retrospective review of ''The Doctor Who Role Playing Game'' in '' Black Gate'', Ty Johnston said "Over all, The Dr. Who Roleplaying Game could be a blast to play, as I rediscovered a few years ago when I got to experience it once again with a group in a short campaign."

Other reviews

*''The V.I.P. of Gaming Magazine'' #3 (April/May, 1986)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor Who RPG American role-playing games FASA games

Role Playing Game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, eith ...

Role-playing games based on television series Role-playing games introduced in 1985 Science fantasy role-playing games Time travel games

Description

Publication history

Reception

Other reviews

See also

References