''The Iytean Menace'' is an adventure 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 ...

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 investigate who brought some advanced technology there, and ensure the Time Stream is not damaged. In addition to the adventure, the book contains background information on

Victorian London During the 19th century, London grew enormously to become a global city of immense importance. It was the List of largest cities throughout history, largest city in the world from about 1825, the world's largest port, and the heart of Financial ...

, the alien race known as Iyteans, as well as a large section of advice for the

gamemaster A gamemaster (GM; also known as game master, game manager, game moderator, referee, storyteller, or master of ceremonies) is a person who acts as a facilitator, organizer, officiant regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer r ...

Publication history

FASA published ''The Doctor Who Roleplaying Game'' in 1985, and quickly released two adventures, '' The Lords of Destiny'', and ''The Iytean Menace'', a 48-page softcover book with a cardstock card written by J. Andrew Keith, with additional material by

William H. Keith Jr. William H. Keith (born August 8, 1950) is an American author mainly contributing to military science fiction and military fiction and related game design, who writes also under several pen names, such as Ian Douglas, Robert Cain and H. Jay R ...

, and Tom Kokkelenberg, and interior artwork by Dana Andrews, Jane K. Bigos, David J. Hutchins, William H. Keith Jr., and Todd F. Marsh. The wrap-around cover art is the 1877 painting ''

Paris Street; Rainy Day ''Paris Street; Rainy Day'' () is a large 1877 oil painting by the French artist Gustave Caillebotte (1848–1894), and is his best known work.Hagen, 624 It shows a number of individuals walking through the Place de Dublin, then known as the Carre ...

'' by

Gustave Caillebotte Gustave Caillebotte (; 19 August 1848 – 21 February 1894) was a French painter who was a member and patron of the Impressionists, although he painted in a more Realism (arts), realistic manner than many others in the group. Caillebotte was kno ...

, with two modern-day figures on the back cover added by William H. Keith Jr.: a woman in a

miniskirt A miniskirt (or mini-skirt, mini skirt, or mini) is a skirt with its hemline well above the knees, generally at mid-thigh level, normally no longer than below the buttocks; and a dress with such a hemline is called a minidress or a miniskirt ...

and

go-go boots Go-go boots are a low-heeled style of women's fashion boot first introduced in the mid-1960s. The original go-go boots, as defined by André Courrèges in 1964, were white, low-heeled, and mid-calf in height, a specific style which is sometimes ...

, and a man with long hair and a gold medallion. Keith also altered one of Caillebotte's figures, turning a man's head to face the viewer, and altering the face to resemble The Third Doctor.

Reception

In the April 1986 edition of ''

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 ...

'' (Issue #76), Barry Bailey reviewed both ''The Lords of Destiny'' and ''The Iytean Menace'', which had been released simultaneously, and called both of them "''very'' accurate simulations of the kind of stories that have made ''Dr. Who'' a popular TV regular for over 20 years." Bailey confessed that ''The Iytean Menace'' was "my favourite of the two ..attractively illustrated with period woodcuts that enhance the carefully created Victorian atmosphere." He also enjoyed the plot, which he called "challenging, but not ''too'' intricate, and manages to interweave a healthy dose of

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

into the proceedings quite adroitly." He concluded by giving it an above-average overall rating of 8 out of 10, saying, "Gamers of the

Rambo Rambo may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *John Rambo, the main character from the ''Rambo'' franchise * Mary Rambo, female character in '' Invisible Man'' Films * ''Rambo'' (franchise), starring Sylvester St ...

'shoot-em-up' style of role-playing would get nothing out of it - what is called for is subtlety, tact and ingenuity." The review in the November–December 1986 edition 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 ...

'' (Issue #44) also covered both ''The Lords of Destiny'' and ''The Iytean Menace'', and proposed that neither was strikingly original, commenting, "Longtime fans of the series will agree that these concepts are nothing that the series hasn't shown more than once; only the details vary from other stories (of course, this is not necessarily bad, since really original ideas are extremely rare)." However, in the case of ''The Iytean Menace'', the reviewer pointed out problems with plot if the players do not use characters that are agents of the Celestial Intervention Agency, and suggested that "the writer should have made a passing suggestion on what the gamemaster should do." The reviewer also criticized the complete lack of maps except for a general map of Victorian London, noting the extra work this would make for the gamemaster. The review concluded by giving this book a rating of 3 out of 4, saying, "Worth buying ..what a good ''Doctor Who'' adventure needs to succeed."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iytean Menace Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1985 The Doctor Who Role Playing Game adventures