Discussion Introduction This section deals with various subjects in the creation of a Doctor Who campaign. This part of TARDIS Adventures is meant to help bring some differing perspectives on what is cannon in regards to Doctor Who. Companions In the TV stories the companions often had little to do, running around corridors, getting caught and spending endless hours in captivity. As a result, their characters often weren't highly developed. In a real adventure you will have the space to fill out the personalities of the companions, and your storyline should be complex enough to give everyone a worthwhile part to play. Susan The identity of Susan remains a mystery. It seems that she is either the Doctor's real granddaughter (perhaps, in addition to his rebellious streak and his incipient telepathic ability, the Doctor is different from Time Lords in other ways - perhaps, at least before his first regeneration, he had it in him to procreate naturally, and the attitude of Gallifreyans to- his offspring encouraged his distaste for the Time Lords) - or else she comes from the distant past of the Doctor's gene-family, from a time before Time Lords became infertile, or she has something to do with the mysterious Other, and in either case came forward in time to meet the Doctor; or else she is from Gallifrey's far future, and is the Doctor s granddaughter in the sense that she comes from his family's gene bank. Susan is one of the most difficult elements of the Doctor Who story, and may be looked upon very critically if included in an adventure. Enemies Don't be tempted to throw every old enemy and companion you've ever liked into the mix. The result, like as not, will be a mess. Look for original recipes, not reheated leftovers. Time Lords vs. Companions Here are some ideas on how to handle the high point cost of a Time Lord versus the low cost of a companion. *Ignore the fact that Time Lords have more points than normal people a) Give the companions equal points to a Time Lord. However, having companions in the group that are as powerful as a Time Lord makes for a decidedly different atmosphere than the TV Dr. Who. Suddenly, all your companions are crack shots or expert lockbreakers, talents that were never around in the TV series. b) Have separate ³Time lord² points and a ³companion² points. Remember to give the "companions" skills the Doctor doesn't have (sports, marksmanship), and/or situations where they can show thier stuff.You could try having each player have their own Doctor, but in different campaigns. Thus, Mondays would be Fourth Doc/Sarah/Harry with Kristy running the Doc. Wednesdays would be Fifth Doc/Tegan/Turlough with Steve as the Doc. Fridays round out the week with Second Doc/Jamie/Zoe and feature Randy as the Doc. This can easily not work with a group that is too large or a group that canıt meet very often. You may also try giving the companions the same level of abilities as the Doctor, weakening the Doctor, or making the Doctor a Non-Player Character. The Doctor as an NPC would make the Doctor an enigma, and you can have your PCs be at whatever level of ability you desire. *Make the Time Lord an NPC ally This option is truest to the Dr. Who series. When watching the telly, youıre like one of the companions - you donıt know exactly what the Doctor is, or exactly what he (or she) can do. With as PC as the Doctor, all his abilities are right there and pinned down. No mystery. This is also a good way to ignore how many points the Doctor has, because heıs an NPC. Then again, many would say whatıs Doctor Who role playing without being able to play the Doctor? *Have the companions be NPC dependants This is only good if youıre playing one-on-one role playing, which most people donıt like. Tech Level dependant skills and a Time Lord's knowledge, GURPS terms Straight GURPS The most GURPS accurate, logical, AND complicated way of dealing with all the knowledge a Time Lord like the Doctor has is this: write down every skill he has. Then, for the Tech Level dependant skills, write down every Tech Level the Doctor has learned them at. To say the least, this is an utterly monumental task! That's why I've set down a couple new rules to handle how much knowledge the Doctor has, yet still allow him to be playable. Selective Doctoring of skills The next method is a variation of the one just mentioned. Don't write down ALL his skills and each Tech Level he has them at, according to the series. Ignore the series and record the skills you think the Doctor should have, given the point level you have to work with. The next couple methods are advantages, of which only the last one is described in the Advantages seciton. Multi-Tech Level Learning Multi-Tech Level Learning 5 Points/level This advantage is a variable based on the characterıs current Tech Level. It reflects extra years of training in every TL dependant skill in order to learn them at all Tech Levels. Useful for space farers across worlds with wildly varying Tech Levels as well as a time traveller. A TL 14 person with Multi-Tech Level Learning would take it at (14X5 = 70) 70 points. If you should learn another TL dependant skill, a good deal of extra time must be spent in learning it. This advantage can only be purchased at character creation. NOTE: record all skills learned in this manner with (TLx*) where x is the tech level at which the skill was learned in the Multi-Tech Level manner. Broad Basics Tech Level Learning Broad Basics Tech Level Learning 30/60 Points This advantage reflects a broad book learning of the fundamental principles of each TL dependant skill. This advantage may only be taken at character creation and applied to the skills taken then. Other skills may be learned the same way, or a different way. Notation for a skill, say Underwater Basket Weaving, learned at TL 12, is written down as Underwater Basket Weaving TL12B This advantage halves the penalties of using a TL skill at lower Tech Levels at 30 points and quarters the penalties at 60 points. Massive Scientific Knowledge Massive Scientific Knowledge 300 Points (see New Advantages, below) Basically, you have 1 point in every scientific skill at all Tech Levels. Ignore Tech Level in General - Give the Doctor Some Time. Just because a high tech scientist doesnıt have training in individual lower tech skills doesnıt mean he canıt figure it out! Given extra time, allow a high tech technition to work with lower tech. The GM may still assign negatives, depending on how ³alien² the tech is, or how primitive it is. A book-learned Time Lord skilled in computer operation might not even recognize early computers of this century as being computers! Forget Time Lords - kill! Revive Absalam Daak - Dalek Killer! Whip out your Chain Sword and get hackinı or be on the Celestial Intelligence Agency's SEAL/SWAT team. --------------------------------------- Adventures Introduction This section contains some possible adventure/campaign senerios set in the Doctor Who universe. Themes from Time Lord and others: Alien menace Stop someone altering history - a time lord or a scientific meddler who knows not what he's dealing with Anchient powers - some force from the dawn of time threatens the universe Arch-enemy A world gone mad - reality as you know it has been really screwed up. Learn the new laws of physics in your quest to find out what went wrong Beauty and the beast - sure, those guys over there look like the bad guys - they're ugly enough. But who is the real bad guy? Can't we all just get along? - the clashing of two races causes friction. War, slaves, acceptance, mutual annihilation, its prejudice in its rawest form. Now what can a meger time travelling band do against that? Chase - try to get away from the bad guy who's after you with his big gun Envorinmental action - the dumb scientists have screwed (or will screw) up the planet, and in a big way. It comes back to haunt them, and you're in the middle. Hijacked! - The Doctor frequently has no control over the TARDIS. It's a fine line between no control and controlled by someone else. A deadly line. Historic adventure - watch where you step! Although watching Washington cross the Delaware would be interesting, you wouldn't want to screw it up. Intrigue - a struggle for pwower wetween two or more factions. Who's the good guy? Is there one? Do you care - they both have big guns, and when they go off, you don't want to be around! Invasion - what ya gonna do against a superior, calculating, intelligent race of baddies bent on ruling/enslaving/strip mining your world? Left Behind - Either the TARDIS has somehow taken off without you, or there is an alien threat/misunderstanding happening on the planet - some infiltrating aliens were left behind... Mad Scientist - and what he creates Mistaken identity - sometimes a guy in a TARDIS shows up at the most impossible places, and you can be mistaken for an embassador, doctor, diplomat, spy... Mystery! - What's being hidden? Who hid it? Why did they hide it? How are they covering it up? How long ago was it hidden? Is there layered mysteries? For example, there's a riddle to a buried treasure which has the murdered body of a jealous countess killed by a winy heir being blackmailed by the gardener who's in love with the beautiful maid who's got the brain of a salamander implanted by the evil mad scientist... Parallel universe - Of the infinite possibilites of time travel and altered realities, what is reality but one thread off the twisted rope of different choices? Quest - something important has been lost - to time, or just hidden. You got to find it to stop the bad guy, repair the universe, or destroy it once and for all. Rightful rulers - a race believes that they've been taken, and that the world rightfully belongs to them. Total domination, annihilation, peaceful co- existence, or will you manage stop them? Stick it to the man! - Big Brother/ the Company is far too controling over a man's life, to the extent that you need just a little push to revolution. Stowaway - You just got away from the bad guy and saved the universe. What's that slime dripping off the console? Someone around here must have a mucus problem or else... Strangers in a strange land - figuring out what's going on is in and of itself an adventure. Survival - A species or race reduced to its last nubers fights desperately for survival in a hostile environment. Science becomes the work of the gods, is shunned or is enshrined as law or procedure. Technology gone wrong - advanced coputers or robots begin to think for themselves, and they don't see why they're keeping these messy humans around. Things from another dimension - revenge for imprisonment, megalomania, xenocidal, or confused and deadly creatures from somewhere man was not meant to mess with come here for a visit. You're the bouncer. Traitor - Your trusted companion turns out to be an ally of the bad guy. Look out, just when you think you've won the day - someone turns on you. Whom gods destroy - once powerful being tries to escape imprisonment and regain the power and respect they once had.