The tunnel continues on and splits into three other tunnels. The first one on the right leads to a dark hole-like room that smells terrible. The room is very dark and it is nearly impossible to see unless the characters have infravision.
Inside this room are two very large Trolls.
These trolls have maximum hp and are hungry. They have been eating shadow elves and are hungry for something with a bit more meat on them. They attack right away.
The tunnel opens up into another large cave system.
The party will encounter three Shadow Elves. They are on patrol.
Once this Shadow Elf community was vibrant, well. As vibrant as these elves ever get. But a thousand years of exposure to the Vampire Queen's evil and the necrotic forces here (not to mention what strange radiations are coming from the ship above) have reduced their numbers and made the remaining elves slightly better than ghouls. Their alignment is now Chaotic (Evil).
They will attempt to talk to the party, but on the first sign of advantage, they will attack.
In addition to treasure they have food (more of the good mushrooms) and wine.
Note: Dwarves will notice that these passages are steadily going down.
It's the first Friday of June! Growing up that meant it was time for some D&D. What better way to do that than some old-school adventures? Thankfully we have some great ones to choose from.
Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0: Village on the Borderlands
Mark Taormino is a long-time friend of the Other Side and I have all of his Kickstarters. This one looks great as well and I can't wait to try it out. If it is half as fun as his other adventures then it will still be twice as fun as most of the adventures out there.
Tomb of the Dundel Chief - A D&D adventure, 5e, 1e and C&C
Ah, now this one comes from D&D royalty! Heidi Gygax-Garland and her husband Erik have already created some adventures. But this one looks rather epic in scope. Plus it has a Castles & Crusades version, the game that Gary himself felt was the spiritual successor to AD&D.
It also looks quite fun.
https://pacesettergames.com/collections/bx-rpg-1/products/things-better-left-alone
Ok. So not a Kickstarter, but on sale now. And it looks really cool and would jive well with all of these adventures.
So get out your circa 1983 rulebooks, color in your dice, and get these adventures. It's summer and time to play!
Moving through the cave away from the tunnel, you begin to spy smaller tunnels on either side.
As the party goes by several (1d4+2) giant white worms, Caecilia come from the tunnels and attack.
Each worm has Treasure Type B stored in its worm tunnel.
So it is June, and historically June has been D&D month around here. Though I have to admit I have not been in a D&D mood all year. I do have some things that fill that space certainly and will get to them.
Today though feels more like May 32nd. So I am going to do a little bit more with my Doctor Who posts and move on to other things. And a good place to do that is to compare the three characters that I have been using for all my Doctor Who posts; Larina, Jenny Everywhere, and Valerie.
The biggest difference between the 1st Edition and 2nd Edition Doctor Who RPGs is predominantly in character creation. Since I have three characters here that are a bit outside of the norm they make good test subjects for the new Distinctions.
Who Are You?
So I have a public domain "shifter," an immortal from the 16th Century, and a witch vaguely aware of all her past lives. How do these three get together in a bar in Soho?
Thankfully I already have good ideas about who these characters are in the Doctor Who universe. I just need to get them to jell together. Using the Shared Background Experiences table on p. 33 helps.
So when a chance meeting in a bar in Westminster one cold November night, things got weird.
Going back to the characters now and build them by the new rules.
I have mentioned Jenny a lot. She is a great character for the Doctor Who game and maybe even a better character for this newer version.
As always, I must include her license:
"The character of Jenny Everywhere is available for use by anyone, with only one condition. This paragraph must be included in any publication involving Jenny Everywhere, in order that others may use this property as they wish. All rights reversed."
Concept: Shifter in time and space.
What does that mean? Well she can sense changes in time flow, she can move about realities, she knows things that she otherwise would not know or not be capable of knowing. This new edition is explicit on the fact that the Time War changed history and the future and what we thought happened didn't or happened differently. Jenny can sense that.
Focus: Adventure
Jenny is nothing if not about adventure. She doesn't bemoan her abilities or lot in life, she embraces them.
Distinction: Shifter
This is what she is. It defines her. Since this is a major one her Story Points are reduced per page 47.
To paraphrase the Doctor, she is not my character but I have put a lot of work into her. Valerie is an immortal and she is always search for others like her, somewhat out of companionship and kinship but mostly to discover why she is the way she is.
Concept: Immortal seeker of knowledge
Everything about Val revolves around her desire to learn more about who she is and her place in this cosmos.
Focus: Discovery
Val is cautious not to let people know who she is until she knows who they are first. But when it comes to a mystery or discovering something new she jumps in feet first and then figures out how she will land on the way down.
Distinctions: Immortal, striking appearance
This one was easy, and the examples are given in the book. She also takes a minor reduction in Story Points.
Ah. Now this girl. We go way back.
She is a witch. Regardless what that means in any given world that is who she is. If anything she lives by the quote "A witch is not what you do it is who you are." Sounds like a Concept to me.
Concept: Modern Witch
She believes in magic, in the power of crystals and more. She does not view these as "paranormal" just "extra normal." Certainly in the universe of Doctor Who she can be justified.
Focus: Curiosity
Larina wants to know things just for the sake of knowing them. Her curiosity is insatiable and it gets her into trouble. A lot.
Distinctions: Psychic, striking appearance
Ah, now here is where the Distinctions work better than traits. In the First Edition, I had to buy a lot of traits to get her the powers I wanted, even if in a small bit. Here she takes a Major Distinction, Psychic and I work out with my GM (well...me) and figure out what she has when. So she is telepathic and empathic and can have visions of the future (precognitive) when needed. There are plenty of examples of these sorts of humans in Doctor Who, well traveling with this bunch has turned her abilities up. Turned up so much that they might even become dangerous.
The balance here is do I reduce her Story Points OR as the GM use her as a plot device? Both sound appealing.
I have to admit. I rather love these. I knew with the new 2nd Edition system, things like my group of weirdos here would work so much better.
Right now the only thing keeping me in the First Edition game is inertia, but if I had too I could switch over to the Second Edition with no looking back.
I'll reiterate this with more clarity.
If you are new to RPGs and/or new to Doctor Who, then this is the version of the game to get. Get to your FLGS (preferably) or Amazon (if you must) and grab a copy. Or if you are a Save the Trees type (good for you!) then head over to DriveThruRPG and grab a copy in PDF. It has everything you need except dice.
Your descent is a long one, as this tunnel winds down to deeper and deeper depths. There is a slight glow to the walls and as you approach the end of this tunnel, the glow gets brighter.
This cavern is vast. The upper reaches go beyond sight and there seems to be no end. The cave is filled with mushrooms. The party can try to eat some if they like.
2d6 Results
2 Poisoned! This mushroom is poisonous, save vs Poison or be sickened for a day.
3-4 Bad. This mushroom is just bad, save vs. poison or be sickened for 1 hour.
5-6 Bad tasting. There is nothing wrong with this mushroom, it just tastes bad.
7 Good! These mushrooms are good and taste good. They will substitute as a meal for a couple of days.
8-9 Good. These mushrooms are good, but do not provide much in nutrients. Can only live on them for one day.
10-11 Really Good. These mushrooms are great and provide enough food for a week,
12 Hallucingentic. These mushrooms are good, but make the eater hallucinate for 1d4+1 hours. Treat hallucinations as illusions only the eater can see.
--
We are entering the ancient domain of the Shadow Elves.
I will do a full review, but also I want to cast an eye toward the differences in the game from the previous First Editon(s).
Doctor Who: The Roleplaying Game Second Edition
PDFs and Hardcover book. Full color. 256 pages.
PDF is broken down into Core rules, Doctor, Companions, and Pregen charactersheets, and a blank character sheet.
As always, I am considering the PDFs from DriveThruRPG as well as the Core Rules book from my FLGS.
New Doctor means new trade dress and rules from Cubicle 7. But this time C7 goes the extra step and gives us an all new rule book with new (ish) system. What's inside? Let's have a look.
The layout of the book is very similar to the previous hardcovers, so if you are moving to this game from the First Edition then things will be easy for you to find.
The table of contents is up first and immediately you get the idea that this edition is courting new players. Each chapter for example has a brief sentence describing what it is for starters.
Chapter One: Let's Get a Shift On
Upfront, just like the previous versions, this book focuses on the then-current Doctor, the 13th, played by Jodie Whitaker and her companions. Though the other Doctors are not forgotten here.
This is our introduction chapter and it orientates the reader on who the Doctor is, what RPGs are and this one in particular. There is some bits about using the metric system (the USA really needs to get with the rest of the world here) and if you have round, round down.
We end with an example of play.
If you are coming to this game from either the previous edition or the Starter Set then this chapter is familiar territory.
Chapter Two: Travellers in the Fourth Dimension
As with previous editions, this is our Character Creation chapter with new rules ahead. We start with a character concept in the form of "Who are you?" not a backstory but rather an idea of who your character is. There is a discussion about the tone of your game and how do the characters all get along. We get everything from the extended "fam" of the 13th Doctor to the group of UNIT operatives.
Note: The text here, while similar to previous editions, does not feel "copied and pasted" from other editions/versions. This does read like a new game, albeit one with some familiarity.
The game starts with your Concept. That is who this character is. So for a companion like Yaz she is a "Probationary Police Officer." Leela would be a "Primitive tribe member." This helps us figure out what our characters are.
Next we get to our Focus. From the rulebook: "Where a character’s Concept is ‘who they are’, their Focus is more of ‘what makes them tick?’" That is a good summary. A Focus has a benefit (adds a +1d6) and a flaw, which is just a restriction on what sort of actions you take. Continuing with the Yaz example her Focus could be "The Law" meaning she can get a bonus when acting with authority but maybe she wont want to participate in a little B&E. Now depending on the intensity of your Focus it could be a +1d6 or +2d6 or even a solid +6 to any roll.
Experiences cover things the character could have done already. Yaz has some experience with the Law due to her education and she has experience as the daughter of an immigrant family and so on. Don't have anything in mind? No worries there is a 1d6x1d6 grid to help you find out. Likewise there is one for shared background experiences. This is great since so many of the companions of the Doctor had these shared experiences. Ian and Barbara were both teachers at the same school, Teegan and Nyssa both had family members killed by the Master.
Once you have these then we get into your point buy Attributes. This is largely the same as the previous edition (and most point-buy games). These are still Awareness, Coordination, Ingenuity, Presence, Resolve, and Strength. Skills are also largely the same with 12 skills. Previous combat-related skills have been merged into the Conflict skill. There is a new "Intuition" skill now.
Distinctions are also new and these largely replace the Traits of the previous version. These are mostly things like "Time Lord" or "Cyberman" or "Sontaran." Taking these usually result in fewer Story Points. Humans get 12, a Sontaran might get 8, and an experienced Time Lord also 8.
Fill in some more background information, set your home Tech Level and you are ready to go. Once you play a bit you will collect experience points. The end of this chapter covers spending experience points.
Chapter Three: Sorting Out Fair Play Throughout the Universe
This chapter covers running a game. The basic rule is still pretty much the same.
ATTRIBUTE + SKILL + TWO SIX-SIDED DICE = RESULT
(try to match or beat the Difficulty of the task)
So now Distinctions can alter these rolls, but the basic gameplay is still the same. This includes the Success and Failure levels associated with the rolls.
This also covers spending (and regaining) Story Points.
Plenty of examples are given on how the rules manifest in game play but really this is one of those games where the rules seamlessly move into the background while you are playing.
One such example of this are contested rolls and the example is combat. Again, Doctor Who is not a "kill all the monsters and take their stuff" sort of game, but every so often there will be creatures that want you dead.
Along with this some weapons are detailed along with other equipment and vehicles.
Special care is given to gadgets which are now less regulated by the rules. Essentially they do what they need to do.
Chapter Four: A Big Ball of Timey-Wimey Stuff
This covers the basic of traveling in Time and Space with some details about how the TARDIS works and so on. There are other means mentioned, but the TARDIS is our state-of-the-art means. TARDISes in the game are built a lot like characters are. This was always part of the rules, but it is more front and center in this edition.
This chapter also covers the various issues with Time Travel.
Chapter Five: Hold Tight and Pretend It’s a Plan
This is our Gamemaster section. It covers how to run a game. From designing your first group of travelers to the big wide universe they live in. It covers how to set up a game and a series of adventures (a campaign). This material is very similar to previous editions. This is expected since the advice in those editions was great and spot on, no need to over do it or redo it.
This also covers dealing more and more with the companions lives and families. Companions took a more central role in the story of the Doctor with the updated series. Their job is not so much to scream, get captured, and ask "what is it Doctor?" Now they drive key elements of the story and the adventures.
Chapter Six: A Brief History of Space and Time
This covers the setting of the Doctor Who RPG which is at present all of Time and Space. So yeah fairly inclusive of everything. Special attention is paid to the Doctor's favorite planet, Earth. Which is good since that is the one the authors also know the most about.
This chapter covers a few monsters/creatures/aliens for you to encounter and more background on Time Lords and Gallifreyans. Attention is given here to the Master in all their incarnations.
We get details on the "big ones" of course, Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, Silurians, and Ice Warriors. Good mix of both Classic Who beasties and NuWho ones.
Appendix: Remember All the People You Used to Be
This covers converting your Doctor Who 1st Edition Characters over to the new Second Edition. Not a difficult process at all really. About the same as moving from say any edition to Call of Cthulhu to another. Less complicated than moving from 1st Edition AD&D to 2nd Ed AD&D to be sure.
We also get character sheets for the 13th Doctor, Graham, Yasmin "Yaz", and Ryan. There is a blank sheet, and a good Index.
Who is this Game For?
If you are new to RPGs and are a fan of Doctor Who then this is the game for you.
If you are not new to RPGs but new to Doctor Who then this game is also good. But that is not the real question is it.
Should I Switch/Upgrade?
If you have the First Edition Doctor Who RPG, any version, and you really love it I would say stick with that. Reading 2nd Edition books with a First Edition mindset is not difficult ad I pointed out with the Doctor Who Sourcebooks.
If you want to keep up with all the Doctor Who books, then yeah, this is a fine edition of the rules.
The trade-off between Traits (1st Ed) and Distinctions (2nd Ed) is largely one of taste. Traits are little crunchier and Distinctions require more buy-in from the Players and Gamemaster.
Honestly, I can see a game where Traits and Distinctions can co-exist and can be played in the same game. Traits are just a bit more codified.
The book itself is gorgeous with plenty of color photos from the show (and even some black & white ones) and while the 13th Doctor and her "fam" are predominate, all Doctors are represented here at least once.
For me? Well, let's build some characters and see if I can get what I want.
