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Post by crazysteve5575 on Dec 31, 2013 14:13:03 GMT
im pretty new to RPG's infact ive never played one. The Doctor who, game seems like it might be fun, but how many players do you recommend for something like this? is it fun with just 2 people, or should there be more?
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Post by Craig Oxbrow on Dec 31, 2013 15:48:07 GMT
It can run fine with two players or even with one player and a GM (Gamemaster or "referee") but can also scale up to handle more players quite readily as it has a variety of character types available so you can avoid too much overlap of power and skill. It's also written to be welcoming and helpful to new players and GMs.
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Post by crazysteve5575 on Dec 31, 2013 18:54:10 GMT
Both my wife and i are pretty big doctor who fans, and i think we might enjoy playing something like this, but we have never done rpg's before. if its playable with just the 2 of us, maybe ill give it a try. could always add some friends in the future, but usually its just the 2 of us sitting around looking for something to do.
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Post by Stormcrow on Dec 31, 2013 19:33:39 GMT
The most obvious way to play a one-on-one game is for the player to play the Doctor. Either he has no companions or his companions are non-player characters; the former is easier but the latter lends itself to more plot twists.
Another way to play is to have the player be a companion, but then the Doctor goes missing. Maybe he's captured, maybe he vanishes mysteriously. Each adventure then becomes part of the companion's quest to find and rescue the Doctor. This setup requires either some explanation of how the TARDIS can follow the Doctor ("I've tuned the automatic controls to my brainwaves in case we get separated from the TARDIS") or some alternative method of getting the companion from one adventure to another (say, a vortex manipulator).
Beware trying to play the published adventures in a one-on-one setup; they are designed for groups of three to six. Before trying to run one of these, adjust the strength of the challenges.
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Post by crazysteve5575 on Dec 31, 2013 22:24:09 GMT
are there any adventures that may lean towards the 2 of us? when you say groups of three to six, does that include the gm? so like 2 players and one gm?
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Post by Stormcrow on Dec 31, 2013 22:40:56 GMT
More like three players and one GM. But those aren't hard-and-fast numbers.
I'm not aware of any published adventures that are specifically for one-on-one play.
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Post by angelicdoctor on Feb 27, 2015 4:31:34 GMT
Does anyone have any suggestions for playing the game with 13 players? I just found out that my family will be getting together with another family to play Doctor Who. Obviously, I am in a bit of a time crunch and could really use some suggestions as to type of adventure to run with that many players ranging in ages from 8 to 43!
Thanks in advance!
-AD
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misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,253
Favourite Doctors: Second, Third, Fourth, Eleventh, Thirteenth
Traits: Empathic, Face in the Crowd, Insatiable Curiosity, Stubborn, Phobia (Heights), Unadventurous
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Post by misterharry on Feb 27, 2015 7:13:14 GMT
Wow, 13 players? I don't think I've ever tried running any RPG with that many players! But 13 is of course the ideal number for them each to play a different incarnation of the Doctor. Imagine the egos...
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Post by Escher on Feb 27, 2015 14:37:58 GMT
Does anyone have any suggestions for playing the game with 13 players? I just found out that my family will be getting together with another family to play Doctor Who. Obviously, I am in a bit of a time crunch and could really use some suggestions as to type of adventure to run with that many players ranging in ages from 8 to 43! Thanks in advance! -AD Be firm with your actions and decisions, keep the pace moving, be entertaining. Be aware that the adults may have to 'play down' if there are young children. And you would do well to post that question in the RPG.net forum where there are lots of very experienced Gamemasters who may offer a wealth of advice. Good luck! forum.rpg.net/forumdisplay.php?3-Tabletop-Roleplaying-Open&s=fa23cd4c8d750c869e7eb934b1e8e3ea
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misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,253
Favourite Doctors: Second, Third, Fourth, Eleventh, Thirteenth
Traits: Empathic, Face in the Crowd, Insatiable Curiosity, Stubborn, Phobia (Heights), Unadventurous
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Post by misterharry on Feb 27, 2015 16:45:26 GMT
To try to keep track of that number of players and what they're doing, I'd think you'd want the adventure itself to be fairly straightforward. If you go with each of them playing the different incarnations of the Doctor, then maybe drop them all into the Death Zone on Gallifrey? That way, you can throw whatever traps and monsters you want at them as they try to achieve a specific goal. Perhaps a major enemy (the Master or the Daleks?) is using the Death Zone to invade Gallifrey by the back door and the Time Lords are sending the Doctors - all of them - in to sort it out.
I'd be tempted to split them into different groups, much as happened in The Five Doctors, to keep things manageable. But I think the key will be keeping that number of players involved, as if you spend too much time on one group, the rest of the players have to sit back and may lose interest if they're left out of it for too long.
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Post by Hedgewick on Feb 27, 2015 17:22:20 GMT
Our campaign at The Dark Dimension, as the episode guide reveals, began with only one player and a game master. As the player, I was two characters simultaneously--the Doctor and his companion Selene. This allowed us to maintain a Doctor Who dynamic and, in fact, it wasn't at all difficult to balance. The first series, lasting four episodes, unfolded with this line-up. We've since added a second player--our new companion, Mohana--and the game master is playing the role of the Master as an NPC. There's no question, the greatest strength of this game is the flexibility of its format. As others have said, there are a number of possibilities for playing the game with only two participants. The player can fill the role of the Doctor, a companion, or both. The rules are simple and modules can be easily adapted to fit your needs. It's a great deal of fun no matter how many people are playing, and you can easily add other players to the mix as they come and go.
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,761
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Feb 27, 2015 17:38:45 GMT
As misterharry said a multi-Doctor adventure sounds good, 4-6 perhaps with companions. Other Doctors might only be available to advise (as per Hartnell in The The Three Doctors). You'd need a suitable grand scale problem for them to solve too. I'd also suggest co-opting a couple of people to assist in running the game.
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misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,253
Favourite Doctors: Second, Third, Fourth, Eleventh, Thirteenth
Traits: Empathic, Face in the Crowd, Insatiable Curiosity, Stubborn, Phobia (Heights), Unadventurous
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Post by misterharry on Feb 28, 2015 10:18:22 GMT
Does anyone have any suggestions for playing the game with 13 players? I just found out that my family will be getting together with another family to play Doctor Who. Obviously, I am in a bit of a time crunch and could really use some suggestions as to type of adventure to run with that many players ranging in ages from 8 to 43! Thanks in advance! -AD Catsmate's suggestion of co-opting one or two others to act as co-GMs is a good one. That way, you could have more than one group working independently until they all come together for the climax of the adventure. And if the set-up is fairly simple (such as the Death Zone or something similar), it should be flexible enough that the other GMs can work with it without too much preparation. I'd be very interested to hear how this works out - please let us know what you decide and how it goes.
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Post by Corone on Feb 28, 2015 15:22:11 GMT
Does anyone have any suggestions for playing the game with 13 players? I just found out that my family will be getting together with another family to play Doctor Who. Obviously, I am in a bit of a time crunch and could really use some suggestions as to type of adventure to run with that many players ranging in ages from 8 to 43! -AD Catsmate's suggestion of co-opting one or two others to act as co-GMs is a good one. That way, you could have more than one group working independently until they all come together for the climax of the adventure. And if the set-up is fairly simple (such as the Death Zone or something similar), it should be flexible enough that the other GMs can work with it without too much preparation. I'd be very interested to hear how this works out - please let us know what you decide and how it goes. I'd agree with the above as well. But I'd also add that sounds tailor made for a UNIT game. They could all play a squad with some scientist back up (I'm thinking like Remembrance of the Daleks or Planet of the Dead) You might also run a 'colony under attack' game, like Waters of Mars, Impossible Planet or even Silence in the library. each player might get taken over by something horrible and the game becomes a fight between the infected and the uninfected. All of which are PCs. It might make it easier to run as you just set the ball rolling and its up to the players to fight it out. You just referee. As characters die the player might take another colony member, or the baddies resurrect until the good guys find the key to defeating them en masse, if they can... The Co-GM plan is a very good one. But failing that you could also hand out some long term puzzles/plans. So you deal with the soldier group while the scientist characters discuss what weird weapon to build, then when you go to the scientists the soldiers need to plan an assault etc. One of the things I love about Who is that it works well with small groups, but a large group is potentially a great oppotunity for something different. Hope it goes well!
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,761
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Feb 28, 2015 17:16:23 GMT
Catsmate's suggestion of co-opting one or two others to act as co-GMs is a good one. That way, you could have more than one group working independently until they all come together for the climax of the adventure. And if the set-up is fairly simple (such as the Death Zone or something similar), it should be flexible enough that the other GMs can work with it without too much preparation. I'd be very interested to hear how this works out - please let us know what you decide and how it goes. I'd agree with the above as well. But I'd also add that sounds tailor made for a UNIT game. They could all play a squad with some scientist back up (I'm thinking like Remembrance of the Daleks or Planet of the Dead) You might also run a 'colony under attack' game, like Waters of Mars, Impossible Planet or even Silence in the library. each player might get taken over by something horrible and the game becomes a fight between the infected and the uninfected. All of which are PCs. It might make it easier to run as you just set the ball rolling and its up to the players to fight it out. You just referee. As characters die the player might take another colony member, or the baddies resurrect until the good guys find the key to defeating them en masse, if they can... The Co-GM plan is a very good one. But failing that you could also hand out some long term puzzles/plans. So you deal with the soldier group while the scientist characters discuss what weird weapon to build, then when you go to the scientists the soldiers need to plan an assault etc. One of the things I love about Who is that it works well with small groups, but a large group is potentially a great oppotunity for something different. Hope it goes well! Two other thoughts. Is anyone interested in playing the villain (and perhaps a minion)? Something like a <generic US ensemble show> meets Who. Say a San Francisco based Torchwood analogue gets a visit from a Time Lord and companion(s). Plus a witness/bystander who's involved (the plucky kid perhaps?).
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Post by angelicdoctor on Mar 3, 2015 22:17:15 GMT
Thanks all for your thoughts, suggestions, and contributions! We spent a majority of the time making characters for everyone who was to be involved and had a good time. We ended up with some rather interesting characters.
Three Daleks One Dalek in a Cyberman suit One robot AI in a Cyberman suit One Silence One Time Lord with a dark secret, that is, he has not shared the fact that he is, indeed, a Time Lord One Time Lady One Torchwood soldier One person playing the role of Donna Noble One person playing the role of River Song One person playing the role of Amelia 'Amy' Pond And one person playing the role of the 11th Doctor
Wow. The only thing I could think of to start these seemingly diametrically opposed group of characters was to pull an 'amnesia' type of opening. Everyone woke up, came to, materialized in one large metal room not realizing who they were much less who the others were or why they were there. This gives me time to ponder the nature of the game I shall run without having everyone blow each other to bits in the first scene.
Any thoughts from you good folks as to how to proceed with this motley group?
Thanks!
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Post by angelicdoctor on Mar 9, 2015 23:20:57 GMT
Our second session was even better than the first! I had pondered practically all week long on where to take this campaign, which I am calling Doctor Who: Amnesia, until I had a brilliant stroke of an idea. For about a year or so, I had in my possession a limited edition copy of James M. Ward's excellent Dark Outpost adventure (available HERE) and was perplexed as to which sci-fi RPG might be most suitable to run it with. Star Frontiers? Maybe. Star Wars D6? Not really a good fit. This is more horror than space opera. Metamorphosis Alpha? Probably a great fit. I mean, James Ward wrote that game, after all. Then I got to thinking about Doctor Who episodes such as Ark in Space, Girl in the Fireplace, Mummy on the Orient Express and then I realized that Dark Outpost fit this model perfectly. An excellent and creepy sci-fi haunted house adventure paired with an insane artificial intelligence made thus by alien fungi to challenge all of the players plus giving them a common enemy to overcome together whilst they recover memories bit by bit. Once they figure out who they are in the climax of the adventure, this thing should end up pretty explosive provided they survive the dangers of the Planet Kask Outpost station!
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,761
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Mar 10, 2015 9:14:49 GMT
That is one of the great things about Who gaming; it can encompass pretty much any genre, except maybe High Fantasy (and even that with a bit of work). Classic murder mysteries, westerns, horror, alien invasion, eco-thrillers.... it can handle it all. Which make reusing old scenarios easy.
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