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Post by Hedgewick on Dec 14, 2018 21:57:09 GMT
The Lost Doctor faced off against some iconic enemies in his latest adventure. Call it "Planet of the Cybermen," or "Evolution of the Cybermen," or... "Cyberiad Rising" The Venturi were an advanced and accomplished race. Now, their civilisation has been annihilated, their wondrous homeworld transformed into a technological horror. Following the Viyrans into the heart of this high-tech holocaust, the Doctor, Riddell, and Flo must face their fears and inevitable infection to strike a blow against a familiar and unrelenting enemy. The conversion of the Venturi has allowed the Cybermen to transcend their limitations and attain awesome power, rendering them more adaptive and dangerous than ever!
As the travellers make their way through a surreal cityscape of living metal, their bodies begin to undergo a slow and unnatural change. Flesh and blood are gradually being transformed into circuits and steel, and the trio discovers that their subconscious minds are now linked. The Cyberiad is all-knowing, encompassing every living creature on the planet. As their bodies fade, so too does their sense of self. John Riddell, the sole human in this doomed expedition, suffers worst of all. He can see and hear James Sampson and Lillian Riddell—his greatest rival and a sister tragically lost—haunting manifestations of his shattered psyche. Lillian threatens him, and Sampson tempts him, each goading Riddell into embracing an inhuman influence. Slowly but surely, the self-reliant adventurer is losing himself to the Cyberiad. The culmination of his agonizing trial will mark the birth of a powerful new Cyber-Planner, one who will usher in an era of unprecedented conquest for the Cybermen.
The Venturi and John Riddell have been lost, but if the Doctor can outmanoeuvre a trusted companion transformed into a formidable foe, he just might prevent this insidious infection from spreading to the galaxy beyond!
The players in our campaign have been very patient with me during the Lost Doctor era. As a game master, I've been holding back the iconic Doctor Who monsters, trying to build a sense of anticipation. Now was the time to reintroduce a classic foe, however, and the Lost Doctor's third series began with a full-blown Cyberman extravaganza. Cybermen! Cybermats! Cybermites! Cyber-planners! Cyber-cities! Cyber-fleets! This one had it all. I prepared this module by combining a number of disparate elements. At its core, this story was inspired by two television episodes: Doctor Who's "Nightmare in Silver" by Neil Gaiman and Red Dwarf's "Confidence and Paranoia" by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor. (The Red Dwarf episode gave me my light-bulb moment, providing a fresh new take on the Cyber-Planner dynamic seen in "Nightmare in Silver.") This was further developed with a combination of modified one-page dungeons, stats from official and unofficial Doctor Who supplements, and a segment of "Target: Mega-City One" for the Judge Dredd Roleplaying Game. John Riddell took center stage. I was interested in exploring his character this time around, deliberately shifting attention away from the Doctor. The "Confidence and Paranoia" approach allowed me to delve deep into the character's psyche, and his role as the sole human in the scenario gave me just the excuse I needed to put him at the center of the Cyberiad. Erin, who plays Riddell, was a good sport during all of this and embraced the character's chilling new persona. By the end of the adventure, Riddell was sitting on a cyber-throne, overseeing all cyber-operations, and the Doctor was forced to plot against his former companion. All this was almost too much story for one game session, but the compressed climax reached a breakneck pace and provided plenty of big-screen style action sequences. (The television series could never afford the budget for this one!) The Doctor and Flo were able to save John Riddell from losing his soul, and the Cyberman plan for expansion was ultimately thwarted, but the Cyberiad may have grown too big and too powerful to ever be truly destroyed... A teaser story, episode guide entry, and artwork have been posted for this adventure on the blog. Just follow the link.
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thereviewer
3rd Incarnation
Posts: 278
Favourite Doctors: Jodie Whittaker, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, David Tennant, Christopher Eccelston, John Hurt, Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy, Peter Davison, Tom Baker, William Hartnell
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Post by thereviewer on Dec 15, 2018 2:57:24 GMT
The Lost Doctor faced off against some iconic enemies in his latest adventure. Call it "Planet of the Cybermen," or "Evolution of the Cybermen," or... "Cyberiad Rising" The Venturi were an advanced and accomplished race. Now, their civilisation has been annihilated, their wondrous homeworld transformed into a technological horror. Following the Viyrans into the heart of this high-tech holocaust, the Doctor, Riddell, and Flo must face their fears and inevitable infection to strike a blow against a familiar and unrelenting enemy. The conversion of the Venturi has allowed the Cybermen to transcend their limitations and attain awesome power, rendering them more adaptive and dangerous than ever!
As the travellers make their way through a surreal cityscape of living metal, their bodies begin to undergo a slow and unnatural change. Flesh and blood are gradually being transformed into circuits and steel, and the trio discovers that their subconscious minds are now linked. The Cyberiad is all-knowing, encompassing every living creature on the planet. As their bodies fade, so too does their sense of self. John Riddell, the sole human in this doomed expedition, suffers worst of all. He can see and hear James Sampson and Lillian Riddell—his greatest rival and a sister tragically lost—haunting manifestations of his shattered psyche. Lillian threatens him, and Sampson tempts him, each goading Riddell into embracing an inhuman influence. Slowly but surely, the self-reliant adventurer is losing himself to the Cyberiad. The culmination of his agonizing trial will mark the birth of a powerful new Cyber-Planner, one who will usher in an era of unprecedented conquest for the Cybermen.
The Venturi and John Riddell have been lost, but if the Doctor can outmanoeuvre a trusted companion transformed into a formidable foe, he just might prevent this insidious infection from spreading to the galaxy beyond!
The players in our campaign have been very patient with me during the Lost Doctor era. As a game master, I've been holding back the iconic Doctor Who monsters, trying to build a sense of anticipation. Now was the time to reintroduce a classic foe, however, and the Lost Doctor's third series began with a full-blown Cyberman extravaganza. Cybermen! Cybermats! Cybermites! Cyber-planners! Cyber-cities! Cyber-fleets! This one had it all. I prepared this module by combining a number of disparate elements. At its core, this story was inspired by two television episodes: Doctor Who's "Nightmare in Silver" by Neil Gaiman and Red Dwarf's "Confidence and Paranoia" by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor. (The Red Dwarf episode gave me my light-bulb moment, providing a fresh new take on the Cyber-Planner dynamic seen in "Nightmare in Silver.") This was further developed with a combination of modified one-page dungeons, stats from official and unofficial Doctor Who supplements, and a segment of "Target: Mega-City One" for the Judge Dredd Roleplaying Game. John Riddell took center stage. I was interested in exploring his character this time around, deliberately shifting attention away from the Doctor. The "Confidence and Paranoia" approach allowed me to delve deep into the character's psyche, and his role as the sole human in the scenario gave me just the excuse I needed to put him at the center of the Cyberiad. Erin, who plays Riddell, was a good sport during all of this and embraced the character's chilling new persona. By the end of the adventure, Riddell was sitting on a cyber-throne, overseeing all cyber-operations, and the Doctor was forced to plot against his former companion. All this was almost too much story for one game session, but the compressed climax reached a breakneck pace and provided plenty of big-screen style action sequences. (The television series could never afford the budget for this one!) The Doctor and Flo were able to save John Riddell from losing his soul, and the Cyberman plan for expansion was ultimately thwarted, but the Cyberiad may have grown too big and too powerful to ever be truly destroyed... A teaser story, episode guide entry, and artwork have been posted for this adventure on the blog. Just follow the link. Hedgewick, Wow! I was not expecting another adventure so quickly! Great work, my friend! This one actually reminded me more of Supremacy of the Cybermen with the Cybermen getting upgraded far beyond what they had. However, your version actually had some guts and made a story where while the heroes might not have necessarily won, they at least halted them, so I see a little bit of Genesis of the Daleks in there as well. Kudos to another great adventure! Looking forward to seeing what comes next!
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misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
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 Dec 15, 2018 14:39:20 GMT
The players in our campaign have been very patient with me during the Lost Doctor era. As a game master, I've been holding back the iconic Doctor Who monsters, trying to build a sense of anticipation. Now was the time to reintroduce a classic foe, however, and the Lost Doctor's third series began with a full-blown Cyberman extravaganza. Cybermen! Cybermats! Cybermites! Cyber-planners! Cyber-cities! Cyber-fleets! This one had it all. And do I also spot the Viyrans on the CD cover?
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Post by Hedgewick on Dec 15, 2018 16:54:05 GMT
Wow! I was not expecting another adventure so quickly! Great work, my friend! This one actually reminded me more of Supremacy of the Cybermen with the Cybermen getting upgraded far beyond what they had. However, your version actually had some guts and made a story where while the heroes might not have necessarily won, they at least halted them, so I see a little bit of Genesis of the Daleks in there as well. Kudos to another great adventure! Looking forward to seeing what comes next! I haven't read "Supremacy of the Cybermen," but that's what I was going for. I wanted to advance the Cybermen toward their logical evolution, just as Neil Gaiman did in "Nightmare in Silver." I also didn't want there to be a "quick fix" for the situation. The Doctor and his companions were able to temporarily halt the expansion of the Cyberiad, but they certainly haven't eliminated the threat. The adventures should be coming along a bit more rapidly for the next few months. We're going to try and play regularly for the Lost Doctor's next two series. Stay tuned!
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Post by Hedgewick on Dec 15, 2018 16:57:53 GMT
And do I also spot the Viyrans on the CD cover? You certainly do! I'm utterly fascinated by the Viyrans. As a result, they have been recurring allies throughout the Lost Doctor adventures. The Viyrans have appeared in "Magla," "The Starmind," and "Cyberiad Rising," guiding the TARDIS team and providing support. Communicating with them is a real challenge, however, and their long-term goals aren't always clear.
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misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
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 Dec 18, 2018 12:48:57 GMT
You certainly do! I'm utterly fascinated by the Viyrans. As a result, they have been recurring allies throughout the Lost Doctor adventures. The Viyrans have appeared in "Magla," "The Starmind," and "Cyberiad Rising," guiding the TARDIS team and providing support. Communicating with them is a real challenge, however, and their long-term goals aren't always clear. I think the Viyrans are a great concept, totally alien. Their actions often have a definite motive behind them, but the way they go about achieving them usually seem bizarre.
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misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
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 Jan 5, 2019 15:31:55 GMT
Hedgewick, you may be interested to hear that there's a new Nth Doctor short story in this charity anthology: Unbound - Adventures in Time and Space. The ebook is out now (downloaded my copy this morning), and at $4.99 for 600 pages, it's a bargain!
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Post by Hedgewick on Jan 7, 2019 19:52:02 GMT
Hedgewick , you may be interested to hear that there's a new Nth Doctor short story in this charity anthology: Unbound - Adventures in Time and Space. The ebook is out now (downloaded my copy this morning), and at $4.99 for 600 pages, it's a bargain! Thank you so much! I am interested. I always try to keep tabs on the Nth Doctor's scattered adventures in various alternate dimensions.
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Post by Hedgewick on Feb 19, 2019 22:26:30 GMT
The Lost Doctor earned his wings in an effort to correct the course of history in... "Over the Top"France. 1917. In the mud-filled trenches of the Western Front, the Germans, the British, and the Americans face each other in a bitter stalemate. Thousands have died but, for three bloody years, not an inch of ground has been gained. When a trio of strangers emerges from No Man’s Land bearing secret battle plans for a major British tank offensive, Lieutenant Colonel George S. Patton knows that the course of the war is about to change. Emboldened by this knowledge and by the extraordinary skills possessed by these outlandish operatives, he charges them with a dangerous reconnaissance mission.
The Doctor, Riddell, and Flo must penetrate enemy lines. There, on a hidden airfield, they discover the source of the strange energies they’ve been tracking since the TARDIS first fell onto this bleak battleground. The Flying Circus of Manfred von Richthofen—the legendary Red Baron—is prepared for the coming offensive, and their Fokker triplanes are equipped with advanced arms representing the wrong World War! It becomes clear that a brilliant but sinister influence has bent Germany’s leaders to his dominating will. The Master is near death, incinerated by the time vortex, stripped of his robotic frame, but as desperate and determined to survive as he has ever been. Soon, he will take a new body, and in that rejuvenated form he will lead Germany to victory in the Battle of Cambrai, corrupting a crucial tipping point in the history of the Great War. The Doctor and his companions will have to take to the skies to correct the course of history—and face the dreaded Red Baron, ace of aces, on the field of combat that he has mastered!
For longtime roleplayers, the premise might sound familiar. The module is "Red Ace High," an introductory adventure for the Timemaster roleplaying game adapted to serve our ongoing narrative. After the sci-fi excesses of "The Starmind" and "Cyberiad Rising," it was time for a historical adventure. The World War I setting was bleak, of course, but there was also some high adventure, particularly during the climax, in which the Lost Doctor and John Riddell took to the air in a pair of Sopwith Camels to do battle with the Red Baron and his Flying Circus. It takes a fair few story points to challenge the Red Baron in the air, let me tell you! This story also marked the return of the Master. This was the last, desperate gasp of the robotic version of the character portrayed by Derek Jacobi. Reduced to nothing more than a scorched, damaged robotic skull, he was forced to improvise a means of ensuring his survival. I love the Master as a villain, and I love the fact that he always survives, no matter how grim his fate might seem. Half of his schemes are rooted in efforts to simply prolong his life. This story was a celebration of this aspect of the character. At the dramatic finish of our tale, his consciousness was transferred into the body of a German general before he was captured by the Doctor and George Patton. Thus, the Dark Dimension's new Master is... Aidan Gillen! This also turned out to be the last regular adventure for one of our campaign's beloved companions, Flo, the Judoon soldier from UNIT. The capture of the Master on early twentieth century Earth presented the Doctor with something of a dilemma. How to ensure the Master's incarceration, and to ensure that he does not interfere with history? The Doctor's solution involved leaving Flo behind with the American military, charging him with the vital mission of guarding the Master and ensuring that he does no harm. Ever the loyal soldier, Flo followed his orders and gave up on his journey in the TARDIS. My players are already certain, of course, that they haven't seen the last of Flo... or the Master! A teaser story, episode guide entry, and artwork have been posted for the adventure.
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misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
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 20, 2019 8:10:32 GMT
Something I've only just spotted from the CD covers that makes me chuckle is that you've cast Greg Davies as Flo the Judoon!
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Post by Hedgewick on Feb 20, 2019 14:55:04 GMT
Something I've only just spotted from the CD covers that makes me chuckle is that you've cast Greg Davies as Flo the Judoon! That's right! Once Flo became a regular companion and it was time to imaginatively cast someone to provide his voice, we thought that Greg Davies was just the man for the job. (Just the voice, mind you. We wouldn't make the poor guy wear a rubber rhinoceros costume for every episode!)
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misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
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 21, 2019 12:25:42 GMT
That's right! Once Flo became a regular companion and it was time to imaginatively cast someone to provide his voice, we thought that Greg Davies was just the man for the job. (Just the voice, mind you. We wouldn't make the poor guy wear a rubber rhinoceros costume for every episode!) Though at 6 feet 8 inches tall, he has the build to carry it off!
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Post by Hedgewick on Mar 7, 2019 21:09:12 GMT
Something horrific stalks the children of North London. Do not be deceived by the innocent appearance of... "The Red Balloon"On the streets of Muswell Hill, a mob of panicked parents marches for justice following the brutal death of a local boy. Neither they nor the police are prepared to accept the circumstances of such an appalling murder. From the moment they exit the TARDIS, the Doctor and John Riddell sense that a terrible evil has come into this neighbourhood. Searching the streets in the dead of night, they collect unsettling evidence, but they also arouse the suspicions of a community on edge. The travellers must watch their step if they are to confront the haunted boys and girls who wander the parks and alleyways after nightfall with madness in their eyes. Something alien and abominable has descended on North London, transforming ordinary children into jealous monsters who will go anywhere, cross anyone, do anything—anything to get their hands on the red balloon.
This story was based on a module provided by The Game is Afoot!, a blog dedicated to the Gumshoe RPG, and the module itself was inspired by the classic French film The Red Balloon (1956). As my players recently observed, this season's stories have been very dark, and that's by design. The Lost Doctor is such a bright hero. Wearing his linen suit and white panama, he always faces adversity with a smile, and he brings cheer and friendship to all he meets. As a game master, I find that I'm inspired to plunge this bright hero into the darkest of scenarios and to see what results from the contrast. You can't get much darker than the setup for this story. I felt that this was risky for Doctor Who, certainly, but within the bounds of its approach to horror. As I like to say, the Lost Doctor definitely lives in Virgin New Adventure territory. The scenario allowed me to play up those horror elements as the Doctor and Riddell investigated a supernatural murder mystery. It was also refreshing to play an adventure staged in a contemporary setting. It's always fun when you can tell the players that the TARDIS has landed on the precise day in history on which the game is being played. If my players think that the Lost Doctor and Riddell have gone to some dark places, they ain't seen nothing yet! Just wait until they find out where our epic season finale will take them... A teaser story, episode guide entry, and artwork have been posted for the adventure on the blog.
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Post by Hedgewick on Mar 22, 2019 19:59:06 GMT
The Doctor and Riddell went to Hell in... "The Ninth Circle""The legends of Gallifrey speak of a world where everything is horror—horror and pain—a world from which there is no escape, and the creatures crawl on the crust of the land of the lost and the hopeless and the broken and the doomed. The legends of Gallifrey speak of a world, and the name of the world they speak of… is Hell."It is said that in the Dark Times of the Fledging Empires, the Time Lords of Gallifrey were pitiless in imposing order on the universe and in their misguided attempts to create other, less sensible realities. Whispered legends tell of the most appalling of their cosmic constructs, the nightmare dimension known only as Hell, an accursed wasteland to which the savage insect races of the universe were banished. Now, in an abduction that defies explanation, the Shining World of the Seven Systems has lost one of its great landmarks to this wicked realm, leaving some of its greatest visionaries at the mercy of the monsters it once condemned to eternal damnation. Among the missing is the Lady Romana—High Councillor, Custodian of the House of Everston, and, more secretly, a guiding force behind an increasingly organized underground sect devoted to the notorious renegade she once accompanied on his fabled journey through time and space. The loss is potentially devastating and the situation is grim, but the Council on Chaos recognizes an opportunity when it sees one. With the Doctor, his human companion, and their rickety Type 40 time travel capsule captured and in state custody, the Time Lords have regained control over an erratic but resourceful agent who has repeatedly demonstrated his willingness to venture where others fear to tread. To earn their freedom, to rescue Romana and all that Gallifrey has lost, the Doctor and John Riddell must face a gauntlet of unimaginable horrors and brave the infernal depths of Hell itself!
I have already confessed that, as a game master, I enjoy plunging the bright hero that is the Lost Doctor into particularly dark situations to make the most of the contrast. Since his adventures first began, I have not been able to shake the image of the Lost Doctor in Hell. The implications of such a scenario are outright epic, of course. This could only be a season finale. That image was a powerful one: the indefatigable Lost Doctor--with his white linen suit, panama hat, and blinding aura of good cheer--standing amid the flames of Hell, battling for right in a place where everything is wrong. It instantly evokes and was inspired, perhaps, by another image that is well-known in roleplaying circles: "A Paladin in Hell" (1978) by David C. Southerland, seen in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook (First Edition). For this reason, I used Monte Cook's D&D module "A Paladin in Hell" (TSR 9586), also inspired by that illustration, as the foundation for the adventure. In our scenario, Hell is a dimension created by the early Time Lords. There, they banished the "savage insect races" that offended them. This allowed me to swap demons and skeletons and golems for creatures like the Racnoss ("The Runaway Bride"), the Scourge (Big Finish's "Shadow of the Scourge"), and the Hellgrammites (an original creation). Amid the fireballs and lightning and eternal flames of Hell were all manner of creepy crawlies. The Nine Circles themselves--from Avernus to Nessus--remained unchanged. This was a nightmare dimension, an independent universe, where known physics and scientific laws did not apply. The Time Lords played a crucial role in the narrative, of course, with the opening scenes set on Gallifrey. Romana, a recurring character in our campaign, was the one who actually fulfilled the role of the module's titular paladin, trapped in Hell but fighting to the last to save the innocent. Preparing the adventure was a challenge. "A Paladin in Hell" is over sixty pages, presenting enough political intrigue and dungeon maps to fill an entire campaign. I had to cover it in a single game session. (We could have spent whole days in the Demonwing, or Citadel Coldsteel, or the Temple of Neheod!) There was a lot of material for me to condense and adapt. In the end, however, I think that this proved to enhance the experience for all involved. Once the Doctor and Riddell were translocated across the dimensional barriers and found themselves in Hell, there was so much to see and do. Things moved along at a brisk pace. There was never a dull moment. And though the plot of the adventure mandated that certain events were inevitable, there were also a lot of choices. My players were unfazed by their apparent damnation and faced the challenges head-on. This was a season finale that I hope they won't soon forget. Original fiction! Thrilling plot summaries! Infernal artwork! And more material is on the way. Check out the blog.
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Post by Hedgewick on Jun 14, 2019 20:23:20 GMT
The Lost Doctor and Riddell went from hellfire to holy land in... "Divine Comedy"On a faraway planet, the Doctor and Riddell find themselves cast as pilgrims in the strangest of holy lands. The thriving megalopolis known as the Multihaven is built of churches and cathedrals, monuments and monasteries, sanctuaries and shrines. In this city of spiritual tourism, diversity is celebrated and faith is all. Representatives from a chaotic assembly of religions—from the Shrine of Serendipity to the Microbaptists to the Church of the Divine Gas—open their arms and their houses of worship to the travellers. The Doctor is impressed that this community has seemingly achieved the impossible, finding peace and harmony in balancing religious debate with tolerance. That delicate balance is threatened, however, by the sudden, overwhelming popularity of the Cabinet of Lucidity.
Convert by convert, church by church, all faiths are falling to the zealots who worship the God of Dreams. To find this mysterious idol, the Doctor and Riddell must join the church’s disciples in sleep and surrender to their dreams. Deep in the surreal landscape of the unconscious, amid visions born of their greatest hopes and fears, they face the inescapable influence that has conquered the hearts and minds of the Multihaven. The Lucidians have embraced the truth of the universe, and they know there is but one true god: the Divinity. In a world ruled by piety and religious devotion, they may be unstoppable.
I adapted this one from the Big Finish Eighth Doctor audio "Faith Stealer," one of the tales that makes up the so-called Divergent Universe arc. This story was perfect for our campaign given its religious themes. I'd long been planning to use it as a means of setting up the first confrontation between the Lost Doctor and the Divinity. In adapting the source material, I upped the scale of things. In our version, the Multihaven is a veritable megalopolis that has existed for thousands of years. Providing the players with a map of its various districts allowed them to make choices, and the wide variety of different religions made for an interesting mix of encounters. The most exciting segment of this adventure was the Doctor and Riddell's pursuit of the God of Dreams. The Cabinet of Lucidity is a religion practiced through sleep, as its worshipers submit to their god in their dreams. This set up the opportunity for a unique dramatic sequence. (I'm rather shocked that the original audio didn't explore this, in fact.) Once the Doctor and Riddell were convinced to surrender to sleep, they entered the dreamscape. Using Rory's Story Cubes and an invented mechanic to supplement the usual dice rolls, we collaboratively invented the contents of each dream. Each player interpreted the symbols rolled on the Story Cubes. As a result, those symbols formed the basis for the dream sequence. (The Lost Doctor's interpretation of his symbols? " Recorder. Rebuilding. Sum. Network. Prehistoric. Repulsion." Riddell's symbols? " Disease. Flight. Authority. Native. Laughter. Rivalry.") The Lost Doctor found himself building a church amid a primeval landscape, brick by brick, while John Riddell was forced to relive the decline of his father in an African village. In both dreams, one dominating figure emerged as a savior: the God of Dreams, a member of the Divinity! This was a unique scenario in our roleplaying game. I know that players found it engaging, and I'm keen to explore similar collaborative mechanics in future stories. (My thanks to Escher for contributing the idea that the Time Traveller's Companion's mechanics for interacting with the Matrix could also apply to lucid dreaming!) As always, a teaser, episode guide entry, and new artwork have been posted for the adventure.
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Post by grinch on Jun 15, 2019 12:54:09 GMT
Ah, the return of the Divinity. I must say, they have and still continue to fascinate me. I really do love their modus operandi and their use of religion as a weapon. Makes a change from the usual telepathic and mesmeric psychic species what with the Divinity being far more insidious in their actions. If they were to appear on the television series I really could them see them posing a challenge for any incarnation of the Doctor or even perhaps giving the likes of the Daleks a run for their money. So much is left a mystery about them which I love. Where did they first become prominent in the universe? What is their point of origin known only as the Opius Expanse? Can they ever be stopped? Questions which, perhaps, should best remain unanswered.
As always, loving the 'The Dark Dimension' and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
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Post by Hedgewick on Jun 20, 2019 17:08:35 GMT
Ah, the return of the Divinity. I must say, they have and still continue to fascinate me... That's wonderful to hear! When we designed the Divinity, we were hoping to create a monster with mileage, so to speak. We wanted to create an adversary that could return throughout the campaign, an RPG counterpart to the established Daleks and Cyberman and Weeping Angels. It was also important to us that they would challenge the Doctor and his companions in different ways. Each encounter with the Divinity brings its own moral and ethical quandaries. They are fascinating, and they've been great villains. I'm always looking forward to their next appearance, and it's great to know that you are, too. With stats for the Divinity posted on the blog, I hope that others will be encouraged to use them in their own games. And I agree with you regarding the value in unanswered questions. Sometimes the most fascinating mysteries are those mysteries that are without resolution, and they can provide the basis for captivating stories. Rest assured the Divinity will maintain that veil of mystery. There are some questions that will never be answered.
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Post by Hedgewick on Sept 10, 2019 13:56:56 GMT
The Lost Doctor and John Riddell risked digital death in their visit to... "Paradise in Shadows"Touring the high-tech tropics of twenty-fourth century Hawai’i, the Doctor and Riddell think they’ve found paradise. After accepting a dinner invitation from an enigmatic stranger, however, the travellers are ushered into a cruel and treacherous underworld. Beneath the neon glare of its high-class hotels and tourist havens, the Kingdom of Hawai’i is a battlefront where corrupt mega-corporations and savage gangs compete for technological supremacy. At the centre of this war of industrial sabotage and corporate espionage is a powerful device that could mean life or death for those brave enough to venture into cyberspace, an advancement certain to shift the balance of power. The Doctor and Riddell find themselves taking fire from all sides as they search for this mysterious prototype and struggle to decipher the true motives of those factions vying to control it. Their efforts take them from the unforgiving streets of Honolulu to the dazzling but dangerous virtual world of cyberspace, each access code and digital trace leading them ever closer to a fateful confrontation with the victor who has claimed their prize—a hidden army intent on dictating the future of the Hawai’ian Islands!
This one shifted gears for our campaign. The Lost Doctor has regained control of his TARDIS, no longer at the mercy of a randomizer. He returned to Earth, only to become embroiled in a dangerous power play thanks to a case of mistaken identity. The module is adapted from the Shadowrun roleplaying game. (Does it show?) This offered us a rich scif-fi setting, its mythical creatures swapped for aliens, and the most unusual moments took place in the virtual realms of computer networks. (The Doctor alone dared venture into the virtual world. Riddell felt more grounded on the outside, looking out for trouble--of which there was plenty!) There was action and excitement, intrigue and espionage. Somehow, it all felt like a kind of Second Doctor story. This module also prompted our heroes to make some interesting choices. The module is written in such a way that it assumes the player characters, the "Shadowrunners" themselves, will be motivated by greed or the desire to dominate. The Doctor and Riddell had entirely different motivations, of course, and their solution to the module's problem defied and confounded all parties involved. A teaser story, episode guide entry, and artwork have been posted for the adventure.
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Post by grinch on Oct 11, 2019 20:09:15 GMT
Been meaning to ask Hedgewick, considering the Doctor's of the Dark Dimension campaign are future incarnations after Eight and 'Divine Comedy' is an adaptation/reimagining of a Big Finish drama, does that mean in the timeline of your campaign the events of 'Faith Stealer' never happened? Or is the Multihaven the PCs visited simply the main universe counterpart to the Divergent Universe one?
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Post by Hedgewick on Oct 15, 2019 14:41:19 GMT
Been meaning to ask Hedgewick, considering the Doctor's of the Dark Dimension campaign are future incarnations after Eight and 'Divine Comedy' is an adaptation/reimagining of a Big Finish drama, does that mean in the timeline of your campaign the events of 'Faith Stealer' never happened? Or is the Multihaven the PCs visited simply the main universe counterpart to the Divergent Universe one? That's a great question, and one that we've completely dodged within our campaign. We've adapted several novels and a Big Finish audio as roleplaying adventures. It can be a lot of fun, and some stories provide an excellent foundation for gameplay. It simply wouldn't make sense, however, to say that the Six Doctor's experience in State of Change (1994) is all but identical to the Nth Doctor's experience in "Empire of the Rani," that both stories are part of the continuity. That said, I really like your explanation for "Divine Comedy!" Perhaps the Multihaven in our universe is an echo of the Multihaven in the Divergent Universe. Perhaps we should adopt the approach of a comic book writer and concoct some alteration to reality, some ripple in time, that would explain such unnatural echoes? For now, if pressed to address this matter of continuity for our campaign, I'd say that one adventure replaces the other. Because we've played "Divine Comedy," the events of "Faith Stealer" never took place.
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Post by Hedgewick on Oct 18, 2019 19:58:40 GMT
The Doctor and Riddell became wrapped up in an incredible criminal caper when they took on... "The Cetacean Job"In the remarkable region of space known as the Medusa Cascade, star whales roam free. The Doctor recognizes these gentle beasts as one of the most majestic lifeforms in the universe, a spaceborne cetacean that migrates through the space between the stars. He also recognizes the eggs of these endangered wonders as utterly priceless. So when a platoon of Judoon locks down a Hath starship and announces that just such an egg has been stolen, the Doctor has questions regarding this impossible crime. Just how would one steal the egg of a star whale? And why? The Judoon don’t know how, and they don’t know why, but they’re not the type to waste time asking questions. They’ve already made an arrest and proving the suspect’s guilt is treated as nothing more than a technicality.
After speaking with the accused, the Doctor and Riddell launch an investigation of their own. Aboard this curious aquatic vessel on a mission of cultural exchange, there is no shortage of unusual suspects. The rebellious teenage stowaway from Raxacoricofallapatorius doesn’t trust anyone, and the larger-than-life Adiposean envoy can’t keep his mouth shut. The Hath cultural liaison has her own seemingly ridiculous agenda, and no one is sure if the glowing cube that’s been sent from the Cygnus system is even a lifeform at all. It will take some real detective work to explain the who, the why, and the how of the most astonishing heist in the cosmos!
The module is one that I downloaded long ago from this very online community, "The Great Fake Star Whale Egg Theft" by knasser . It's a wonderful module, primarily because it does not prescribe a plot, it merely establishes a complex mystery as a foundation for the adventure. Once you've studied the back story and set things up, it's up to the players to launch an investigation and determine what happens next. Given the dark stories that the Lost Doctor and Riddell had to endure during our last series, I felt this was just the right story to lighten things up. It's a full-on, heist-inspired romp. The characters are colorful and entertaining. There's a Blathereen, an adult Adipose, Judoon, Hath, and more. As one of our players remarked, this felt like a loving tribute to the Russell T Davies era of Doctor Who. The resolution of the story presented a bit of a challenge, as my players wanted to use the TARDIS to fix things but simply didn't have the story points for multiple short hops, but we got there in the end. Justice was served, the star whales were preserved, and everyone had a great time. My thanks to knasser for a wonderful adventure! A teaser story, episode guide entry, and artwork have been posted for the adventure.
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Post by Hedgewick on Feb 19, 2020 20:30:05 GMT
For one adventure, our Doctor Who campaign became a game of Dungeons & Daleks, otherwise known as.... "Exodus of the Daleks"The people of Greylok face a terrible quandary. Deep inside the mountain fastness that lies beyond their duchy is a dungeon filled with the most terrible creatures, beasts of a strangeness and power never before seen on this world. As nearby villages and fortresses fall prey to these monsters, an expedition is assembled to face them. The Grand Duke has called upon the most expendable of his province’s talents: the wizard, whose lacklustre magic defies all good sense; the barbarian, whose bravery is matched only by his absent-mindedness; the monk, whose premonitory visions come at the most inconvenient of times; and the travellers, whose incredible journey through time and space has cursed them with a critical role in this risky affair—an affair that is prophesied to end in inescapable death!
Inside that fabled dungeon, the Doctor and John Riddell must confront horrors far beyond the scope of the myths and legends of Greylok, for the people’s superstitions veil the most abhorrent of the universe’s evils. Buried within the barrier peaks is a spacecraft of advanced design and appalling purpose. The electronic heartbeat of its infernal machinery is a signature the Doctor knows all too well. As the expedition takes the foolhardy adventurers through dark corridors and anti-grav tunnels and into the alien jungles of a sinister hidden preserve, the true scope of the nightmare that has befallen this primitive world is revealed. The Daleks have survived the destruction of their homeworld, and in this fallen saucer they have maintained its biosphere. The Ark of Skaro carries varga plants and slythers and vicious magnedons, the lethal flora and fauna of the universe’s most dangerous planet. At its core, in an underwater laboratory engaged in dangerous research, Davros, the creator, prepares to begin again.
As the Doctor and his party of gallant companions struggle to survive the deadliest of all ecosystems, they face an army of Daleks desperate to ensure their own survival. To stop Davros, to defeat the Daleks, to prevent the unnatural resurrection of the planet Skaro and break a never-ending cycle of death and destruction, the Doctor will have to make the ultimate sacrifice—and John Riddell may have to surrender his very soul!
The end of the Lost Doctor's era draws nigh! And surely this prelude represents the pinnacle of my stubborn budgeting of iconic Doctor Who monsters during this era of our campaign. Yes, the Lost Doctor did not face his mortal enemies until he reached his penultimate story! Even then, I tried to trick my players. We began the game with a blatant Dungeons & Dragons pastiche, a lighthearted celebration of roleplaying in what appeared to be a pseudo-fantasy setting. There's enough tongue-in-cheek wordplay in the synopsis to reveal the classic D&D module that provided the set-up. Once the party began to explore the "dungeon" deep within the barrier peaks, however, this became another story entirely. The laughter faded as the player characters faced Davros and his Daleks, as there were serious choices to be made. The Dalek Empire Sourcebook created by Doctor Toc , available via this thread, was invaluable to me in preparing this adventure. It allowed me to create the Ark of Skaro as a complete microcosm of the Dalek homeworld, replete with all of the poisonous monstrosities and formidable creations that we've come to know and love. At the center of it all was Davros, preparing to resurrect his home and rebirth his genocidal children. This was an epic adventure, one that took two day-long game sessions to play out. I did all that I could to provide an exciting backdrop and major stakes, and the players responded in kind. They were full of surprises! As a Lost Doctor facing what seemed for all intents and purposes to be his final adventure, Adam embraced his fate. The exciting climax of the story, in which a rejuvenated Doctor gained in strength and power even as he worked to sacrifice himself by obliterating the Ark of Skaro, did not disappoint. Even more shocking was the final scene, one that our gaming group will never forget. The Doctor may have been annihilated, but Davros survived. The battered and mournful John Riddell, portrayed by Erin, reached his breaking point. Once Riddell had heard enough of Davros's ominous ravings, once he realized the true threat of the mad scientist's never-ending campaign of hatred and destruction, he put an end to that threat. Permanently. As a game master, I've never been more shocked by a player decision. We were talking about the ending of this one for weeks. What happens next? Where do we go from here? The Lost Doctor may be dead, but his story isn't over yet... A teaser story, episode guide entry, and artwork have been posted for this adventure. Just follow the link.
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Post by Doctor Toc on Mar 1, 2020 14:14:28 GMT
That’s immensely gratifying! I’m glad someone’s getting some use out of it 😀
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Post by boredeternal on Apr 6, 2020 22:51:28 GMT
I have been reading the stories from the Dark Dimension for years. I highly recommend it.
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Post by Hedgewick on Jun 12, 2020 17:36:29 GMT
It's the end for the Lost Doctor, but the moment has been prepared for... "Nineveh"“Let the heavens cast their spray of light across the night-black sky, ‘twill not touch the dark of Nineveh, where Time Lords go to die. Twelve rejuvenations all, and not a season more, hath been the lot of Gallifrey since darker days of yore. Some call it the zone of silence, where dreams die unfulfill’d, where every chord and cadence of the song of life is still’d. Others talk of timeless joy and venerate the day that they might cut the skein of life upon dark Nineveh. So walk the ages, Time Lord, and disregard the sign, but know that where the Watcher waits, so waits the end of time.” The Doctor is dead. In the wake of annihilation, the lost Time Lord finds himself alone in a shadowy wasteland, a winding dirt road leading the way to cold, dim lights on the indistinct horizon. Ahead, the spectral figure of the Watcher beckons him, signalling the start of his final journey. The Doctor recognizes these signs and omens from the whispered rhymes of his childhood. They are the morbid hallmarks of Nineveh, the afterlife described in the ancient folklore of Gallifrey. And they confirm his worst fears: there will be no cheating death this time, no regeneration.
Contemplating his seemingly inevitable fate, the Doctor follows the Watcher and begins the long and arduous journey to the hidden monument known as the Wall of Memory, enshrined deep within the Citadel of Lost Time Lords. If the legends are true, it is his only hope for peace and closure. Each twist in the road and shadow on the landscape brings its own challenge, however, its own figure of opposition. As the Doctor makes his way through this chaotic underworld, a motley band of familiar faces assembles to stir forgotten memories and to question his choices: John Riddell, Flo, the Dreilyn Kyrstal. Old friends and lost companions now vying for control of his ultimate fate. They are led by conflicting echoes of the Time Lord’s own larger-than-life persona: the Doctor, youthful and brimming with confidence, as stupidly reckless as he is bold; and the Doctor, ancient and frail, so desperate to preserve life that he no longer regards any risk as acceptable. Which of the two has made the correct choices? Which of the two is damned? Or is the Doctor forever fated to be undone by his foibles, no matter what choices he might make?
In the heart of the ghostly City of Lost Souls, where riddles and mazes obscure horrors greater than death itself, the fractured Doctor and his fractious companions will face the ultimate test—and determine whether the hero claims resurrection or everlasting damnation!
Earlier this year, we reached a milestone in the Dark Dimension campaign, playing out the final adventure for the Lost Doctor. As Game Master, I had an interest in doing something different, something unconventional, something unforgettable. The Lost Doctor's epic finale was to provide a contrast with the Nth Doctor's own final bow. I was inspired by the emotional and contemplative storytelling of the Steven Moffat classic "Heaven Sent," and so I wanted to see the Lost Doctor removed from reality proper and dropped into an ethereal world built from his own psyche. (Dreamscapes and alternate planes of reality have, after all, been a key thematic element throughout this Doctor's era.) I remembered the wonderful poem that John Tomlinson composed for the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip, on the subject of the fate awaiting Time Lords when they die. I also have a fondness for the Big Finish audio "Caerdroia," in which the Eighth Doctor is split in three based on aspects of his personality. Tying all of these disparate elements together, with the Watcher at the center of all it all, everything fell into place. The arc of the Lost Doctor's mythos was planned out long ago, and so when "Exodus of the Daleks" began, I intended for it to end with the Doctor's death. Thus, that story set-up the potential for a heroic self-sacrifice that I knew the Doctor would be unable to deny and, when the time came, Adam was only too happy to oblige. "Exodus of the Daleks" ended with the Doctor's death, his extermination by Daleks and subsequent annihilation in a mountain-vaporizing explosion. (Beat that!) In "Nineveh," the Doctor awakens in a kind of shadowy underworld, lost on a dusty road that leads to a city of the dead, and he embarks on a journey that will force him to confront troubling mysteries, his old friends, and even the extremes of his own personality. The cornerstones of this adventure were riddles, those hallmarks of the roleplaying table. At each crossroad, each gate, each fateful confrontation, the players were forced to decipher riddles in order to determine which of their choices might prove advantageous--and which of their choices might prove disastrous. These were not challenges to be decided by dice rolls or Story Points, they were challenges that could only be resolved by the players themselves. All in all, this was a satisfying adventure because it was such a change from the typical or anticipated finale, I think. It dared to be different. An atmospheric teaser story, episode guide entry, and artwork have been posted for this momentous adventure on the blog. With the Lost Doctor tipping his panama and bidding us all farewell, we've decided to take a hiatus from the Dark Dimension campaign. Someday, the Doctor will return to our gaming table, in the form of the Zen Doctor embodied by Chiwetel Ejiofor. In the meantime, however, there are other games to play...
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Post by olegrand on Jun 13, 2020 9:01:30 GMT
Wow ! What a beautiful, haunted finale... It is not always easy to end a campaign - and it looks like you've nailed it perfectly. I hope that your DWAITAS hiatus won't mean the end of your posts here. Reading about the Dark Dimension over the last few years has been a constant source of inspiration for quite a few of us...
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misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
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 Jun 13, 2020 14:10:39 GMT
I echo olegrand's sentiments. It sounds like a perfect end to the campaign. I'm sorry that there won't be more adventures of the Lost Doctor to look forward too. But I'll wait patiently for the Zen Doctor.
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Post by Hedgewick on Jun 15, 2020 13:51:50 GMT
Thanks for the kind words. The Dark Dimension saga will resume, though I can't say when. Rest assured that the hiatus will not mean that I'll disappear from this forum. This is one of my favorite corners of the internet! For the curious, our new campaign takes us into the universe of the Star Trek Adventures RPG... Star Trek: The Dark Divide follows the exploits of the USS Providence (NX-18), the first starship commissioned following the founding of the United Federation of Planets in 2161. (This means that our games are set during the era of Star Trek: Enterprise.) The ship is regarded as symbolic of the Federation itself, and its diverse crew includes a cautious Vulcan captain, a headstrong human XO, a brash Andorian helmsman, and a Tellarite doctor with the worst bedside manner in the galaxy. Not only will they be exploring strange new worlds and encountering new life and new civilizations, they'll also have to work to bridge the social and political divide that remains between the founding worlds of the fledgling Federation. A blog has been set-up for the campaign so that you can follow along with our adventures. You'll find it linked from Doctor Who: The Dark Dimension.
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