Post by misterharry on Nov 8, 2014 11:13:51 GMT
Just received a copy of this new bookazine (God, I hate that word!), the latest special edition from the DWM team. It's a handy guide to the alien worlds visited by the Doctor on TV and, after a quick perusal, it looks to be ideal for DWAITAS gamers, particularly those not intimately familiar with the classic series. Each planet has its key info listed in a small text-box (Location, Indigenous Species, Habitat, and On-Screen - i.e. the stories it appears in), plus there's a write-up of what we know of the planet, its history and so on, and it's illustrated throughout (including some pictures I've never seen before). There are even a few maps - Dulkis, Marinus and Spirodon all get this treatment. Most planets get a half-page entry, some get a full page and a few luxuriate in a double-page spread!
On the negative side, I would say that for a glorified magazine, it's a tad pricey at £9.99 for 116 pages (including covers) in the same binding as the regular issues of DWM - the covers may be slightly heavier cardstock, but that's the only difference. But there are no adverts, it's full colour throughout (with the exception of photos from B&W episodes, naturally) and is lovely to look at.
I'd also say that, in common with the previous releases in the "Essential Doctor Who" range, it can take quite a bit of tracking down. It's supposed to be stocked in the UK by WH Smiths and specialist bookshops (Forbidden Planet, etc), but distribution seems to be very patchy and subject to long delays. A lot of Smiths are still displaying the previous couple of releases in the series, but not this one yet. Having failed to locate a copy last weekend, I resorted to buying one online and had to pay postage costs in addition. How easy it is to find outside the UK is anybody's guess!
Here's the official DWM page about it:
The Essential Doctor Who - Alien Worlds
On the negative side, I would say that for a glorified magazine, it's a tad pricey at £9.99 for 116 pages (including covers) in the same binding as the regular issues of DWM - the covers may be slightly heavier cardstock, but that's the only difference. But there are no adverts, it's full colour throughout (with the exception of photos from B&W episodes, naturally) and is lovely to look at.
I'd also say that, in common with the previous releases in the "Essential Doctor Who" range, it can take quite a bit of tracking down. It's supposed to be stocked in the UK by WH Smiths and specialist bookshops (Forbidden Planet, etc), but distribution seems to be very patchy and subject to long delays. A lot of Smiths are still displaying the previous couple of releases in the series, but not this one yet. Having failed to locate a copy last weekend, I resorted to buying one online and had to pay postage costs in addition. How easy it is to find outside the UK is anybody's guess!
Here's the official DWM page about it:
The Essential Doctor Who - Alien Worlds