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Post by senko on Jul 30, 2016 6:44:17 GMT
I was thinking about the older series recently and it occured to me the TARDIS used to take longer to get to places. That is you see episodes start or end on board it, you have companions comment when things go wrong they can't have reached their destination already and so on. In the new series however its dematerialize, rematerialize and your at your destination regardless of time or space crossed. Does anyone else miss the old vibe of travelling in the TARDIS while instantaneous outside has a subjective inner time that may take hours, day's or even weeks? I know I liked that idea that they had a bit of down time in the travelling to recover from events before the next adventure even if it was skipped over inbetween episodes.
Another thing that I'm tossing in here rather than make two threads is inspired by the new mysterious beasts HP spinoff where the guy walks down into his suitcase. Do people think a TARDIS with a working chameleon circuit would be limited to horizontal doors. That is whatever form it takes the outer doors would always open outwards or inwards rather than say being able to imitate a manhole cover in a street or one of those old attic doors that you pull down from the ceiling to reveal a ladder. Secondly (thirdly rather) if you do have a door that you open upwards and climb out of or downards and climb down from how would it look inside? Would it rearrange itself so you have steps leading up or a trapdoor leading down rather than just a pair of doors, would it have a door in the shape of the outer entrance and a need to watch the gravity differential so when you step out you don't find yourself falling back into the TARDIS or down several feet to the ground?
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Post by cigarman on Jul 30, 2016 15:11:37 GMT
If the entire control room can radically change its appearence, why couldn't the door change into stairs? I would allow it in my campaign.
As for the time dilation, it's a plot device. Use it as you want.
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Post by Marnal on Jul 30, 2016 18:53:10 GMT
The Helmic Regulator rules from the "Time Traveler's Companion" nicely explain why travel times have gotten shorter. A more experienced / skilled Doctor can reduce the travel time easily. I've allowed my players to turn their TARDIS into luggage on several occasions over the last 6 years. We call it "Suitcasing the TARDIS." I do limit things to one of those really massive suitcases and it weighs about 50 pounds. I had the void between the inner and outer doors be zero-G for purposes of entry and egress, but a ladder would work just as well. A word of warning: It won't take the PCs long to realize that they can use the suitcase a sheild/cover from virtually any weapon. This can earn a lot of laughs as they crouch down behind it a slide it across a room while avoiding a hail of gun fire.
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Post by senko on Aug 1, 2016 4:37:34 GMT
Oh I know the official explanation of how it works and that depending on player preference trips can be near instantaneous, take weeks or months for a cruise or just shift depending on relative travel time. I'm just wondering if I'm the only person who misses that sense in the new series of Dr who where it is always leave point A, arrive at point B and the TARDIS is getting used more as a travel device than a home. Sure the Doctor lives there but he and his companions don't spend prolonged periods of time inside it when travelling. Even with the doctor he rarely seems to leave the control room. Aside from an occasional throw away comment (which even journey to the centre of the TARDIS was largely made up of) about a room somewhere back there. There's all these pools, bedrooms, libraries, garages, squash courts and yet we seem them even less than in the earlier series and we just don't get the sense that its as much as home to his companions as him because of the time spent travelling. For me I feel this was part of the magic of a TARDIS and I'm a little sad to see it go.
Interesting idea about zero gravity in the interface room be a shame if someone got stuck there (evil grin) and the idea of using a TARDIS as a bullet shield never occured to me. To be honest it feels a bit off like Batman hiding behind superman because he's bullet proof sure it works but who'd do that to a friend?
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Post by Marnal on Aug 1, 2016 18:50:56 GMT
Senko said: @"For me I feel this was part of the magic of a TARDIS and I'm a little sad to see it go."
I enjoy the new types of stories that can be told with the new approach.
For what its worth, I think this is just a phase the show is going through. Some future producer will no doubt go back to the old 'the companions live on the TARDIS' set up at some point in the future. I would be upset if I thought we'd never get back to the old way of doing things [cuz there are fun stories there too].
Personally I'd like the TARDIS to get 'permanently' damaged so that the show is back to 1960s style 'we have absolutely no idea where we are going' time travel. I think that would introduce a lovely sense of tension back into the series. But again, I wouldn't want this to last more then a few seasons.
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Post by senko on Aug 3, 2016 22:12:26 GMT
Wow just took a look at the shada videos. Professor Chronitis's control room . . . a typical university professor's private room with a hidden control panel. I guess you really can configure the control room to look however you like.
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Post by ryanblake235 on Aug 7, 2016 15:31:19 GMT
It'll take a good ten minutes in this old thing. EIGHTH DOCTOR
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