So I've been on a raving Doctor Who obsession of late, and am thusly finding myself wanting to play a game set in the universe, cavorting about the galaxy.

System-wise, I'd been looking at Time Lord, and thing is, I really love it, and I've played it before and thought it was decent, but the trouble is, it's been a long time since I've played, so it's basically like I'm learning it all over again.  Plus, I don't have an actual book, and that drives me up the wall.

Given than I'm likely going to have to GM, and I don't really have much experience GMing, I'm thinking I might instead have to go with a system I'm more familiar with, and so can make the kinds of snap calls and things that a GM is wont to do.  GURPS is at the top of the list for that, because I have the corebooks for 4th Ed., as well as 3rd, and I'm relatively comfortable with the game, even if I do find 4th Ed a bit too gearhead-y.

Setting-wise, it seems to me that the new series is a really good bet for roleplaying the universe.  The new series isn't necessarily, but it has that feel to it of starting out fresh, and I'd feel like I'd have more luck getting the players to be as unconcerned about canon and continuity as I and the writers of the series have always been.  

My thought was to focus on a young Time Lord, who fled Gallifrey to try and escape the final climax of the Time War.  Some character development could take place around the guilt of fleeing your people just as they were destroyed, feeling cowardly, and perhaps trying to make up for it by being the hero, or constantly doubting themselves.  

I figure that bringing in a younger, less experienced, and more vulnerable Time Lord would help balance things out more than they would be if one cleaved more to the Doctor as a template.  this way you get more of an ensemble cast, than the star and his supporting players.  

Companions-wise I'm not sure how to handle that.  I suppose I could just have them all meet in the same adventure, and have them wind up hanging on afterwards.  Or I could handle their joinings sort of in the background, having already happened prior to the first episode, and either run a short prelude for each player about how they met the Time Lord, or just have it written in their back stories.  I suppose it would be up to the players really.

Hmm.  Thoughts, advice?  Anyone else with experience RPing Doctor Who?

Gurps is to heavy for this, you really need something lite, like the oWoD storyteller system, or better still diceless, (it fits in very well with the "Who" vibe) like  Active Exploits Diceless, you can even get a conversion to Time Lord for it

http://www.pigames.net/store/default.php?cPath=21

Try and keep it open ended, and free in structure, (not hard and fixed)
even the sonic screwdriver doesn't have a set list of things it can and can't do, so keep it open,

Storywise,
Your young team could be technicians who were working on this Tardis,
(even the old ones, it was wartime) when it decided to transport away with all members (remember they are sentient, and are a character if even in a passive way, most of the time) at the moment of Gallifrey's destruction, (Trying to save the onboard team) but due to the damage of the old Tardis it moves far away out of control,
 
the characters may not even be able to pilot a Tardis well outside of basic operation,

The tardis should have a damage to its cognitive centers- that way you could call it the "Retardis".


As for travelling companions, I suggest you go with non timelord types that are just as competnat as the the TL character. The old series has a few good examples of this- Zoe (Both the cutest and most competanet of all non TL companions) comes to mind. She was, if anything, more technically proficient that the Doctor, and looked really good in a clingy, form fitting jumpsuit- a must for just about any travelling companion.

Quote from: AosThe tardis should have a damage to its cognitive centers- that way you could call it the "Retardis".

Man thats really bad, lol

Bugger.  My GURPS4 books are missing.  They weren't in my storage like they should be.  In fact, I didn't find any of the RPG books that should've been bagged with the stuff from my old apartment.

So now I'm back to having no physical book anyway.  May as well use Time Lord at that juncture.

Quote from: J ArcaneBugger.  My GURPS4 books are missing.  They weren't in my storage like they should be.  In fact, I didn't find any of the RPG books that should've been bagged with the stuff from my old apartment.

So now I'm back to having no physical book anyway.  May as well use Time Lord at that juncture.

A group of disparate 'companions' stumble across an empty abandoned tardis.

Quote from: signoftheserpentA group of disparate 'companions' stumble across an empty abandoned tardis.

But they would never get it to work,

Quote from: pathfinderapBut they would never get it to work,

Of course it works.  Poorly, even randomly perhaps, but it works.  Otherwise the campaign wouldn't happen.

I've often considered that using troupe style play like Ars Magica was the solution to the Time Lord issue, where each player takes a turn playing a different incarnation of the same Time Lord.  But just cutting the Time Lord out of the equation altogether is much simpler and therefore probably a smarter move.

Quote from: jrientsOf course it works.  Poorly, even randomly perhaps, but it works.  Otherwise the campaign wouldn't happen.

I've often considered that using troupe style play like Ars Magica was the solution to the Time Lord issue, where each player takes a turn playing a different incarnation of the same Time Lord.  But just cutting the Time Lord out of the equation altogether is much simpler and therefore probably a smarter move.

How can a random bunch of people just know how to pilot a Tardis?

Quote from: pathfinderapHow can a random bunch of people just know how to pilot a Tardis?

One of 'em's got Gallifreyan genes.

The TARDIS wants them to pilot it.

The Time Lord who owns it is lost, and his robot companion recruits companions and teaches them how to pilot it, so they can go save him/her.

One of 'em's a Gallifreyan with amnesia.

There! Off the top of my head.  Good lord, I'm awesome.

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!There! Off the top of my head.  Good lord, I'm awesome.

And here I was simply thinking "They walk inside and push some buttons.  Next thing you know George Washington is swearing at them."

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!One of 'em's got Gallifreyan genes.

The TARDIS wants them to pilot it.

The Time Lord who owns it is lost, and his robot companion recruits companions and teaches them how to pilot it, so they can go save him/her.

One of 'em's a Gallifreyan with amnesia.

There! Off the top of my head.  Good lord, I'm awesome.

Lucky the very fabric of space time is stretchy,
because those ideas would tear a hole in it,

The CIA have put a recall on Dr Rotwang! for putting undue stress on the space time continuum, Tardis privileges revoked for a week

now I know why you have an exclamation mark on the end of your name you mence!


(a point you've got to remember is that a Tardis also has a symbiotic relationship with the time lord just to pilot it, )

Quote from: pathfinderap(a point you've got to remember is that a Tardis also has a symbiotic relationship with the time lord just to pilot it, )

No.  No one has to remember that point.  It isn't mandatory that one is required to accept your point.  When playing with other people's universes the established canon should be an aid to kickass adventures, not a millstone round your neck.

Having looked at Time Lord (It's availble free somewhere on the net) the rules seemed a bit wonky and didn't seem to cover everything.  I need to read it again.

**Well, my YahooFoo has served me well, for anyone interested in the rules to Time Lord:

http://www.torsononline.com/hobbies/timelord/main.htm

I am going to relook over the rules (Maybe I will run a PBP game of it) because all of this talk has me interested in running a Dr. Who game now.

They also have an expansion which allows for point based character creation.  Shiny!

Quote from: pathfinderapBut they would never get it to work,

Rose did.