Quote from: pathfinderapyes, better diceless though

I am curious to find out why you think it would be better done diceless?

I have run Play by Post games and I have done the dice rolling in the background.

I am curious to find out why you think that it would be better if a game of Dr. Who (The Time Lord) was done diceless?

QuoteI agree to a point, but you have to stick to certain canon, or it just isn't the "Who universe", the older show failed to keep consistency simply because no one tried, the newer show has changed that, so much of this problem has now been fixed, the new show being the only canon excepted to date,

This is utterly, and completely, wrong.  Russel T Davies has made it clear he's approaching the new series the same way the older ones did:  Not worrying so damn much about canon.  Sure he's doing a decent job keeping the new series consistent, but even that is actually pretty consistent with working accepted theories of how things were in the previous show.  Davies, and pretty much all the writers are themselves Doctor Who fans (unlike the previous series, where a lot of the writers were just random TV or SF authors).

So basically it's sort of a middle ground between the old series approach of just not caring in anyway at all, and the obsessive fan approach of obsessing over it to a degree that isn't remotely helpful

There's actually not even much in the new series that contradicts with the old series, and you have to get pretty nitpicky to find the things that do, and then you just look sort of silly, for the reasons that jrients has already pointed out quite effectively.

EDIT:  I'd also like to state that this thread has, sadly unsurprisingly, devloved into a lot of unhelpful bickering, which is exactly what happened to all the threads on SJGames I read about adapting Dr. Who, which was why I posted here instead.  way to go.

Quote from: Blue DevilI am curious to find out why you think it would be better done diceless?

I have run Play by Post games and I have done the dice rolling in the background.

I am curious to find out why you think that it would be better if a game of Dr. Who (The Time Lord) was done diceless?

Its just the vibe of the show, if you have ever tried playing a diceless game and watched the show you may know what I mean by that, it's hard to describe, plus the fact that you get to have mre control over your character instead of trusting to the dice,

With diceless games one of the side effects is that it tends to reduce combat (marvel universe, the main exeption) and tends to promote more thinking (use of your resources etc) which is another thing that would lend it's self well to the show, (with dice it's simple to go to guns, diceless tends to make this alittle more complex,) and it will give it a structured feel to the game play, the thought you put in matter more,

Nothing is random, you just need to be clever,

Quote from: J ArcaneThis is utterly, and completely, wrong.  Russel T Davies has made it clear he's approaching the new series the same way the older ones did:  Not worrying so damn much about canon.  Sure he's doing a decent job keeping the new series consistent, but even that is actually pretty consistent with working accepted theories of how things were in the previous show.  Davies, and pretty much all the writers are themselves Doctor Who fans (unlike the previous series, where a lot of the writers were just random TV or SF authors).

There's actually not even much in the new series that contradicts with the old series, and you have to get pretty nitpicky to find the things that do, and then you just look sort of silly, for the reasons that jrients has already pointed out quite effectively.

No, (but I think I know where your wires are crossed here)
He was talking about keeping it canon to the old show, (as in "how much of that would he bring over to the new show) he said he wouldn't bother (becuase he can't with all the contradictions present in the old show)
but the new show is canon, it's tracked and logged now so there shouldn't be any more contradictions,

There are lots of little thing that are diffrent, bio tech sonic screwdrivers and Tardis for one, (a psychic Tardis acting as a translator) the back story to the main villians like the Darleks and Cybermen etc,

they don't try to confront the old messed up canon as such (that would upset to many fans) instead they sort of just side step it,
but the new show is considered canon

Quote from: pathfinderapIts just the vibe of the show, if you have ever tried playing a diceless game and watched the show you may know what I mean by that, it's hard to describe, plus the fact that you get to have mre control over your character instead of trusting to the dice

See the problem for me is that Diceless games has always stuck in my craw for some reason.

I don't know what it is, but they bother the hell out of me.  Somehow I like the randomness of the dice rolling.

That's just me.   There is no right or wrong way, well the only wrong way is playing a game so its not fun.

But that is just common sense

Quote from: pathfinderapWith diceless games one of the side effects is that it tends to reduce combat (marvel universe, the main exeption) and tends to promote more thinking (use of your resources etc) which is another thing that would lend it's self well to the show, (with dice it's simple to go to guns, diceless tends to make this alittle more complex,) and it will give it a structured feel to the game play, the thought you put in matter more,

Nothing is random, you just need to be clever,

Can you give me examples on how you would suggest running a diceless PBP Dr. Who game?

You sound you like you know more about diceless then I do and it sounds like you have something in mind that would work really well.

QuoteThere are lots of little thing that are diffrent, bio tech sonic screwdrivers and Tardis for one, (a psychic Tardis acting as a translator) the back story to the main villians like the Darleks and Cybermen etc,

The sonic screwdriver is not "bio tech" and nowhere in any series is it ever called that.

Nor are the Daleks and Cyberman origin stories changed in the slightest.  The Cybermen presented in the new series are from an alternate universe, of course they have a different origin story.  That does not however, in any way contradict the origins of the Cybermen in the normal Who universe.  

I also find it funny that someone determined to be a nitpicky bastard about the show still can't spell Dalek.  Or find his period key, for that matter ...

Quote from: J ArcaneThe sonic screwdriver is not "bio tech" and nowhere in any series is it ever called that

You are very wrong, it is, Christopher Eccleston stated so during an  interview on the BBC, and I think you would agree (maybe not lol) that he would know a tad more than you do on such matters

Quote from: J ArcaneNor are the Daleks and Cyberman origin stories changed in the slightest.  The Cybermen presented in the new series are from an alternate universe, of course they have a different origin story.  That does not however, in any way contradict the origins of the Cybermen in the normal Who universe.  

These are not the same "Daleks" and cybermen from the show, no?

Quote from: J ArcaneI also find it funny that someone determined to be a nitpicky bastard about the show still can't spell Dalek.  Or find his period key, for that matter ...

Ho dear you got me, your right, my teribble secrets si out I Kant Sepll

And dude don't call me a bastard okay, thats personal between me and my mum,

really don't do it again, I won't be so nice next time

You don't need a TARDIS for time and space travel (as someone else pointed out) - Captain Jack did it fine and he wasn't even a Time Lord, and apparently (from the same show) there are plenty of others. Time Police, etc. So unless you HAVE to have a TARDIS because otherwise it wouldn't be Dr. Who, you can still run just fine without one. You know, just sayin' and all.

Quote from: J ArcaneThe sonic screwdriver is not "bio tech" and nowhere in any series is it ever called that.

Nor are the Daleks and Cyberman origin stories changed in the slightest...

To go one further, the new series is very consistent with the old, even drawing on older, long-forgotten references made in the 60s. If there is inconsistency, it is also easy to explain -- with the supposed destruction of the Time Lords, the cosmos and time are both in flux in a way that they have never been, because the Time Lords are no longer exerting their control. This creates new possibilities, preventing the new series from being stuck with pre-conceived concepts. This was an excellent choice to explain away inconsistencies.

pathfinderap,

The sonic screwdriver is merely a device - nothing more than that (Christopher Eccleston does not produce the show).

The Cybermen in the new series are from an alternate universe in which they originated on Earth instead of Mondas. They are very different.

The Daleks are the same as from the original series, but each time they have appeared, they have fit into the canon differently (in Parting of the Ways, they were bred from human stock and in Doomsday, the 4 (Cult of Skaro) were special named Daleks bred for a specific purpose, with the rest being normal ones from the Time War).

Quote from: pathfinderapWith diceless games one of the side effects is that it tends to reduce combat (marvel universe, the main exeption) and tends to promote more thinking (use of your resources etc) which is another thing that would lend it's self well to the show, (with dice it's simple to go to guns, diceless tends to make this alittle more complex,) and it will give it a structured feel to the game play, the thought you put in matter more,

Nothing is random, you just need to be clever,

That depends entirely on the actual workings of the system in question, though: diceless games can be every bit as combat-heavy as their diced counterparts, unless there are specific mechanics at work which are meant to disencourage straight-forward violence as an easy solution to any problem. Diceless resource management can be an ideal choice for online gaming from a purely pragmatic perspective, due to the ease of resolution, but it doesn't necessarily require more thought than simply using dice rollers instead.

Quote from: pathfinderapYou are very wrong, it is, Christopher Eccleston stated so during an  interview on the BBC, and I think you would agree (maybe not lol) that he would know a tad more than you do on such matters

And according do John Barrowman, there's a TARDIS growing on Captain Jack's desk at Torchwood.

Doesn't mean I believe it.  

QuoteThese are not the same "Daleks" and cybermen from the show, no?

They sure look like Daleks to me.  That they've done a better job of explaining visually why bullets seem to disaappear in thin air rather than hitting them (an effect you can see in primitive form in countless older Who stories, Remembrance of the Daleks, for example), doesn't necessarily mean a contradiction.  It's also perfectly possible that Dalek technology has advanced since we last saw them.  Certainly in their previous old series appearance (Remembrance of the Daleks again), their time travel technology was portrayed as being a wee bit too primitve to actually stand toe to toe with the Time Lords in a Time War.

Again, this, like many other things in the new series, is very much evolution, not contradiction.  Nothing has changed, they've just been better explained.

Dinosaurs. Just sayin'. Dr.Who and dinosaurs. Gotta be done.

...or Aztecs. Yeah, Aztecs and Dr.Who. Gotta be done.

Quote from: pathfinderapThat was really only a problem with the old "Who", not so much the newer "Who"

I call Bullshit.

This entire argument stemmed from you citing the symbiotic relationship between a Timelord and his TARDIS.

That's not from the newer "Who."   Hell, that's the "Rassilon Imprimature" from old episodes like "Mawdryn Undead."

But now you're citing the newer "Who" as your model?

Move the goalposts much?

Quote from: pathfinderapThere are lots of little thing that are diffrent, bio tech sonic screwdrivers and Tardis for one, (a psychic Tardis acting as a translator) the back story to the main villians like the Darleks and Cybermen etc

1) Psychic translation from the TARDIS was introduced in "The Mask of Mandragora" -- a Tom Baker episode from the mid-1970s.   It's not new.

2) What the fuck is a "DARLEK?"

At this point, I think we can safely chuck this entire discussion into the "you don't know what the fuck you're talking about" bin.

Getting away from the pathfinderap diversion, and back to the actually thread at hand:

The best set-up I ever used for a Doctor Who campaign was a small group of player-characters waking up in the control room of a TARDIS after some unknown event which caused the ship to "crash."

The PCs were amnesiac as a result -- none of them knew who they were.  It set up a nice arc for the campaign, as they gradually regained that knowledge.