On November 23rd, 1963, Doctor Who first aired on the BBC. What started as a Saturday afternoon adventure serial for children evolved into a beloved science fiction fans as those kids grew up, shared their love of the show with their kids and repeated that process for sixty years. The newest Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, arrived in his own Christmas Special called “The Church on Ruby Road” that aired over the weekend to rave reviews from fans and critics alike.
Also just in time for the anniversary are four new books from Cubicle 7 Entertainment for the latest edition of the role playing game. The company sent review copies of their latest expansions for the game. The books dig into the history of the different doctors, draw focus to adventures in outer space and offer a short campaign for Game Masters to use as a series for their Doctor and companions.
Sixty Years of Adventure Book One
Six decades is a lot of history to cover for a show like Doctor Who and that’s not counting the fact that it travels all around time and space on a regular basis. Cubicle 7 has devoted two books to the feat for Second Edition. For fans who have a favorite Doctor or want more in-depth coverage of specific storylines, I recommend checking out their series of sourcebooks dedicated to each individual Doctor.
Sixty Years of Adventure Book One focuses on what most would consider the “classic” era of Doctor Who. In this case, that’s the First Doctor in 1963 through the Eighth Doctor in 1996. The section on the Eighth Doctor also includes material that was introduced in later episodes of the current run of the show.
Each section leads off with a brief summary of the Doctor’s adventures during their series. It also includes write ups and game info for each of the companions, notable allies and despicable bad guys. Each chapter also provides a short adventure featuring the highlighted Doctor and the themes of their stories.
Sixty Years of Adventure Book Two
Fans of “modern” Doctor Who can find this information for their shows in Sixty Years of Adventure Book Two. This book covers the Ninth Doctor first seen in 2005 all the way through the Thirteenth and Fugitive Doctor’s era. The book also connects all the adventures for each Doctor with a chance for a session with multiple Doctors coming together to save time and space.
It can seem that books like these aren’t as useful in a world where the free fan wikis are just a few taps away on everyone’s smart phone. I like these books not just because they come with game statistics ready made for dozens of character but because they are written by professionals who know what sort of information players and game masters need at the table. These books are also great to flip through for inspiration and follow up with a quick watch or rewatch of an episode or two to spin off a new story for the weekly game session.
Adventures In Space
As a science fiction show, Doctor Who spends a lot of times dealing with the trappings of the genre. There are aliens to outwit, spaceships to explore and technology to create (or possibly destroy). Adventures In Space puts these elements on display front and center for game masters and players who want a focus on the final frontier in their games.
The book opens with a look at episodes from the show that explore space. It also includes rules on building spacecraft and alien worlds for stories. The book c0ncludes with a story where the Doctor and companions land on a new planet and get wrapped up in a classic Doctor Who mystery.
Books like this bring to mind stories where the TARDIS is broken on an alien world and the characters have to find their way around using alternate means of transport. Part of what makes the show a timeless classic is its ability to adapt and tell different stories using the same characters in different genres. This books helps groups lean into space opera like Star Wars and Star Trek while retaining what makes Doctor Who unique.
Secrets of Scaravore
Seasons of Doctor Who tend to come in short, episodic bursts per the structure of the BBC. Long before streaming changed how America made TV shows, Doctor Who aired in shorter series rather than seasons. Secrets of Scaravore mimics this style of story with four adventures built to play out over a few sessions each.
The titular Scaravore is the last living being of its kind. It harbors a secret that could change time and space as we know it, and only the Doctor can stop the ancient alien from tearing everything down. The trail leads through everywhere from prehistory Earth to modern day London.
Doctor Who Role Playing Game Second Edition is available directly from Cubicle 7 and from Friendly Local Game Shops everywhere.