“Nineveh”
“Nineveh” (ΩLD01)
by John Tomlinson & David Agnew
Game Master: Brian Players: Adam, Erin
Game Dates: 25 January 2020
Characters: The Doctor, Riddell
Allies: The Watcher, The (Young) Doctor, The (Old) Doctor, Flo, Kyrstal
Time: N/A
Space: Nineveh (The Afterlife)
Continuity: The final adventure featuring the Lost Doctor and John Riddell.
Synopsis: “Let the heavens cast their spray of light across the night-black sky, ‘twill not touch the dark of Nineveh, where Time Lords go to die. Twelve rejuvenations all, and not a season more, hath been the lot of Gallifrey since darker days of yore. Some call it the zone of silence, where dreams die unfulfill’d, where every chord and cadence of the song of life is still’d. Others talk of timeless joy and venerate the day that they might cut the skein of life upon dark Nineveh. So walk the ages, Time Lord, and disregard the sign, but know that where the Watcher waits, so waits the end of time.”
The Doctor is dead. In the wake of annihilation, the lost Time Lord finds himself alone in a shadowy wasteland, a winding dirt road leading the way to cold, dim lights on the indistinct horizon. Ahead, the spectral figure of the Watcher beckons him, signalling the start of his final journey. The Doctor recognizes these signs and omens from the whispered rhymes of his childhood. They are the morbid hallmarks of Nineveh, the afterlife described in the ancient folklore of Gallifrey. And they confirm his worst fears: there will be no cheating death this time, no regeneration.
Contemplating his seemingly inevitable fate, the Doctor follows the Watcher and begins the long and arduous journey to the hidden monument known as the Wall of Memory, enshrined deep within the Citadel of Lost Time Lords. If the legends are true, it is his only hope for peace and closure. Each twist in the road and shadow on the landscape brings its own challenge, however, its own figure of opposition. As the Doctor makes his way through this chaotic underworld, a motley band of familiar faces assembles to stir forgotten memories and to question his choices: John Riddell, Flo, the Dreilyn Kyrstal. Old friends and lost companions now vying for control of his ultimate fate. They are led by conflicting echoes of the Time Lord’s own larger-than-life persona: the Doctor, youthful and brimming with confidence, as stupidly reckless as he is bold; and the Doctor, ancient and frail, so desperate to preserve life that he no longer regards any risk as acceptable. Which of the two has made the correct choices? Which of the two is damned? Or is the Doctor forever fated to be undone by his foibles, no matter what choices he might make?
In the heart of the ghostly City of Lost Souls, where riddles and mazes obscure horrors greater than death itself, the fractured Doctor and his fractious companions will face the ultimate test—and determine whether the hero claims resurrection or everlasting damnation!
“Exodus of the Daleks”
“Exodus of the Daleks” (4LD04)
by Gary Gygax
Game Master: Brian Players: Adam, Erin
Game Dates: 26 October 2019; 24 November 2019
Characters: The Doctor, Riddell
Adversaries: Davros, The Daleks
Time: 3-4 November 34876 CE
Space: Greylok, Constellation of Beriss
Synopsis: The people of Greylok face a terrible quandary. Deep inside the mountain fastness that lies beyond their duchy is a dungeon filled with the most terrible creatures, beasts of a strangeness and power never before seen on this world. As nearby villages and fortresses fall prey to these monsters, an expedition is assembled to face them. The Grand Duke has called upon the most expendable of his province’s talents: the wizard, whose lacklustre magic defies all good sense; the barbarian, whose bravery is matched only by his absent-mindedness; the monk, whose premonitory visions come at the most inconvenient of times; and the travellers, whose incredible journey through time and space has cursed them with a critical role in this risky affair—an affair that is prophesied to end in inescapable death!
Inside that fabled dungeon, the Doctor and John Riddell must confront horrors far beyond the scope of the myths and legends of Greylok, for the people’s superstitions veil the most abhorrent of the universe’s evils. Buried within the barrier peaks is a spacecraft of advanced design and appalling purpose. The electronic heartbeat of its infernal machinery is a signature the Doctor knows all too well. As the expedition takes the foolhardy adventurers through dark corridors and anti-grav tunnels and into the alien jungles of a sinister hidden preserve, the true scope of the nightmare that has befallen this primitive world is revealed. The Daleks have survived the destruction of their homeworld, and in this fallen saucer they have maintained its biosphere. The Ark of Skaro carries varga plants and slythers and vicious magnedons, the lethal flora and fauna of the universe’s most dangerous planet. At its core, in an underwater laboratory engaged in dangerous research, Davros, the creator, prepares to begin again.
As the Doctor and his party of gallant companions struggle to survive the deadliest of all ecosystems, they face an army of Daleks desperate to ensure their own survival. To stop Davros, to defeat the Daleks, to prevent the unnatural resurrection of the planet Skaro and break a never-ending cycle of death and destruction, the Doctor will have to make the ultimate sacrifice—and John Riddell may have to surrender his very soul!
“The Cetacean Job”
“The Cetacean Job” (4LD03)
by Khadim Nasser
Game Master: Brian Players: Adam, Erin
Game Date: 21 September 2019
Characters: The Doctor, Riddell
Adversaries: [Redacted]
Allies: The Hath, The Judoon
Time: 26 May 5681 CE
Space: The Turquoise Five-Finned Lifeform, Medusa Cascade
Synopsis: In the remarkable region of space known as the Medusa Cascade, star whales roam free. The Doctor recognizes these gentle beasts as one of the most majestic lifeforms in the universe, a spaceborne cetacean that migrates through the space between the stars. He also recognizes the eggs of these endangered wonders as utterly priceless. So when a platoon of Judoon locks down a Hath starship and announces that just such an egg has been stolen, the Doctor has questions regarding this impossible crime. Just how would one steal the egg of a star whale? And why? The Judoon don’t know how, and they don’t know why, but they’re not the type to waste time asking questions. They’ve already made an arrest and proving the suspect’s guilt is treated as nothing more than a technicality.
After speaking with the accused, the Doctor and Riddell launch an investigation of their own. Aboard this curious aquatic vessel on a mission of cultural exchange, there is no shortage of unusual suspects. The rebellious teenage stowaway from Raxacoricofallapatorius doesn’t trust anyone, and the larger-than-life Adiposean envoy can’t keep his mouth shut. The Hath cultural liaison has her own seemingly ridiculous agenda, and no one is sure if the glowing cube that’s been sent from the Cygnus system is even a lifeform at all. It will take some real detective work to explain the who, the why, and the how of the most astonishing heist in the cosmos!
“Paradise in Shadows”
“Paradise in Shadows” (4LD02)
by Tom Wong & Nigel Findley
Game Master: Brian Players: Adam, Erin
Game Date: 24 August 2019
Characters: The Doctor, Riddell
Adversaries: Army for the Liberation of Hawai’i, et al.
Time: 17 May 2355 CE
Space: Kingdom of Hawai’i, Earth
Synopsis: Touring the high-tech tropics of twenty-fourth century Hawai’i, the Doctor and Riddell think they’ve found paradise. After accepting a dinner invitation from an enigmatic stranger, however, the travellers are ushered into a cruel and treacherous underworld. Beneath the neon glare of its high-class hotels and tourist havens, the Kingdom of Hawai’i is a battlefront where corrupt mega-corporations and savage gangs compete for technological supremacy. At the centre of this war of industrial sabotage and corporate espionage is a powerful device that could mean life or death for those brave enough to venture into cyberspace, an advancement certain to shift the balance of power. The Doctor and Riddell find themselves taking fire from all sides as they search for this mysterious prototype and struggle to decipher the true motives of those factions vying to control it. Their efforts take them from the unforgiving streets of Honolulu to the dazzling but dangerous virtual world of cyberspace, each access code and digital trace leading them ever closer to a fateful confrontation with the victor who has claimed their prize—a hidden army intent on dictating the future of the Hawai’ian Islands!
“Divine Comedy”
“Divine Comedy” (4LD01)
by Graham Duff
Game Master: Brian Players: Adam, Erin
Game Date: 30 April 2019
Characters: The Doctor, Riddell
Adversaries: The Divinity
Time: 2-3 July 6008 CE
Space: Polythea, Constellation of Cancree
Synopsis: On a faraway planet, the Doctor and Riddell find themselves cast as pilgrims in the strangest of holy lands. The thriving megalopolis known as the Multihaven is built of churches and cathedrals, monuments and monasteries, sanctuaries and shrines. In this city of spiritual tourism, diversity is celebrated and faith is all. Representatives from a chaotic assembly of religions—from the Shrine of Serendipity to the Microbaptists to the Church of the Divine Gas—open their arms and their houses of worship to the travellers. The Doctor is impressed that this community has seemingly achieved the impossible, finding peace and harmony in balancing religious debate with tolerance. That delicate balance is threatened, however, by the sudden, overwhelming popularity of the Cabinet of Lucidity.
Convert by convert, church by church, all faiths are falling to the zealots who worship the God of Dreams. To find this mysterious idol, the Doctor and Riddell must join the church’s disciples in sleep and surrender to their dreams. Deep in the surreal landscape of the unconscious, amid visions born of their greatest hopes and fears, they face the inescapable influence that has conquered the hearts and minds of the Multihaven. The Lucidians have embraced the truth of the universe, and they know there is but one true god: the Divinity. In a world ruled by piety and religious devotion, they may be unstoppable.
Character Sheet: The Hellgrammites
During the Doctor and Riddell’s tour of the Nine Circles of Hell, they fought against many of the “savage insect races” that once ravaged our universe but are now condemned to eternal damnation beyond. Among the most vicious of these were the Hellgrammites. A parasitic species with a unique life cycle, the Hellgrammites absorb the bodies of the dead. In the cocoons that they weave around corpses, even the dead of other species will undergo a grim metamorphosis, only to rise and live again as newborn Hellgrammites. Possessing dozens of limbs and an instinctual bloodlust, the Hellgrammites are quick and violent predators. During the Dark Times, they were a plague upon our universe. Because of this, the ancient Time Lords banished them to the accursed dimension that evokes their name.
“The Ninth Circle”
“The Ninth Circle” (3LD04)
by Monte Cook
Game Master: Brian Players: Adam, Erin
Game Date: 16 March 2019
Characters: The Doctor, Riddell
Adversaries: Asmodeus, The Scourge, The Racnoss, The Hellgrammites, et al.
Allies: Romana V
Time: N/A
Space: Hell
Synopsis: “The legends of Gallifrey speak of a world where everything is horror—horror and pain—a world from which there is no escape, and the creatures crawl on the crust of the land of the lost and the hopeless and the broken and the doomed. The legends of Gallifrey speak of a world, and the name of the world they speak of… is Hell.”
It is said that in the Dark Times of the Fledging Empires, the Time Lords of Gallifrey were pitiless in imposing order on the universe and in their misguided attempts to create other, less sensible realities. Whispered legends tell of the most appalling of their cosmic constructs, the nightmare dimension known only as Hell, an accursed wasteland to which the savage insect races of the universe were banished. Now, in an abduction that defies explanation, the Shining World of the Seven Systems has lost one of its great landmarks to this wicked realm, leaving some of its greatest visionaries at the mercy of the monsters it once condemned to eternal damnation.
Among the missing is the Lady Romana—High Councillor, Custodian of the House of Everston, and, more secretly, a guiding force behind an increasingly organized underground sect devoted to the notorious renegade she once accompanied on his fabled journey through time and space. The loss is potentially devastating and the situation is grim, but the Council on Chaos recognizes an opportunity when it sees one. With the Doctor, his human companion, and their rickety Type 40 time travel capsule captured and in state custody, the Time Lords have regained control over an erratic but resourceful agent who has repeatedly demonstrated his willingness to venture where others fear to tread. To earn their freedom, to rescue Romana and all that Gallifrey has lost, the Doctor and John Riddell must face a gauntlet of unimaginable horrors and brave the infernal depths of Hell itself!
“The Red Balloon”
“The Red Balloon” (3LD03)
by Michael Rees
Game Master: Brian Players: Adam, Erin
Game Date: 16 February 2019
Characters: The Doctor, Riddell
Adversaries: Psionovore
Time: 16 February 2019 CE
Space: Greater London, England, Earth
Synopsis: On the streets of Muswell Hill, a mob of panicked parents marches for justice following the brutal death of a local boy. Neither they nor the police are prepared to accept the circumstances of such an appalling murder. From the moment the Doctor and John Riddell exit the TARDIS, they sense that a terrible evil has come into this neighbourhood. Searching the streets in the dead of night, they collect unsettling evidence, but they also arouse the suspicions of a community on edge. The travellers must watch their step if they are to confront the haunted boys and girls who wander the parks and alleyways after nightfall with madness in their eyes. Something alien and abominable has descended on North London, transforming ordinary children into jealous monsters who will go anywhere, cross anyone, do anything—anything to get their hands on the red balloon.
Recipe: Cheese and Crackers
When we’re not playing the Doctor Who Roleplaying Game, we are, of course, watching Doctor Who. Our most recent marathon was remarkably varied, a visual feast that featured screenings of everything from New Who webisodes to Torchwood installments to the bonkers Channel 5 telefilm Hotel! (2001), starring Paul McGann, Peter Capaldi, and Bradley Walsh. (That’s right. It has to be seen to be believed!) As is tradition, we also seized the opportunity to cook up a diverse selection of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres ranging from the simple to the elaborate, each of them celebrating our favorite series. These drinks and nibbles might be just the thing to serve up during your next RPG session, so, one-by-one, we’re sharing the recipes with you.
Today’s recipe is certainly on the simple side. Indeed, it barely qualifies as a recipe! You don’t have to be a master chef to prepare a platter of Doctor Who cheese and crackers. All you need is patience, a sharp knife, and a bit of imagination. With a keen eye and a little trial and error, a slice of sharp cheddar can be transformed into a Type 40 TARDIS with a broken chameleon circuit! Your favorite hard cheese can shapeshift into an Adipose, a Silent, or an Ice Lord’s helmet. Add some pepperoni or other garnish for a bit of contrast and serve it up on your favorite cracker. Consider the possibilities for the game table! Once your players acquire a taste for edible Story Points, there’s no going back.
Our thanks to Better Homes & Gardens for inspiring us with a plate of Halloween hors d’oeuvres prepared using cookie cutters. Have a look at their slideshow for more spooky party food ideas.
“Over the Top”
“Over the Top” (3LD02)
by Mark Acres
Game Master: Brian Players: Adam, Erin
Game Date: 29 January 2019
Characters: The Doctor, Riddell, Flo
Adversaries: The Master, Manfred von Richthofen
Allies: George S. Patton
Time: 19-20 November 1917 CE
Space: Cambrai, France, Earth
Synopsis: France. 1917. In the mud-filled trenches of the Western Front, the Germans, the British, and the Americans face each other in a bitter stalemate. Thousands have died but, for three bloody years, not an inch of ground has been gained. When a trio of strangers emerges from No Man’s Land bearing secret battle plans for a major British tank offensive, Lieutenant Colonel George S. Patton knows that the course of the war is about to change. Emboldened by this knowledge and by the extraordinary skills possessed by these outlandish operatives, he charges them with a dangerous reconnaissance mission.
The Doctor, Riddell, and Flo must penetrate enemy lines. There, on a hidden airfield, they discover the source of the strange energies they’ve been tracking since the TARDIS first fell onto this bleak battleground. The Flying Circus of Manfred von Richthofen—the legendary Red Baron—is prepared for the coming offensive, and their Fokker triplanes are equipped with advanced arms representing the wrong World War! It becomes clear that a brilliant but sinister influence has bent Germany’s leaders to his dominating will. The Master is near death, incinerated by the time vortex, stripped of his robotic frame, but as desperate and determined to survive as he has ever been. Soon, he will take a new body, and in that rejuvenated form he will lead Germany to victory in the Battle of Cambrai, corrupting a crucial tipping point in the history of the Great War. The Doctor and his companions will have to take to the skies to correct the course of history—and face the dreaded Red Baron, ace of aces, on the field of combat that he has mastered!
“Cyberiad Rising”
“Cyberiad Rising” (3LD01)
by David Agnew
Game Master: Brian Players: Adam, Erin
Game Date: 9 December 2018
Characters: The Doctor, Riddell, Flo
Adversaries: The Cybermen
Allies: The Viyrans
Time: 24 December 253185 CE
Space: Venturi, Gom System, Constellation of Scytha
Synopsis: The Venturi were an advanced and accomplished race. Now, their civilisation has been annihilated, their wondrous homeworld transformed into a technological horror. Following the Viyrans into the heart of this high-tech holocaust, the Doctor, Riddell, and Flo must face their fears and inevitable infection to strike a blow against a familiar and unrelenting enemy. The conversion of the Venturi has allowed the Cybermen to transcend their limitations and attain awesome power, rendering them more adaptive and dangerous than ever!
As the travellers make their way through a surreal cityscape of living metal, their bodies begin to undergo a slow and unnatural change. Flesh and blood are gradually being transformed into circuits and steel, and the trio discovers that their subconscious minds are now linked. The Cyberiad is all-knowing, encompassing every living creature on the planet. As their bodies fade, so too does their sense of self. John Riddell, the sole human in this doomed expedition, suffers worst of all. He can see and hear James Sampson and Lillian Riddell—his greatest rival and a sister tragically lost—haunting manifestations of his shattered psyche. Lillian threatens him, and Sampson tempts him, each goading Riddell into embracing an inhuman influence. Slowly but surely, the self-reliant adventurer is losing himself to the Cyberiad. The culmination of his agonizing trial will mark the birth of a powerful new Cyber-Planner, one who will usher in an era of unprecedented conquest for the Cybermen.
The Venturi and John Riddell have been lost, but if the Doctor can outmanoeuvre a trusted companion transformed into a formidable foe, he just might prevent this insidious infection from spreading to the galaxy beyond!
“The House That Ate Time”
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“The House That Ate Time” (1TD01) by Nathaniel Torson . Game Master: Erin Players: Adam, Brian, Erin Game Date: 6 July 2018; 28 July 2018; 18 August 2018 . Characters: The (Nth) Doctor, The (Lost) Doctor, The (Zen) Doctor, Selene, Marilyn, K9 Adversaries: The House, The Weeping Angels, The Reapers, et al. Allies: Howard Carter, John Smith Time: 16 November 1891 CE; 2 August 1914 CE; 9 September 1988 CE Space: Great Thrumpton, England, Earth; Valley of the Kings, Egypt, Earth; Montana, United States, Earth . Continuity: The first adventure featuring the Zen Doctor and K9. . Synopsis: In the tunnels beneath the Martian moon Phobos, the Doctor and Selene evade Ice Warrior extremists. Down the autumnal paths of nineteenth century New England, the Doctor and his trusty steed Marilyn flee the manifestations of a nightmare. And in the peace and serenity of his TARDIS, the Doctor’s meditations are interrupted by a warning from K9 concerning a temporal disruption. In one continuum-shattering instant, these three distinct incarnations of the same renegade Time Lord find themselves face-to-face, and the implications of such a convergence are nothing short of catastrophic. The force that has brought three Doctors to the same deceptively nondescript basement vault is driven by hunger, an all-consuming hunger greater than the raging energies of the time vortex itself. It feasts on the transcendental flesh of god-like Chronovores, and it saps the artron emissions from prototype Sontaran timeships. Unchecked, it will devour the TARDIS whole. Putting aside their differences to investigate this ravenous presence, the Doctors discover that beyond the underground labyrinth stands a house unlike any other, where spacious halls and tastefully decorated lounges conceal an architecture that mocks the laws of physics, and each door and window opens onto a different time and place. Reality itself is but a pabulum here, for this is the house that eats time! Deconstructing the deadly mysteries of this astonishing structure requires a coordinated effort across three distinct timeframes, moments in history infected by its corrupting influence. In each of these eras, a Doctor must face a gauntlet of terrors, for the paradoxes produced by this insatiable beast of an abode have attracted some of the universe’s most dangerous temporal parasites. But there is hope to be found in these distant times and places, for a lone figure is present wherever the Doctor ventures. Earth’s history and the survival of the TARDIS may depend upon the kindness and goodwill of one Dr. John Smith, an ordinary Englishman caught up in most extraordinary circumstances. Three Doctors. Three timeframes. One monstrous threat. It’s time to bring down the house. |
The Dark Dimension 