Originally posted here with full reviews of all the Doctor Who Doctor Sourcebooks: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2023/05/review-doctor-who-sourcebooks.html

Not content just to give us a great game and material we can use to make our own adventures, Cubicle 7 took a huge leap and gave us guides and sourcebooks for all Thirteen of the major versions of the Doctor that have aired since 1963.

The covers feature the Doctor with some of his (and her) enemies from their run. The Thirteenth Doctor is not pictured, played by Jodie Whittaker, only because it has not hit the stores yet. I will review the PDF here.

The logo on the cover of the first 11 is from the Jon Pertwee era (1970-1973) and for the 8th Doctor's movie in 1986. Peter Capaldi's 12th Doctor uses the logo from Jodie's 13th Doctor era, and Jodie's 13th Doctor book uses the "new" logo which is the reuse of the old Tom Baker logo.

For this review, I am going to consider all the hardcover books I have, doctors 1 to 12, and the PDFs, Doctors 1 - 13.

All books differ in length but all have similar content. Each book begins with an introduction to that Doctor's era and some of the special things about it. For example, in the 3rd Doctor book we get a lot about his exile on Earth. Each book is filled with photos from that Doctor's time period, so a lot of black and white for the First and Second Doctor and of course ideas for adventures throughout.

If that is all it was, well, you need one book for that, and this is not what makes these books special.

Each book details every adventure that Doctor had on screen. While it is written from the point of view of the RPG (and this RPG in particular), the details are such that each one of these books is fascinating reading all on their own. This is great since so many of the early adventures/episodes are now lost and the old Target novelizations go for a king's ransom.

Also, each book details all the Doctor's companions and provides stats for them, the Doctor in question and most, if not all, the creatures they encounter.

Doctor Who - The Fourth Doctor Sourcebook 256 pages. Color photos. Tom Baker as the Doctor

This book is much larger than the previous Doctor Who source books, and with good reason. Tom Baker was the Doctor for nearly seven years, twice as long as any previous Doctor and longer than actor after him (so far).

Here we get some of the Doctor's greatest tales of the classical series and also some great enemies. For companions, we get Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan, Leela, K-9 and both Romanas. Even a bit on Adric, Nyssa, and Teegan. I do like that Romana I and II each get full-sized Time Lord sheets and not the half-sheets of the other companions.

The episode synopses are a joy to read. Takes me back the 80s and watching Doctor Who on KETC Channel 9 out of St. Louis. Having the RPG stats of all these creatures is also quite a joy. This includes the introduction of Davros, the creator of the Daleks, and the White and Black Guardians.

There is even a special appendix for the "lost" episode of "Shada." All of these books are absolutely fantastic. Not just in terms of episode guides but also additions to the RPG (both editions). Kudos to Cubicle 7 for these.

This book, looking at the fourth regeneration of the Doctor, played by Tom Baker, takes a slightly different approach to the preceeding volumes, in structure if not in content. The first chapter looks at what makes Fourth Doctor adventures different from any other ones, the second covers the Doctor himself and his companions from this era in detail, and the rest of the book lists the adventures that he undertook in the TV show. But first, won't you have a jellybaby?

Every regeneration is quite different from all the others, but this one is the most 'alien'... and perhaps the most fun. Or at least, he seems to have the most fun charging round the universe and saving it, anyway. This period is also one in which the nature of the Time Lords is explored more thoroughly, and it sees the beginning of the Time War, echoes of which are still felt in the current season of the show. Several adventure seeds as well as more wide-ranging ideas are given for those who like this period but want original adventures rather than those shown on TV. There's also an interesting discussion about Time Lords as player characters, showing more clearly how the rules balance the relative strengths of Time Lord and human (or indeed other races) characters and even giving ideas of how to run games with two or more Time Lord characters in the party. If nothing else, that's a good time to visit Gallifrey as they can be less than welcoming to outsiders! This chapter also includes a wide range of new traits, including several new ones for Time Lords.

Chapter 2 takes a detailed look at the Fourth Doctor and his companions. There's Leela (a barbarian), K-9 (a robotic dog... strictly speaking, two of them as the first was left with Leela and the Doctor made another), Romana (a Time Lord, who regenerated during her time with the Doctor so there are two versions), Adric (a smart kid), Nyssa and Tegan. It's a bit of a toss-up with most Doctor Who fans as to whether Adric or Tegan was the most annoying! Character sheets for all of these as well as for Sarah-Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan (both detailed elsewhere and more associated with the Third Doctor than the Fourth) are provided should you wish to play them or have them as NPCs. This chapter also looks at the TARDIS, now back in working order (mostly).

And then we're off with a survey of all the Fourth Doctor's adventures. These follow a common pattern: a synopsis of the adventure, notes on how to run it should you so choose, character sheets and other information for key NPCs and monsters, and a selection of further adventures based on the original broadcast. There is very little repetition of adversaries, so this is a good set for those who like new things rather than the same old monsters...

This series just gets better. This one is replete with ideas that you can use in your game, from complete adventures to throw-away ideas that spawn whole new adventures of your own. It's well worth a read, even if you don't want to use this era or to play out TV adventures.

And the next installment of the DWAITAS Doctor Sourcebooks is out. It's the 4th Doctor -- portrayed by Tom Baker -- the longest running of all the Doctors so far, and arguably the most popular of the original series sequence.

Like the prior installments in this excellent series, DWAITAS - Fourth Doctor Sourcebook not only provides the predictable crunch (new traits, character sheets for the Doctor / Companions / acquaintances / enemies) and fluff (series and episode synposes), but also provides some thematic explorations and comparisons to the episodes and themes from prior incarnations. It even includes a synopsis of the lost episode "Shada", a must-have for die-hard Whovians.

I say, doesn't Skarga's sphere remind you of Rover, from The Prisoner?

Chapter One: Playing in the Fourth Doctor Era

Some really interesting insights here, as I'm used to thinking of the Doctor's older shows in episodic form, rather than as the grand sweep of a campaign arc. While many would cite the change in characterization as the most obvious change, I'd missed the fact that the Far Future of humanity is mapped out in this cycle of stories. Also, as pointed out in "The Demystification of the Time Lords", it's true that the mysterious Time Lords and Gallifrey are not only fleshed out more, they're also taken down a peg and portrayed as a decadent and decaying culture that possesses a great deal of power and influence in the multiverse -- a theme certainly worth exploring.

Chapter Two: The Fourth Doctor and Companions

The Two Companions that really jumped out at me here are -- surprise -- Romana and Romana. The first incarnation was not only beautiful, but had a distant and aloof aspect to her beauty; the second incarnation was more sweet and approachable in seeming, perhaps indicating the change in her personality after having been influenced by the traveling Doctor's ways (or maybe she just like Princess Astra's looks, just like she said). Of course, Leela and Sarah Jane Smith are also memorable, but the counterpoint of an equal Time Lord to the Doctor really shifted the dynamic for me in this era.

Chapter Three: The Fourth Doctor's Adventures + Shada in the Appendix

For those interested in canon, the complete run of the 4th Doctor's many adventures, and adventure hooks and NPCs, opponents, and gadgets aplenty -- this section is a treasure trove of gaming delights. If there's an episode you've always wanted to appropriate for your campaign, now's your chance to get your hands on appropriate crunch or fluff!

The next installment can't come soon enough for me!

(from http://armchairgamer.blogspot.com/)