Time Lord (role playing book)

Time Lord, published by Virgin Books, was an attempt at creating a role-playing game based upon the Doctor Who series; this was several years after FASA's Doctor Who RPG was discontinued. The book contains extensive rules on gameplay and character skills, and is notable for including detailed character sketches and information relating to every Doctor Who companion and recurring character up to the original series' conclusion in 1989.

Included is The Templar Throne, a "ready-made" adventure module set inside a British shopping mall which was a sequel to the Third Doctor serial, The Dæmons. Also included are the initial chapters of The Necromancers, an intentionally incomplete story featuring the Seventh Doctor and Ace, intended to spur the creation of game scenarios to finish the tale.

Publisher's Summary
A universe of infinite possibilities

TIME LORD is the Doctor Who role-playing game, and with TIME LORD anything is possible.

This volume contains all the information you need to:
 * Understand the rules of the game
 * Play the role of any of the seven Doctors or any of their twenty-nine companions
 * Create original settings in which your friends can adventure

You don't know Doctor Who?

Part One of TIME LORD contains a brief history of the world's longest-running television science fiction series, and an abridged short story that demonstrates the unique appeal of Doctor Who.

You've never heard of role-playing games?

Part Two of TIME LORD introduces you to the concepts behind this fascinating and increasingly popular hobby, and contains a complete mini-adventure for one player that leads you effortlessly through the basic rules of the TIME LORD system.

Devised by two experts both the Doctor Who television series and role-playing games, TIME LORD is built around just one basic rule and is therefore one of the easiest of role-playing games to learn. Complete beginners can start playing almost immediately. The open-ended nature of the game system, on the other hand, and the richness of the Doctor Who heritage allow for the creation of fiendishly complicated and challenging games.

In addition to the introductory chapters and rules of the game. TIME LORD contains an encyclopaedia of Doctor Who information - details of the Doctors, their companions and opponents Gallifreyan technology and the TARDIS - as well as a complete ready-made adventure, advice about creating your own original adventures, and appendices covering advanced topics.

TIME LORD: complete mastery of space and time

Main Focus
Rules and guidelines for a Doctor Who-based role-playing game.

Notable Features

 * Rules and setting for The Templar Throne, a role-playing scenario.
 * Incomplete Seventh Doctor short story The Necromancers, intended to inspire game creation.
 * Complete RPG stats for all seven Doctors, all TV companions up to Ace, and assorted minor characters and villains.

Freeware Release
In 1997, co-author Ian Marsh published the gamebook in electronic form as freeware.