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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 3647101" data-attributes="member: 18280">Playing the GameEpisodes and StoriesA single game session of The Game of Rassilon is called an “episode”.  The resolution of a single discrete plot is called a “story”.  A story may consist of one or more episodes.  A series of stories might have an overarching storyline (such as the Key to Time, the E-Space Trilogy, or the “Bad Wolf” storyline during the 9th Doctor’s run).Doctor Who was intended as a children’s programme that taught history and science.  The original formula for the show was a historical story, followed by a science-based future story.  It was intended that there be no “bug-eyed monsters” of the type associated with most early science fiction film and television.  Of course, that formula changed over time.  The second Doctor Who story introduced the Daleks.Historical:  A historical story takes place in the past, exploring a historical occurrence or a culture, and has no science fiction elements apart from the TARDIS and its crew.  The conflict in the story comes from historical elements:  the shootout at the O.K. Corral, surviving the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, and getting the TARDIS back from Marco Polo.  In addition to the base conflict of dealing with major historical events, characters must be careful not to allow others to change history – and not to change history themselves.  If deadly assassins attack Marco Polo’s caravan, the characters must ensure that Marco Polo survives, or a potential paradox is created.  As long as the characters remain part of historical events, there is a chance that their actions (or inaction) will cause changes.Historical stories were a staple of the 1st and 2nd Doctors.  They fell out of regular usage after The Highlanders.  The only other historical story to date is Black Orchid, with the 5th Doctor.  Nevertheless, there are a great number of historical stories possible in The Game of Rassilon.  The historical events visited in the program tended to be European (with a few exceptions, such as The Gunfighters and The Aztecs), leaving much of Asian, American, and African history to explore.  Even within European history, there are many events and characters not visited by the Doctor on-screen.Science Fiction:  The prototypical Doctor Who science fiction story takes place in the present or the future, and deals with either an alien society or the ramifications of extrapolated social or scientific trends.  Where the historical stories were intended to teach history, the science fiction stories were intended to teach science.  This is why the 1st Doctor’s initial companions included both a history teacher (Barbara Wright) and a science teacher (Ian Chesterton).Although the early formula for these stories has lasted into the present, it wasn’t long before Doctor Who’s science fiction stories were expanded to include alien invasions of the Earth (both secretly and overtly) as well as clashes with old villains.  By degrees, the science fiction stories became less about science and more about adventure.  The primary conflict in these stories is in first determining what is happening, and then in stopping the villainous elements.  Because science fiction stories do not usually take place within a historical context, any means available can be used to thwart enemies without too much fear of creating a major paradox.Examples of early science fiction stories include The Sensorites and The War Machines.  Later stories, including The End of the World, Gridlock, and Paradise Towers, continue the trend set by those earlier stories. Blended Stories:  It seems that one can’t visit Earth’s past without encountering an alien plot these days.  Blended stories are stories that – stories that blend the plots of science fiction stories with an historical backdrop.  These stories combine the need to foil an alien menace with the need to prevent history from being altered.  Examples of these stories include The Time Warrior, The Shakespeare Code, The Curse of Fenric, and The Girl in the Fireplace.Other Genres:  Doctor Who has borrowed from almost every genre of fiction.  It has used horror (The Brain of Morbius, Image of the Fendahl), westerns (The Gunfighters), courtroom drama (The Keys of Marinus), and murder mystery (Black Orchid).  Players should be ready to face any kind of storyline in The Game of Rassilon.</blockquote>

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