Bargain table yields treasure for this Doctor Who fan
- Publication: The Star (Tinley Park, IL)
- Date: 1993-09-02
- Author: Jim Zerkel
- Page: 19
- Language: English
The Gamer has made no secret of the fact that, besides being a fanatical game fan, we also are a fanatical Doctor Who fan.
Many of you no doubt remember the good Doctor. For 16 years WTTW-TV (Channel 11) carried his legendary BBC science fiction show. Only the BBC's ill-advised pricing policies for syndication killed the show in Chicago and countless other PBS stations throughout the country.
One of the benchmarks of a successful television program in the U.S. and Britain is the marketing of hats, T-shirts and sweatshirts, books, toys, dolls and games based on the show. Doctor Who is no exception, with merchandise usually restricted to science fiction book stores, comic shops and Doctor Who conventions. Books and clothing with the Doctor Who logo or characters are easy to find, but Doctor Who games, and there are several, are a little more difficult to locate.
So you can imagine the Gamer's surprise when a copy of "Doctor Who — Battle for the Universe" was discovered at the bottom of a clearance table at a game and novelty chain store.
"Battle for the Universe," published by The Games Team, Ltd., of Britain, is one of the more recent Doctor Who offerings, a board game pitting the Doctor against his three traditional enemies — the Daleks, the Cybermena and the Master.
Two to four players can compete. The objective, if you are a bad guy, is to defeat the Doctor and the other baddies and take control of the universe. If you are the Doctor, then you want to defeat all of the villains so that the universe remains free.
Each player controls a key character and four assistants. The Doctor has a team of favorite companions: Ace, Tegan, Romana and every Whovian's favorite robot, K-9.
The Doctor's dark alter-ego, the Master, is aided by four other Time Lords gone wrong: Morbius, Borusa, Omega and the Rani.
The diabolical Davros, creator of the Daleks, has four to do his bidding while the mechanical race of Cybermen is led by the Cyber Controller.
The game has plenty of minor characters, including Ice Warriors, the Black Guardian, Linx and Shylock.
Battle is a modified form of traditional war gaming but filled with the universe of the Doctor. Different characters gain strength and advantages from well-known props. Players compete for the Key To Time, the Crystal of Konos, the Seal of Diplos, the Dodecahedron and, of course, Jelly Babies.
The Doctor has one advantage that the other characters lack. He has the TARDIS while the bad guys do not. That's right, the Master has lost his Time And Relative Dimension in Space machine.
"Battle for the Universe" is definitely a fun game for Doctor Who fans. If you can't find it in a store near you, there's always the 30th anniversary of Doctor Who celebration in Chicago this November.
Remember that questions, ideas, requests may be sent to the Intrepid Gamer at The Star, 1526 Otto Blvd., Chicago Heights, 60411, or via E-Mail on the Delphi and Genie computer nets. E-Mail address on Genie and Delphi is Saganashkee and on Compuserve, call 73227,1570.
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: Zerkel, Jim (1993-09-02). Bargain table yields treasure for this Doctor Who fan. The Star (Tinley Park, IL) p. 19.
- MLA 7th ed.: Zerkel, Jim. "Bargain table yields treasure for this Doctor Who fan." The Star (Tinley Park, IL) [add city] 1993-09-02, 19. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Zerkel, Jim. "Bargain table yields treasure for this Doctor Who fan." The Star (Tinley Park, IL), edition, sec., 1993-09-02
- Turabian: Zerkel, Jim. "Bargain table yields treasure for this Doctor Who fan." The Star (Tinley Park, IL), 1993-09-02, section, 19 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Bargain table yields treasure for this Doctor Who fan | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Bargain_table_yields_treasure_for_this_Doctor_Who_fan | work=The Star (Tinley Park, IL) | pages=19 | date=1993-09-02 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=30 December 2024 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Bargain table yields treasure for this Doctor Who fan | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Bargain_table_yields_treasure_for_this_Doctor_Who_fan | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=30 December 2024}}</ref>
