Be on the lookout for a new Doctor Who role-playing game soon from Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd.  Best estimate right now is that the game will be released in the first quarter of 2009 (only a few scant months away really).  Cubicle 7 is responsible for games such as SLA Industries, Starblazers Adventures, and Victoriana.

The game will be strictly focused on the current Doctor Who TV series (or NuWho as some people call it).  In order to include material from the original Doctor Who series (1963-1989), it would require an entirely different licensing agreement.  If this game is a success, I’m sure expansions including old series material would most likely follow.

The developers have finished their playtesting and are finalizing a few tweaks.  The format will be a box set with at least three books, one of which will be an Adventures Book.  There is lots of speculation as to what else will be included in the box set, but nothing has been announced yet.  We do know the developers hope to throw some cool perks into the box.  Personally, I’m excited about the box set format.  For years, most RPGs have been in sourcebook format.  Producing a box set harkens back to the early days of RPGs and makes me feel all nostalgic!

The really big hurdle in the near future is BBC approval.  While the BBC signed off on the deal conceptually, they still have to look at the finished product and give it their official stamp of approval.  I’ve heard that typically the BBC doesn’t care about game mechanics, but more about how their characters and properties are presented.  Based upon everything I’ve heard from the Cubicle 7 guys, I think their reverence of the source material will shine through into the game just fine.

Doctor Who RPGs have met with varied success (see FASA Doctor Who RPG and Time Lord), so naturally I’m skeptical as to how a new game would work.  Based upon everything I’ve read so far and what Cubicle 7 has developed in the past, I believe this will be a great RPG for Doctor Who.  I can’t wait.

Visit the Cubicle 7 Doctor Who RPG forum for discussion and announcements regarding the game.  You can also stay abreast by reading THE HEART OF THE TARDIS, the RPG developer’s blog for the new game.