Doctor Who, comics and me

 I recently read a Doctor Who graphic novel, The Forgotten. The short version is that the Doctor finds himself with a case of amnesia in a museum devoted to himself, which is, of course, a trap.

It was published in 2009 and the David Tennant Doctor was the protagonist. However, the museum is really just a framing device for vignettes about the previous nine doctors. 

One particularly nice touch is the Hartnell and Troughton stories are black and white, just like their television serials. In general, the graphic novel is drowning in continuity shoutouts and references. 

Because it’s really ten different stories, some bits are stronger than others. I feel the Hartnel story really captures the feel of his pure historical stories in only a handful of pages. And the Baker Doctor dealing with a Minotaur in Paris who wears a beret captured the absurdity of Graham Wilson’s time as the show runner.

Which actually makes the Forgotten very hard for me to judge. Did I enjoy it? Yes. I had a lot of fun with it. But I have spent decades immersed in Doctor Who. Would the Forgotten have worked for someone who doesn’t know Who that well or even someone only started watching Doctor Who in 2005?

Truth to tell, l have always struggled with Doctor Who comics and comic books. Part of it is because every character from the television show has a definitive visual interpretation, that of the actual actor. I can handle Wolverine look like whatever because he was a drawing first and Hugh Jackman later on. However, no drawing will ever look more like Tom Baker than Tom Baker himself.

But the other problem is that there is just so much content out there. The earliest Doctor Who comic strips date back to 1964. Multiple publishers, including Marvel Comics, have made Doctor Who comic books. Where do you start? And if there is any kind of internal continuity in any given series, that just makes it even more confusing.

So, from that perspective, as a standalone work I was able to sit down and enjoy, Doctor Who - The Forgotten is a resounding success for at least me. 

Sid Sackson’s Pinball: so very simple and ahead of its time

I have realized that pinball is a subset of Roll and Write games I rather enjoy. Which is odd because I'm not actually interested in actual physical pinball machines (lol) WhizKids Super-Skill Pinball is an excellent use of the theme. Metal Snail's Paper Pinball is a system I play all the time. And I want to try Pinball Builder before the end of the year.

But the very first Roll and Write Pinball game I ever played, well before I realized Roll and Write was even a medium, was Sid Sackson's Pinball from his book Beyond Solitaire from 1976. So I decided it was time to revisit it.

The game sheet consists of a grid of dots with some shapes scattered about, as well as entry points at the top and the bottom row that has point values. You get four rounds of play per game. The rules say to use different colored writing tools for each round, which you don't have to do but does make it easier.

Each round consists of drawing a line dot-to-dot from top to bottom. And you use a compass rose and dice to determine what your options are. You roll two dice and then choose to use one or two dice. Each of the eight directions on the compass rose has a different number so any roll will always give you two to three choices. You cannot go to the same dot twice and, if you make a roll that won't let you move, just roll again.

Each of the shapes on the playing sheet have a number in them. Each dot is worth that many points. If you fill in an entire shape, it is worth the number times the number of colors you used to tp fill it in. (Like I said, you don't need different colored pencils/pens/markers/chalk/etc., but it does make it easier) And you get the points for whatever dot you end on when you reach the bottom.

Try and score lots of points. 30,000 is considered a winning score. Play bunches of times and try to beat your high score.

Looking at Sackson's Pinball now, with a lot more experience and familiarity with Roll and Write as a medium, there are three things that strike me:

First, it is a very simple system, particularly compared to games like Voyages that use a similar core mechanic.

Second, it could be rethemed as Pachinko just by changing the name. While it doesn't really feel like Pinball, it really feels like Pachinko.

Third, the compass rose, the heart of the game's mechanics, is a really solid design. It's very simple, very intuitive and very flexible. Pinball, while it is no Acquire or Can't Stop, is a reminder of why Sid Sackson is so important as a designer. Pinball offers you a steady supply of limited but meaningful choices.

Sackson's Pinball is barely thematic as pinball but it is very solid as Roll and Write.