Growing up, I was lucky enough to have a Dad who was into interesting things. Our bookshelves were filled with Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. He once made an aerial out of a battery, an old speaker, and a metal pole that he stuck into the ground. And we would watch shows that other kids at school hadn’t heard of, like Doctor Who.
I struggle to think of any other similar programs that have run long enough that two generations can grow up watching it (I’m sure Coronation Street lovers are twitching to tell me it’s run longer, but it isn’t sci-fi…). Having hit it’s 60th anniversary this year, Doctor Who stands strong and unflinching and is now welcoming it’s third and even fourth generations of fans.
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There’s been a longevity to Doctor Who that is rare, and a multi-generational fan base that has shown loyalty to a show that always seems to deliver exactly what they want. It’s no real surprise then that Wizards of the Coast (WotC) teamed up with BBC to release Doctor Who as their latest “Universes Beyond” crossover set.
With a Commander focused product launch, WotC have been perhaps uncharacteristically reserved with this launch, opting for a smaller release of four Commander decks, alongside some Collector Boosters (naturally). After being overwhelmed with the Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth card counts, this was a pleasant surprise.
As part of the release, WotC have re-introduced the Planechase mechanic to throw some inter-dimensional spice into your Commander games games. Each player has a mini-deck of planes cards, with each plane having a unique passive ability that impacts all players and a “chaos” ability that can be activated by a single player.
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The passive abilities introduce a bit of chaos themselves into the game, with particular planes complementing with the pre-built Commander decks in interesting ways (anyone looking to build an army of Daleks, you’ve come to the right game). Each player can roll a dice at the start of each turn (or pay for subsequent rolls) to see if they shift the game to a new plane or activate the chaos ability for the current plane.
Oh, and you can pilot the TARDIS – need I say more?
Magic: the Gathering: Doctor Who released on Friday 13th October. Head down to your local game shop to pick it up.
