Like the preceding volumes in this series, The Eleventh Doctor Sourcebook provides virtually everything you might possibly want to know about this particular part of the Doctor's history, that covering the (real-world) years 2010-2013 when Matt Smith played the Doctor. He started off a bit mad and only got better with time...

In the first chapter, we find out about this regeneration of the Doctor and about his companions. Presenting a character sheet from towards the end of his era, rather than the 'early eleventh Doctor' one that's in the Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space Eleventh Doctor Edition box, there's an interesting discussion of his nature and how it is different from all the Doctors we've enjoyed before. It seems that his past is catching up with him, appropriate since it was originally established that Time Lords ran out of regenerations and he was coming to the end of his allowance. Yet there was the paradox of the young body coupled with the weight of the ages from his past... a fascinating version of the Doctor indeed. The companions start with Amy Pond, who witnessed the regeneration as a young child and fantasised about the strange man with a blue box for years before he returned. Later an older Amy got to become a 'proper' companion, joining the Doctor in his travels, and bringing her boyfriend and later husband Rory along as well. The other companion, continuing on to the Thirteenth Doctor, was Clara Oswald, whose relationship was strange indeed. We also read about River Song, whose tangled timeline weaves in and out of the Doctor's... and rarely going in the same direction. It's enough to give you a headache! Then we meet the Paternoster Gang, an oddball group who live in 1880s and 1890s London, but comprise an elegant Silurian, a human maidservant (and lover) and a Sontaran butler/bodyguard. Strangely they seem to fit in very well, and spend their time solving mysteries - when not looking after the Doctor, that is. There are other folk as well: Brian Williams (Rory's dad), Idris (briefly, a body in which the TARDIS matrix came to life), Canton Everett Delaware III (an FBI agent), Craig Owens, and Kate Stewart (UNIT head of scientific research). Each has a brief note about them and where they fit in, and all get character sheets should you want to have the party meet them, or if someone wants to play them. There are also character sheets for the pirate Henry Avery and the War Doctor, although there are no biographical notes here for them. Finally there's a note on the TARDIS itself.

Next, Chapter 2: Playing in the Eleventh Doctor's Era explores everything that you need to know if you want to set your adventures here (or use the ones we read about later on), starting with the style and tone that includes elements of fairy tales and the need to be very, very careful about what you look at. There is also an undercurrent of processes which don't work quite how their designers expected them to with, ah, interesting results. Suggestions on how to use these themes and several more are scattered around for you to pick up and run with. There are also ideas for whole campaign arcs, including one based around the intriguing question 'is the Gamemaster allowed to keep secrets about player characters?' - the idea being that the Gamemaster may write plots that involve things that said player-characters don't know about themselves. It's something to be handled with caution, not all players like to be messed around in this way, but it can make for some memorable adventures. There are also notes about messing with the timeline and having duplicates of existing characters turn up, along with the inevitable new traits and gadgets.

Then comes Chapter 3: The Eleventh Doctor's Enemies. There's quite an array of them, starting off with the future Church... complete with Papal Mainframe in a spaceship which travels to wherever faith is needed! Then there's the Silents and the Great Intelligence and the Cyberiad (a collective of cyber-minds working with the Cybermen) and the Justice Department and of course the Daleks. Each comes with extensive notes and a plethora of ideas about adventures you can have using them.

Finally, there are a full forty-one complete adventures, as presented in the TV show, for you to delve through. Mine them for ideas, run them 'as is' or use the follow-up adventures provided, it's up to you. Each comes with a synopsis of the adventure itself, continuity notes showing where it fits into the overall story, notes on running the adventure as presented and ideas for further adventures that spring from it. A true wealth of resources to revel in, and a fine episode guide for anyone who enjoys the show.

There's enough here to keep your group occupied for ages, a worthy addition to the series.

Return to The Eleventh Doctor Sourcebook page.

Reviewed: 14 January 2016