Well, first of all, for those of you unfamiliar with these type of games, CCG stands for “Collectable Card Game” sometimes referred to as “Collectable Trading Card Games.” There are literally dozens of CCGs on the market today, Dr. Who being just one of them.
The Dr. Who CCG is based on the long-running British Sci-Fi series about a Time Lord (time traveler) known only as “The Doctor.” He travels through time and space in his T.A.R.D.I.S. (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space), a time capsule which looks like a blue police box, but is MUCH larger on the inside, and spends most of his time “saving worlds” (or meddling in other people’s business, if you prefer).
The Dr. Who Collectable Trading Card Game rules, game play and design is copyrighted by M.M.G. Ltd. 1996. Check out the Copyright Notice page for a full version.
Object of the Game
The object of Dr. Who, a game designed for two players, is “for each player to use their Creature, Episode, Flash and Resource cards to force their opponent to lose all of their Time cards” (Rule Book, p.6).
Type of Cards
There are five types of cards in the game:
Creature cards are the foundation of the game. With them you attack your opponent, defend against your opponents attacks, and use the special abilities of some creatures to support other attacking and defending creatures, and so on.
Resource cards are just that: resources to aid your creatures in their attack or defense. Some resource cards also allow you to manipulate other cards, protect yourself against hits, play extra cards, move cards around, take extra turns, and so on.
Flash cards, known as interrupts in other CCGs, can make or break the game. Playable at any time during any player’s turn, they can be as simple as playing an extra card, or as destructive as destroying all cards in play!
Episode cards are basically a nuisance to your opponent. They generate certain effects that prevent your opponent from taking certain actions, or allow you to take special actions that hamper your opponent’s attempts to eliminate your time cards.
Time cards can be thought of as your lives. In the show, a Time Lord has over a dozen lives, and periodically regenerates, receiving a new body and personality. In the game, your stack of Time cards is an indication of how close you are to losing the game. You want to eliminate all of your opponent’s Time cards before he or she eliminates all of yours.
For a list of all the cards, and strategies and tips on how to play some of them, refer to the Unofficial Card List v1.05, the Unofficial FAQ v1.06, and my Cards, Rulings, Strategies, and Tips page.