Game: Alleys of Steel

A game for the Doctor Who Expansion. Holbenilord stars as the GM, with Toothless providing a backing role as Character: Cyber-Unit 77098.

GAME
''An alarm sounds throughout the Cybership- intruders are on board. The PA sounds.''

"All Cyber-units. Spread out. Delete intrusive elements."

I march off to the hull breach, or wherever intruders got in (and they'd better not be Daleks; we couldn't even take the Cult of Skaro :P)

''As you move towards the breach, you hear other Cybermen fighting and dying. Energy weapons and blasts of loud noise can be heard. An Energy Rifle lies on the ground.''

I pick up the energy rifle and walk onwards.

(Interesting fact: I just changed the equipment section of the Cyberman page so that Energy Rifles are superior to your standard weaponry.) An Ice Warrior body lies on the floor, gasping hissily for breath.

I shoot it with my Energy Rifle, so it is gasping hissily no more. Then I walk onwards.

''A group of Ice Warrior stand at the end of the corridor, with their sonic weaponry ready, but facing the other way. There are four.''

I don't suppose you can change the rifle to area effect, or 4 shots/turn? :P I roll a 2; a hit.

''The affected Ice Warrior falls unconscious, and the others turn round. They all miss with their Sonic Blasters, so their leaders begins to charge with his Ice Sword.''

I fire at the leader, rolling a 5 :P

''He, too, falls unconscious. The other two keep firing, getting one hit which deals 15 damage after armour.''

I roll a 6, knocking another unconscious.

''So you do. Their high HP is quite annoying, no? The last one standing misses you completely.''

Not really. An unconscious one doesn't do much. Besides, my Energy Rifle is heat damage; surely they should take extra damage from heat? "Worked against the Ice Warriors, works against the Flood"

I roll a 5.

''It now falls unconscious. There are four stunned Ice Warriors at your feet. (They already suffer double damage from burning)''

I use my built in Cyberblaster to kill them, which takes two turns. Then I march off to find some more.

''You find the pod they used to enter- it is empty, and seems to have suffered extensive fire damage. A pyrovile begins to march towards you from along the corridor.''

That is scary. Or would be, if I had emotions. Why did I give them 180 Health? Anyways, I roll a 6 (with the energy rifle).

''It takes 90 damage and strides onwards. Raising its fist to crush you, it misses.''

Fail :P I roll another six, killing it.

''It's gone, with a whoosh of flame. You spot the charred body of a human beside it, with a sonic bracelet (yeah) around their wrist, and a vortex manipulator in their hand.''

Are there any species I'm not gonna have to fight in this game? I don't suppose I can pick up the Vortex Manipulator, so I march off again.

''There might be. GO BACK AND PICK IT UP :P I don't usually hand out things like this but I want to test out Time Travel.''

Oh. I meant that I pick it up if I can. I guess I didn't make it clear cause I wasn't expecting to be able to use it.

''That is all ok. You hear a squad of Sontarans marching down the corridor towards you...''

They hear a Cyberman marching towards them and rolling a 3 with its energy rifle.

''One of the Sontarans falls unconscious. The other seven open fire, getting... an extremely high number of hits that for gameplay's sake we shall reduce down to one, dealing 65 damage after armour.''

Survival is imperative. I activate the Void Manipulator, aiming for one time period in the past (whenever that is). I roll a 3.

''You were in the present day, attempted to go back one, and missed by two. You should be going to either the Near Future or the Renaissance, but this doesn't look like either of those. Yellow sand stretches out into the horizon, broken only by black cliffs and tall towers bearing strange circular runes.''

I perform an interior scan of one of the tall towers. (I can do that with magical in-built technology :P)

''Most towers could be scanned. These cannot.''

''A voice, all around you. "How ironic."''

"Cybermen have no concept of irony."

"That can be solved, if you so wish. But later, once your task is complete. How strange that a weak, single Cyberman should be the one to break the greatest Time Lock ever created. But how right."

"You will explain."

"You know of the Time War?"

"Time War is defined as a war taking place at multiple points in time, or a war using time itself as a weapon. There have been several Time Wars in history."

"Very good. Do you know of the Last Great Time War?"

"Records are almost non-existant. A time war between the Daleks and the Time Lords. The Daleks survived. The Time Lords did not. The war was locked by a Time Lord known as the Doctor, the only surviving Time Lord."

''"That is correct to the best of your knowledge. However, it is incorrect." The voice grows softer. "The Time War is still ongoing."''

"That is incorrect."

''There is a flash of lightning and the roar of thunder. The sky darkens, and a crack opens along its length, showing through it thousands of batallions of Daleks, hundreds of saucers, passing by each moment. From your limited field of view, you cannot see the full size of the Dalek force or the enemy they fight, but the explosions are visible enough.''

A short pillar, rising up to your waist, extends from the ground in front of you.

"What is the purpose of this device?"

"This device is not real. It is a projection to enable you to perform an incomprehensible action in a way you can comprehend. You press the button, and the de-mat gun fires on the Time Lock."

"Explain the consequences of this act."

"The Time Lock shatters. The Time Lords, Daleks, degregates, could've-beens, nightmares, shoggoths, and other things are released into the multiverse again."

"Records show Cybermen are unable to survive against the listed elements. This action must not be implemented."

"The Cybermen would be unable to survive if any of those forces attacked them, sure. But they would not be attacking you. Their war would be the one they fought. And think of what you could gain from the debris."

"Cybermen have encountered the Daleks before. They would not stop at the Time Lords. This action must not be implemented."

''A new voice. "Yeah! Listen to the Cyberman!" The Doctor grins at you, holding his screwdriver in one hand. "What, you thought I wouldn't turn up to stop you?"''

''The first voice chuckles. "It was expected. But we shall let the Cyberman choose."''

"This action must not be implemented."

"You realise I'm going to activate it anyway, and that I just want to be able to say a Cyberman did it?"

"I will not perform the action."

''The Doctor grins wider. "Don't you see, big voicey thing? He's not going to do it. And your bluffing won't help anyone."''

"That is fine."

A Dalek appears behind you, and fires a ray that narrowly misses the Doctor.

"I'll just get someone else to do it."

I fire with my Energy Rifle, rolling a 2 - 4.5 damage!

''Its eyestalk swivels towards you, and it regards you with a single, shining eye. "YOUR PROFILE RESEMBLES THAT OF THE INFERIOR SPECIES DESIGNATED 'CYBERMAN'. YOU ARE OF MINIMAL THREAT."''

It turns back to the Doctor, firing again as he runs around madly.

The Dalek is completely correct, but I roll a two, for another 4.5 damage.

The Dalek does the closest thing it can do to a voiceless sigh, and reverses into you, knocking you to the ground.

Hrmph. I shoot its antigravity stuff in the base, rolling a 4.

''The Dalek hits you in the face with its plunger. Then, it takes a shot at the pillar. There is a colossal eruption of flame from where it stood, and thin cracks begin to spread across the sky...''

I activate the Vortex Manipulator, aiming back for my Cybership, and rolling a 5.

''The display crackles madly, and the device begins to emit golden light. There is a notable absence of cybership around you. The sky's cracks widen, and the Doctor grabs you by the arm.''

"Come on!"

''The voice laughs in the sky. "Finally. Things are back to how they should be."''

''Daleks flood the sky, with nameless forms amongst them and eldritch things burning away, still fighting. Time Lord ships, battle TARDISes and other immensely powerful vessels, phase in and out. Gallifrey and Skaro appear in the sky as the Time War rages on.''

WELCOME TO THE END

You gain: whatever you picked up during the mission.