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'''''The Master''''' was the title of a 1985 reference book published by [[FASA]]. Written primarily from a real-world perspective, it documented the history of the character of [[the Master]] and gave advice to players of ''[[The Doctor Who Role Playing Game]]'' on how to approach the character.
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''The Master'' (reference book)}}{{Real world}}{{Prose stub}}
{{Infobox Story SMW
|image        = The Master - Cover.jpg
|writer      = J. Andrew Keith
|illustrator  = [[Todd F. Marsh]], [[Jane Bigos]] and [[Lucy A. Synk]]
|publisher    = FASA
|release date = September 1986
|format      = Paperback Book, 64 Pages
|isbn        = ISBN 0-931787-94-7
|series      = ''[[The Doctor Who Role Playing Game]]'' Supplement Sourcebooks
|prev        = The Daleks (reference book)
|next        = The Cybermen (reference book)
}}
'''''The Master''''' was the title of a 1985 reference book published by [[FASA]]. It gave a complex fictional history and informational guide to [[the Master]], with advice to gamemasters of ''[[The Doctor Who Role Playing Game]]'' on how to approach the character.


''The Master'' was originally released in tandem with ''[[CIA File Extracts (novel)|CIA File Extracts]]'', a fictional, narrative overview of the Master. However, the two books were physically distinct and had different ISBN codes.
''The Master'' was originally released in tandem with ''[[CIA File Extracts (novel)|CIA File Extracts]]'', which retold the fictional information found in ''The Master'' in a unreliable in-universe document.  


==Contents==
''The Master'' was written by [[J. Andrew Keith]], with additional material by Michael P. Bledsoe, [[William H. Keith, Jr.]], and Tom Kokkelenberg. Artwork was by Jane K. Bigos, Todd F. Marsh, and Lucy A. Synk.
This was a 64-page gamemaster's booklet with background information about the Master, including history, background, and activities, as well as notes on how to give The Master an authentic feel, and statistics for some other opponents of The Doctor, including [[Daemon]]s, the [[Nestene Consciousness]], [[Axos]] and [[Sea Devils]]. The information in the player's book may or may not be accurate. As reviewer Barry Bailey noted, "the players' booklet is carefully compiled as a mixture of truth, inaccuracies, lies,damn lies and statistics."<ref name="WD77"/> Although these two booklets were originally sold together, they are usually found separately on the used book market. Since there have been more players than gamemasters, the player's booklet is rarer than the gamemaster's book.
 
== Summary ==
''to be added''
 
== Worldbuilding ==
* [[Merast]] is the Master's secret base between [[dimension]]s.
* The Master once clashed with [[the Colonel]] in the [[Sepoy Mutiny]], which occurred in [[1857]] AD or 72,565 [[TL]].


==Publication history==
== Notes ==
* This was a 64-page gamemaster's booklet with background information about the Master, including history, background, and activities, as well as notes on how to give The Master an authentic feel, and statistics for some other opponents of The Doctor, including [[Daemon]]s, the [[Nestene Consciousness]], [[Axos]] and [[Sea Devils]].
* Although this booklet and its companion were originally sold together, they are usually found separately on the used book market. Since there have been more players than gamemasters, the player's booklet is rarer than the gamemaster's book.
* In the May 1986 edition of  ''White Dwarf'' (Issue #77), Barry Bailey reviewed both  ''The Master'' and ''The Daleks'', which had been released simultaneously, and said of ''The Master'' that it "unaccountably has inferior production to earlier FASA ''Doctor Who'' products. Apart from the cunningly composed cover, the illustration is generally weak." Bailey noted that the statistics given for The Doctor's opponents in this supplement differed in format from those given in ''The Daleks'', commenting, "it would appear that the ''Dr Who RPG'' is very poorly co-ordinated as a project." He also disagreed with some reworking of the ''Doctor Who'' canon, calling it an "irritating rewriting of the ''Dr Who'' mythos."  Bailey was ambivalent about the usefulness of either ''The Daleks'' or ''The Master'', and gave them both an average overall rating of 7 out of 10, saying, "If you intend using either of the two villains regularly, and don't feel you know enough from the series to be able to handle them, then you should use these supplements. Otherwise you'd probably be better trusting to your own judgement."


''The Master'' was written by [[J. Andrew Keith]], with additional material by Michael P. Bledsoe, [[William H. Keith, Jr.]], and Tom Kokkelenberg. Artwork was by Jane K. Bigos, Todd F. Marsh, and Lucy A. Synk.
== Continuity ==
* [[The Monk (The Time Meddler)|The Monk]] is explained to be the Master's sixth and seventh incarnations, with the end of [[TV]]: {{cs|The Time Meddler (TV story)}} causing a [[regeneration]] before the events of [[TV]]: {{cs|The Daleks' Master Plan (TV story)}}.


==Reception==
{{FASA navigation}}
In the May 1986 edition of  ''White Dwarf'' (Issue #77), Barry Bailey reviewed both  ''The Master'' and ''The Daleks'', which had been released simultaneously, and said of ''The Master'' that it "unaccountably has inferior production to earlier FASA ''Doctor Who'' products. Apart from the cunningly composed cover, the illustration is generally weak." Bailey noted that the statistics given for The Doctor's opponents in this supplement differed in format from those given in ''The Daleks'', commenting, "it would appear that the ''Dr Who RPG'' is very poorly co-ordinated as a project." He also disagreed with some reworking of the ''Doctor Who'' canon, calling it an "irritating rewriting of the ''Dr Who'' mythos."  Bailey was ambivalent about the usefulness of either ''The Daleks'' or ''The Master'', and gave them both an average overall rating of 7 out of 10, saying, "If you intend using either of the two villains regularly, and don't feel you know enough from the series to be able to handle them, then you should use these supplements. Otherwise you'd probably be better trusting to your own judgement."
{{TitleSort}}
[[Category:1985 reference books]]
[[Category:The Doctor Who Role Playing Game]]

Latest revision as of 07:07, 17 October 2024

RealWorld.png
prose stub

The Master was the title of a 1985 reference book published by FASA. It gave a complex fictional history and informational guide to the Master, with advice to gamemasters of The Doctor Who Role Playing Game on how to approach the character.

The Master was originally released in tandem with CIA File Extracts, which retold the fictional information found in The Master in a unreliable in-universe document.

The Master was written by J. Andrew Keith, with additional material by Michael P. Bledsoe, William H. Keith, Jr., and Tom Kokkelenberg. Artwork was by Jane K. Bigos, Todd F. Marsh, and Lucy A. Synk.

Summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • This was a 64-page gamemaster's booklet with background information about the Master, including history, background, and activities, as well as notes on how to give The Master an authentic feel, and statistics for some other opponents of The Doctor, including Daemons, the Nestene Consciousness, Axos and Sea Devils.
  • Although this booklet and its companion were originally sold together, they are usually found separately on the used book market. Since there have been more players than gamemasters, the player's booklet is rarer than the gamemaster's book.
  • In the May 1986 edition of White Dwarf (Issue #77), Barry Bailey reviewed both The Master and The Daleks, which had been released simultaneously, and said of The Master that it "unaccountably has inferior production to earlier FASA Doctor Who products. Apart from the cunningly composed cover, the illustration is generally weak." Bailey noted that the statistics given for The Doctor's opponents in this supplement differed in format from those given in The Daleks, commenting, "it would appear that the Dr Who RPG is very poorly co-ordinated as a project." He also disagreed with some reworking of the Doctor Who canon, calling it an "irritating rewriting of the Dr Who mythos." Bailey was ambivalent about the usefulness of either The Daleks or The Master, and gave them both an average overall rating of 7 out of 10, saying, "If you intend using either of the two villains regularly, and don't feel you know enough from the series to be able to handle them, then you should use these supplements. Otherwise you'd probably be better trusting to your own judgement."

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

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