The Snowmen: Backstreets of London

Pass the salt

Previous Episode: Sontaran Disturbance: England

Next Episode: The Snowmen: The Latimer Residence

Game version played: 2.4.1

The 11^th Doctor is swanning around in his new Stetson, and with Doctor #10 he has decided that our next stop is London, England, 1892.

With The Snowmen: Backstreets of London we’re back to a TV episode with Yellow Fragments to win. There’s also a little portrait of a Yellow Adipose. However for the first time this will be a Rare drop instead of automatic. We’re not being spoon fed any more. My selected team for this level is the 11^th Doctor (Rank 2), Porridge (Lv. 4), Madame Vastra (Lv. 4), Jenny Flint (Lv.5) and Rory (Lv. 3).

We arrive on a snowy cobbled street, with a warm cosy, glowing window on the left. Hang on. That silhouette in the window, it looks like a …

Never mind that now, we're being attacked by a snowman. 

He has a simple body but it's topped with an evil-looking head, with attack eyebrows and fang-filled mouth. Worst of all he’s Yellow, and as we all know yellow snow is bad news. 

Maybe this one was built with the wrong type of snow because he was reduced to slush in an instant. He has some mates though and the backup is comprised of two more Yellow Snowmen. They’re thirsty for revenge but slow, taking 3 turns to attack. The cold must have slowed me down as well as it took me a few rounds to see them  off. One even bit me for 40 damage. ‘Twas but a scratch but I was annoyed that they got through.

The final wave sees two Yellow snowmen flanking one big Blue snowman, sporting a smile that would give a Great White pause. These blighters must be tough as they all survived my first attack. Big Blue used his Black Ice power to convert all the Blue gems to Black. That stopped the 11^th Doctor doing any damage that round, but it did supply Porridge with ammunition. Black is strong against Yellow so the two wingmen were then out of the game.

Big Blue converted some more Blue gems to Black, but it was futile gesture. He melted like a snowflake in Hell and I won a Time Crystal.

The level was over and I gained enough experience to level up Porridge, Vastra and Rory. I increased their HP, ATK and HEAL respectively. However no Yellow Adipose dropped to join my team and there were no Yellow Fragments either. Humph!

So the game has presented us with another choice. Do we carry on through the storyline to The Latimer Residence? Or do we replay the Backstreets of London for one more shot at the Yellow Adipose?

Playing the level again gives you the same experience and the same chance of a drop. Keep it up and eventually you’ll get your own sentient lump of fat. Your team will also gain levels but the rate of progress will be slower than if you played on. This level earns 1,339 XP, but the next level provides 2,014 XP, the one after that 3,195 XP. You’d have to play Backstreets of London four times to beat the experience earned by playing through the next two levels.

My approach is to keep going up through the levels. When I get to difficult levels that are harder to beat, I go back and play for the remaining rare drops. This boosts experience and wins team members with new skill and colour combinations.

Of course knowing something about the Yellow Adipose might help you make a decision. Well he/she/it has the Lipogenesis ability, allowing it to convert Black Gems into Yellow. It has balanced abilities, so it is almost a Yellow Jenny Flint. When levelling up I boost its ATK ability to make the best use of the Yellow gems it creates.

Ooh he's so 'ickle.
Born from my back fat don't you know

If you do get Yellow Adipose before moving on then slip it straight into the team. Unless you’ve bought extra Companions you’ll still have a space and it makes no sense to leave the slot empty. Yellow Adipose would partner well with Madame Vastra, boosting the number of gems she’ll be able to attack with.

The Adipose first appeared in Partners in Crime but they have cropped up a couple of times since, toddling around as background colour. I admit they are cute and they make me chuckle. Being made of fat puts a disgusting spin on them that balances out their appalling sweetness. They’re also different to most other Who monsters, innocent beings literally living off the fat of others. The temptation to bring them back one day, along with their fully grown parents, must be strong for the show. I wouldn’t mind a percentage of Adipose merchandise.

New Who beats Classic Who into a cocked hat when it comes to humour. The first incarnation had satire and irony, with the odd comedy scene thrown in like John Cleese in the Louvre. Most of the Doctors have been able to clown or tell a gag. However some episodes of New Who are clearly intended to be comedies first and foremost, with action and adventure to keep up the drama. Even the scariest episodes have laughs to reassure you that it’s all going to be okay. I’m with Joss Wheedon "Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke.”

The Snowmen: Backstreets of London is quick and simple, but the introduction of Rare drops gives the game one of its most addictive attractions. 

Sontaran Disturbance: England

Squeeee!

Previous Episode: Dalek Paradox 

Next Episode: The Snowmen: Backstreets of London

Game version played: 2.4

You’ve won the 10th Doctor, so the first thing you should do is add him to your team right? Well, probably not.

The obvious thing to do is put him in that remaining space in your team roster. Unfortunately the game won’t let you do it. Go on, try. Only one space is capable of holding the Time Lord, tap on the first space and you see the list of available Doctors. Select #10 and he swaps with #11. Tap one of the other spaces and you just see the Companions. There’s no way to get 2 or more Doctors in your team. Wah!

Well get over it. That’s the way the game works. You have to decide if you want the perfect 10, or to turn it up to 11. Now if David Tennant is the love of your life, if the 10th Doctor is your Doctor, then nothing I say will convince you to do anything but boot that bow-tied buffoon out and replace him with the real deal. However game-play wise it’s hard to argue for that option.

The first strike against the 10th Doctor is his game colour. He’s Red and you already have Red Jenny Flint. The 11th Doctor is Blue and you have no Blue Companion. Choose the Red Doctor and you become unable to deliver Blue damage. Yes it is true that at LVL.1 Jenny can ‘Smoulder’ Blue gems to Red every 7 turns but this doesn’t make up the difference.

The second strike is the special ability. Rank 1 Doctor #10 Heals allies for 200HP after 15 Combos and 500HP after another 15. Unfortunately you have recently recruited Rory who is also a Healer, though not in the same league. The game is still playing easy and you could manage without any Healer for a while yet, you don’t need two. Take the Healing Doctor and you lose the Damaging Doctor.

The Sontaran production of
'The Full Monty' was not a success

The last and most important thing to remember is that this is a game. You are here to have fun and if you want to play every single adventure with the 10th Doctor alone then good for you. Have at it and send me a screen grab.

The 10th Doctor was played by David Tennant. It’s easy to underestimate how important he has been to the show. With hind sight there was a good chance that the 2005 reboot of Doctor Who was going to be at least a moderate success. However I doubt anyone expected it to be such a smash. Then Christopher Eccleston pulled the rug out by leaving after one series. Would this be another false dawn like the TV Movie, destined to break our hearts? Never fear, the skinny Scot was here.

Tennant loved the show and was determined to wring every last ounce of joy from his time in the TARDIS. Watching him you just knew he was having the time of his life. He knew exactly who the Doctor was and he totally ‘got’ it. Like all of the Doctors in New Who he is a talented actor so there was no problem there, but his super power was his charisma. He was a hit with the ladies, and his geek-chic coolness worked for us boys.

The success of series 1 was surpassed by the 10th Doctor juggernaut, driving the show to become one of the BBC’s flagship shows. Poor old Doctor #9 is now almost overlooked.

At times the 10th Doctor was too cocky, and it became possible to dislike the popular and cool man who was great at everything. David Tennant occasionally seemed bigger than the show, and may have stayed 1 season too long. This is just nit-picking though. He was the most successful Doctor since Tom Baker.

It’s hard to pick a favourite 10th Doctor episode. Blink was a masterpiece but he’s barely in it. I loved Tooth and Claw, but Human Nature and The Family of Blood were better stories and Tennant acted his socks off. If forced I’d have to plump for Midnight, delightfully creepy and a tense ‘base under siege’ story.

In the game, from here on there is at least a choice of Doctors. The team I play with may not be the same one that you used. Not an issue, seeing how someone else got through a game is part of the fun. My team for this level is 11th Doctor, Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, Porridge and Rory Williams. 

Sontaran Disturbance: England is not a TV episode and it is likely to drop Yellow Time Fragments. There is another 100% drop, but this time it’s a costume for the 11th Doctor, the Stetson outfit from The Impossible Astronaut. Our first costume change.

The level takes place in Bexhill,England, with a serene view of green fields and blue sky. Not the place you’d expect to find a squad of heavily armed alien clones from a high gravity planet, but just such a group stands before you. The Doctor identifies them as one of the Sontaran teams going back and changing time. You’d better stop them before they can create more paradoxes.

Wave 1 is a solo Yellow Sontaran. I must have got him right in the probic vent because he went down like a sack of spuds. That kill got me a Time Crystal. Wave 2 is made up of two of the same Sontarans. It took just 2 turns to kill them but no reward was forthcoming.

Then before you know it you’re at the final wave, a Green Sontaran Commander. He can heal himself a little which did keep him in the fight for two rounds but that was all. He died, presumably for the glory of the Sontaran Empire, and a grey portrait fell. The costume.

Putting on an outfit is simple. Go to the character in question’s profile tab and you’ll see a ‘New’ flash. Click on ‘Change Outfit’ and you’ll see that one of the previously greyed out options is now available. Select it and the character portrait is changed. There is no game bonus for the different costumes and no stars for collecting them, but I do enjoy the collect-ability. You can change them at will so feel free to dress your team for each occasion.

There was enough experience awarded to get Jenny up to LVL. 5 and I again boosted her ATK. I had the Time Crystal and the costume but no Time Fragments from the match.

And we’re done, rather quickly. Still you need some calm time so that you can recognise ‘exciting’ when you meet it. No complaints, let’s move on and see what’s next. 

Dalek Paradox

Brilliant indeed

Previous Episode: Asylum of the Daleks: Intensive Care

Next Episode: Sontaran Disturbance: England

Game version played: 2.4

In all the excitement of winning Rory I forgot to look at what he offers. Well he’s your first and only Green of course, so he'll stop you wasting those emeralds that are sure to start falling. He has 68 HP, 35 ATK and 33 HEAL making him your first Healer too, going by the Legacy wiki character type. A Healer’s main role is to convert Pink gems into healing HP. Invaluable once the opposition gets genuinely dangerous.

Then there’s his Power called ‘Stand Firm’, which is apt for the steadfast Rory. This heals your team by 100 HP. That is a small proportion at this point but it can make all the difference. So as well as using those Pink combos to keep you in the game, once every 10 turns Rory can repair your HP regardless of the board. You shouldn’t rush to use this power once it’s charged. If you have less than 100 damage then in most cases it would be a waste. If there is Pink about then use that first. I always feel better when I have a fully charged heal in reserve.

Excited about finally getting to play with all gem colours? Yes me too. Make sure Rory is included in the team. Now we can look at the next mission. Wait. What’s that in the TARDIS? Something’s flashing. Why is the 11th Doctor pulsing like that? What’s it say? Upgrade? Grud on a Greenie. More excitement.

Why is my 11th Doctor ready to upgrade? Well the Doctor doesn’t accumulate experience like the Companions. He depends solely on Time Fragments, so if you’ve got the right colours you can upgrade him any time. Rank 1 Doctor # 11 needs 3 Red and 3 Blue, and I’ve got those. Where from? You may well ask.

For the purposes of this blog I log in and play 1 level at a time, occasionally but not often on consecutive days. This means I get a lot of Red Fragments at the log in bonus, sometimes 2 Blue. Most new players will start the game and go deep before they log out, gaining less early Fragments.

I did wonder if it was fair to upgrade 11 just yet, as most players won’t have the Fragments this early. However everyone will get different drops, log in on their own schedule, and can buy and invest Time Crystals however they choose. You can buy 4 Fragments of either base colour for 2 Crystals, and can get 2 of each for 5. Easier still you can select Instant Upgrade and promote the Doctor directly for 4 Crystals. I’ve earned 4 Crystals so far in this game, so most players will be able to upgrade the 11th Doctor one way or another by now. Personally I wouldn’t spend Crystals this early as the fragments drop regularly enough and you’re unlikely to be struggling, but if you’ve got the Fragments, go ahead. Advancement is one of the pleasures of experience based games.

Internal argument settled, I selected Upgrade for the Eleventh Doctor. First of all I got a chance to change my mind, ‘Are you sure?’ Yes I’m sure. I’ve spent 10 whole seconds considering the mission statement of this blog and the ramifications thereof. I selected ‘Yes’ and a portrait of the Doctor appears with ‘Brilliant’ written across it. A single star appears, and then a second one pulses into join it. As a character advances you earn an extra star towards your total. This took me to 6 stars in total, one for each companion plus 2 for the Rank 2 Doctor.

4 more stars for Perk #3

Before I could check on the Doctor’s new powers, I was alerted that a new perk had been unlocked. Crikey it’s like Christmas isn’t it? First things first though. Let’s see what the new and improved 11th can do. On the Attributes tab we can see the two stars, plus that we need 8 Red, 8 Pink and 8 Blue Time Fragments to get him to Rank 3. I already have the Red but the others will take some work. Moving over to the Profile tab we see that his ‘Cunning’ special ability has become ‘A Fast Plan’. He now does 500 damage to all opponents after 30 combos, and 1,500 after 30 more. This is meaty damage. Even Porridge’s bomb only does 1,000 damage at Rank 1. Red foes beware.

So what about that Perk then? Go to Team and from there to Perks. You’ll see that you now have ‘Colour Enhance I’ active. Tap on it and you’ll see that you can get a 5% damage bonus for one of the character colours. Time to make a choice. Look in your team roster and look at the total damage for each colour. The bonus is a percentage, so obviously if you choose your strongest colour then you will get the most points, which for me would be Blue. Another option is to shore up your weakest colour, Green for me. This would make you more rounded but deliver less points. You could just pick your favourite character or colour and go with that. Don’t worry about it too much. You can change your perks at any time without penalty. If a mission goes sideways, go back and change your perks. I chose Blue for now to get the biggest bang.

Right then. I’ve Perked up, the 11th Doctor is upgraded and Rory is in the squad. Let’s see what Dalek Paradox is all about.

You have the chance to win Blue Time Fragments and Red. Blue hasn’t been up before and this is the first level that isn’t identified as a TV episode. Who knows what you’ll face. Well, Daleks obviously, unless that’s the paradox.

There’s another portrait here too, labelled 100% drop. It’s Red, let’s look a little closer…Oh my life, it’s the 10th Doctor. My cup runneth over. Allons-y.

Look at all the pretty colours

Into the fray and we’re on the Earth’s moon again, this time for real I assume rather than on Hedgewick’s World of Wonders. How are breathing? Are we suited up? No time to wonder about such trivialities as the Doctor is talking. His sonic screwdriver is detecting a paradox up ahead. It must be closed to stabilise time itself. There are strange readings from his past so there’s a need to be careful. Anything could be in there. Right Ho Doctor, consider us warned.

Wave 1 glides into attack and it’s a Blue Strategist Dalek, joined by a newcomer. It’s a Yellow New Paradigm Dalek, the Eternal. Just what is the Eternal all about? Well apparently nothing, at least not yet. It was thrown into the New Paradigm mix as a long term investment, so that it can be used as a future as yet unimagined plot device. Good thinking. Note that Rory i.e. Green is strong against the Strategist i.e. Blue. The relationship between the colours is being filled in. Well if this Eternal had any surprises for me then they were not manifested, as I blasted him and his Blue Buddy into atoms first shot.

Waves 2 & 3 are made up of more Daleks, nothing you haven’t faced before. They were tough enough to return fire and inflict minor damage, but nothing to write home about.

Looks like a 70's rock album cover

Feeling confident I waited for Wave 4 of 5, but then saw a ‘Warning’ flash up. Huh! Up until now that’s only been seen before the final Boss wave. Something Wicked this way comes. It’s a Reaper.

Vastra quite reasonably asks what the Reaper is, the Doctor explains that they hunt through time and space looking for paradoxes. They are not to be trifled with and can’t be destroyed, but once the paradox is closed it will vanish, if you can just get past it. These beasts only appeared once in the series, in Father’s Day, but one actually managed to kill and eat the Doctor. Take a bow Reapers, you are the stuff of legend.

Defeating the Blue Reaper took a while. It has a stun ability which put a couple of Companions temporarily out of action and it can take a lot of damage. However with a few big hits and a Riposte from Vastra I managed to beat it.

Sexy

There was another Warning, and then a Blue Paradox appeared. All crackly and energetic, this is a good looking opponent. I’d been saving Porridge’s bomb for this so the timer was set. The first rounds consisted of me doing small damage to the Paradox, while it kept warping my Green gems to Blue. This could have gone on for a while but I then managed to inflict a significant hit, and heal myself back to 100% using Pink gems.

Just then the Doctor started to flash. Oh yes! A chance to use his new ‘A Fast Plan’ ability. I let him off the leash and the Paradox collapsed under the onslaught. Victory.

Dalek Paradox was a decent contest with new enemies and another step in the story. The rewards were good. I got the ‘No More Yellow’ achievement for beating 10 Yellow enemies, and Porridge went up a level to 4 where I boosted his HP to 152. This was Rory’s first scrap and he obviously learnt a lot. He went straight to level 3 so I had 2 points to award, both went onto HEAL.

Last but not least I got the 10th Doctor in the TARDIS, but that’s quite enough excitement for one day. I think I need to go and lie down. 

Polycystic Kidney Disease

Thursday 4th September has been declared Polycystic Kidney Awareness Day by the PKD Foundation. My wife suffers from PKD, and since I love her it seems only right to stand on my own particular soap box and spread the word.

Before I met her I had never heard of this disease, and even after we were married it was in the background of our life. I knew she had a condition that was going to affect her health in years to come, but the effects at first were slight. She doesn’t smoke which is a plus, she doesn’t drink which isn’t an issue, and she exercises religiously which just shows me up. I’m sure PKD helped motivate these life choices, as well as her insistence on healthy eating, but she’d have done them anyway because she’s far wiser than me.

PKD is accurately if unimaginatively named. It is an inherited disease in which fluid filled cysts multiply and grow in the kidneys. Some people live their whole lives without knowing they have it, but in most cases kidney functions steadily decline, eventually resulting in kidney failure.

My wife and I have grown older together, which was the plan of course, and each year has been marked by regular visits to the kidney specialist. Each time there is a percentage rating of how the kidneys were doing. Sometimes it stayed the same, occasionally it crept up, but overall there has been a downward trend. The visits to the specialists have now become more frequent.

A Polycystic kidney alongside a healthy kidney

The horrible irony of PKD is that while kidney function decreases, the organs get bigger. The cysts swell and multiply, pushing the kidneys out into the rest of the body. Often the liver is affected too and develops its own cysts, growing along with the kidneys. Space is taken up, other organs are squashed, and the torso gets larger. In later stages this becomes noticeable whatever you are wearing. As you can imagine all of this is uncomfortable, painful and distressing.

As the disease has progressed life has become less enjoyable for my wife. She has needed stronger medication to control her blood pressure, with each new prescription bringing its own side effects. Sleep has become difficult due to continual discomfort. Eating is a cost/benefit exercise, searching through the rapidly shrinking menu of foods that are allowed to her, trying to find something that won’t lead to griping pain afterwards. Even the quantity is a trade off. Her constricted stomach can’t handle more than a child’s portion but she needs enough to stop her becoming malnourished. When we got together it was a joy to have a wife who loved to walk as much as I did, but now her shortness of breath means a walk across the park is the limit.

There is no cure for PKD, at least not yet, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing that can be done. Good diet, exercise and controlling blood pressure etc. all help. However there comes a point where the organs will fail. Dialysis is one option, and organ transplant is another. A healthy kidney or liver when transplanted into a PKD sufferer does not start to grow cysts. They behave as they would do in any other patient. They do not last forever, current estimates are about 15 years in the UK but increasing all the time, and demand outstrips supply. Doctors and sufferers almost have to play ‘chicken’ with PKD. Transplant too early and you’ll be looking at another transplant 15 to 20 years down the road, as well as perhaps denying someone in greater need. Wait too long and you may be too weak when your chance comes.

My wife has done well but we are now into discussions with specialists about dialysis and transplant registers. Everyone agrees that we are reaching the point where something must be done, what that is remains to be decided. 

This is an account of my experience of living with someone with PKD in which I hope to raise awareness of the condition. Other sufferers will have completely different stories to tell. For more stories, support, information and donation channels then please use the relevant link from the list below.

International          www.pkdinternational.org

UK                       Pkdcharity.org.uk

USA                     www.pkdcure.org

Canada                 endpkd.ca

France                  www.polykystose.org

Germany               www.pkdcure.de

Italy                      www.renepolicistico.it

Japan                    www.pkdfcj.org

There is just one more thing. Please register as an organ donor. When you’ve gone you won’t miss your internal bits and pieces. They can become food for worms, fuel for the fire, or life for someone else. Thanks.

Asylum of the Daleks: Intensive Care

My mate

Previous Episode: Asylum of the Daleks: Corridor 5L

Next Episode: Dalek Paradox

Game version played: 2.3

Intensive Care, filled with the most damaged of Daleks, those who survived the Doctor. This should be fun.

This level is labelled as a TV story, with Red and Black Time Fragments exactly like the previous two Asylum levels. However there is something else. A small Green portrait labelled '100% drop'. Beat this level and you get another team member, your first Green ally. By golly that picture is of Rory Williams, one of my favourite companions.

There are a few reasons why I like Rory so much. Firstly, he’s the companion I identify with the most. Like most Whovians I daydream of flying off in the TARDIS. However I know that my first encounter with the Doctor would involve running and death, plus a lot of feeling confused, stupid and terrified. The last thing I’d want afterwards is a repeat on an alien planet. The only thing that would get me inside the blue box was if the girl I loved was already in it.

Rory starts life as a dork who follows Amy Pond around like a lost puppy. However he ends up as The Boy Who Waited, the Last Centurion, Companion of the Doctor and Father of River Song. Why didn’t that go on his tombstone? Also I’m a bit of a romantic, and his devotion to Amy, who responds by giving up everything, even the Doctor for him, is just lovely.

His finest moment is the opening of ‘A Good Man Goes to War’, where Amy tells infant Melody of the hero that is coming to save them. Her tale, intercut with shots of the sonic opening doors, telling of a man who looks young but is hundreds of years old, who is not known by his name but a title, was masterful sleight of hand. When Amy says “This man is your father” I thought ‘What?!’ but it was okay, it was Rory all along. Dull Mr Male Nurse walks into the flag ship of the 12th Cyber Legion, stands on the bridge and coolly delivers the Doctor's message and a question from himself. He must have ice in his veins.

Arthur Darvill, photo pinched from Wikipedia

I also liked his relationship with the Doctor. Although he comes to admire and have affection for the Time Lord, he is never blinded by hero worship. He’s quite happy telling the Doctor off when he deserves it and he usually hits home with his barbs. I also prefer it if the Companions don’t have the hots for the Doctor.

One more reason for liking Rory is that he was played by Arthur Darvill. This chap is a good actor and a Brummie to boot (though he is a Villa fan). I suspect he’s rarely going to be out of work, even if he doesn't quite conquer the world like Karen Gillan seems about to. He suits a beard too, which is a mark of a good man.

So, that’s why I have to beat this level of DWL, to recruit Rory for my TARDIS.

Wave 1 breaks you in gently with one Red Drone Dalek. He’s a pushover and we’re into Wave 2 without breaking step.

Cool Cobweb Red Dalek is back with the ability to remove gems, plus a Black stun-equipped Puppet. Well those abilities only work if you live long enough to use them. My opponents didn’t. Next.

2 Cool Cobweb Daleks with a newcomer between them. It’s another New Paradigm jobby, but this one’s got an orange casing with a Green gem colour. It’s a Scientist Dalek. Let’s see if he fights better than he colour-coordinates. By this time the Doctor was ready to use his Cunnning ability and so he let fly. The Cobweb twins vanished in a puff of vapour, but Scientist survived. The professor is apparently made of sterner stuff, plus Blue is handicapped against Green. With a brief “Tsk!” I did my own dirty work, moved a few gems and saw him off. A Time Fragment fell as I confidently awaited Wave number 4.

Another new Dalek, Blue in both Gem and casing. It’s a Strategist, flanked by two Puppets. He’s a little tougher than the Scientist, but not enough for either him or his body guard to get a shot off.

Wave 5 is Boss wave, but it’s a team effort. The Scientist and the Strategist are back, but they’ve brought the Supreme with them. This scrap might be worth my time. The Strategist fell in the first exchange, but the Supreme then Distorted all my Yellow gems into Green, temporarily disarming Vastra. The Supreme then started to ready a new power called Rebuild. This is a power that summons another enemy to the battle. It only works if there’s an empty space to fill, but it can prolong fights and cause you problems if you’re not careful. If you see an enemy ready Rebuild or any other summoning power, it would be wise to target and hit them hard. Luckily in this level it takes 3 rounds to ready Rebuild so I wasn’t worried yet.

These senior Daleks are slow on the draw so I still hadn’t taken any damage, allowing me to casually vape the Scientist next. The Supreme’s Rebuild counted down, but I did for him before he could call for help. Victory was declared and a grey portrait fell. Rory was mine.

My booty for the level was 1 Red Fragment and 1 Black, a Time Crystal and Rory. Vastra achieved Lv.4 so I upped her attack. This team is toughening up. I was also awarded the ‘No More Black’ achievement for defeating 10 Black enemies. 7/56 achievements done and I’m still just warming up.

With Rory on the team you now have all colours covered, so from here on expect the gem boards to be harder to combo. You’re about to play with the big boys and girls.

Asylum of the Daleks: Corridor 5L

Ooh look, a screen full of adventures

Previous Episode: Asylum of the Daleks: Graveyard

Next Episode: Asylum of the Daleks: Intensive Care

Game version played: 2.3

We’re pushing deeper into the asylum so expect things to get a little more intense. Asylum of the Daleks: Corridor 5L is marked again as a TV episode with Red and Black Time Fragments to be won. That suggests Red and Black enemies, so maybe Black Puppets and Red Daleks? Let’s see. 

Wave one is made up of 2 Red Daleks, of the Bronze variant. Identical to those you beat in the Graveyard so fear not. Still cool and cobwebbed these fellas should get their own wallpaper. I managed to bag them both with one shot and got a Red Time Fragment as reward. It’s worth noting that I’m replaying these episodes after hours of play at higher levels in my main game. I don’t remember how I did the first time, but there is a learning curve. I would have had more smaller gem combos and done less damage each turn. Genuine first time players will take a few more moves to get though each wave, but I’m sure you’ll still get this far without a loss.

Wave two is a bit more meaty, with 2 Dalek Puppets and 1 cool Dalek. These puppets are a bit different than the ones you met previously. They do twice as much damage but fire half as often, plus they only stun you for 1 turn. Personally I’d face off against these chaps if I had a choice. They still go down quickly enough so you will soon be expecting wave three.

Cool as der cucumber -
as Wulf Sternhammer would say

You don’t have to look far, they’re on you quicker than shale off a shovel. Hang on though, 2 Puppets and 2 Cool Daleks? That hardly seems fair, the odds are even for once. This is where you need to start looking for combos of 5 gems or more. Any less and you damage just one enemy at a time. Overkill does splash to the next enemy but it can still take a few turns to get through all of them. In the meantime they will have stunned and damaged you to an irritating level. Get a 5+ combo and all enemies are damaged, probably enough to see them off altogether. I managed exactly that and so got to the Boss wave.

The New Paradigm are back, but this time it’s no mere Drone, it’s the Supreme Dalek. His casing is white, but his gem colour is as Black as his mutated soul. He’s also extremely tough. I’d be impressed if you can beat him (her? It?) in one or two shots. I laid into him hard but he still managed to get a few good digs in. Not enough to put me in danger but my pride was hurt. He also managed to use his Distort power, which allows him to convert Yellow gems into Green. This is smart, as Yellow hits him hard and you’ve no Green team member. They don’t call him the Supreme Dalek for nothing.

If you do get a lot of Green gems in play then don’t panic. They still create combos despite doing no direct damage. They act as a boost to other attacks in the same round, count towards the Doctor’s cool down, and clear the gems from the board letting other non-Green gems drop in.

It took me three hits plus a charge from the Doctor to get rid of this Boss. He’s a tough nut, but not as tough as me and my team. After it was all over I had my Red Time Fragment and enough experience to promote Jenny Flint to Lv. 4 and Porridge to Lv. 3. I stuck with my strategy and boosted Porridge’s HP to 132 and Jenny’s ATK to 68.

Vastra lags behind

Just a minute though. How is that Jenny is on Lv. 4 while her wife Madame Vastra is still at Lv. 3? Vastra took part in the tutorial before Jenny was recruited, so surely she should be ahead if anything. How does that work then?

The answer is ExperienceTracks, ably explained by the wiki. Vastra progresses along Track 4, so needs 2626 experience points (XP) to reach level 4. Jenny Flint is on Track 2, so needs just 2298xp for 4th level. Why? Well I assume it’s a balancing mechanism, so that some characters can have higher starter attributes and stronger powers, but have to pay the price through slower advancement. On the other hand it could be just to mix things up. I’m not the type to trawl over powers, stats and Experience Tracks to see if it’s all fair. Enjoy the game and don’t worry too much about the mechanics.

Asylum of the Daleks: Corridor 5L is the first episode in the game where the opposition starts to get durable. Nice. 

Asylum of the Daleks was the opener for the 7th Season of New Who, Matt Smith's last, and I thought it was a solid start. Jenna-Louise Coleman’s debut as the annoyingly attractive Soufflé girl was unexpected, and I enjoyed being puzzled about how they were going to explain it all. The Ponds were good value as ever and I crushed on  Anamaria Mainca. I have a thing about noses you see.

I think that the Daleks need a season off, but here they did excel and deserve their star billing. It was like a design gallery in the Asylum with all of those different makes, shapes and colours. Like most people I was especially delighted to see the Special Weapons Dalek, now there’s a model I’d like to build. Rory’s ‘Eggs-Eggs-Eggs’ Dalek encounter was wonderful and I doubt if we’ve seen the last of the Dalek Puppets. They look quite ridiculous but are creepy at the same time. They also allow the Daleks to indulge in infiltration and other subterfuge. The atmospheric Asylum set was well used and it elevated the Daleks to their scariest since Dalek. 

Having Oswin delete all record of the Doctor from the Daleks' memory was interesting, but it seems to have been a bit of a waste of time story-arc-wise. By the time they meet next, the Daleks have re-learned all about him. It seems the only point of the exercise was to have the whole Dalek Parliament chant "Doctor Who?" at the end of the episode. Still, no harm done. 

A significant episode in the history of the show and a good set up for the departure of the Ponds and the Eleventh Doctor. Is it really nigh on 2 years since this first aired? 

Asylum of the Daleks: Graveyard

Okay team, look inconspicuous

Previous Episode: Nightmare in Silver: Mr Clever

Next Episode: Asylum of the Daleks: Corridor 5L

Game version played: 2.2.1

Pastures new are spread before you. Hedgewick's World of Wonders is left behind, but ahead lies a planet that even the most ruthless race in existence fears to visit. But Brave Heart, Tegan. You have the dark power of the Black Gems at your fingertips and the Emperor of the Universe at your side. It’s time to enter the Asylum of the Daleks.

Before you do anything, make sure that your team includes Porridge. It would be a shame to win him then leave him and his bombs in the TARDIS. 

The level starts in a dim, misty, cable-strewn room. A Dalek lurks caged in the shadows, while another seems to be undergoing repair, or is perhaps just getting dressed. More concerning, you are faced with an animated, desiccated corpse, dressed in polar gear with a Dalek eye-stalk protruding from its forehead. A Dalek Puppet, who is also your first Black opponent. Yes the bar at his feet looks silver or grey, but it’s Black believe me. Select him and you see that Madame Vastra, Yellow, gets a boost with no one being penalised. Your board will now almost certainly have Black gems upon it, so with five colours to juggle you’ll have to work a little harder to get those combos. The Puppet also has a new power called Terrify. Learn to recognise the symbol. Terrify is a Stun power. Another annoying attack as it stops one or more of your team joining in the fight. 

What in the Nine Hells is THAT?

If stunned, a team member gets a little icon on their portrait and they slowly flash. For example if this puppet manages to survive your first attack, which is unlikely, then it may Stun Porridge. This means that he wouldn't be able to plant a bomb if otherwise able, and also that Black combos do no damage. HP still contribute to the team total though. In this battle the stun lasts 2 turns and only one of your team is stunned. It isn’t disastrous here but best to kill them and avoid the nuisance.

Unless you really mess up then the Puppet should be toast before he hits you, which brings on wave 2, a brace of puppets. Still no problem. Grant them the True Death and prepare to face the Doctor’s most famous foe of all. The Daleks.

Your first encounter with the Daleks is with one very cool, cobwebbed, damaged bronze Dalek. When I say ‘bronze’ I am referring to the design or variant rather than its gem colour. The Bronze Dalek is the design that appeared when the series returned in 2005. This is perhaps my favourite design of Dalek. The bronze casing, the bolts, protective struts over the speaker lights etc. all make it look strong enough to shrug off an anti-tank shell. The original Dalek looked great on Black & White 1963 television, but as colour came in and picture quality improved they started to look as if they couldn’t stand up to a well placed Nerf hit.

So although this is a bronze Dalek, its gem colour is Red. Look for the Blue combos and give it what for. It’s an easy enough task to see this asylum inmate off so you’ll soon be facing the fourth and final wave.

My Sevans Dalek

The cool cobweb Dalek is back, but this time he has a Red New Dalek Paradigm mate. Oh dear. Does anyone like the New Paradigm design? I like the colour coding which gives their society more structure and complexity. I also like them being taller, on eye level with the Doctor. However they just look so plastic. Give them angles, a muted metallic sheen and they’d look much better. Still it does seem that the show has listened to feedback and will keep the bronze Daleks as foot soldiers. The red New Paradigm Dalek is classed as a Drone so should have taken their place, but perhaps now they’ll be officers.

Both of these Daleks are again Red so the 11th Doctor is in his element. We’re still early in the game and the difficulty level is low so I expect you to make swift work of Skaro’s finest. In my game I got a Red Time Fragment after Exterminating (couldn’t resist) them in one turn. I also got three Achievements. ‘Allons-y!’ for winning 5 matches, ‘Time Lord’ for making 100 gem combos and ‘No More Red’ for beating 10 Red enemies. This took me up to 6 out of 56 achievements.

Although I got through the level so quickly that Porridge didn’t get a chance to use his bomb, he still earned enough experience to reach level 2. He has an impressive 105 HP making him a Tank. His power isn’t affected by his attributes so it makes sense to build his HP and make your team more durable. This goes double for me as I chose to bulk up Vastra and Jenny Flint’s ATK ability.

My overall review of this level, still easy but a welcome change in scenery and opposition.

The Black Dalek conquers the back garden

What to say about the Daleks? Would the show have got as far as even 1965 without them? What’s the appeal? Are they actually scary? For me I prefer stories focusing on them being the embodiment of racism instead of simply another monster bent on ultimate power. Like many of the best villains their rationale for committing atrocities has a twisted logic, only when there is one species left in existence can there be a final and lasting peace.

My wife wrote a paper on Dalek design for her degree, and it’s hard to think of any monster before or since that looks anything like them. The show tried with the Mechanoids but they didn’t catch on.

Long ago I bought a Sevans model kit of a Dalek and spent weeks building it. I painted it as the Black Dalek in Remembrance of the Daleks. I still display it at home and it is one of my proudest possessions. The Sevans kit was famed for being difficult to build and although only a casual modeller I was very pleased with the end result. I wish a similar model kit was available now. What do you think?