Settings: Vulcan (Power of the Daleks)

The Second Doctor’s run kicks off with a Dalek story, providing continuity with the previous seasons despite the change of lead actor. The fourth season of the show is notable for having no serials that fully survive in their original form, and The Power of the Daleks is one of four that are entirely missing. Like most of the missing stories from the Troughton era, however, it has been reconstructed in animated form from the sound recordings and, as of this writing, has been widely available for some time. It has a good reputation, generally considered well above average for its era, and is often highly praised. 

It’s the first of many Second Doctor base-under-siege stories, which tend to lack the detailed background we had in the more exploratory Hartnell tales. Nonetheless, the setting did break ground for the series at the time, and there’s arguably much that’s implied by it that we don’t get to see directly. So, with Hartnell’s run completed, let’s see what we can do with the stories of his successor…

Settings: Snowcap Base (The Tenth Planet)

The Tenth Planet is undeniably one of the most significant serials of the black-and-white period of Doctor Who. Most obviously, it is the last Hartnell story, and first regeneration story, thus marking the end of at least the current phase of these posts. But, in addition to that, it is also the first Cyberman story, introducing the series’ second most common enemy race, and is generally regarded as one of the best of the Hartnell serials. 

For our purposes here, however, the real point of significance is different again: this is the show’s first true base-under-siege story. That will become a standard trope of the series going forward, and it’s notable here because it’s a different style of story than the exploratory adventures that Hartnell is better known for and less of a fit for what I’ve been doing. That leaves the question of whether I will move on to Troughton open (there will certainly be a lengthy pause), but until that’s decided, let’s take a look at the setting of the final First Doctor story.

Where & When

The story is set in the “near future” of December 1986. It takes place at Snowcap Base, Antarctica, which is described as being at the South Pole. While this is generally interpreted as meaning the literal geographic pole, since ‘Antarctica’ is never mentioned by name, it may be only a euphemism for the continent in general.

Settings: 17th-Century Cornwall (The Smugglers)

The last of the Hartnell historicals, The Smugglers is a pirate adventure, something that has a long tradition in TTRPGs. The general consensus is that it’s a failure in this regard and one of the weaker Hartnell stories. It doesn’t help that it’s another completely missing story and, worse still, has no incidental music, which hits even harder when you don’t have the visuals. But in a game, we can ignore that and have… well, a story about pirates and hidden treasure. Which is generally a plus.

Where & When

The date is never specified, except that it falls in the 17th century. The costumes suggest the latter half of that century, and the mention of a king narrows it down further. Fan consensus tends to opt for the 1690s, but not universally, and we can pick any date from 1660 to 1700 without contradicting anything. The story is set in an unnamed village on the Cornish coast that is likely not intended to represent any specific real-world location.

Settings: The War Machines

The last serial of the third season is another one available to watch in its original form. Fan opinion tends to divide between ‘middling’ and ‘good’, which is a positive for the Hartnell era. It’s significant in being the first full-length story with a contemporary setting where the protagonists can interact with the people around them. Naturally, this makes for a different type of story than space opera sci-fi or most time-travel games. Moreover, it’s one where the focus is not on the setting, since that’s merely today’s world (or what was today’s world at the time of broadcast). Although this will become more common later, this is the only instance in the Hartnell era, so let’s see how that affects things.

Where & When

The date is specifically stated: the main story takes place between the 12th and 14th July 1966, with the brief final scene six days later, on the 20th. The action is almost entirely confined to the West End of central London, from Bloomsbury to Fitzrovia. 

Settings: The Savages

After a brief respite, we’re back to stories that are entirely missing again, with another piece of relatively high-concept science fiction. The opinion of those who have watched the fan restorations or listened to the soundtrack is generally not positive. This may be because of the time spent building up the setting, and how long it takes to get to the action, and, as always, it’s worth noting that there are dissenting voices that find it a worthy story. This may improve now that the soundtrack has been animated and, in any event, something that’s strong on setting is a perfect fit for what I’m doing here…

Where & When

The story is set on an unnamed human colony world in the “far future”. With no other reference points, it’s impossible to say just how far into the future this is, or, for that matter, whether the planet is in our own galaxy or another. A common interpretation among fans is that it is set after the destruction of Earth, perhaps thousands or millions of years after The End of the World, but that’s merely a guess.

Settings: The OK Corral (The Gunfighters)

There’s practically a rule in TV series that involve time travel that, sooner or later, at least one episode must be a Western. Based on the same historical event as Star Trek’s “Spectre of the Gun”, this is classic Doctor Who’s offering. While it has the benefit of surviving in its original form, it is regarded as middling to weak by most fans. 

That may partly be due to the English actors not making convincing Americans, and partly due to the comedic tone of the early episodes, but perhaps mainly because it is narrated using a repetitive song. Fortunately, few RPGs insist that the GM sing out descriptions of events, so we can at least escape that element.

Where & When

Because the gunfight is a famous historical event, this is another serial that we can date precisely: it takes place on the 25th and 26th of October 1881. Most of the story is set in the town of Tombstone in what was then the Arizona Territory of the United States.

Settings: The Celestial Toyroom

This next story is, arguably, the most divisive in the show’s history. According to review aggregator websites, fans are pretty much evenly split as to whether it’s a masterpiece, complete rubbish, or somewhere in between. Given the simple nature of the plot, it’s unlikely that the fact that it’s largely missing makes much difference here, especially now that an animated version exists. Whether or not it would succeed as an RPG scenario is, perhaps, something that equally relies on the tastes of the players.

What’s more significant for these posts, however, is that, like The Edge of Destruction, it doesn’t fit with the usual format. So, as with that story, this is going to be a placeholder post rather than something more detailed. Largely because there isn’t much detail to go into.