Gaming theory: Doctor Who Terror at Devil's Bay Location

Creating game landscape for 

the Sea Devils: Terror at Devils Bay

HMS Seaspite as set up for Cangames 2019 in May.

One of the challenges I faced creating my Doctor Who game based on the Sea Devils episode: Terror at Devils Bay was how to create the key feature the Naval base HMS Seaspite (as it is called in the TV episode the Sea Devils) which was filmed at HMS St George, Fraser Gunnery Range.  Unlike a historical scenario a Sci-Fi scenario offers more options.  Why does it matter?  I think for two reasons firstly it help to create the most accurate or atmospheric recreation of what the game is based on, and secondly it can impact play balance.  Plus it is an opportunity to compare images of the game set up versus what the actual base that was used for the film shoot looked like then and now.


The two most critical points seem to be should the base be square or rectangular and should there be a fence along the shoreline.  Other points of interest are the main gate, Admin building, the Captains office, the 40mm Bofors and hangar.

The actual base where the filming was done HMS St. George that included the Fraser Gunnery range was shut down in the mid to late 1980s, and became derelict and gradually fell in to disrepair in the 1990s and into the 2000s.  I believe there are plans to demolish it, some of that has happened already.

Lets start at the entrance to the base. Some pictures of the base as it was at the time of the TV episode as compared to the actual base and my miniature version.

Entrance to HMS Seaspite from TV episode

Main gate HMS St. George in late October 2018

My version of the Front gate.

Ensign near the Administration building

Main /front gate, White Ensign in background 
from my  post Cangames set up in  2019

The question

Should the game set-up be based on one of the following or a mixture of them?

1.  The TV episode the Sea Devils

2. The book "Doctor Who and The Sea Devils" by Malcolm Hulke (written after the TV episode and based on the script)

3. The diagram from the DWMG rules scenario

4. Based on the version Mark created in his blog http://level2-wardy-la.blogspot.com/2015/06/doctor-who-terror-at-devils-bay.html

5. Based on the actual base it was filmed at: HMS St. George: Fraser Gunnery Range (now derelict).

 Each has its challenges.

The T.V. Episode only gives you glimpses and close ups there are not really any long shots to establish the area. Not surprising as they filmed different buildings for exteriors and interiors.

The book by Malcolm Hulke has only a very brief description of he RN Shore Establishment it calls  "HMS Foxglove" and it has no map. It does describe the main administration building on page 37 where Captain Hart's is in his office dictating a letter to his secretary  W.R.N. Writer Jane Blythe:

"While dictating the letter he [Captain Hart, RN] had been standing at the window of his first floor office, overlooking the concrete roadways, outbuildings and quayside of this most top security Naval base.  No one could possibly enter the base without a special pass, unless they came in from the sea."

This of course has a number of contradictions regarding the office height and the security.  How can a first floor office overlook anything unless it is on a hill?  There is no mention of a hill in the book, and the administrative building at HMS St. George was not on a hill. Based on the radar tower seen out of the office window in the picture below  it must have been a second story office.

View from Captain Hart's office from the TV episode. 
Side note why doesn't TARV make a 28mm figure 
of W.R.N. Writer Jane Blythe?

Maybe they used this second story office below located at the base.

Second story office HMS St. George, 2018 derelict

As for security at HMS St. George,  there is a fence and seawall running along the shoreline that includes a gate that was open when filmed for the TV episode.

Doctor approaching base from sea, fence can bee seen

Doctor enters base from the sea via open gate.

More about the fence later.

The DWMG scenario: and Mark's game were both for two players. My game was designed for 6 to 8 players so it had to be expanded.  Pictures of the various options are below, in the end I chose a combination of the actual base and Mark's set-up but using a more rectangular base.  Looking at the pictures of Mark's game they conform very much to the square shaped base as shown in the scenario from the DWMG rules.

Set up for Marks' game front gate

Set up for Mark's game Ocean side

The actual base HMS St. George that contains the Fraser Gunnery range is much longer / narrower and not as deep as compared to the one in the scenario as you can see below. The base was dominated by two buildings, the Admin Building (used as HQ in TV episode) and the Radar building.

A video view of the base is at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWFXa4qZgqA

The entire base overview - long and narrow

Left the large structure is the Radar building, 
Right large structure the Admin Building.

Map of the base

Admin Building in the 1990s

Admin Building and Lab 2018

Jo and Captain Hart by the Administration Building 
in the TV episode during the 1970s.

Admin Bldg and surrounding Buildings 
far end of base 2018

 Admin building HMS St. George 1990s

Radar building and tower 1990s the iconic image

Radar Bldg. late 1990s tower still present

Radar Bldg 2018,  derelict now,
much of the radar equipment removed.

My versions: Admin building Left, Armoury right, 
radar building in the background

Overhead view of the Armory and Admin Buildings

At Cangames  2019 I opted for the narrower longer set-up for the base.

The wide set-up for my game at Cangames 2019

The DWMG scenario in the rule book had a more square shaped base that was deeper and the defenders felt this would have given them a better chance to defend in depth than the narrower rectangular set-up used above. I plan to try it in the future.

Seaside view earlier pre-Cangames version
 in 2018 with a more square shaped base.

A deeper version of the base post Cangames 2019
 including a hangar

Hangar

There is a hangar in the base I set up and the one Mark created also. The book refers to a heliport and one or more does land during the TV episode on the base.

Hangar from Cangames 2019

Helicopter, not used in game, this time!

 The Guard House or Main Gate:

Guard house in the background at the top left, 2016?

 

Gate house from my game  in May 2019 with tanoy

The 40mm Bofors gun

Bofors 40mm from TV episode 
that was at the Fraser gunnery range at the time.

Bofors as deployed in the Cangames 2019 game

Bofors ground mount

There were pros and cons to elevating the 40mm Bofors. The extra height helped give it a better area of fire and made it harder to attack. On the other hand the elevation created a dead zone or blind spot near the gun where it could not be depressed low enough to fire. It was not elevated in the TV episode or at the Fraser Gunnery Range, but there were multiple guns both 40mm and 4.5" caliber.

The Fence

Perhaps there should have been a fence along the beach (despite what was stated it the book) it would certainly have helped the base defenders who fared very poorly in the Cangames battle. . HMS St. George did have a fence as noted earlier, the screen shot from the TV episode below shows a fence with a sea wall  but strangely the barbed wire brackets are facing the wrong way (inward rather than outward).

Screen shot from the TV episode by the shore just 
before the attack you can see the fence and seawall 
plus the guard whose fate we shall see.

Radar building seen through shore fence 2018

The picture above of the Fraser Gunnery range Radar building and other images confirm there is a fence and in some areas a sea wall running along the shoreline. But would it have been too much of an obstacle for the Sea Devils and tilted the balance too far in the defenders favour?

Fence gate and sea wall at HMS St. George 2018

It seems the gate was left open when the Sea Devils attacked the base during the TV episode. Perhaps this is the answer to the play balance question -  the gate must be open!

Sea devils move through open gate, TV episode.

That allows them to sneak up on the guard pictured four images above

Sea Devils deal with guard by the fence.

You can see the fence here along the shore, 1990s