Unproduced Animated Series (Story Seeds)

[koscheimaster]

These story seeds are loosely based on the synopsis for unproduced episodes of the Doctor Who animated series.



Windmills of Mars. The TARDIS crew have been summoned by a previous incarnation of the Doctor. The Doctor is sending themselves and their TARDIS crew to a human colony on Mars in the year 2069. All in an effort to prevent mankind’s unforeseen destruction at the hands of the Ice Warriors. What have the human colonist done to draw the wrath of the Ice Warriors? Who is to blame for the fore coming conflict? Can this intrastellar war be stopped?


Lighthouse in Space. The TARDIS crew arrives on an asteroid in the middle of an unusually dense asteroid belt, upon this asteroid is a manned lighthouse that helps starships navigate this expanse of treacherous space. However, there’s been a series of brutal murders and the surviving crew have gone mad with fear. Can the TARDIS crew discover the murderer? Can they stop the dreaded Primate?


The Sound Dilemma. The TARDIS has become jealous of the Doctor’s relationship with their companions. The TARDIS has separated the Doctor from their companion(s). The Doctor must reason with the jealous machine and the companions must fight deadly monsters released form the TARDIS’ menagerie. Can the Doctor stop the vengeful TARDIS? Can the companions survive the trial by combat?


The Widow. In the 27th century, a Draconian journalist (and friend of the Doctor’s) has written up an exposé on a high ranking Draconian General who recently died in battle and plans to publish. If the exposé is released to the public it will condemn a war widow and her children to untold anguish and make them social pariahs. Should truth be told to power? What is the lesser of two evils?


Lords of the Air. The maiden flight of a small upstart airline company ended in catastrophe, their plane burst into flames and crashed in the English Channel. But no wreckage has been recovered. The company is in ruin, was it sabotage? Was it a conspiracy? What does this disaster have to do with mysterious lights in the sky? Are there any survivors? Who are the so-called Lords of the Air?


Flowers of the Field. The Doctor and the TARDIS crew have been placed on trial for genocide. They must defend themselves in the high court of the Galactic Federation. Are they actually guilty? How will they defend themselves? Or is this whole trial a sham? Is there a deeper plot to assassinate the High Judges of the Galactic Federation?


The Manbeasts of Gresham. Celebrating the end of the Second World War, on the 5th July 1945, the TARDIS crew discover a passport, bearing the Master’s photograph. What is the Master doing in the village of Gresham? Why are there stockpiles of Werelok mutagen canisters on the outskirts of the village? What does it have to do with the general election?

[lupercal]

Lords of the Air gives me vibes of zeppelin-controlling air pirates in Victorian style uniforms for some reason...

Friendly greetings,
Horus Lupercal.

[Catsmate]

My first thought was Doyle's 'The Horror of the Heights' (text, wiki). Maybe there are things up there, either weird terrestrial life or alien, that someone has discovered and is now using the to attack a rival.

Hmmm, according to the TARDIS wiki it was originally set on Gallifrey...

To me it feels Pulpish, or past early post-WW2. Plenty of other characters could appear, Biggles and co would fit in either era (the latter in an official capacity).
In fact a '50s setting would allow Robert Victor Goddard to appear, either while still serving with the RAF (he retired in '51) or in some other capacity.

Or is the crash an accidental result of some new device, a piece of reverse engineered alien technology intended to protect Britain against Soviet (or French) attack?

[soultaker666212]

Lighthouse in Space reminds me of Horror of Fang Rock which a good altermative title could be Horror of Fang Asteroid?

[grinch]

The first idea that springs to mind regarding The Lighthouse in Space is that the Lighthouse is actually sentient and is tapping into the minds of the crew driving them to commit horrific acts to one another. The so called “Primate” which is committing these murders is merely an elaborate bogeyman which they have conjured up to assuage their own guilt.

Now for what reason the Lighthouse is doing such things? Who knows. Possibly it’s run by an articulate intelligence which has gone barmy as they are known to do or some alien organism has infiltrated it.

[Catsmate]

Jul 18, 2023 12:28:14 GMT soultaker666212 said:

Lighthouse in Space reminds me of Horror of Fang Rock which a good altermative title could be Horror of Fang Asteroid?

There is a mini-RPG called The Lighthouse At The Edge of The Universe....

Hmm, Nerva Beacon was effectively such a creation.
Image a down-at-heel space station, long past it's glory days (if it ever had them) and relegated to use as a hyperspace beacon, used for safe navigation on the edge of Known Space. Then the weird stuff starts.....

In Ye Olde Days Harry Harrison wrote a short story ('the Repairman') about a man fixing such beacons

[Catsmate]

Jul 18, 2023 13:33:03 GMT grinch said:

The first idea that springs to mind regarding The Lighthouse in Space is that the Lighthouse is actually sentient and is tapping into the minds of the crew driving them to commit horrific acts to one another. The so called “Primate” which is committing these murders is merely an elaborate bogeyman which they have conjured up to assuage their own guilt.

Now for what reason the Lighthouse is doing such things? Who knows. Possibly it’s run by an articulate intelligence which has gone barmy as they are known to do or some alien organism has infiltrated it.

Hmm, a strange form of life on the asteroid perhaps? One that's started to manipulate events.

[grinch]

Jul 18, 2023 16:38:50 GMT Catsmate said:

Jul 18, 2023 13:33:03 GMT grinch said:

The first idea that springs to mind regarding The Lighthouse in Space is that the Lighthouse is actually sentient and is tapping into the minds of the crew driving them to commit horrific acts to one another. The so called “Primate” which is committing these murders is merely an elaborate bogeyman which they have conjured up to assuage their own guilt.

Now for what reason the Lighthouse is doing such things? Who knows. Possibly it’s run by an articulate intelligence which has gone barmy as they are known to do or some alien organism has infiltrated it.

Hmm, a strange form of life on the asteroid perhaps? One that's started to manipulate events.

I’d personally keep whatever is on the asteroid which contains the Lighthouse a mystery. If only to make it scarier. It’s the sort of adventure which could end in a few ways. One is the more violent approach where the PCs use the ship’s weapons to blow it to pieces or maybe (after a high body count) abandoning the ship but leaving a recorded message on loop warning people of the Lighthouse and to not journey here.

Although, I could imagine an adventure in this vein would inevitably end up being split into two forms of action. One group of PCs dealing with the ever unstable crew while another ventures to the Lighthouse to discover just what lurks there.