7TV: Doctor Who vs Frankenstein

One of my favourite things about tabletop gaming is that moment when your brain asks, ‘What if...?’

What if Sherlock Holmes investigated Innsmouth? What if Robin Hood robbed the Death Star? What if the Fourth Doctor turned up just as Victor Frankenstein was about to tear a hole through space and time?

Most games would look at you funny, except for glories like A Very British Civil War.

However, 7TV simply says, ‘Sounds like a great episode.’

That freedom is exactly why I've decided to give 7TV a proper outing, and I honestly can't think of a better first game than ‘Doctor Who versus Dr Frankenstein.’ Now, I could have opened proceedings with a default scenario, but I’ve decided to create a bespoke scenario I've called The Rabentor Rift.

What is 7TV?

If you've never come across it before, 7TV is less of a traditional wargame and more of a toolkit for recreating your favourite television shows and films on the tabletop. Rather than building armies around historical periods or tightly balanced factions, you cast your production like a TV episode with heroes, villains, henchmen, monsters, weird gadgets, and ridiculous plot twists.

It actively encourages cinematic storytelling over tournament efficiency, and for me that's a big part of its charm. My wargames interest has significantly moved away from tournament play or even the simple ‘line up and fight’ style of game into a desire for objective based games with strong narratives.

The game is built around ‘Ratings’ rather than points, so instead of worrying whether every unit is mathematically optimal, you're putting together a cast that simply feels right. Every game should end up looking like an episode of television that somehow escaped onto your gaming table.

Which, frankly, sounds much more fun than another perfectly balanced mirror match.

Why Doctor Who vs Frankenstein?

Doctor Who is wonderfully flexible as a narrative setting. The Doctor has fought robots, mummies, Cybermen, dinosaurs, Vikings, vampires, Romans, Daleks and giant maggots (made of bubble wrap of course). Throwing Frankenstein into that bonkers mix barely raises an eyebrow.

The scenario I’ve designed starts in Rabentor, Switzerland in 1820, where Dr Frankenstein believes he's finally discovered the secret of creating life. Unfortunately, he's completely wrong.

The machine he's painstakingly assembled isn't generating life at all. It's tapping into an ancient alien containment device buried beneath the village, slowly forcing open a fracture in space-time.

Cue impossible temporal shenanigans!

The TARDIS materialises.

Out steps the Doctor, Sarah Jane, K9 and a UNIT detachment led by Lieutenant Lethbridge-Stewart, racing to stop history literally coming apart at the seams.

Meanwhile Frankenstein, entirely convinced he's on the verge of conquering death itself, has absolutely no intention of switching the machine off.

It's exactly the sort of glorious crossover that feels right for 7TV.

Building the Cast

One of the nicest surprises during preparation was discovering the 7TV StudiosCasting Agency

Rather than trying to squeeze existing profiles into the characters I wanted, I was able to build completely bespoke cast cards that matched the feel of everyone involved. The 7TV rules include methods to do this, which I used in building these bespoke character sheets. It would be nice if the software did this validation for you, but it’s still a great resource.

I chose MY Doctor (Tom Baker) and gave him some characterful tricks.

Sarah Jane (my wife’s favourite companion, she’s the real Dr Who fan in our household) is included as the capable investigative companion.

K9 brings his usual mix of utility and laser-based problem solving.

UNIT soldiers provide plenty of dependable firepower. Now of course, my soldiers are equipped for 1880, rather than 1820, but that matters not a jot when ‘timeywimey’ nonsense is involved!

Across the table Frankenstein is supported by his Monster, the Bride, stitched-together zombies and a wonderfully unpleasant pair of assistants in Mia Krempe and Igora the Brain Gatherer.

The whole cast came together remarkably quickly, and seeing everyone's personalised cards printed out really helps sell the illusion that this is an actual lost TV serial from somewhere in the multiverse.

Using My Collection

Perhaps the biggest surprise of this project was realising I barely needed to buy anything.

Like many hobbyists, I have a growing collection of terrain that spends most of its life looking decorative on shelves.

The fantasy medieval buildings I scratch-built for the game Guards of Traitor's Toll turned out to be great for representing a secluded Swiss village in 1820. Add some barrels, crates, walls and a graveyard, and Rabentor required no additional effort to construct.

The centrepiece, naturally, is Frankenstein's Engine of Life sitting in the middle of the town, surrounded by scattered objectives representing alien components hidden throughout the village.

It's always satisfying when existing terrain gets to play a completely different role from the one it was originally intended for.

Finally Giving Some Models a Job

Perhaps my favourite part of the preparation has been finding an excuse to use miniatures that were never actually bought for gaming.

We've all done it.

You see a fantastic sculpt, paint it simply because it looks cool, proudly place it in the display cabinet, and then never touch it again.

For most of the models I’m using for this game, these were bought my Dr Who loving wife, who picked them up from Crooked Dice and Bad Squiddo at Vapnartak in York. I painted them for her and they live on our boardgame shelves for most of the time.

For this scenario I’ve raided that display shelf with absolutely no shame whatsoever.

These characters originally painted purely for display are suddenly starring in their own television special, proving that almost any miniature can become useful if you're prepared to write a slightly ridiculous scenario around it.

Honestly, that's one of the most fun parts of 7TV. Stop worrying whether a model belongs to the ‘correct’ faction, just cast them in a starring role.

The Scenario

The battle itself revolves around five objectives spread across the village.

Four represent pieces of ancient alien technology hidden beneath Rabentor. Depending on which side reaches them first, they're either helping stabilise the growing rift or feeding more power into Frankenstein's machine. Only after securing enough of these objectives can the stars finally interact with the Engine of Life itself.

For the Doctor, success means shutting down the alien containment system before history is rewritten.

For Frankenstein, success means triumphantly activating the machine, blissfully unaware that he's about to erase his own village from existence.

It feels wonderfully thematic. The supporting cast race around solving problems while the stars build towards the inevitable final confrontation at the heart of the battlefield. Exactly as a great season finale should.

Roll Camera...

That's probably my favourite thing about this entire project.

Nothing here was designed by chasing the strongest list or the latest competitive meta.

Instead, it all started with a silly idea.

Could Doctor Who fight Frankenstein?

Could I use terrain I already owned?

Could display models finally get their moment in the spotlight?

Could I create something that felt like a forgotten Saturday evening adventure serial?

The answer to all those questions has been a very enthusiastic ‘yes.’

Whether the Doctor successfully seals the temporal fracture or Frankenstein accidentally destroys reality itself, the important thing is that the table will tell a memorable story.

And really, isn't that what great wargaming is all about?

…And Action!

With the introductions out of the way, it was finally time for our first game! This opening scenario was designed as a learning experience; a chance to get to grips with the core mechanics, experiment with the different systems, and see how everything came together on the tabletop.

The Doctor and his UNIT allies wasted no time, advancing in a disciplined military formation. Sarah Jane quickly secured one objective, while Lt Lethbridge-Stewart claimed another. Across the battlefield, Dr Frankenstein and his sinister entourage were just as efficient, gathering their own objectives before Frankenstein reached the mysterious Great Engine ahead of everyone else.

Right from the start, it was fascinating to see how the game's ability rolls, stretch dice, and Plot Point mechanics all intertwined. Rather than feeling like separate systems, they worked together to create a cinematic, story-driven experience that encouraged dramatic moments and bold decisions.

The Monster Unleashed

The first major clash erupted as Frankenstein's Monster lumbered into the UNIT firing line.

This gave us our first real taste of the combat system. Normally a slow-moving brute, the Monster suddenly surged forward thanks to a clever combination of a Script Card that granted extra movement and a well-timed Grappling Hook Prop card.

The result was devastating.

The Monster crashed into the UNIT ranks and swiftly dispatched two soldiers in brutal hand-to-hand combat. It was a great demonstration of the difference between Extras and Co-Stars, with the powerful Co-Star utterly dominating the unfortunate "red shirts."

Fortunately for UNIT, sheer weight of disciplined rifle fire eventually brought the creature down. Even in defeat, however, the Monster had inflicted tremendous damage, leaving The Doctor's coterie teetering on the brink of being Axed.

Racing Against Time

With the battlefield in chaos, The Doctor made his move. His goal was simple: reach the Great Engine before Dr Frankenstein could activate his infernal creation and unleash a catastrophic time paradox.

Backed by a timely stroke of luck and some well-spent stretch dice, The Doctor pulled it off! The machine was shut down just in time, much to Frankenstein's frustration.

Of course, the Episode was far from over.

Doctor vs Frankenstein

The two Stars finally faced one another, giving us the perfect opportunity to explore their unique abilities.

Frankenstein struck first, slashing at The Doctor with his vicious vivisection scalpel and inflicting a wound. Ever resourceful, The Doctor countered in the most Doctorly way possible; offering his opponent a Jelly Baby!

The brief distraction gave him just enough time to make a run for it, straight into a shambling mob of stitched-together failed experiments while dodging bottles of acid hurled by the villainous Mia Krempe.

It was exactly the kind of wonderfully chaotic, cinematic sequence the game seems designed to create.

One Last Twist

The Doctor eventually fought his way back towards the rapidly shrinking UNIT lines, but Frankenstein was close behind. Adding another delightfully thematic twist, the villain's actor had apparently been behaving like a diva in his trailer before filming began, making Frankenstein temporarily immune to attacks thanks to one of the game's wonderfully tongue-in-cheek mechanics.

In the game's dramatic final moments, Mia Krempe hurled yet another flask of acid at a nearby UNIT soldier. Every remaining Plot Point was poured into the attack roll, resulting in the soldier's demise and forcing The Doctor's coterie into an Axed check at the end of the following turn.

Thankfully, The Doctor held things together and the force avoided being Axed, but that felt like the perfect cinematic ending. We called the Episode there and spent some time discussing how the game had played.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I came away impressed. The game flowed well, the mechanics created memorable cinematic moments, and every turn felt like it was contributing to an unfolding TV episode rather than simply moving miniatures around a table.

Most importantly, we all agreed that this game definitely ‘has legs’. We'll be returning to it soon I think, although next time we might swap mad scientists and Time Lords for six-shooters and saloons with a Wild West-themed Episode!

After Dorking 1871: The War in Africa, The Battle of Bundas - Part 2

Following on from part 1 we restarted the Prussian invasion of British Egypt where the battle still hung very much in the balance.

The British regiments defending Bundas had just broken and fled north, and the Prussians were poised to sweep into the settlement and on to capture the road north.

General Hans Von Platzhirsch ordered his field artillery to advance and form a grand battery overlooking Bundas.  He held his infantry line in place while the guns advanced and set up.

Prussian grand battery forming up (these are pointing away from the British to represent them still being limbered and not ready to fire)

Verdammt noch mal, Fritz, bekommen diese Waffen eingesetzt!!
Command failures kept the Prussian guns out of the fight for a turn or two, giving the British time to deploy their reserves.

This gave the British the opportunity to bring up their tardy reserves and as time passed the Prussian impetus ebbed away.  The British soon formed a powerful line to the east of Bundas.  

The two lines close and try to establish something like an ordered firing line.

Both succeed and a ranged duel begins...

Both forces made good use of long ranged firing and as shot and shell poured into the opposing lines, regiments wavered and were shaken across the battle front.

It was a brutal tit-for-tat exchange and it was most unclear which side would gain the upper hand.

The Prussian divisional reserve infantry took the town and set about looting what little of value they could find.  

In a panicked response, a British regiment saw fit to abandon its orders and charge out towards the Prussian lines.  They intended to dislodge the beastly Boche at the point of a bayonet.  It didn't go well as they took horrendous losses advancing into the Prussian Dreyse rifles.  None-the-less, they put the Prussian before them to flight!

Both sides suffered further losses and the fight descended into a bitter impasse.  

The British suffer casualties all across their positions, and fall back to try to recover.

Wissen mein Gott die Briten, wie Sie ihre Waffen äh verwenden?
Prussians are shaken by British fire...

Prussian lines withdraw heavily shaken to try to restore a bit of order.  Its all too late though...

We decided at this point that the Prussians would withdraw along their logistics lines and had not done enough to secure Bundas or the road to Khartoum.

An excellent battle all round and another good bash for the Black Powder rules.  

I doubt the machinations of the Prussians in Africa are finished...



Here's a review of Black Powder from the Beast of War chaps.

Prussian period uniforms start at 1.26.

British period uniforms.

After Dorking 1871: The War in Africa, The Battle of Bundas

  

A couple of years ago, I ran some speculative battles based on The Battle of Dorking 1871 (Reminiscences of a Volunteer) by GeorgeChesney.  

Following the initial battle we also went on to play a couple of other battles.

You can read about these here.

The Battle of Dorking 1871 (Reminiscences of a Volunteer) - George Chesney 1871

After Dorking 1871: The Battle for Cherkley Wood

After Dorking 1871: The Battle of Crawley

I thought it might be fun to expand things out a little bit into an imaginary colonial conflict between The British Empire and the emerging Prussian Empire.

Firstly, a little background…

In 1871 the Prussians destroyed the British home fleet and launched a successful invasion of the British mainland.  Following their early successes in the south-east, the Prussian advance has bogged down into bitter fighting around London.  The British hastily raised volunteer divisions, and brought regiments down from Scotland and the north.

Emperor Wilhelm and Chancellor Bismark however, realised before they launched the attack that defeating the British on their island would not be enough.  The sun never set on the British Empire and the Prussians knew that they would have to defeat the Imperial territories as well.  

Prussian strength had secretly been built up in Africa over the previous few years, and as their forces marched up the beaches of Brighton, their African forces also marched out.  From the south, the Prussians had developed control over Tanganyika, and in the west Kamerun.  Divisions had been ordered several weeks before to take the long march up to the British territory of the Sudan.  Their ultimate prize was Egypt.

The Prussians advance into southern Sudan (white arrows)

The Prussians had secretly been courting the Mahdi, but had so far failed to get him onside, so the initial clashes in southern Sudan were just between the colonial powers.

The first battle takes place in Southern Sudan along the White Nile at a place called Bundas, 30 miles south of Rabak.  A Prussian army arrives to find that the British have discovered the manoeuvres and has sent a blocking force south from Khartoum.  The first colonial battle of the Anglo-Prussian War in 1871 is set to play out in the desert of Sudan.

  

We'll use the Black Powder rules to play the game and Pendraken’s excellent 10mm miniatures.

So we come to the battle proper, and the British and Prussian colonial troops are prepared for a proper, sweaty set-to in the deserts of southern Sudan.

British deployment and plans

The British force musters three brigades under the divisional command of General Sir Robert Featherstonehaugh, who is on a forced march south from Khartoum.  He takes personal command of the cavalry, but otherwise has the following troops at his disposal.

Lieutenant-General Edmund Edmondly-Croup ‘Old Ironside’ in command of 1^st Brigade.  He had four regiments of regular line infantry, supported by three artillery batteries, a heavy artillery battery, and two sections of Gardner guns.  Having advanced south a few days before, 1^st Brigade is garrisoned around the town of Bundas, and deploy in a defensive square, dug in and ready to receive battle.  Leaving his two other brigades to follow on, General Featherstonehaugh rides ahead with the cavalry to assess preparations at Bundas, and deploys his horses as a reserve north of the town.

1st Bgd ensconced at Bundas, while 2nd and 3rd advance in column.

3rd Bgd infantry advance ahead of their supporting cannons.

1st Bgd, with Featherstonehaugh at Bundas.

The redoubtable 10mm Tommy Lobster.  

2^nd Brigade, under the command of Lieutenant-General Bernard White advanced at double time along the road parallel to the White Nile.  He had four regiments of regular line infantry, supported by three artillery batteries, a heavy artillery battery, and two sections of Gardner guns. 

Finally, 3^rd Brigade came on from the north east, having diverted inland to avoid congestion along the road.  3^rd Brigade was commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir William Scarlett, 3rd Baron Abernathy, well-known in the officer’s mess at Khartoum as a ‘guinea general’ who bought his commission, and a bit of a ditherer.  He had four regiments of regular line infantry, supported by three artillery batteries, a heavy artillery battery, and two sections of Gardner guns. 

General Featherstonehaugh was given clear orders to halt the Prussian advance, drive them out of Sudan, and if possible destroy their fighting strength.  Having surveyed the battlefield he gave orders for his troops to hold Bundas, occupy the hill just to the south, and gain control of the roadway leading south down into deep Sudan.

Prussian deployment and plans

The Prussians advanced from the south under the command of General Hans Von Platzhirsch, a solid Prussian officer with an unrivalled confidence in the superiority of the Prussian drill and artillery.   Von Platzhirsch took personal command of a grand battery of Krupp steel artillery, and a small regiment of infantry.  He advanced along the river with the intention of setting up and shelling Bundas from long range.  Even at range his efficient guns should be able to inflict terrible losses on the British.

1st and 2nd Prussian formations heading north into the maelstrom awaiting them at Bundas.

The Prussians approach...

1^st Brigade under the command of Generalleutnant Heinrich Dicker-Bauch advanced in close order ahead of Von Platzhirsch’s gand battery, with specific orders to assault and take Bundas.  He had at his command four infantry regiments, a cavalry regiment, and two artillery batteries.

2^nd Brigade under Generalleutnant Willhelm Schnurrbart with four infantry regiments, a cavalry regiment, and two artillery batteries was ordered to make a rapid advance to skirt the east of Bundas, and push up to threaten the northern road.

3^rd Brigade commanded by Generalleutnant Joseph Wurstesser was under strength with only three infantry regiments and two artillery batteries was ordered to advance and hold the inland flank against any possible British move to counter the 1^st and 2^nd Brigade advance.  Wurstesser pushed his forces hard and managed to reach the outskirts of Bundas, before establishing a position to wait for the other brigades to catch up.

Von Platzhirsch’s standing orders were for his men to ‘march to the sound of the guns’.  With little opportunity to survey the field before time, and relying on poor maps, he gave the primary command to capture Bundas, and secure the road north to Khartoum.

The early engagements

The Prussians opened proceedings with a divisional advance.  Von Platzhirsch deployed his grand battery, together with 1^st Brigade’s guns, far to the south and began a relentless long ranged shelling of the British positions around Bundas.  

1^st and 2^nd Brigade rapidly advanced onto the hill south of Bundas to form a firing line into the British square.  

Notably, Generalleutnant Schnurrbart’s cavalry missed a memo (blundered) and headed with great haste to the southwest, presumably ‘marching to the sound of the loudest guns’, their own artillery!

Um.  Excuse me, but where the Dickens do you think you're going?!

In response, the British 2^nd Brigade, and particularly the 3^rd Brigade made slow progress towards Bundas, and the 1^st Brigade garrison was left to face the mighty Prussian onslaught without support.  The Gardner guns glowed red as the plucky British gunners thrashed the American contraptions for all they were worth.  After a lot of noise and effort both batteries stood exhausted of ammunition (‘jammed’) with little effect.

The Prussian grand battery of Krupp steel artillery, and the sustained volley fire at close range from their M/41 Dreyseneedle rifles ("leichtes Perkussionsgewehr M/41") battered and swept the British infantry ranks causing horrendous casualties and disrupting two of the 1^st Brigade infantry regiments. 

To the east of the White Nile, the exchange of fire was more sporadic, but the British got the better of the exchange, causing casualties across the Prussian line.

After an hour or so, the British seem ready to fall.  The Prussians on the hill could see the rear ranks of British begin to waver and look back to Bundas.  “Now my boys!” Went out the cry from Generalleutnant Dicker-Bauch, as he opened a gap in his infantry and sent forth his cavalry into the British line.  

Despite the redcoats’ closing fire, the Prussian horsemen struck home with a clatter and the British infantry collapsed and were swept aside!  Their blood up, the Prussians could see Bundas ahead of them, but of more interest to them was the British reserve cavalry positioned to the north.  At a sweeping gallop the two mounted regiments clashed and after a brief but vicious sword fight, the British turned tails and fled!

The British garrison square was breached!  The Prussian cavalry swung round to threaten the rear of the British 2^nd Brigade, but stopped to rest their horses and reorder their lines.

Shortly after, the British 3^rd Brigade finally got its forward regiments into the fight, and concentrating their fire on the Prussians broke the morale of an infantry regiment. 

2^nd Brigade turned its artillery on the Prussian horse and in a fierce close ranged bombardment scattered the cavalry, driving many into the Nile.  The survivors surrendered.

However, the game was up for the British garrison, and continued Prussian artillery broke the garrison’s morale.  The remaining redcoats’ morale collapsed and neither Featherstonehaugh, nor ‘Old Ironside’ could stem the tide.  Many fled into Bundas in search of local boats to get them across the river.  The rest surrendered, or ran north up the road to Khartoum.

At this point we hit the end of the evening’s play and an assessment of the situation ensued.  Did we need to continue the fight next week, or is it all over for the British?

The players agreed that while the British had lost a 3^rd of their force, and Bundas was open for taking, the Prussians were now badly out of position, and had significant casualties stacked up along their line.  We agreed that the battle was still in the balance sufficient to warrant continuing next week, so...part two to follow!

Once again the Black Powder rules proved to be well worth the effort, producing a fun, epic sweep of a game, with the ability for the players to step back out of the detail and rulebook-fiddling, and play a proper battle.  Its jolly fun too!

Part 2