Designing a secret military research facility

[Jon_Dahl]

When it comes to D&D dungeons or castles, there are plenty of fantastic examples around the web. However, now that I'm designing a secret military research facility, I have problems finding a good floorplan to outrageously copy for my game.

The game is set on our time and reality.
The idea is to have small base, with ten or so military police guarding it. There would be a small research team, doing illegal genetic research on animals. There would also be a top secret basement in the base, where the most classified and sensitive research is conducted with humans.

I don't know if this is enough info, but generally it would nice to see modern "dungeons" for rpg-adventures. I guess that soon someone will advice me to buy some Cyberpunk/M&M/GURPS etc. splatbook which has great examples, but our campaign is too short for me to buy anything and make it worthwhile.

 

[Cyronax]

The site's somewhat tongue and cheeck, but also a possible source for ideas:

The Villain Source

C.I.D.

 

[sjmiller]

I should go look in my files and see if I can find floor plans and what-not from some of the government facilities I worked at in the past. They are not secret, well not anymore, but they should be useful.

 

[Nifft]

The coolest secret base I've visited was a Lockheed Martin facility in Colorado which had enough natural line-of-sight blockage from the Rockey Mountains that it actually had windows.

The basic rule for secret bases seems to be: nobody can look in. If you accomplish that by being underground -- or just by having walls with no windows -- that's basically a dungeon, though keep in mind that neglecting windows is WAY easier than excavating tunnels.

Cheers, -- N

 

[CuRoi]

I can't vouch for the quality as I haven't seen them but look here:
Floor Plans

There is an "underground lab". It says it is based on a missile silo, which is a decent idea. You should be able to get silo floorplans and maps for free online. I've toured a Titan missile silo once and it's pretty cool and I can see how it could make for an interesting location for an adventure.

As far as hiding it, hide it in plain sight. Silo under the local "animal shelter" or "animal rescue" operation would work well for your purpsoes : ) Yeah, I'm twisted, but only when I GM.

 

[Cyronax]

What about Google Earth? You could always find forums that discuss random military facilities and then go look at them for inspiration.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Real secret military research facilities are innocuous office spaces in strip malls and office parks with generic names on the door. That's really not very exciting for gaming.

For more fun, get an overhead photo (Google Earth) of someplace like Ft Detrick in Maryland, where the US Army does research on various nasty bugs, or Ft Monroe in Virginia, where nothing actually useful happens but it does have a cool pre-Civil War fortress.

 

[jdcash]

A couple things to keep in mind:

1. Security is in layers. This could be physical and/or technological barriers. Fences and constantina wire with video surveillance to areas requiring keycards or biometric identification, timed multiple locks, walls thick enough to block radio communications, etc, etc.

2. One often forgets about the waste channel for secure areas and how the trash, sewage, bio-medical waste, etc. is processed in a way to maintain security.

Also, even though shows like Chuck and 24 are not realistic, they can be real fun. Snatching some ideas from places like that could add to the play environment.

Good Luck!!

 

[Thunderfoot]

A real government facility would have a few more guards than 10 or 12. The National Security Agency for example has it's own police force in addition to it's door guards, the MPs that are assigned to regular duty on Ft Meade and the State and local authorities that circle the civilian roads around the base. And remember they work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, no weekends or holidays. (I know, I used to work there a long, long, time ago. )

A research laboratory may not have a 24-hour schedule, but why wouldn't it. That means you need at least four separate teams of researchers, assistants and guards (three on, one off). Security measures may include but are not limited to, photo ID badges, magnetic ID badges, electronic ID badges, cameras, guards, roving guards with dogs and ancillary personnel that may or may not be armed. Usually in secure facilities the halls are uncleared (meaning no talking shop) and each lab probably also has security in addition to the physical security that you've taken in hand. Things such as color coded or magnetic badges, cypher-locks (mechanical door locks that require a code to enter(BTW the electronics are on the inside regardless of what Hollywood might think)).

The other thing to consider that Hollywood seems to forget is that when you work with people day after day, you know your co-workers, so a new person wouldn't just show up without being introduced by the boss or another co-worker (indoc'ing (indoctrination). Infiltrating a facility would take either a surgical strike or years of sleeper agents being slowly introduced by outside powers in order to work.

So, as for actual building plans, just use a typical lab or office building, surround it by ancillary and support offices then surround that by multi-layer hurricane fences (chain-link fence with barbed wire (either rolled or double stranded at 45 degree angles front and back) in rows of two or three separated by gravel (because it causes noise when you walk on it) walkways for roving guards, covered by cameras (on the inside of the fence) and motion sensors in the fence ringed by jersey barrier. All of this surrounded by parking lots (ie open fields of fire) which is then surrounded by other buildings and staggered streets so that car bombers can't hit the building. Remember that secure areas will not have windows or if they do, they will be inaccessible and prying eyes will be unable to view anything of actual worth.

Yeah, it isn't glamorous, but it's a lot harder to get into than anything that Hollywood has ever come up with.

 

[Diamond Cross]

Return To Castle Wolfenstein has two secret Nazi military bases. One focuses on rocket technology. The other focuses on X technology and gives you the Tesla gun. Get the game guide and you have the maps to them.