Death Zone The Death Zone was an area of Gallifrey used during the Dark Time when Time Lord s pitted combatants against each other in the " Game of Rassilon " . History . The Time Lords had used the Time Scoop to pull beings out of time and place them in the Death Zone , where they would play " the Game " and try to destroy each other . Dalek s and Cybermen were never allowed because they played too well . According to the official history , Rassilon himself put a stop to the Game . From a control room located within the Capitol , only accessible by playing the right tune on the Harp of Rassilon , a person could activate and use the time scoop to capture beings . When a being had been captured , a figure of them would be created and the figure would be placed somewhere on a model of the Zone , and wherever the figure was placed was where the being would materialise . From the Capitol , the High Council possessed a secret transmat system that was linked to the Death Zone and to the Tomb of Rassilon , which was located in the Zone . However , the transmat system needed activation from the Tomb of Rassilon side , so for a time it remained inaccessible . Lord President Borusa re - activated the Death Zone . Not knowing Borusa ' s treachery and only that the Game of Rassilon had begun again , the High Council of Time Lords sent at least one investigator , who died quickly without finding out any information . Borusa made the first , second , third and fifth incarnations of the Doctor play the Game . ( When Borusa tried to time scoop the Doctor ' s fourth incarnation and Romana II , he found himself unable to do so because of a time eddy . ) He also transported Susan Foreman , the Brigadier and Sarah Jane Smith there , while Turlough and Tegan Jovanka remained with the Doctor ' s fifth incarnation in the TARDIS . Together , as Borusa had planned all along , they braved the Death Zone and managed to find the Tomb of Rassilon safely . Meanwhile , the High Council of Time Lords had recruited to retrieve the Doctor safely out of the Death Zone . As opponents , Borusa time scooped a Dalek , a squad of Cybermen , a Raston Warrior Robot and a Yeti . Ultimately , Borusa hoped to use the enemies to misdirect the Doctors for his real purpose of securing the Tomb of Rassilon , which he believed held the secret of immortality . ( TV : " The Five Doctors " ) Following the disappearance of Borusa , Andred led a clean up of the Death Zone with K9 Mark I in order to dispose of what creatures remained there . Also participating was Leela , who personally terminated the Raston Warrior Robot . ( AUDIO : " Time in Office " ) Seven incarnations of the renegade Time Lord Iris Wildthyme , along with their respective companions , once encountered a variety of foes including Ice Warrior s , Ogron s , Sea Devil s , Mechanoid s , Zarbi and Quark s as part of a plan by Morbius to gain Rassilon ' s gift of immortality . ( PROSE : " The Scarlet Empress " ) When Rassilon was resurrected to lead the Time Lords in the Last Great Time War , he turned Borusa into a possibility engine that could see different times and possibilities and often asked his advice . He kept Borusa in his tomb due to how hideous the Time Lord High Council found this . His earlier experiments were left in the Death Zone . The War Doctor and Cinder entered the Death Zone so the Doctor could see Borusa , but he was unable to transport himself closer . They encountered a lizard - like creature from Gallifrey ' s past and a large monster which chased them but they escaped into a cliff where they encountered some of the Time Lords Rassilon had experimented on . ( PROSE : " Engines of War " ) Physical environment . The Death Zone had mountains , marshes , and at least one paved road . The fog was often so thick that one couldn ' t see where one was going , and red thunderbolts which would kill instantly frequently fell from the sky . ( TV : " The Five Doctors " ) It was about the size of North Wales , despite those on Gallifrey believing it to cover a great distance . Both Iris Wildthyme and the Doctor knew this . ( PROSE : " The Scarlet Empress " ) The Second Doctor described it as " the perfect battle ground " . ( TV : " The Five Doctors " ) It was inhabitated by animals , often dangerous , from different time zones . ( PROSE : " Engines of War " ) Alternative " pieces of the board " to the Death Zone existed and could be exchanged with each other . The sections that were not in use were held in a pocket dimension from which the players could not escape . ( AUDIO : " The Five Companions " ) The entire Zone existed within a time bubble . ( PROSE : " Engines of War " )