Fimbulwinter

Fimbulwinter is a Primetime Adventures season, five episodes plus a pilot. Transcripts of play sessions are up here.

To throw around ideas for forthcoming episodes, see Fimbulwinter Braincataclysm.

Premise

1910: an international Antarctic expedition is the stage for international intriguing and espionage. The expedition's goal: the Mountains of Madness. (Exact date may get pushed around in light of the pilot; possibly to the post-war period, or as early as the late C19th).

(For the Lovecraft-deprived, the collected works can be found at Gutenberg).

Setting Conventions

• history can be modified to serve the story: see Fimbulwinter History for context and divergence.
• gender is an issue but we're allowed to push it a bit more than historically accurate
• violence happens and is taken seriously, but not gratuitous gore; gross-out stuff in general to be avoided
• drugs can appear
• technology is handwavy-late-Victorian/Edwardian; fantastic contraptions OK; emphasis on bizarre scientific theories
• sex can be strongly suggested but not shown (Bond-movie fade-to-black)
• religious issues can be raised

Tone

• dark and moody
• humour allowed; mostly black or disturbing
• improbable action-movie feats (particularly of endurance) allowed, but should always have a physical cost

Protagonists

Story Arc

	Pilot	ep.1	ep.2	ep.3	ep.4	ep.5
Achille Ratti	2	1	2	3	1	2
(Yoon)	2	1	2	2	3	1
Jean-Paul du Pont	2	2	3	1	1	2
Budget	15	11	17	15	13	13

Achille Ratti

Italian Catholic theologian and alpinist, based heavily upon the guy who (in another continuity) will become Pope Pius XI. 50something? Played by inky.

Issue: Monastic, ivory-tower purity vs. dirty-hands political involvement

Edges: Theology Scholar, Alpinist

Connections: a just-graduated English medical student, the expedition's doctor; name TBD

Name TBD

Great German scientist, widow of another great German scientist. Specialty TBD. Loosely based on Marie Curie. Played by Yoon.

Issue: Guilt (feels responsible for death of husband)

Edges: Scientific Pioneer, Socialite

Connections: another eminent scientist, old friend of husband's (speciality, name TBD. Or Erich Zann?)

Personal Set: laboratory at base camp

Jean-Paul du Pont

French photographer. Played by Roger.

Issue: romantic idealism vs. modernist rationality

Edges: War Photographer, Bohemian Artist

Connections: Jean-Philippe, the expedition's chef

Personal Set: darkroom at base camp

Other Characters

• The guy who's masterminding the expedition. Possibly remotely? Probably he has some kind of evil agenda. Possibly he is Swiss. Possibly he holds a senior post at Miskatonic.
• If he's remote, who's nominally in charge of the expedition?