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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ange-Marie | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Wolfgang von Weisse | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Budget | 11 | 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 Robert Somebody
Ange-Marie St. Yve
Great German scientist, widow of another great German scientist. Physicist with a side of chemistry. 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
Wolfgang von Weisse
German war photographer and spy. Played by Roger. See here for a shiny character sheet.
Issue: romantic idealism vs. modernist rationality
Edges: War Photographer, German Spy
Connections: Jean-Philippe, the expedition's Belgian 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?
