Science fiction was invented by Mary Shelley on the shores of Lake Geneva in 1816. (Sort of. There were precursors but let's ignore them for a minute.)
Tabletop RPGs were invented by wargamers on the shores of Lake Geneva in the late 1960s. (Sort of. There were precursors but let's ignore them for a minute.)
There's an interesting alternate history where the two swap. Where Shelley invented a new pastime for the bored poets, where they imagined themselves Gothic heroes by using funny dice.
@nickwedig I don't know, I rather like that the card game merely resolves mounting tension and passes focus (that's all the cards do in my primary inspiration Spione). I think those people very much would have just "bantered" until someone got mad and challenged someone to a duel -- I mean of hand of cards. This is an attempt at Shelley's more sensible refinements upon reflection after the more chaotic play of that weekend.
@jburneko Trick taking games such as Whist were popular in that sort of time frame, so I could imagine it taking this sort of form.
I think that game-design-wise it might benefit from a tighter connection between the card game and the narrative, but it's an interesting start.