Time Traveler's Codex Review

While at Super-Fly Comics & Games for Free Comic Book Day 2024 I picked up the Time Traveler's Codex for Mutants and Masterminds 3e. Like many M&M books this book provides both advice and rules on a subject, as well as relating the topic back to Earth-Prime (the home of Freedom City and Emerald City).

I really enjoyed this book and if you plan on including time travel at all in your game, I recommend this one. I'm also going to say I love that the book discusses eras and places outside of Europe and North America. 

Chapter One discusses including time travel in your campaign (big surprise I know). It also discusses the big ideas behind time travel and tropes associated with it. This is a nice section and even discusses several different types of time paradoxes. It all made me think of the scene in Avengers: End Game in which Bruce explains how time travel works. "So Back to the Future's a bunch of bullshit?" There is some crunch too. New time travel rules, including temporal navigation, temporal drift, temporal mishaps, and other rules related to temporal retcons. The chapter ends with a discussion about "Ugly History." If you want historical accuracy sometimes hard subjects are a part of that. The book gives some good advice to addressing these subjects and making sure your players' are comfortable.

Chapter Two discusses Time Traveling Heroes. It starts off with discussing how time travel will be used. Are you just having the occasional jaunt or going full Doctor Who? More character framework is presented. Suggested power levels and themes are given. The are quite a few character options. Skills are discussed in connection to different eras and cultures. Just because you are an expert in one time doesn't mean you are in another. Along with this are simple rules for tech familiarity. There are several new time travel based Advantages, including a new type: chronal. Three time based powers are given (with how they are built using other powers). The same is done with several pieces of time travel equipment and devices. Of course we get some heroic archetypes. They are:

• Hyperintelligent Dinosaur (PL 8) - this might be my favorite, it's a super smart raptor 
• Quantum Alien (PL 12) - basically the Doctor, they even have a quantum spanner, redundant organs, and rejuvenation
• Temporal Tourist (PL 10) - it's basically Booster Gold and even includes its own Enthusiastic Robot Buddy
• Time Warden (PL 10) - want to be a Timecop?
• Time-Lost Teenager (PL 8) - definite Bill and Ted (or even Marty McFly) vibes
• Warrior From a Grim Future (PL 10) - the art and name definitely shows its inspiration because this one is definitely Cable (or Bishop)

Chapter Three is for Gamemasters. It is a more detailed discussion of many of the things mentioned in Chapter One. We get several hazards that make time travel more dangerous (and interesting). Time Travel and Earth-Prime is given a few pages of discussion. Included in this is stats for counter-culture villain, the Tick-Tock Doc and his Groove Machine. This is followed by several time-travel villain archetypes. They are:

• Exterminator (PL 12) - Terminator-like robot sent to the past to ensure a certain future
• Future Perfectionist  (PL 14) - though this isn't Kang (we get that archetype later), there are elements of him in it, the Maker (the evil Ultimate version of Reed Richards) has elements of this, particularly in the recently recreated Ultimate Universe
• Immortal Conqueror (PL 13) - this one might be my favorite, it's a primitive looking woman in a business suit and is an obvious tribute to Vandal Savage.
  
• Living Gateway (PL 10) - this varied villain has the ability to travel through time to play around with things, it reminded me of the DCAU version of Chronos depicted in "The Once and Future Thing" episodes of Justice League. 
• Temporal Wizard (PL 13) - This magical time travel seems to be inspired by TMNT's Savanti Romero
• Time-Hopping Tyrant (PL 16) - this is our Kang, though he's also been presented in the Cosmic Handbook's Time Master villain archetype.

Chapter Three ends with ten new minions.

Chapter Four discusses different heroic comic eras. The Platinum, Atomic, Bronze, and Copper Ages of comics are given brief discussion  (three paragraphs each) before more popular ones are given a more thorough treatment. Each era discusses life during the time as well as rules considerations. This is followed by PL/theme suggestions and stat blocks. Included in two of these sections are classic comic book items with the serial numbers filed off.  Finally we get a look at one of the Earth-Prime's cities during this time.

• Golden Age
• Rules Considerations 
• Skills
• Advantages
• Gear - Alan Scott's ring, the Blue Beetle Scarab, Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth
• Rationing Rules
• Statblocks - Fifth Columnist (PL3), Wonder Dog (PL 3)
• Golden Age Emerald City - we're presented with several villains and a heroic team, the Victory Squadron (13 stat blocks in total
• Silver Age
• Rules Considerations
• Skills
• Advantages
• Gear - Flash's cosmic treadmill, Green Arrow's gimmicked arrows, Captain America's Shield, Spider-Man's web-shooters, Daredevil's Billy Club
• Statblocks - Plucky Reporter (PL3), Rock & Roll Legend (PL2), Super Spy (PL5)
• Silver Age Freedom City - Set the Destroyer, the Atom Family, and the Freedom League are all discussed. (there are 11 new stat blocks, we're told to use stat blocks found in other books for some)
• Iron Age
• Rules Considerations
• Lethality
• Ability Strain
• Skills
• Advantages
• Realistic Powers
• Statblocks - Detective (PL5), Middle Manager (PL4), Sewer Mutant (PL6)
• Iron Age New York City - capes were illegal in Freedom City during this age and the only supers in Emerald City kept things quiet, so it makes sense they discuss another city, the primary focus is on the Lower East Side, a few villains are discussed: Riot Shield and Ghengis as well as a heroic female punk band, the Gorgons (Genghis and the Gorgons get statblocks)

Chapter Five discusses other eras of play. Like the previous chapter several eras are touched on briefly (only a paragraph this time). Then other eras are given multiple pages. While they don't get a whole subsection detailing an Earth-Prime city, there are sidebars that discuss these eras in that setting. It should be noted that the Legion of Super-Hero-inspired Freedom City 2525 isn't discussed because it's in the Cosmic Handbook.

• Jurassic Planet (Circa 175 Million BCE)
• Rules Considerations
• Skills/Advantages
• Equipment
• Statblocks - Compsoganathus (PL1), Early Hominid (PL3), Megaldon (PL11), Smilodon (PL7), Titanboa (PL9)
• Old Kingdom Egypt (Circa 2500 BCE)
• Rules Considerations
• Advantages
• Equipment
• Statblocks - Charioteer (PL4), Priest (PL1), Sphinx (PL8)
• Imperial Rome (Circa 100 CE)
• Rules Considerations
• Skills/Advantages
• Equipment
• Statblocks - Champion Gladiator (PL7), Legionary (PL5), Senator (PL3)
• Islamic Golden Age (Circa 900 CE)
• Rules Considerations
• Skills/Advantages
• Equipment
• Statblocks - Alchemist (PL3), Jinn (PL7) Royal Guard (PL6)
• Medieval Europe (Circa 1000 CE)
• Rules Considerations
• Advantages
• Equipment
• Statblocks - Jester (PL3), Sidhe (PL8),  Shining Knight (PL6)
  
• The Great Ming Empire (Circa 1410)
• Rules Considerations
• Skills/Advantage
• Equipment
• Statblocks - Scholar-Official (PL2), Warrior Monk (PL6), Long (PL12)
• The Triple Alliance (Circa 1500 CE)
  
• Rules Considerations
• Skills/Advantages
• Flaws
• Equipment
• Statblocks - Ahuizotl (PL9), Engineer (PL2), Jaguar Warrior (PL7)
• Golden Age of Sail (Circa 1715 CE)
• Rules Considerations
• Advantage/New Skill
• Equipment
• Statblocks - Buccaneer (PL4), Dread Pirate (PL6), Siren (PL4)
• The Wild West (Circa 1870 CE)
• Rules Considerations
• Advantages
• Equipment
• Statblocks - Hidebehind (PL7), Legendary Gunslinger (PL7), Smooth-Talking Huckster (PL2)
• Cyber Revolution (Circa 2060 CE) 
• Rules Considerations
• Advantages
• Equipment
• Statblocks - Cyber Ronin (PL7), Hacker (PL2), Information Broker (PL3)
• Post-Apocalyptic Earth
• Rules Considerations
• Power-Immunity - these abilities might cost more or be barred from character creation given the nature of the world
• Equipment
• Statblocks - Death Machine (PL10), Giant Roach (PL2), Mutant Survivor (PL5)

The book ends with a very thorough index.