The Temporalist

Goal

The Temporalist is a chronotech strategy duel. Jump across eras, win dice battles over historical events, and rewrite — or seal — the 2040 six-zone power map.

Eras from present 2040:

• n = 1 → ≈1,940 AD (±10 yr)
• n = 50 → ≈2,960 BC (±500 yr)
• Blitz / Continuity Seal stay in 2040

Host / Join

1. Sign in with GameHub email OTP (or a claimed Temporalist invite link).
2. Host a timeline or enter a 4-letter code and Join.
3. In the lobby, pick Chrononaut (default) or Timecop. Caps: 1 Timecop at 3 or fewer players; 2 Timecops at 4–5 players. Need at least one Chrononaut to start.
4. Host taps Begin the timeline. Up to 5 players.

Roles

• Chrononaut — Target historical events (Basin, Silk Road, Blitz). Highest individual 2040 power among Chrononauts wins their race.
• Timecop — Contest Chrononaut jumps with Bureau defense d8, and Continuity Seal 2040 zones. Continuity is a team mission score.

Turn flow

1. Accrual — Gain Temporal Energy and draw a card.
2. Declare — Pick a historical event; read era, premise, and stakes (including Timecop contest warning when applicable).
3. Battle — Attack d8 (+ modifiers) vs action threshold. If Timecops are in the game, also beat a shared defense d8. Ties favor Continuity. A Timecop block skips chaos.
4. Impact — The battle decides the ripple story and what changed on the map.

After turn 12, Chrononauts rank by power. Timecops score Continuity = Σ max(0, 20 − power) + 5× Timecop tokens on 2040 regions. Mission held if Continuity ≥ top Chrononaut power.

Actions

• Basin Divergence (≈2,960 BC, cost 3, d8 ≥ 7, chaos on fail) — Deep jump. Success / natural 8 (Golden Cradle) boosts Asia power and yield; you anchor the Fertile Crescent. Failed threshold without a Timecop block opens the Chaos Matrix.
• Maritime Silk Road Bypass (≈1,940 AD, cost 2, d8 ≥ 4) — Near jump. Shift Asia markers toward you; +5 permanent coastal Blitz bonus. +1 mod if you hold the Fertile Crescent.
• Cyber-Economic Blitz (2040, cost 1, d8 ≥ 5) — Replace one opposing control token on a target zone.
• Continuity Seal (Timecop only, 2040, cost 1, d8 ≥ 5) — Prefer sealing a Chrononaut token; otherwise −5 power weight. Contested if a Chrononaut holds the zone.

Chaos Matrix

On a failed Basin threshold (and no Timecop block), a second d8 can lock Asia (Arid Shift), thin power (Temporal Scatter), lock Oceania (Coastal Breach), or hit the Americas (Power Vacuum).

Leaving

Exit / End game (host) returns home and clears the room seat. Use Rules under Leave anytime for this guide. Mission briefing (?) is separate lore (story / roles).