Setting
Neither edition of the core M&M book comes with a default setting, but both include an adventure that takes place in the Freedom City setting. The 1st edition book has pregenerated characters which players can use in the adventure, but those characters are associated with another M&M setting, META-4. Despite this, Freedom City and META-4 are officially separate and their worlds and characters do not intersect.
Settings published for the game include:
- Autumn Arbor
- This setting, from Arbor Productions (purchased by Daring Entertainment in 2009 and re-released under the title "Dawn of Legends" with several new rules and character options), details a world where super-beings (called "Neos") have existed publicly since World War II. Autumn Arbor takes place in a world where the laws and legal systems have evolved to handle the often ignored nuances of the comic book genre, and where the characters are depicted as real people beneath the costumes and powers, oftentimes with real-life issues such as parenting and addiction. The setting is also supported by a novel line; the first of which, Little Girl Lost, was written by Lee F. Szczepanik, Jr., Autumn Arbor co-creator. The Autumn Arbor Campaign Setting was a 2008 Origins Awards semi-finalist. The campaign world was further detailed in the Dawn of Legends sourcebook, which expanded the setting beyond the city of Autumn Arbor to include superhuman activities in nations such as China, Cuba, Germany, Japan, Mexico and others,including alterations in world history/world events outside the United States. The role of the federal government and the legal system in dealing with "Neos" is also given in greater depth.
- Bedlam
- Designed by James Thomson for Plain Brown Wrapper Games, the setting harkens back to the Iron Age of Comics, with more mature-themed characters, situations, and scenarios. It is set in Bedlam, the City of Nowhere (AKA the City of Rust). Bedlam is a deeply troubled metropolis, riven by economic hardship, corruption, and dark occult activities. While much of the setting details street-level heroes and villains, more powerful "four-color" characters also exist within the city. Player character heroes may chose to play to type as ruthless vigilantes or defy the genre by becoming role-models for Bedlam's downtrodden populance.
- Freedom City
- A four-color, city-based setting by Steve Kenson that is filled with elements that are similar to the great icons and concepts of classic comic books.
- Gestalt
- Published by BlackWyrm Games, this hefty third party setting presents a campaign world where superhumans ("gestalts") first appeared in 1989 with powers matching classical archetypes. A traditional superhero world colored by surreal elements.
- Halt Evil Doer
- A Marvel-esque setting by Phipps Gaming Studios that is similar to the Modern Age of comics. Despite having many iconic elements that spring from the Silver Age/Bronze Age of the classic Marvel Universe, the setting includes archetypes drawn from the DC comics as well, including a "trinity" of major heroes based loosely on Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. However, despite drawing from earlier decades of superhero history, the characters and setting reflect the more mature, diverse, and nuanced comics of the current era. Halt Evil Doer has been extensively supported and expanded on Green Ronin's Atomic Think Tank forums.
- META-4
- This setting, by Erik Mona, Kyle Hunter, and Sean Glenn, is detailed in the Crooks! sourcebook. It has been compared to edgier 1990s comic books.
- The Infinite Universe
- Presented in a three volume (with other volumes tentatively announced) series from Big Finger Games, the heroes, villains, and timeline of the Infinite Universe are covered in the books "Adepts of the Arcane", "Lords of Lightning", and "Sons of the Gun". The campaign includes many black ops oriented characters, magically oriented heroes and villains, and secret organizations.
- Nocturnals
- Based on Dan Brereton's Nocturnals comic book series, the setting book was written by Mr. Brereton, with the assistance of Chris Pramas. It is a horror/pulp-based setting.
- Noir
- Written by Christopher McGlothlin, Noir is based on classic film noir. The setting of Noir is a dark world where heroes are flawed and the friend you trust may be your greatest enemy.
- Golden Age
- A setting for adventures in the Golden Age of Comic Books published from 1938-55. It also details the Freedom City setting during that era.
- Hero High
- A supplemental rulebook dealing with teenage heroes.
- Iron Age
- Very similar to Golden Age except that it deals with the Modern Age of Comic Books which is considered to roughly encompass the mid-1980s through early 1990s.
- Lockdown
- A prison-based setting.
- Paragons
- A generic and modular "real-world" setting that takes the recent trends in comic book movies, the Ultimate Marvel line of comic books, and the television show Heroes as inspiration.
- Wild Cards
- An adaption of the novels of the same name, edited by George RR Martin. The setting itself is a much stranger version of superheroes, opting for z-list types with only one power or mutation.
Read more about this topic: Mutants & Masterminds
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