{"id":20334,"date":"2020-04-28T07:00:15","date_gmt":"2020-04-28T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.d20radio.com\/main\/?p=20334"},"modified":"2020-04-30T18:06:26","modified_gmt":"2020-04-30T23:06:26","slug":"thats-how-i-roll-the-skinny-on-cortex-prime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.d20radio.com\/main\/thats-how-i-roll-the-skinny-on-cortex-prime\/","title":{"rendered":"That’s How I Roll: The Skinny on Cortex Prime"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This article is the first of what I hope will be many RPG overviews that I\u2019m calling my \u201cThe Skinny\u201d series. The goal isn\u2019t to give an exhaustive list of every rule or element in a game, but rather to give a basic impression and understanding of it. This will generally include the core mechanics, character creation options, the sort of gaming experience the game aims to create, and any other salient points that I think GMs and players should know.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Cortex Prime is a generic\u00a0roleplaying game developed by Cam Banks, based on previous iterations of the Cortex system used in such games as Leverage, Smallville, Marvel Heroic Roleplaying, and the Firefly RPG. The project had a successful Kickstarter campaign, and despite a number of major setbacks during development that delayed the game\u2019s completion\u00a0by nearly 2 years, the game is finally ready to launch. As one of the Kickstarter backers, I recently received my pre-release PDF and I\u2019m excited to dive into it and share my first impressions.<\/p>\n

What is Cortex Prime?<\/h2>\n

I\u2019m going to start off with the question that anyone reading this article surely wants to know above all else: What is Cortex Prime? The short answer, straight from the book, is that Cortex Prime is a \u201cmulti-genre, modular, session-centered roleplaying game.\u201d The game bills itself as being able to handle most genres, but also suggests that cinematic, dramatic settings will work best; games that go beyond mere hacking and slashing and that place emphasis on the relationships, personalities, and competencies of the PCs should be particularly well-suited to this ruleset. This is welcome news to me, because those elements are essential to the games I run anyway.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the modularity of the system, the game offers a wide variety of alternative and optional rules for various core mechanics. Many of these modular rules appear to be formulated from or inspired by previous games that used the Cortex and Cortex Plus systems, such as incorporating the Doom Pool mechanics from Marvel Heroic Roleplaying<\/em>; there are also optional rules that aim to recreate more traditional game mechanics like Life Points (basically an HP system) or having set difficulty numbers rather than having the Game Moderator (GM) roll a difficulty pool for each check. This was a fantastic choice, in my opinion, because it creates a space for both long-time Cortex fans and those gamers who are used to the conceits of the d20 system and similar rulesets.<\/p>\n

The final descriptor, \u201csession-centered,\u201d appears to emphasize the cinematic experience the game aims for in each individual session. The game assumes a cinematic structure for session design, and introduces the reader to screenwriting terminology concepts like \u201cbeats,\u201d and \u201cscreen framing;\u201d the mechanics reinforce this structure with things like flashbacks and creating assets during bridge scenes. All in all, this game looks like an excellent choice if cinematic gaming is one of your primary goals, as is the case for me.<\/p>\n

Noob-Friendly<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve never played or perhaps have never even heard of the Cortex System before, you\u2019ll be happy to know that this book does a bang-up job introducing the rules and concepts in noob-friendly ways. For example, the game introduces concepts and keywords using a bold font along with a simple and concise definition. There are multiple examples of the core mechanics that are paired with illustrations so you can watch the described scenario come to life. Additionally, visual aids and symbols help to process and organize the various elements of the game in your mind as you learn them. I\u2019m truly impressed with how well-organized and presented this game is; it\u2019s clear that a lot of thought and effort went into making the game as digestible as possible. As someone who is passionate about bringing new players in the hobby, I\u2019m always looking for systems that are easy to learn and teach; Cortex Prime certainly seems to a prime<\/em> example of this type of game\u00a0(pun absolutely intended).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
“Scenes” by Kevin Hong<\/a>
TM & \u00a9 2020 Fandom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Core Game Mechanics<\/h2>\n

I know, I know \u2013 stop yammering and get to the good stuff. Your wish is my command. The book provides a Primer at the very beginning that covers the most basic essence of the Cortex Prime system that can be summarized as follows:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n
    Create a Trait for your character<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \n
    When a PC wants to do something, roll three dice if their Trait could help them accomplish their goal, or two dice if the Trait wouldn\u2019t help them<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  3. \n
    The GM decides a difficulty rating from Easy (one die) to Hard (three or more\u00a0dice)<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  4. \n
    The player and GM both look at their two highest results and add them together\u00a0\u2013 if the player\u2019s total equals or\u00a0exceeds the GM\u2019s total\u00a0then the PC\u00a0succeeds, otherwise the PC fails<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Let me go into a bit more detail on these points. First off, Traits. A Trait in this particular context is a phrase that describes the core concept of your character. This could be anything from \u201cGrizzled Beat Cop\u201d to \u201cVicious T-Rex\u201d (What, do you not have dinosaur PCs in your games?). You may also be wondering why I didn\u2019t specify what type of dice are rolled in the steps above. The reason for this is because while the example from the Primer seems to use d6s as the default, in practice Traits have ratings that can range from a d4 to a d12. There are also multiple types of Traits that a Cortex Prime game can incorporate based on the setting and playstyle, including Attributes, Skills, Affiliations, Relationships, Powers, Roles, and Values; any given dice pool could contain multiple dice types based on various combinations of a PC\u2019s Traits. You\u2019ll also notice that I mentioned that the GM rolls dice based on the difficulty of an action. As I mentioned above, by default a PC always rolls against the GM\u2019s difficulty pool. This is one of the more unique aspects of the Cortex Prime system; I don\u2019t see many games that has the GM roll when there isn\u2019t active opposition from an opponent. It does seem a little weird, but it\u2019s also necessary if you want to utilize all the default core mechanics of the game, as you\u2019ll see shortly.<\/p>\n

    Another core mechanic in any Cortex Prime game is the Plot Point. A Plot Point is a type of meta-currency that the players can use to affect the narrative beyond rolling dice. Gamers familiar with systems like Genesys or Fate likely will be familiar with this sort of mechanic. Using one of their Plot Points can provide the player with benefits such as adding more dice into their pool, \u201cstepping up\u201d the value of one or more dice in their pool (i.e d6 \u2192 d8), activating certain special effects (SFX) the PCs may have, or introducing new elements to the current narrative. By default, a Cortex Prime PC starts each session with at least one Plot Point.<\/p>\n

    Two\u00a0more important core mechanics to mention\u00a0are Assets and Complications.\u00a0Assets and Complications are\u00a0each\u00a0a sort\u00a0of temporary Trait that\u00a0helps or hinders a character, respectively. Assets can be created with Plot Points during play, take a d6 value by default, and can be added to its creator\u2019s dice pool when it would help them perform an action. Assets can include things like\u00a0\u201cCrowbar,\u201d which a\u00a0character\u00a0could use during a fight scene, \u201cFancy Clothes,\u201d which could help a\u00a0character impersonate an important official, or even something like \u201cExtra-Vigilant,\u201d which might help a\u00a0character notice if a treasure chest has been trapped. A Complication, on the other hand, is created when a PC rolls a Natural 1 (a \u201cHitch\u201d in Cortex Prime parlance). When this happens, the GM can give the player a Plot Point to create a Complication for the PC. The GM describes the Complication (ex. \u201cModerate Winds\u201d) and\u00a0sets its value to d6\u00a0by default; they may add the Complication\u2019s die type to their dice pool whenever it might be relevant to the narrative (ex. a \u201cModerate Winds\u201d\u00a0Complication could be added to the GM\u2019s difficulty pool if the PC tries to hit a golf ball). If additional Hitches are rolled during the scene, the GM has the choice\u00a0to either\u00a0create a completely new Complication, or to increase the die\u00a0type of an existing Complication (i.e. a d6 Complication \u201cModerate Winds\u201d Complication could become a d8 \u201cStrong Winds\u201d Complication). A PC can only have one Complication of each die type, so any Complication that would otherwise violate this\u00a0rule\u00a0is automatically\u00a0stepped up to the next-highest die type. If a Complication is stepped up beyond a d12, the PC is overwhelmed and can no longer take actions during that scene without spending a Plot Point; in that circumstance, however, only one die from the pool may be kept for the total.<\/p>\n

    The GM can also roll Hitches in their pool, but rather than receiving a Complication, the PC instead is given an opportunity; the PC can spend a Plot Point in order to \u201cstep down\u201d the value of an existing complication by one tier (i.e. a d8 \u201cStrong Winds\u201d Complication could be stepped back down to a d6 \u201cModerate Winds\u201d Complication). Multiple Opportunities on the same roll can be used to reduce multiple Complications one step or one Complication multiple steps. When a Complication is stepped down to a d4,\u00a0rather than\u00a0adding it to the GM\u2019s pool\u00a0the next time it\u2019s\u00a0relevant, the player instead adds it to their own\u00a0pool; as long as the d4 doesn\u2019t roll a Hitch, the Complication disappears. Otherwise, the GM has the option of giving the Player a Plot Point and stepping the Complication back up to a d6.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    “Character Milestones” by Carol Azevedo<\/a>
    TM & \u00a9 2020 Fandom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Character Creation<\/h2>\n

    Character Creation rules\u00a0in Cortex Prime are, like other elements of the game, modular in nature. The book presents multiple Trait types to allow the GM to customize the character creation process to suit the game they wish to run. The book also allows provides a helpful list of \u201cPrime Sets\u201d that give suggestions for different combinations of Traits. Each Prime Set always includes Distinctions, which consist of three important descriptive\u00a0statements about your\u00a0character,\u00a0 and a combination of two other Trait types\u00a0depending on the genre. Some example combinations\u00a0include\u00a0Attributes +\u00a0Skills\u00a0for Grim Fantasy, Values + Relationships for Prime Time Drama, Relationships + Skills for Romantic Fantasy, and Affiliations + Powers for Superheroes. I found it intriguing to see so many niche genres listed among the examples. This seems to lend credence to Cortex Prime\u2019s claim that it can work for almost any genre. Mixing and matching Traits aside, there are three main types of character creation procedures: Archetypes, Scratch-Built, and Pathways.<\/p>\n

    Archetype character creation involves choosing from a selection of various pre-set character archetypes that\u00a0contain Distinctions and other Traits appropriate to them. An example from the book is \u201cThe Engineer\u201d archetype, which consists of Three Distinctions (\u201cThe World is My Worshop,\u201d \u201cBoundless Curiosity,\u201d and \u201cCan\u2019t Stay Long, Too Much to Do\u201d),\u00a0each with its own list of SFX (ex. \u201cKitbash,\u201d \u201cKilled the Cat,\u201d and \u201cFull Speed Ahead,\u201d respectively)\u00a0and two Highlight Skills (Fix, Operate, Know, Notice, Drive, and Move). You can then customize your PC further by upgrading more of your Skills and adding Specialties and a Signature Asset from a list of choices. This character creation type works well if you want your game to have something close\u00a0character classes.<\/p>\n

    Scratch-Built character creation, as you might have guessed, involves building a character basically from the ground up, effectively creating their own character\u00a0archetype. By default, this includes adjusting your base Attributes; choosing Distinctions and their SFX; stepping up Skills; and choosing your Specialties and Signature Assets. However, the book also provides guidance for building\u00a0characters and Archetypes using all of the other different types of Traits as well.<\/p>\n

    The final type of character creation outlined in Cortex Prime is Pathways. This method involves a collaborative and interactive approach to both the game’s setting and character creation creation process Using Pathways, players take round-robin turns introducing elements to the game setting and adding and stepping up Traits to their characters through various stages of development. Gamers who have played games like Traveller will find the process similar to a Lifepath system, except the players have more freedom to determine what sorts of life events they experience and which Traits result from them. The Pathways system is easily the most complex of the three main character creation methods discussed in the book. However, the book does a\u00a0brilliant job of walking the players through each step of the process, and provides advice for how to create an effective Pathways system for the type of game you want to play.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    “Preparing a Session” by Julia Metzger<\/a>
    TM & \u00a9 2020 Fandom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The Skinny<\/h2>\n

    One of the difficulties in writing an overview for a game is deciding what needs to be included and what can be left out. I could have written paragraphs about how beautiful and thematic the art is (hopefully the sample art I’ve shared has given you a feel for it) or discussed all the different rule options and modifications the game provides. There\u2019s just too much information in the hundreds of pages a given game contains to be able to touch on everything. I can only hope that the information I did<\/em> provide is enough to give you a good sense of the product, how the game is played, and the sort of gaming experience you can expect from it.<\/p>\n

    In my opinion, Cortex Prime is well-designed, well-organized, and has a very flexible modular ruleset that will allow you to tweak your game to your specifications. Its design favors a more rules-light, cinematic style of play. If you\u2019re the sort of gamer that likes to play the sorts of stories you might watch on TV or in film, then I can definitely recommend you check out Cortex Prime without reserve. On the other hand, if you prefer a crunchier, more tactical sort of gaming experience, like measuring movement across a grid or keeping track of how many arrows a character has shot, you\u2019ll likely come away dissatisfied; not that you couldn\u2019t try to use it for that sort of campaign, but you\u2019d have to do a lot more work to add on the bits and pieces you want that the system doesn\u2019t provide by default, and you\u2019ll probably be inclined to ignore a lot of the unique elements that the system otherwise brings to the table. I, for one, am excited to get this game on my table and see what sort of exciting stories my friends and I can tell together.<\/p>\n

    Big thanks to Cam Banks for giving me the go-ahead on this article and sharing the artwork!<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n

    Do you have thoughts or questions about the article, or suggestions for future content? Leave a comment below or drop me a line at jtdimino@d20radio.com<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This article is the first of what I hope will be many RPG overviews that I\u2019m calling my \u201cThe Skinny\u201d series. 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