Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2012 21:21:32 GMT -8
Does anyone here play using the Cortex Basic system, or any of the many licensed Cortex products?
I really don't think that Cortex gets the love it deserves. It is a non-class-based, rules-light system that splits the difference nicely between Savage Worlds and other more rules-heavy systems like D20. The system uses plot points, which can be spent like bennies to affect dice rolls, give bonuses, and even manipulate the story. Cortex Basic fits multiple genres very well, and for those that prefer specific settings there's always Battlestar Galactica, Serenity, Smallville, Buffy, Leverage, and Supernatural.
I'm planning on running a Cortex Serenity game at GameX 2012, more if there is sufficient interest. Anyone? Bueller?
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Post by rickno7 on Mar 13, 2012 22:35:57 GMT -8
I think the new Marvel Super Heroes game is Cortex. Critical Hits is doing a campaign and blogging about it. It looked interesting, and it does seem a lot like another take on the Savage Worlds rules where the bennies can be used in the actual plot instead of just on normal rolls. So if anyone is interested in Cortex and want to read it in a current setting, check that out.
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HyveMynd
Supporter
Dirty hippie, PbtA, Fate, & Cortex Prime <3er
Posts: 2,273
Preferred Game Systems: PbtA, Cortex Plus, Fate, Ubiquity
Currently Playing: Monsterhearts 2
Currently Running: The Sprawl
Favorite Species of Monkey: None
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Post by HyveMynd on Mar 14, 2012 2:19:57 GMT -8
I think the new Marvel Heroic Roleplaying game uses a variation of the Cortex system, but I could be wrong. What I am sure of though is that my group played MHRP this past weekend, and kind of struggled with it a bit. Or at least I did. We liked it and are giving it another shot, but we had some issues.
I really like the narrative nature of the game. When taking an action that has a chance of failing you simply narrate what your character's trying to do, assemble your dice pool based on some specific guidelines, and roll. You keep two dice and total them for your Effort and keep a third die for your Effect. If your Effort beats your opponent's Effort (or a pool of dice when acting against the environment), you win and use your Effect die to do something to them (or to the world). 1's go to the GM and can't get used in your result but earn you a Plot Point. Mechanically, there's a lot of player choice, which I like. Do you use that d12 in your Effort total to make sure you accomplish the action or keep it as an Effect die?
What I don't like though is the amount of negotiation with the GM that goes on as you are assembling your dice pool. For example MHRP characters have a trait called Affiliations broken down into three categories; Solo, Buddy and Team. It represents whether your character works better by themselves, with a buddy, or as part of a team and really captures a character's personality and operating style. Captain America has a d10 in Team because he works better with people around him. Wolverine has a d10 in Solo because he's the lone wolf. When building your dice pool you always include an Affiliation die, which is rated at d6, d8, or d10 based on your current situation. There were a number of occasions in our game where I wasn't sure what the situation was however. I had to ask the GM if I was acting as a Team, and if I wasn't what I could do to act as a Team because I wanted to add my Team die to my pool (which was a d10).
Basically because the traits are so broad and meant to represent a lot of things in a single package, they give the player a lot of narrative freedom. But they also have the potential to slow down game play as the players negotiate and haggle with the GM about exactly what dice are going into their pool and the narrative reason for their inclusion.
I'm really interested in trying other Cortex games though, especially Leverage. It does look like an interesting system.
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Post by Stu Venable on Mar 14, 2012 9:28:55 GMT -8
I've read through Serenity and Leverage books, but I've never played the system.
I wasn't that impressed in the reading of the system, but considering how many comments to the contrary I received from people who actively play CORTEX, I'm assuming the game plays differently from how it reads.
I'd definitely try the game if given the opportunity, as my impression from reading it seems to be wrong.
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willh
Journeyman Douchebag
Posts: 220
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Post by willh on Mar 14, 2012 11:40:27 GMT -8
The Cortex+ games are great. They do an excellent job of letting you play the types of stories you see in their associated IP. The old or basic Cortex stuff is not very good.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2012 12:35:35 GMT -8
I'm a big fan of the Cortex system, own all of the core books, most of them in hardback and agree that its an under rated system. I've yet to play any of the Cortex Plus games (Leverage, Smallville and Marvel) which are very different games to the earlier ones, as hyvemynd said they've very narrative and the players have a lot of control over the descriptions so I can understand how it could slow down the game.
The original games are similar to Savage Worlds but definitely less pulpy. The biggest issue I've heard most people complain of is the variability in the rolls. To my mind this is partially a fault of the scale used in the difficulty table (it goes up fairly high so people sort of expect to roll higher than they often do) and partially people not really understanding the probabilities involved in rolling two dice and adding them together. Once people get a hang of the numbers involved it gets much better and is best suited to a real world style of game as opposed to high powered games (because of the averaging of the rolls).
In general though while I really enjoy the system I would say its not anything revolutionary or unique so I can understand why some people didn't rate it highly given the number of existing generic systems. Also until they did the Cortex Plus games they didn't do enough to differentiate the various properties from one another other than rewriting some of the assets / complications.
geohazard - Buffy was Unisystem rather than Cortex, the one Cortex game you missed was Demon Hunters based off of the Dead Gentlemen Productions movie (the people responsible for Games, Dorkness Rising and Journey Quest). It is my personal favourite setting for when I'm after extremely silly games or want to introduce new people to RPGs.
If I could afford to fly out to one of the cons I would gladly run a Cortex game but alas flights from the UK are too costly for me at the moment.
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Dimbel
Initiate Douchebag
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Post by Dimbel on May 17, 2012 3:39:19 GMT -8
I played a long campaign based on Eragon and a few games in a superheroes setting a friend created and it's been a really nice system so far. It's quite simple and plays really fast, but i think a few things where houseruled and i don't have the book so that might have helped in making it cool.
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Post by greatwyrm on May 17, 2012 4:24:00 GMT -8
The Cortex+ games are great. They do an excellent job of letting you play the types of stories you see in their associated IP. The old or basic Cortex stuff is not very good. If you're new to Cortex, anything pre-Smallville is kinda blah. Prior to that, Cortex was just another generic system. Smallville, Leverage, and Marvel show where they went back to the drawing board. Each is a fairly unique game and is tailored to the themes of the setting.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2012 21:21:58 GMT -8
I just finished running a Serenity game and my players LOVED it. They said their favorite part was being able to use every dice and being told, "yeah, you can do that but it'll be formidable" and they would look at their sheet and see what they needed to roll against.
Cortex works really well and I agree it isn't as well received as it should be. I don't necessarily agree with the main business model of Margaret Weiss Productions but it doesn't affect the system at all.
My advice, if you can run the system then do! If you can play the system definitely do!
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