Cortex Core Rules

[IanTheMoxious]

Hello everyone,

I don't frequent these forums, but I wanted to note that the classic version of the core rules (in the blue book) are still one of my favorite sets of all time.

I can see that it isn't discussed much here, and I can't find much discussion for it anywhere on the net. This is a real shame as these rules, while containing a few minor flaws, are an excellent storytelling system.

What I would like to achieve here is not only fond remembrance, but also a collection of Cortex Classic related goodies: links to errata, house rules, etc.

My group will likely use this system for most of our future games. In the past we have used it for a Traveller game as well as a Vampire focused game. I simply don't wish to see such an excellent game fade into obscurity by way of non-support by its fans.

I will begin by discussing the rules that my group implemented for my Traveller game.

We used an alternate difficulty chart. It started with Easy at difficulty 3, but then it progressed at 3 per rank instead of 4. We found this made the game feel a little more organic and well.. better. I discovered this one on these forums ages ago, if I remember correctly.

We also separated out the assets that gave a bonus to particular skills, such as the one that gave a bonus to both Tech and Mechanics, and made them two separate assets.

[UbiquitousRat]

I'd be interested in discussing using the Cortex core rules for my own settings. To be honest, I remember (on the old site) one of the designers talking about writing a "how to hack Cortex" book, which would be great to get my hands on.

My main question: what are the flaws that you see in the core Cortex game?

Also, maybe this discussion should go into the Cortex System forum rather than this one.

[IanTheMoxious]

I attempted to post this in the cortex forum, but it disappears and is replaced with the "Older Games" forum every time I long in.

As far as cortex's weakness: It is a very narrative system. This is both a strength and a weakness. If you want a tactical battle to play out, you will not be satisfied with Cortex Classic.

It is designed for dramatic storytelling and it does a good job of it. That isn't to say you can't have exciting action, only that action resolution (and combat) is designed to be quick and cinematic. Combat tends to be deceptively deadly as well, so players will only want to go that rout when they have no other option or are truly set on the idea.

Cortex is my favorite system for dramatic and cinematic games. It honestly rivals the storyteller system from white-wolf in it's ability to do modern day supernatural horror. It also rivals any other space-opera system I have run. What it doesn't seem to do well is vanilla fantasy as combat is usually at the forefront of that genre for most gamers.

[UbiquitousRat]

I've not had much chance to play Cortex in a full series of adventures, so it's hard to know what it can and can't do. I was, however, hoping it might be good for running a near-future technomagickal cyberpunkish conspiracy setting I am writing. Of course, if it doesn't do combat well I am left wondering how it will handle magick too.

Any thoughts?

[chaosnet]

I think Cortex Blue handles skills and traits very well and combat is pretty darned nasty and deadly.

Where I feel that it slips a tier is on the FX: Psi, Cyber, Magic, Super, etc. The book does outline them however not much depth is put into them and the onus is placed on the GM to either complete the system presented, come up with a new system or try to borrow in from other systems.

I absolutely love the flexibility of the systems ("yeah, make an Alertness + Gun/Rifle check to see if you know what kind of weapon that is. Now make an Intelligence + Gun/Rifle check to see if you remember the 'stats'".

I would direct you toward Savage Worlds' magic system (FX abilities really) for possible conversion to Cortex as it it has fairly similar die ranges.

My main point of ire in Cortex is the damnable D2...which is easy to do away with and use D4 as the lowest die available.

[UbiquitousRat]

Thanks for the tips on FX. I was quite enamoured of the range of FX in Alternity. Although the system is radically different, the FX are well written and easily portable, I suspect.

I was also toying with the question as to whether you could use the Zocchi d14 to replace the d12+d2, along with dropping the d2.

Game on!

[gollum]

Hi everybody!

I like the Cortex system and posted some messages on the old forum... Which unfortunately disappeared.

But I won't content myself of being sad! So, here I am.

I don't really agree with the fact that the Cortex system doesn't handle combats well. In my humble opinion, it does. I still play to another game in which combats are very detailed (several hundreds pages only about this topic): GURPS.

Of course, it is very different in the Cortex system. Combat rules are very light. But, actually the Cortex rules are also very light for everything. Because, contrary to the GURPS system, most things are left up to the GM. The cortex system, from this point of view, is like GURPS lite: it gives fundamental basic and universal rules and what they will exactly become during play mostly depends on what the GM wants.

During combat, he can for instance take tactical ideas of players into account by converting them as bonus or penalty steps to their rolls. "OK, you attack him from his left, and you from his right... That's hard for him. Both of you have a +1 bonus step to the attack roll..." Combats can then become very strategic!

Furthermore, the attribute + skill system (where you can change the attribute) allows a precision that is not possible in most other role playing games: the difference between an agility + shortsword roll (striking the most rapidly possible), a strength + shortsword roll (striking as strong as possible) and an alertness + shortsword roll (striking when you see an opening in the foe's guard)...

Finally, the fact that combats are fast may be true. But they are in some other role playing games which use much more written tactical rules too. In the Basic RolePlaying system, for instance, the first blow often kills or knocks the foe unconscious. GURPS combats are also quite quick, even if they are longer to play... I only see a real difference with high level D&D combats. In this precise game, characters have a lot of hit points and, then, combats last for many rounds... But if D&D is designed to be tactical game, it isn't realistic. Depending on how the GM handle things, Cortex can be much more realistic.

So, to my mind, the Cortex system is not really a storytelling-oriented game. It is a game who falls just between storytelling and simulationism*, with very light rules. Which allows the GM to do exactly what he likes.

* I even noted some common points with GURPS in the Cortex rules. Advantages and disadvantages (Oh, sorry, Assets and Complications) are just one example.

_____


Oh! I forgot to tell...

The D2 has been removed from the new version of the Cortex rules (Smallville, Leverage, etc.). And the "how to hack cortex" book was the intention to explain how to use this new version with other settings. It was supposed to be named "Cortes plus". But it has never been published out.