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The Cortex RPG engine is very interesting and will allow you to game just about anything. The Cortex Classic system is fun and I recommend it.
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I first bought this book in its physical form from the bargin bin at a local game shop on a lark, it was $6 and I wanted to see a system that wasn d20 (D&D) or d10 (WoD) based. I got home and within 45 min I had read the basic rules (CC included), made two characters (grizzled detective and a cyborg bounty hunter), and ran a combat.
The system is intuitive for new players and game masters, and has nearly unlimited potential for any type of game the GM can think up. My only complaint is a lack of guidelines for making your own systems (magic, super powers, ect.) within its ruleset, but that is easily offset by the ability to craft whatever kind of systems you need, just requires a little bit of work. It's more of a dramatic system than an adventure one as the characters tend to be on the squishy side but that combined with the Trait system really makes your cahracter more than a bunch of stat blocks, and increases the tension around the table whenever they seem to be at risk.
A great game for people new to table top RPG, and even better for experienced GM's who enjoy bending a system to craft a world and story that your players will enjoy.
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A solid if unremarkable universal RPG. Everything here works just fine. Everything here has also been done better somewhere else. Each vital play area is touched on in some detail. But every area could also use a bit more detail in my opinion, at least if the product wanted to stand out from the large glut of competitors doing basically the same thing (BRP, GURPS, Savage worlds, chronicles of darkness, cypher system, genesys, etc.)
This product seems destined to be lost in the shuffle. But I doubt anyone will be truly disappointed with the product. It does what it sets out to do in barebones fashion and with respectable execution.
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Fun and easy for both players and GM. I play and run in Cortex, and it is a blast. It isn't my favorite system, but it is probably my second favorite. My only quibbles are that it is hard as a GM to make use of the vehicle rules without adaptation (a common problem I have with a lot of games), and hard to make really 'special' equipment for players to earn--though both are conquerable problems, with some work.
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I am new to the cortex rules but I love them. They are easy to use and easy to learn when creating a game. No complaints from me here. I use a lot of game settings but Cortex I will definitely use at some point.
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A solid and very playable game. It takes a lot of tinkering to get it just how you want for a particular game, but it is worth it. Unfortunately, it does suffer from some balance issues in their advantage/disadvantage system. Even with those problems, it plays very well and was greatly enjoyed by my group.
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So I found cortex on a youtube review, and I thought it sounded intriguing. I got it, and tried it, and was not happy. I hear that many people like it, but I just don't know why, it seems clunky, and unbalanced in all its forms. I does not focus on gameplay, or story, leaving me at a table wondering "What am I supposed to do with it then?" I decided not to try it, it is just a little too crunchy for me. But I worked on a campaign that I gave up on half way. It just wasn't worth it. But if you like very random rolls, realistic combat, and forced character development this can be a potentially good product for you.
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I've had the Cortex core rules for a while now, and on the whole I like it. The basic mechanics are simple and very flexible--so it's easy to improvise in play, and very hackable outside play. Each attribute, skill, and trait is rated as a die size (d4, d8, etc.). When you attempt anything, you take the dice from each attribute, skill, and trait that applies, and roll them; add up the results, and compare the total to a target difficulty number, or to an opposing roll.
The "feel" of Cortex is a well-balanced mix of system light traditional play, and more of a story game approach. In particular, the character complications (disadvantages) and plot points form a powerful mechanic, similar to Aspects in FATE, which rewards both good roleplaying, and creative, player-driven plot input.
The core rules themselves are fairly bare (basically just traits, skills, and combat), although the book features a "Special Effects" section about adding Magic, Psychic powers, Cybernetics, and "Meta Powers" to the game. This is quite helpful for customizing it into the game you want.
If I have any complaints about this book, it's only these two:
1) the combat rules are actually a bit clunkier than I'd like for an otherwise very straight-forward game; for example, four types of physical damage, and a grappling rule I found difficult to decipher.
2) It's not very well supported. They avoided any sort of economy or extended equipment section in this book, and the Special Effects (magic, etc.) rules are really only short sketches of what's possible. To their credit, they are very upfront about this. Still, in a perfect world, I'd have liked to see some published supplements or a few genre books to support the core rules. You can import a few things from other Cortex products, like Serenity or BSG, but that only goes so far, depending on the game you're trying to run.
Case in point, in only a few days I'll be starting a new Cyberpunk genre game, and I've spent most of my free time for the past couple of months just putting together proper Martial Arts rules and an Equipment section--and in fact, I'm wasting precious time writing this review, because I'm not even close to done yet.
So, to sum up, the Cortex core rules aren't so much a great game, as they are a good kernel or framework for a great game. Lots of fun for aspiring system hackers, world-builders, and players who like some story game elements in their games, but not as well supported as some other generic games out there, if all you want to do is jump in and play.
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A very clear and concise set of rules that my group really enjoyed. The generic nature of the rules are enabling us to come up with our own setting.
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Cortex is one of the best RPG systems on the market. Its die-step system and rules for rolling dice for both characteristic and skill make this RPG stand out among other RPGs. The book is shy on illustration, but illustration is far more useful in a setting book and isn't truly necessary in a generic rules book. If you enjoyed the Serenity RPG, you very likely will want to have the Cortex book on your game shelf also as, due to its generic system nature, it includes a magic system and other information aimed at the usual genres of play. Character Traits add a rewarding element to roleplaying and those offered in Cortex are for the most part reasonable (in many games too many offered Traits border on the absurd); included are valuable guidelines for applying Traits to game play.
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Cortex is a good system if you are looking for something that isn't d20. The way the system handles skills and attributes is good. I especially like the way that the GM decides what Attribute and Skill are linked, based upon the use of the skill. The skill specialty system is good, however, I think there should be a finite subset of specialties, which can be done by the GM -- but I would have like to see a base set in the book.
This is a good tool kit for running almost any type of genre, though it suffers a bit when it comes to fantasy. Though there is a suggestion and a few spells, it leaves a huge gap in the magic department. Also, scaling for creatures doesn't seem to work well.
Over all I would recommend it. Cortex does have a slight getting use to curve, mainly in resolving damage, but one the players get the knack of that its smooth sailing.
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This is a marvelous RPG, a balance of fluff and crunch. As the author puts it, it's an attempt to have a lot of fun. Is it mathematically balanced? Not really. But that's not the point. The point is to roll a bunch of dice around, and make them do stuff. It's a step down from the intense simulation of GURPS, but it's no lightweight rules system either. It strikes that middle sweet spot, making for a game that's fun while full of options.
The book lays out the system well, stepping from point to point with adequate explanation. It's a game for players, by a player.
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I liked this system so much after buying the pdf that I bought the book as well. Similar to Savage Worlds in some ways, but I like this system a bit better than SW. I would have given it five stars, but it lacks a basic magic system; it does give you some ideas on how to create one yourself, but it would have been nice to have a basic framework to expand on. For people who think this doesn't scale well for high powered games, they're wrong. There are scaling rules that show you how to do this. Overall, I am actually blown away at how cool this actually plays. For me, it is great rules light replacement for my Gurps 4th edition, and yet just crunchy enough...it hit all the right notes for me.
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Cortex is a generic, one-stop rule system for playing any genre you like. It is very similar to another "dice type for attributes" game system, and when you want to create fantastic and savage worlds, this game is simpler to use and, for me, better to play. (You should know that I like the other game as well, but time and money being limited nowadays, simpler is better.)
After buying the PDF, I bought the printed book. This is an excellent buy, and I use it as one of my core systems. The only cavet I have with it is that the variety of ability is not broad when it comes to the common attributes -- however, this is a small thing (it only means that you should play regular humanoids, monsters, or androids vs. using it for a super-hero campaign. Cortex does give you a decent system for creating a super-hero, but it is geared more towards fantasy / pulp / modern / space opera action.)
For a 10 dollar PDF, it is an excellent buy in all respects - hats off to MWP.
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Cortex is from the mind of Jamie Chambers and it is a great multi-genre game system. Similar to both Unisystem and Savage Worlds, Cortex does not attempt to recreate the wheel, but instead show you how the wheel can be used.
I find Cortex to be superior to Savage Worlds in many respects, but it is not quite up to Unisystem level yet for me. One thing I felt it was missing was a great magic system. This is the system behind such games as Serenity, Supernatural, Demon Hunters, Battlestar Galactica and the upcoming Smallville. There is nothing here that is not in those games, but this is presented as background free.
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