Game Geeks #95 Cortex System RPG

[tauntdragoon]

is it like the savage world system that what it sound like

[justmyflawedlogic]

It's a great game, character creation is super easy and amazing in terms of customisability... But the fact that it's rules light and an amazing game is overshadowed by the horrific writing and layout. Call of Cthulhu? THIS rpg will have fans of good literature scared ;)

[Jandar]

Thanks, Kurt. I was just looking for some hands-on information about the Cortex Systemn today, and here I see you already reviewed it last year. Good episode. I know a whole lot more about Cortex now than from just reading the company's blurb. Very well done.

[MhicWombat]

Okay, I got really confused by how you present the mechanics in this review. I guess I am going to have to go find the book and actually read it.

[highpriestrsw2]

I've ordered it from my FLGS.

Will you review Supernatural when it comes out?

[assym2006]

Cordex is a real nice system. The 2 dice probability curve is not a handycap you get used to it quickly and the plot point system lets you deal with the odd mess up when needed. With the rigt advantage you get to roll three dice. Also Cordex has a helpful active online community.

[unquietsoul]

Based on this review I went to go get the Cortex book... only to find it's not out yet in non-pdf form until next month.

Sigh. I hate it when that happens... just as bad as when I see a review and then find the book is out of print or unavailable as the only wholesaler folks who run stores use around here is Alliance which doesn't carry lots of publishers.

[jidar]

Hey Kurt, longtime subscriber here..

Anyway you haven't really talked about it much, but I gather you don't use minis much. Well my group likes to use minis, and right now the game that has given the most attention towards balancing with minis is D&D 4th.

That said 4th has been a bit of disappointment... so can you recommend any other systems that cater to gamers who want to use minis?

[Webhead123]

Savage Worlds has detailed support for the use of minis for play despite the fact that it may seem "lighter" in the rules category than behemoths like D&D 4e. Savage Worlds miniature play uses "measured" movement/range but does not require that you play it on a square or hex "grid" (thank gawd!). You can still use your D&D grid maps to play, but you can just as easily play directly on the table top and lose nothing in terms of playability (in case you didn't know...I hate "grid" maps).

[3571981]

Greetings Kurt, have you thought of doing a special episode dedicated entirely to FREE GAMES? One could argue that, since they're free, you don't really need to be "encouraged to buy them", but you still need to invest your time and effort. I'm thinking from lightweight, even silly stuff like RISUS and PDQ(and PDQ#) to more serious stuff like Forgotten Futures or The Shadow of Yesterday.

[theBeorn]

Hi Kurt! something wrong with filming at the Comic Book store? hope everything's allright. Hey man you keep RPGs alive, i bought not 1 or 2 but FIVE games that you recommended sooo keep up the good work!

one other thing, what do you think of the Alpha Omega RPG? do that!!!!!

[rcairns84]

How do you guys find other players to play with? I'm from a smaller town and their might have been 1-2 people that I know played RPGs but they've moved away.

[Yourmomishre]

Either promote at your local hobby shop, or go online and play through a virtual table top

[theBeorn]

ooooor... make non players play!

maybe some of your friends would be interested in playing if you told them.

[AntonyPlaza]

Good to see you back,

Shame about not having the comic book backdrop, it makes it look like your FLGS,

[TacticusPrime]

I'm interested what you think of Green Ronin's new Song of Ice and Fire game. The build your own section is fascinating but i'm so sure about the actual gameplay itself, the combat is still throwing me off some.

[psychosquid]

Ya know just when I was contemplating giving d20 Modern another shot (I wanted a new system other than WoD and I had already sold my d20 rulebook because I just couldn't get into it, this comes along this sounds nice. Does anyone have any comments about this system?

[Webhead123]

It's not a bad system but just takes a little time to get used to. Rather than (dice + modifier number) the way most game systems do it, you are rolling (dice + dice). This adds a bit more "randomness" and "unpredictability" to most rolls which isn't necessarily bad but can feel strange to some folks. Also, I love Plot/Drama/Fate/Action point mechanics in games but the last time I read the Plot Point rules for Cortex, they seemed rather underwhelming.

[psychosquid]

Now when I did have the d20 Core rulebook, everything felt very action-orientated and that's something that, while I don't not like it felt too overwhelming toward that direction. When Kurt said that one of the settings was basically Law & Order: The RPG, that got me interested, no superhuman feats of strength or characters that have ex-special forces training, just normal average people right?

[Torenb]

Well I play D20 Modern and I find that if given a great plot then it doesn't need to be action oriented. But I also find D20 modern to be great for being a spy.

[kaosdevice]

You're back to saying 'kinda' a lot.

[araciel82]

"We've had Fourth Edition" hahaha

[NaturalTwentyFilms]

I like anything that is "rules light".

Nice review!

[derdrein]

Nice to see the show going again...sorry for the shop though... so how is the cortex setting any differentthan the world of darkness books besides the system and the mods they published based on some tv series?

By the way i know that not is not the time to ask but please do a Warhammer dark heresy review should the opportunity arise!

[nutherefurlong]

Is the dice problem one of people not being used to it, or are the probability curves actually wonky? I couldn't quite tell which he meant.

[Chugosh]

I liked the basic mechanic when it came out in Serenity, so hearing it's even more cleaned up, is pretty nifty (or Shiny, I might say) Thanks for another informative review!

[bakomusha]

that sucks, this economy isn't helping much with the industry both comics and table top gaming 2 local game store in my area have closed doors and another looks like it as well!

[Werewindlefr]

We need a review of Warhammer 40000 Roleplay: Dark Heresy :D.

Also, thanks for sharing this with us. It has made me want to save a few dozen bucks to buy Cortex RPG and Galactica!

[jesternario]

then buy a book and send it to him. If he likes the game, he'll review it eventually.

[YourProfessor]

What's happening to the comic shop?

[pugknowspro]

Closing it's doors, May 1st., I've owned or managed a shop since 1981but it's just not feasible to keep it open anymore. We have some plans for mail order but nothing like the store.

Rob

[soiledshortz]

Sorry to hear. :(

[mysterycycle]

That makes me sad... Not that I can blame you, but still, it's never good to hear about another good games and comics store closing shop.

[highpriestrsw2]

could you review Houses of the Blooded by Wicked Dead Brewing Company?

[highpriestrsw2]

No more comic book shop? :(

Could we get a tour of the place before you quit using it as a backdrop?

Are there gonna be more settings released for the Cortex system?

This hiatus wasn't as long as the last thank goodness. :)

[Jeffrywith1e]

I'd like to see a comparison of Savage Worlds and Cortex.

[Webhead123]

Interesting review. I didn't even know that a "generic" Cortex rule book was published. Providing a code for a free E-book is all kinds of awesome. For my money, I find I prefer Savage Worlds over the Cortex system but that's just my opinion.

[Darkwintre]

Sounds interesting, I like the option with downloading an e-copy from drivethrough though!

[dtstrain]

Can anyone tell me what the difficulty numbers are? (what's "easy", "moderate", "hard", "very hard" heroic" etc - or however they phrase it)

-thanks :)

[Darkwintre]

Is it roughly in integers of 5, 10, 15 and so on?

[dtstrain]

I wasn't asking a trivia question lol. I really don't know :)

[unquietsoul]

I need to convince my local game shop to get this (they've been over doing the MTG stuff for the past year).

[Sylanael]

Welcome Back :)

[salsatheone]

The probability curves of Cortex are actually a good idea for customization in my opinion, but of course it can be looked down on by some gamers interested mostly in number crunch.

[knwiegel]

That's a really good point.

[HighHammerNoob]

I agree

[LifegrindX]

I'm gonna miss that backdrop setting...