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Cortex Game Interest Check

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IsabellaRose

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My favorite game system is Cortex, or more specifically, the Cortex Drama system originally developed for the Smallville RPG, improved with suggestions in the Cortex Hacker's Guide, and then brought all together in the latest version of the system, Cortex Prime.

I'm considering running a dramatic game centered around a small group of PCs and their connected NPCs set in an 1880s wild west / steampunk / weird science world. Imagine someone combined the works of Jules Verne, Mary Shelley, Edgar Allen Poe, HP Lovecraft, and HG Wells, added in a dash of Nikola Tesla, a pinch of Indiana Jones (without the Crystal Skull nonsense), mixed in Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok, Annie Oakley, Doc Holliday and all the wild west tropes you can imagine, maybe added a bit of mad scientist and supernatural weird west nonsense, and dressed it all up in steampunk finery... and you're looking at the general idea for the setting. There will be over-the-top villains, square-jawed heroes, and buxom babes a plenty. Obviously, given our site, there were be lewd content and a deviation from the more buttoned-down, puritanical ways of the colonial western expansion and Victorian era, and I expect most characters to "get some" on a regular basis. In fact, I intend to add a mechanic that will make it imperative that you keep your honey pot stirred or your wick well dipped regularly in order to keep functioning at your highest level.

I will be adding some rules references in the game ooc discussion thread, and clarifying rules there if necessary, but everyone can check out the rules primer on the Cortex site at https://www.cortexrpg.com/compendium/explore-the-rules

 

If you're interested, reply here and I'll invite you. I'm looking for 3-5 reliable players who won't ghost the game. Normally I expect player drop out from an online game, but the way this system works, there is a Pathways system to setup the game world and it ties elements of the game world inextricable to every PC. If someone drops out or disappears, it can really mess up the flow of the game. So please, only sign up if you're serious and expect to be in it for the long haul.

Oh, we'll also be using another site for the Pathways map, which gets messy and confusing. So if you're leery of using other sites for things, don't sign up.

That's my pitch. I'll understand if no one replies. I'm an evil taskmistress of a GM. 😉

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SataiRolePlayingGuy

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I was one of at least a few people who showed a degree of interest in the general OOC (not sure how many of them will see this), if some of the others do show interest here (people I have enjoyed other non-TT RPs with in the past, along with the chance to maybe do something with you again), I would put myself in the maybe category.  I would put that as a maybe, though, with what I said over there.

1.  Again, I have no experience actually playing anything like this.  Let you judge how much of that is an issue, and how easy it would be for someone like me to be involved.

2. I'm been working myself out of a slow writing phase.  I'm finally starting to pick up again, but still working on that.

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Grand Master

IsabellaRose

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I'll leave this interest thread open for a few days to give everyone a chance to reply and to field any questions. Feel free to tag anyone in you think would be interested. 

Also, as a sort of disclaimer/warning: Cortex is very much a narrative system. It's in the game category that I call a "fiction engine" in that the mechanics support driving conflict and drama and creating a narrative. This is VERY different from the usual D&D style of play, which I think of as "simulation engines" in that the mechanics try to simulate physics, combat, and the physical actions of a character in the world. 

In a narrative style game you won't track hit points or gold pieces, there's no inventory, and player death is rare and usually only happens when the player decides it would be a good way for their character to go out. The game is highly collaborative, and the way I run it, very improvisational. If you looked at the rules primer linked above, you will notice that you can roll a "hitch" which is a bad thing that happens when you don't succeed. Around a table, I'll have all the players toss in ideas for what the hitch is and we generally choose the most entertaining option. On here I might take a bit more of a referee role but if someone suggests a great hitch, I'm likely to use the player suggestions above my own. I will ask for input regularly, because this isn't my story I'm running you through, it's our story we're creating together. You will help create the world when we create characters and also as we play the game.  

I find this to be the most rewarding style of roleplay, but it's not for everyone. My D&D friends stumbled and took some time to wrap their heads around it, and a few bowed out because it wasn't what they wanted from an RPG. You've been warned. It's not a typical RPG, so if you think you wouldn't like a game without HP, Armor Class, and damage rolls, then you probably don't want to sign up.

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inkylore

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1 hour ago, IsabellaRose said:

Also, as a sort of disclaimer/warning: Cortex is very much a narrative system. It's in the game category that I call a "fiction engine" in that the mechanics support driving conflict and drama and creating a narrative. This is VERY different from the usual D&D style of play, which I think of as "simulation engines" in that the mechanics try to simulate physics, combat, and the physical actions of a character in the world. 

 yea i noticed that, i think it makes it less restraining that way...i think i more or less got the gist of it. i just hope the "explore the rules" section will be enough and i won't need to buy the actual book. i do like how more stripped and simpler it is, also how it didn't do the whole drama kid thing where the introduction goes on for pages like it was some school seminar instead of just getting to the point of how to actually play the game as they usually do with rhetorical questions and such. so i definitly think i would like to play this

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IsabellaRose

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6 hours ago, DreamsnThings said:

OH THIS IS HERE! I would be super happy to make a character for this! let me look at the primer

The primer is mostly just "this is how the rules basically work" and lets you know about building dice pools, what plot points are, and the basic "roll and keep" system. I'll be getting together a "system reference" document for the various trait sets I'll be using in this game. You'll build your character, the NPCs, key locations, important groups, etc. concurrently with all the other players during the Pathways system, which I don't believe is outlined in the Primer.

 

4 hours ago, Chiyako said:

I have been pretty busy today so I only just saw this, but I am still interested in it! If Vampires are allowed maybe I'll bring back my mad scientist Vampire for this. That said I am thinking of other ideas as well.

The way this works is, first I define the basics of the world, which I did with very broad strokes up above. Then the players each go around and say "for me, THIS must exist in the world to make this game exciting." We all get to make sure that the elements we want, or elements we do not want, are specifically called out prior to creating the game. Using your example, if you said "I'd like vampires to be in the game," but three other players said, "Vampires would be taking it a step too far for my liking", then we'd have a discussion, see if you would be interested in another type of character, and/or see if the other players would be willing to include vampires.

The idea is to get consensus on the basics of the world that we all agree with. Keep in mind that if you decide to include something like vampires, that gives me as the GM a new playing piece on my board, as well. Yes, I'm the type of GM who loves to infuse things the players come up with into the world and into the enemies they'll face. Anything any of us puts on the table is a toy that anyone around the table (so to speak) can play with. 

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inkylore

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3 hours ago, MagnificentBastard said:

Don't over stretch yourself, either way, you may want to consider one or two GM helpers, (or whatever the Cortex appropriate term is).

game moderators, not a fan of the terminology feels like they're trying to hard to be original

4 hours ago, IsabellaRose said:

Eight interested players... maybe I'll make 2 games of 4 each... hmm...

either your a excellent multitasker or the game for you isn't as prep focus as you made it sound

Grand Master

IsabellaRose

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The prep is all frontloaded and collaborative, so I'm only doing 1/5 of it if there are 4 players. After the Pathways setup, I need a bit of time to setup the world with all the pieces the players created. but then it pretty much runs itself. Dramatic roleplay relies on characters, their motivations, desires, values, relationships, and whatnot, so all I need to know is pretty much which playing pieces are involved and the story will more or less tell itself by the players actions and dice rolls. I'm a very improv GM, and this system really works well with that style.

Usually I'll do an intro/setup post, then let all players post, then post NPC replies as necessary, but I've run games of this online where there are dozens of player posts before I ever have to make one. Those are the best, when the characters are interacting and making their own drama.

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MagnificentBastard

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26 minutes ago, IsabellaRose said:

The prep is all frontloaded and collaborative, so I'm only doing 1/5 of it if there are 4 players. After the Pathways setup, I need a bit of time to setup the world with all the pieces the players created. but then it pretty much runs itself. Dramatic roleplay relies on characters, their motivations, desires, values, relationships, and whatnot, so all I need to know is pretty much which playing pieces are involved and the story will more or less tell itself by the players actions and dice rolls. I'm a very improv GM, and this system really works well with that style.

Usually I'll do an intro/setup post, then let all players post, then post NPC replies as necessary, but I've run games of this online where there are dozens of player posts before I ever have to make one. Those are the best, when the characters are interacting and making their own drama.

Fair enough, if you need help let me know, I believe you will find I have more than enough experience 😉

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IsabellaRose

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7 hours ago, inkylore said:

ive heard that word a couple of times now, is it important for me to know what that is, im not sure the cortex link you sent explained anything about something called the pathway

PATHWAYS

Pathways is an interactive and collaborative setting and character creation process. As you step through the Pathways process, you work with the other players to create a map that shows the connections between player characters, NPCs, places, events, and objects that helps provide the basis of a Cortex Prime game. It’s best to set aside an entire session for it, and it’s intended for use in a long-term game. Pathways is excellent for creating the setting within which the players create their characters.

Each stage in the pathways process can be used to assign some of the points or steps that create a character beyond their starting values. For instance, you begin with a d4 Relationship with each of the other players. If you know you need to assign a total of 9 points to Relationships, and you’re using 9 stages, each player will increase the value of a single Relationship during each stage.

More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Cortex Pathways

Spoiler

Getting Started

Pathways requires the group to have some idea what the game will be about, and each player should have at least a basic character concept. A shared understanding of what you want the game to be is important to ensure that the elements the players pick work with the intended setting and tone. In creating the pathways map, players have a lot of freedom to create or introduce characters, organizations, and situations, so it’s important to be on the same page about what’s suitable for the game.

You’ll need a shared drawing tool.

Player Characters (Rectangles)

First draw a rectangle for each player, and draw lines between each of the rectangles. This is the foundation of your pathways map.

MDcZXpoi_o.jpg

Round Robin Setting Creation

The idea is simple: go around the table taking turns adding ideas to the game’s setting and adding traits to your character until you have the “play area” of your campaign and a set of characters connected to it. If the group finds any created element problematic, you can ask the person who suggested it to change it or come up with something else.

Elements

The pathways map consists of several different kinds of elements. These can be relationships, characters, assets, situations, etc. By themselves, elements don’t concern characters’ actual abilities, though they can imply a whole lot, and in story terms can help reinforce a character’s traits. Some archetypes imply a school that might serve as a location or a mentor who can be a secondary character; membership in an elite organization helps show that the character is in fact an elite.

Connections (Lines)

  • Connections are the links between things, and thus they’re represented by lines between different elements. Each connection should end up with a description written along the length of the line. These descriptions don’t need to be detailed, but they do need to explain what joins the two elements together. A connection might imply the existence of a relationship trait, if your game uses those.
  • Examples: Business rivalry, has a crush on, uses for transportation, has terrible nightmares about

Secondary Characters (Circles)

  • Secondary characters are the people and other actors that take part in the story. These will become important NPCs and can range from valued friends to desperate enemies.
  • Examples: Classmate, Colleague, Lover, Parent, Sibling, Teammate

Situations (Triangles)

  • A situation is an event or potential event that’s important to the character(s) in some way, whether it’s a past event that shapes them, something currently ongoing, or a possible future problem.
  • Examples: Occupation, Pending Invasion, Pogrom, Power Manifestation, Questionable Experiments

Resource (Diamonds)

  • A resource is something in the world connected to the character. Resources connected to your character aren’t necessarily ones they can use. Resources cover plenty of things that could be adversarial to or simply desirable to a character, so make it clear in the connection how the resource relates to your character. There are four different kinds of resource: extras, organizations, props, and locations. They can be used purely as setting creation tools or may be represented as traits on a player’s character file (see “Resources”).
  1. Extras are minor characters that make themselves useful to a character in some way. Unlike secondary characters, relationships with extras are pragmatic. They can be contacts that provide information or services, or just flunkies at a character’s beck and call. Extras can include a group of people, such as a squad of soldiers, who mostly act as one character in the story.
    Examples: Alchemist, Doctor, Gadget Guy, Scholar, Scientist, Security Team, Servant, Soldiers
  2. Organizations are established groups of various kinds. Depending on the scope of your campaign, this could range anywhere from a powerful government to a school club. Think about how your character relates to a given organization.
    Examples: Army, Corporation, Government Agency, Religion, Research Facility, Secret Society, Thieves Guild
  3. A prop is an object of major importance to the story. It’s most likely a MacGuffin in the classic sense—a thing that the characters desire enough that it helps drive conflicts. Props are usually, but not always, signature assets. A prop element doesn’t necessarily mean a character gets to possess some particularly powerful thing. A sword that people would fight wars over might not have the slightest hint of magic if it’s got the right history behind it.
    Examples: Autographed Baseball, Crown Jewels, Legendary Sword, Magical Key, Special Formula, Suitcase Everyone Wants, Vial of the Z Virus, Vitally Important Data Crystal
  4. Locations are places of significance to the characters. A location can be a place they specifically own or control, or just a place that’s somehow significant to their affairs. A team’s secret base, the bar a character owns, and a pizza place where they hang out can all be locations.
    Examples: Bar, Bowling Alley, Café, Mansion, Military Base, Newspaper Office, Restaurant, School, Store

Implied Elements

The pathways map covers most of the major elements that go into the game, but it can’t be truly comprehensive. An organization has leaders and members, characters have other characters around them, locations have any number of people associated with them, and so on. While the map is a very useful tool, it shouldn’t limit what you bring into the game.

Stages

During pathways, players go through a series of stages that represent different periods in the characters’ lives. Different characters’ stages don’t necessarily correlate in time, so a 200-year-old elf and a 2-week-old robot could still go through the same number of stages if it comes to that. Instead, the stages represent more the thrust of their formative experiences and connections. On the other hand, if your game is based around several pivotal events, you could deliberately make each stage correspond to a particular time period.

The number of stages the group goes through determines the complexity of the resulting pathways map and how long it takes to create. Five stages is the minimum. The default pathways table has a suggested default pattern of stages, but of course you can customize it to your tastes. 

During each stage, you will define that part of your characters' life. You will also add one or more of the following items to the Pathways map: Connections, NPCs, Situations, Resources (extras, organizations, props, locations), which can help define things like your Relationships, Values, Distinctions, Signature Assets, Special Abilities, etc.

Default Pathways Table

The default table has nine pre-built stages that form a narrative background. Here are brief descriptions of the stages from the Smallville game.

  1. Origin: Where did you come from? Was your family rich, or ordinary? Was your family blessed with gifts, or just strange? Were you an alien (another planet, another country)?
  2. Youth: What sort of childhood did you have? Were you a jock, a geek, or just average? Were you an outsider among your peers, or a paragon in your community?
  3. Focus: What sort of goals and values were instilled in you as you grew up? Was it money, a good life, or elevated status? Was it a dedication to technology or involvement in the paranormal?
  4. Road: What path did you walk as you emerged from your youth? Was it risky, or on the straight and narrow? Did you tread a lofty road above others, or stay underground and out of sight? Was it a road governed by ethics or a code of honor?
  5. Life-Changing Event: Something changed your life forever. Was it the thrill of advancement, the sting of tragedy, or the manifestation of a hidden power? Did you contact something beyond your ken, or come face to face with your destiny?
  6. Priority: What goals do you set above all others? Friends and family or hard work? Moving forward in your life, looking back at your achievements, or concentrating on your own performance?
  7. Modus Operandi: How do you achieve your goals? Do you stay loyal, engage in shady business, or go against the grain? Do you rely on outside channels, or your own special gifts?
  8. Motivation: What keeps you going? Is it other people, yourself, or a cause that’s bigger than you? Is it your job, whatever that is, or the world around you?
  9. Identity: Where do you see yourself in the unfolding drama of your life? Are you the sidekick, or the foil to others? Are you the rebel of the group, the specialist who does one thing really well, or are you the hero of the piece?
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inkylore

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3 hours ago, IsabellaRose said:

More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Cortex Pathways

it was helpful all the same... i only hope i won't have to put that level of effort into what my characters goal and calling in life will be...my characters have always been more of a in the moment type thing... rather then knowing exactly what they want the end goal to be

Grand Master

IsabellaRose

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2 hours ago, inkylore said:

it was helpful all the same... i only hope i won't have to put that level of effort into what my characters goal and calling in life will be...my characters have always been more of a in the moment type thing... rather then knowing exactly what they want the end goal to be

In the original Smallville game where the system was created, you pick from five choices at each step in the process that give you different options of what you get to add to your character. This was how you would create a Clark Kent/Superman character with an alien origin and super powers or a Lana Lang character with a mundane origin on Earth and no super powers.

For instance, the "Priority" step of Pathways (which lists your life goals above) gave you options to choose your Priority from: Friends & Family, Work, Moving Forward, Looking Back, Performance. If we were using the default steps, I'd suggest Moving Forward for someone without a concrete goal. You're just trying to get through this moment and on to the next thing, no matter how it happens. 

One of the big things about this game, though, is creating characters who are already tied to all the other characters, who are invested in each other for good or evil, and who care about what happens to each other. You will have a Relationship rating with every other character, and a statement describing your relationship to them. One of your Relationship ratings will be used in every single roll you make, as everything that happens in the game should be dramatically relevant to at least one relationship. You can be a loner without concrete goals, but you'll still have a relationship with all the other players, even if that relationship is defined as "d8 Robert - Robert needs to leave me alone and let me do what I want." When Robert gets in your way or even just tries to talk to you and a conflict arises, you would roll your d8 from that relationship (plus other dice) to affect the narrative.

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