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Cortex Prime: Using The Doom Pool For Opposition

I’ve seen some discussion regarding the doom pool regarding using it for all contests and tests, and figured it would be useful to share different ways it can be done. Using the doom pool this way can streamline running Cortex quite a bit, but it’s not quite as simple as, “Just roll the doom pool for everything”. It takes a tweak or two to how the doom pool is used, and a bit more of a drastic…

So Busy…

I’ve been meaning to continue updating regularly… and I have a lot to write about, that’s for sure. It’s just things have been really busy. The project I’m one of the leads on at work is gaining more and more attention (and importance) – and we’re heading into the last six weeks before delivery. I finished the draft of my Cortex confab entry. I’ve also been prepping for a Blades in the Dark game…

I’ve missed a few posts, between being busy with work, chugging along with Cortex Tribe 8, and also working on my Cortex confab entry (which I’ll likely be talking about in my next post).

On RPG.Net there’s been a discussion about “scene editing” metacurrency, and the scene in Zootopia where Hopps and Nick are taken to Mr. Bigg was brought up. The example was predicated on the PCs already…

Fun Card Decks That Can Improve Your Games

Going all the way back to Torg’s Drama Deck (and maybe earlier) I’ve always like the idea of using cards with role playing games. I usually only have them for drawing inspiration from when prepping or if I need a little jump start creatively in play. For character generation, they’re amazing – especially when paired with other methods like lifepaths, relationship maps, or something like Cortex’s…

The mods and options presented in Cortex Prime are probably more than sufficient to most system hackers busy. Occasionally though someone is going to get the urge to venture into the weeds to make foundational changes. Good examples of this is handling complications from hitches, and what you can do with opportunities. Even if these changes seem innocuous, they can have a big impact on game play.

Cycle Maps, Part 2The first thing that becomes evident is there's a lot going on between two PCs (the Herite, Cara, and Raleigh the Jacker) and two GMCs (Joanite Watch Captain Jen Luther'on and Tera Sheban Judge Ariel Dan'on).

As I mentioned in my last post, Backstory Cardsare a great tool for helping generate connections between the PCs and the setting. Each player takes turns drawing cards and answering the prompts on them. A setting grid with four groups – individuals, groups, places, and events – provides elements that can be connected to when answering the prompts. The groups align pretty well to the elements that…

Most people who have heard about Cortex have likely heard of Smallville's relationship maps. Those relationship maps have been carried over into Cortex Prime as an option, as part of what's called Pathways.

Relationship maps are probably one of the well know features of Cortex games (specifically Smallville). They’ve been carried over into Cortex Prime as a character creation mod, as part of what’s called Pathways. Pathways overall is an awesome process for stepping through the character creation process, generating relationships, locations, and supporting GMCs. It’s very flexible and extensible,…

I've always tended toward running GMCs light and loose in my games. A lot of times my notes for a GMC in Silhouette Tribe 8 would look something like Joanite Watch 2d/+1 Fighting/DM x12.

I’ve always tended toward running GMCs light and loose in my games. A lot of times my notes for a GMC in Silhouette Tribe 8 would look something like Joanite Watch 2d/+1 Fighting/DM x12. I’d have Mekton GMCs statted up with basically a combination of their skill and stat, like Pilot +15. Part of this is because, for me at least, running RPGs is very mentally tiring so I take steps to try to…

This isn't my first rodeo adapting Tribe 8 to other systems. I'm betting I have posts on it elsewhere, but in short I've moved from The Shadows of Yesterday (which I never actually ran) to largely Fate-oriented games.

This isn’t my first rodeo adapting Tribe 8 to other systems. I’m betting I have posts on it elsewhere, but in short I’ve moved from The Shadows of Yesterday (which I never actually ran) to largely Fate-oriented games: Spirit of the Century, Strands of Fate, and of course Fate Core. The intent from the beginning has been to bring something more to playing and telling stories in Vimary – deeper…

Expanding on the example from my last post, I've done a bit of thinking as to how the milestone trait and pool might work.

Expanding on the example from my last post, I’ve done a bit of thinking as to how the milestone trait and pool might work.

First, we have the milestone trait itself. It’s a lot like a distinction statement, with a die rating: Build a Settlement d4. Thestatement defines very clearly what the milestone does: a settlement is being built. The rating defines how far along the milestone is – not…

If you’re not familiar with the Aesop fable The Crow and the Pitcher, a thirsty crow finds a pitcher with water in it. It can’t reach the water in it with its beak, and it can’t tip over the pitcher. So it drops stones into the pitcher to raise the water level until it can reach it. Interesting random fact: this is actually a proven behavior among corvidsand other birds. They’ve even been…

Cortexifying the Tribe 8 Metaplot

If you’re not familiar, Tribe 8 had a lot to love and hate about it. It was a golden example of a 90s RPG. It had a dense setting, splatbooks, and a multi-volume metaplot. The metaplot was as much a work of fiction as a campaign, with its secrets and direction revealed incrementally with each new release – including those GMing it. Even sourcebooks covering basic setting information, such as…

It's Been A Year?!

Decided I wanted to write a blog post, and realized it’s been an entire year since my last post. So instead, maybe a little review?

Early last year, I got a fool notion in my head that it might be possible to reboot the Tribe 8 rpg. I made some calls, posted some posts, and ran a little survey to see if more than five people even cared. The results were encouraging, and it looked like it would…

Tribe 8 Cortex Dev Rules Summary

Tribe 8 Cortex Dev Rules Summary

Characters

Trait Sets

Distinctions

Specialties

Resources

Signature Assets

Assets & Complications

Assets

Complications

Dice

Spoilers

Effect Dice

Botches

Opportunities

Heroic Success

Entropy Pool As Plot Points

Tests and Contests

Giving In

Taken Out

Escalating Contests

Action Order

Interference

Assists

Player Dice Options

d4 Distinction

Challenging…

Found Some Hidden Treasure

I reinstalled Evernote on my phone last night to take a look at its ability to search handwriting in an image and I discovered a note from several years ago regarding the magic system for my setting. It’s kind of a testament to how my brain latches on to concepts and recycles them without me remembering it, but there are some additional cool concepts in there I’d only half-remembered. I’m…