Cortex-Other Supporters?

[Riverdance]

I have recently acquired the book for the Cortex RPG system. It's the same system as serenity but open to any campaign setting you care to create. The system itself is incredibly smooth and applicable to settings from high-fantasy to post-apocalyptic and sci-fi. Have you had success with it? What kind of game did you play, how did it go? Fond memories or glitch warnings?

[eggs]

My first exposure was Serenity. It was not a positive experience. No one in the group was familiar enough with the system to identify the places where it breaks down, and the system itself was still rough enough to be generally dysfunctional (when two players rolled the same initiative, we actually discarded the rules in favor of rock-paper-scissors to determine the outcome of a particular gunfight).

Since then, I've used the revised system in a campaign based on the Continuum rpg's fiction (its system is kind of unwieldy). I was a bit reluctant to use it after my first experience, but some of the biggest problems were fixed (experience, initiative) and the group had a pretty good idea of where the system broke down (ie. group combat), so the game worked smoothly enough. The thing that surprised me was that the conflict resolution system's huge reward for cooperation shifted the focus of the game from doing stuff to the game environment (which was either a binary "impossible" for solo tasks, or "cakewalk" for cooperative tasks) to negotiating within the group. The campaign ended when wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey hijinks put our group into a fight against our past selves, who the GM had use the same system-abusing tactics that we had when we'd previously entered that fight (from the other side). We were party-wiped almost immediately.

The Smallville system is the version I've used the most. Its packaging is almost obtrusively fiction-specific, but the system is really neat for relationship-driven mechanics (kind of like Dogs in the Vineyard's basic mentality, but with Cortex's nifty mechanics engine). I've used it for a few things unrelated to superheroes (a cheesy Lucha Libre-themed game and a more fleshed-out game of Badass Presidents (http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/badass-presidents)), and the system worked pretty well.

The best game I used Smallville for was about a support group for superheroes who couldn't stop heroing while the world was being invaded by alien dinosaurs. By the end, the characters had either kicked their addictions to heroics or been eaten by the dinosaurs that had enslaved the planet. So they won. Sort of. :smalltongue:

Overall, I've had the best experiences with the system when using it for something light, character-driven and roleplay-focused and the worst experiences with the system when I tried to use it as a Savage Worlds clone (which it totally looks like) or for traditional players-versus-environment sorts of games.

If you're looking for "glitches," the biggest flaws aren't exactly secrets:
If two or more characters focus fire in group combat, their target will die. End stop.
If a player tries to do something on their own - even something their character is supposedly good at - they will fail, unless they hemorrhage plot points. In earlier versions of the game, this meant characters basically wouldn't advance, ever.
If a player tries to do something with a group - even a group of characters that are unremarkable at a task - they will succeed.

[Hybban]

I'm in love with the Cortex system, since the first version of Sovereign Stone (before it became a d20 game). I like the pool of different dice (but I also am a big fan of Earthdawn).
There are two lines of Cortex product:
- The Cortex one (obviously) with the Generic system book you bought, and in order of appearance (and refinery) Serenity, BSG, Demon-Hunter, Supernatural. There is also a Castlemourn Quick start that was released for Free RPG Day (2008 IIRC). Supernatural is just a great contemporary-occult-action game. The supplements are also really good.
- The Cortex + one with Smallville (rules to play relation-driven drama), Leverage (rules to play heist-based drama) and now Marvel Heroic RPG (rules to... No, I'm sure you got that one).

The Sovereign Stone game I mentioned earlier is basically a draft of the Cortex System. The ideas are there, but it's slightly different (esp. skills and character creation rules). But I loved it!

Edit: I forgot a non-licensed-based Cortex + game that could be released this year (the quickstart is available on RPGnow/DTRPG): Dragon Brigade. Med-fan with big dragons meets musketeers and flying ships. Sounds just awesome.

[chaotician375]

I love cortex, the ability to do literally whatever you want as a character and gm is amazing. I ran a cortex game for a while that was amazing (at least thats what the players said). The setting was able to evolve so well with the players actions, because the system allows for such on the fly customization.

EX: While on their airship, the party was attacked by a warrior clad in dark full plate armor with a hideous visage adorning its face. After bluffing it back through its portal, one of the players called it the "Ghost-Faced Killer" :smallannoyed: and thus was born the legend of the Ghost-Faced Killer, a mystical warrior who would mysteriously bored airships in mid flight, kill the crew and steal away with the ship and treasure. Had a character sheet for their first recurring villian in less than 5 min.

On that note Character creation is so easy. With one book and 4 players it only took an hour an a half or so. (point of reference, our latest D&D game took almost 3 hours with multiple experienced players and books).

[Riverdance]

Overall, I've had the best experiences with the system when using it for something light, character-driven and roleplay-focused and the worst experiences with the system when I tried to use it as a Savage Worlds clone (which it totally looks like) or for traditional players-versus-environment sorts of games.

If you're looking for "glitches," the biggest flaws aren't exactly secrets:
If two or more characters focus fire in group combat, their target will die. End stop.
If a player tries to do something on their own - even something their character is supposedly good at - they will fail, unless they hemorrhage plot points. In earlier versions of the game, this meant characters basically wouldn't advance, ever.
If a player tries to do something with a group - even a group of characters that are unremarkable at a task - they will succeed.

Useful, thanks. :smalltongue: