Cortex Prime RPG: Game Handbook Hardcover

I love this game system. I've used it for playing Marvel Superheroes, Victorian-era Monster Hunters, and am currently working on a scifi game. The book might look a little intimidating at first, but don't get scared! Its a very modular system so it presents lots of options of varying amounts of crunch. Once you learn the basics you can practically make this do whatever you want.

Cortex Prime is an incredible effort from designer Cam Banks. This new 2020 edition accomplishes both fusing together the three previous Cortex Plus systems (Smallville, Firefly, etc.) AND also giving common throughlines to the system tools, provide dozens of ways to adapt it to create the type of game you're group is seeking, and updating and smoothing out the rules themselves to be more intuitive.I absolutely LOVE how Cortex Prime is a perfect mix of embracing both a system that is very narrative/roleplay based, retains a nice structure and low-medium level of crunch (more than Fate, maybe comparable to a Genesys), and highly adaptable for each game table. If you want your game to be more D&D/Pathfinder like, it builds in flexibility for that. More Fate or Numenara/Cypher like, it provides toolboxes for that. It's truly flexible, and once you basic foundations are grasped, it becomes very intuitive to play with.Highly recommend this to anyone seeking more narrative based systems with intuitive crunch than only rules-lite!

I have been playing TTRPGs since 1981, I love systems and dice mechanics. This book is one of the first that gives you all the mechanics and several variants and says, use what works for you. With the toolkit provided you can make the game as simple or as crunchy as you like. You can easily cover any genre you want. You can even create new genres. If you are looking for a fully fleshed out world, this is not the book you want. If you are looking for a way to run any world you have source for or you like running a game and like to have control over how crunchy you want it to be, then you will love this book. Before you buy be sure to check out the website for the book. There are some great visuals on the whole process. The book also has a code for the PDF version included in the book. Truly wonderful...I look forward to the other Cortex Prime games.

Can't say enough about Cortex Prime. For the best story driven RPG, Cortex is it. It outshines other story driven RPG's like FATE, Savage Worlds and World of Darkness (the story teller system). At first all the options may seem overwhelming, but once you get the handle of the system frame work, you'll be swapping them in and out as needed for your campaign. You can also easily resurrect old game systems like Ghostbusters, Gamma World and Psi world so easily. The layout is top notch and the art is varied, but all the art is stellar. If you are a fan of story driven RPGs get this now before it's out of print and you are paying through the nose on Ebay, like their old cortex source books such as Leverage, Smallville and Marvel.

I've been gaming since the mid-80s and from the beginning, I started redesigning systems to do what I wanted them to do, rather than what they were designed to do. Many games have been released with systems designed to emulate one thing very well, but they usually lack versatility. Many universal systems were released claiming to be able to play anything, but they always seemed either too rules-heavy or didn't seem to have enough of a framework for my personal taste. This toolkit is finally the perfect balance between universal functionality and a focus on specifics that I always wanted.

Very excited to build multiple worlds in this system. The modular nature lets me create the type of game I want, while the focus on Stress and Traumas (if you choose to use those rules) allows me to build scenarios where a courtroom drama can be just as "deadly" as combat. Love it!

The book suffers heavily from being strictly a system toolkit in desperate need of someone competent to actually do the design and layout. I found the art above average, but it often gets in the way or is overly busy - detracting from the text of the book rather than enhancing it. So good quality, but poor positioning and layout.The author also does a very poor job putting together a coherent thought process. This is not a book you can sit down and play - it is very very much only a system toolkit. To build a great system toolkit you need clear guidance from the author - which means the author has a clear understanding of their audience. This book suffers that it is really best suited to those that have already played a Cortex game. For newcomers it can be a uphill struggle. I had played in a few Cortex game and even I though some of the sections were difficult to get through. I think overall the various Fate Toolkit books do a better job of layout.From a physical product it seems sturdy, the pages thick enough, and the binding looks quality. I think it will hold up over the years, especially given it will not often be references during play - only design.

This is a book that helps you build an RPG system that uses some variation of their core die mechanic. The process is fairly simple and not that labor intensive, but a GM needs to know what kind of system they want for a game and what kind of rules would help with that. The book gives some advice on how to decide this, but this is not for GMs looking for some cool system run. It is for GMs that want to run an RPG with less tactical combat but depth where they want it.