Now most commonly referred to as "Cortex Classic," the Cortex System is a generic RPG system based on the ''Sovereign Stone'' role-playing game system,, and was developed by

Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. is a games publisher located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States and founded in 2004 after Margaret Weis and Don Perrin, the two founders of Sovereign Press, divorced. Games Margaret Weis Productions is p ...

for the ''

Serenity Role Playing Game The ''Serenity Role Playing Game'' is a science fiction role-playing game released in 2005 and set in the universe of the movie '' Serenity''. It was produced by Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd, and its mechanics were the first iteration of t ...

''. It was subsequently used for their licensed ''

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...

'' and ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

'' RPGs, and brought out as a stand-alone system in the '' Cortex System Role Playing Game'' book (also called the ''Cortex Classic System Role Playing Game''). Serenity, using the Cortex System, was the 2005 Origins Award Gamer's Choice Role Playing Game of the Year.RPG Geek Serenity RPG page
/ref> In 2010, the

Cortex Plus The Cortex Plus System is a toolkit RPG system that evolved from Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd's Cortex System. It has been used for four published games and one published preview to date, and the design principles are in the ''Cortex Plus Hack ...

system, which evolved from the Cortex System, was released. Despite the similar name, the Cortex System is different from the

system, also produced by Margaret Weis Productions.

The basic system

The system uses

dice Dice (singular die or dice) are small, throwable objects with marked sides that can rest in multiple positions. They are used for generating random values, commonly as part of tabletop games, including dice games, board games, role-playing g ...

with 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 sides, described with the standard role-playing game notation of d2, d4, d6, d8, and so on, and the basic resolution system involves adding up the total on all your relevant dice and comparing it to a static target number. The three parts of your

dice pool In some role-playing game (RPG) systems, the dice pool is the number of dice that a player is allowed to roll when attempting to perform a certain action. Mechanics In many RPG systems, non-trivial actions often require dice rolls. Some RPGs ro ...

are your relevant Attributes (Agility, Strength, Vitality, Alertness, Intelligence, and Willpower) which range from d4 to d12+d4, your relevant Skill (from a list of 22) which range from 0 to d12, and any relevant Assets (positive character traits) or Complications (negative traits). Situational advantages can be represented either by changing the target difficulty number or increasing or reducing the number of faces on the dice rolled. The ''Cortex System'' also uses Plot Points, which increase characters' survivability and give players greater control over events in the game. Players can spend Plot Points to gain extra dice when making a die roll, reduce the damage from an attack, or even make changes to the storyline. Some Assets also require the expenditure of Plot Points. At the end of a game session, excess Plot Points are converted to Advancement Points, which a player spends to improve his or her character's abilities.

Character creation

The game uses a point-buy system with a default initial spread between attributes, skills, and traits (the collective name for advantages and complications) based on the intended power level of the game. This is similar to the siloed point buy and special abilities and character flaws used in a variety of other role-playing games, such as Merits and Flaws in White Wolf Publishing's original ''

World of Darkness ''World of Darkness'' is a series of tabletop role-playing games, originally created by Mark Rein-Hagen for White Wolf Publishing. It began as an annual line of five games in 1991–1995, with '' Vampire: The Masquerade'', '' Werewolf: The Apoca ...

'', Qualities and Drawbacks in Eden Unisystem, and Edges and Hindrances in Pinnacle Entertainment's ''

Deadlands ''Deadlands'' is a genre-mixing alternate history role-playing game which combines the Western and horror genres, with some steampunk elements. The original game was written by Shane Lacy Hensley and published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group i ...

'' and '' Savage Worlds'' games (to which the Serenity system bears a strong resemblance).

Published games using the Cortex System

* ''

'' (2005) * '' Battlestar Galactica Role Playing Game'' (2007) * '' Demon Hunters Role Playing Game'' (2008) * '' Cortex System Role Playing Game'' * '' Supernatural Role Playing Game'' (2009)

Reception

The initial reception to the Cortex System was good, with the ''Serenity Role Playing Game'' winning the 2005 Origins Award for Gamer's Choice: Best Roleplaying Game of the Year.2005 Origins Awards
The '' Battlestar Galactica Role Playing Game'' gained praise from

SF Weekly ''SF Weekly'' was a free alternative weekly newspaper founded in the 1970s in San Francisco, California. It was distributed every Thursday, and was published by the San Francisco Print Media Company. The paper has won national journalism awards, ...

for the Plot Point mechanisms and the way they reproduced the all-or-nothing moments of the ''

'' series.SF Weekly review of Battlestar Galactica
/ref> The Journal of Transformative Works said that the system itself could be considered transformative given that the rules were meant to evolve through play sessions.Book Review: Supernatural role playing game, by Jamie Chambers
- the Journal of Transformative Works By the time of the ''

Smallville Roleplaying Game The ''Smallville Roleplaying Game'' is a superhero-themed role-playing game published in 2010 by Margaret Weis Productions, and is set in the universe of the television series ''Smallville''. The ''Smallville Roleplaying Game'' was the first of ...

'' (2010), RPGamer commented that "Smallville does something rare in a licensed game: not only does it deliver an experience that captures the feel of the original, but also comes up with a set of mechanics that create an entirely new dynamic for roleplaying."

References

{{RPG systems , state=expanded Margaret Weis Productions games Role-playing game systems Universal role-playing games