Tabletop RPG · since 2020 · #85 most discussed

Cortex

A flexible system that builds dice pools from traits and relationships, used for stories in many genres and tones.

CortexGenericdice poolstep dicetokensstress or sanityclasslessAny lengthNeeds a GM

5.5

Geek rating

From 4 firsthand play reports in 3 r/rpg threads. The threads alone average 5.5.

Player rating— / 10

No visitor ratings yet.

Discussion5.6 / 10

130 r/rpg posts named it, October 2023 to October 2026.

Rules weight

Medium. Hype 4.6 for its age.

Have you played it?

Rate Cortex from 1 to 10. One rating per browser and device; you can change it any time.

Didn't work for usOne of our best

What players say

At the table

Cortex Prime is a modular, dice-pool system where everything is a die size, with Assets, Complications, Stress, Plot Points and SFX. Firsthand play evidence here is thin: four reports across three threads. Treat this as a few tables' experience, not a consensus.

What works

Its modularity suits custom campaigns, which is what one poster wanted from it. (thread)
One long-time GM keeps it manageable by using 4-5 trait sets of 3-5 traits each, plus SFX. (thread)
Rolling only for significant, fiction-shifting actions keeps rolls meaningful, according to the same GM. (thread)
It works well as a convention game with pregenerated characters, and it adapted to a licensed setting (Elite Dangerous). (thread)
One GM's table liked its character focus, character growth and dice-heavy rolling. (thread)

What tables struggle with

Traits are easy to add and pools get large, so one poster found every roll similarly inconsequential. (thread)
The plot point economy felt like a writers' room to a table that wanted to stay in character. Even an experienced GM still wrestles with dice pool and plot point management. (thread)
Player-built characters were too heavy, so one GM moved to pregens. A regular campaign would need custom character sheets. (thread)
PCs escalated fast, with big pools and d12s ending challenges almost immediately. That GM ended a months-long sandbox early. (thread)
Distinct magic types are hard to build, and adding crunch is extra GM work because there are no modifiers. (thread)

Who it suits

GMs willing to trim and tune the build to their own campaign.
One-shots and convention tables running pregens.
Dice-loving groups focused on character over granular mechanics.

In players' words

"ease of adding traits to the dice pool and large dice amounts make every roll feel similarly inconsequential (IMO)" (thread)
"I realized asking players to make characters was crazy and I started to realize I needed to make pregens." (thread)
"the PCs were already rolling with tons of dice and plenty of d12s to make challenges end almost immediately." (thread)

The threads behind it

Each thread is rated for the play it describes, from the firsthand reports in it. Load one here or read it on Reddit.

5.0

Games like Cortex Prime that ARENT Cortex Prime?

The thread is mostly about alternatives to Cortex Prime (GURPS, Fate, Fudge, Savage Worlds, Genesys and others). Only the original poster and one long-time Cortex GM describe actually playing it. The poster found it inconsequential and too author-stance, while the GM has kept running it and tuned around dice pool and plot point friction. 2 firsthand · 33 comments

Open on Reddit

6.0

Dire Wolf will not release the Cortex Prime Spotlights they've been working on for the last two years

The thread is mostly about Dire Wolf and the Kickstarter fulfillment drama, not play. The only firsthand account is one commenter who tried to run an Elite Dangerous game in Cortex Prime: character creation was too heavy for players, but they think it would work well as a convention game with pregens. 1 firsthand · 137 comments

Open on Reddit

6.0

Need help looking for a slightly more crunchy game than Cortex Prime.

The only firsthand play report is the original poster's, who ran one Cortex Prime campaign in a homebrew fantasy world. They love its character focus and dice-heavy feel, but PCs escalated too fast, the sandbox ended early, and the system couldn't make seven magic types feel mechanically different. The rest of the thread is recommendations for other systems (GURPS, Savage Worlds, Genesys and others), which were ignored. 1 firsthand · 48 comments

Open on Reddit