Cortex Prime: A Multi-Genre Modular Roleplaying Game
Created by Cam Banks
Didn't get a chance to back the Cortex Prime project on Kickstarter? Pre-order the books here!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
JULY: Digital Tools & Spotlight Volumes... Oh my!
over 2 years ago
– Fri, Jul 30, 2021 at 10:49:11 PM
Hello there, Cortex Prime backers!
Another month has somehow passed (I believe in the veracity of time less and less each day) and we’ve got a new Cortex Kickstarter update!
Early Access Prime Digital Tools
Just last week as a part of the celebration around Comic-Con at Home, we released a swath of new and exciting content for Tales of Xadia: The Dragon Prince Roleplaying Game, including the first public beta for digital tools! Our development team has been working long and hard on this, and if you ask me I think it’s pretty darn exciting!
Any pre-order purchaser of Tales of Xadia has been sent a digital code they can use to redeem their pre-order and unlock access to the early access tools, which will be updated and improved upon as we move closer to the full release of the game!
Even if you aren’t a Tales of Xadia fan, these tools are a great sign of what’s to come. The team has designed and developed the toolset with the goal of making it modular: the work being done for Tales of Xadia will contribute to the digital tools for all Cortex Prime games.
As tool development continues, you can bet I’ll provide you all with updates!
Spotlight Volumes: Preview
A part of our Kickstarter stretch goals was a set of five volumes of original Cortex Prime Spotlight settings, designed by a wide range of authors. I’m incredibly excited to get to share your first look at one of these Spotlight settings!
While still a work in progress, here’s a preview of Citizen Swords Against the Ogre King by Josh Roby.
A two page spread of 'Citizen Swords Against the Ogre King" by Josh Josh Roby from spotlight volume one. FPO by Tithi Luadthong. Design not final, work in progress.
Work continues on this, and other Spotlight settings. I’ll share more updates in the coming months as the team continues their hard work on these volumes.
Tales of Xadia: The Dragon Prince Roleplaying Game
While I already dove into the exciting details relating to our digital toolset launch for Tales of Xadia, that’s not all we released last week—we also launched a full, free tale for the game. It can be played as a sequel to the original intro Tale of the Lost Oasis, or as a standalone tale: discover The Gloaming Glade!
For fans of The Dragon Prince, The Tale of the Gloaming Glade introduces never-before-seen locations, characters, creatures, and lore to expand the world from the show. For absolutely everyone: it’s a full tale with diplomacy, action, hijinks, and more!
One of my favorite things about the Cortex community is how creative everyone is. The amount of exciting new settings you all create every day is mind-boggling! That’s why last year Josh Roby and I started the Cortex Creator Confab, an event centered around creating a new setting in a set amount of time, working with fellow creators to generate new ideas, and providing feedback to one another. We ran two last year, with great results, and this year I amped it up to eleven for the third Cortex Creator Confab!
It doesn’t just stop there, though! We still have playtesting going on in our Discord, which means if you want to play some Cortex, there are games and groups that are ready to take you on! Come and check out the Discord and head over to #cortex-confab-play to find out what games are currently seeking players.
Streaming & Events
Our weekly streamed shows continue for those with an interest in even more Cortex Prime content:
Role & Keep is currently playing through the newest Tales of Xadia: The Dragon Prince Roleplaying Game tale! Every Thursday on Twitch at 3pm PT, you can join me as I narrate this tale for a stellar cast, including Cam Banks, Aliza Pearl, Michael Galvis, Amy Dallen, and Trisha Hershberger. The Twitch VOD is available immediately, and the YouTube VOD goes up on Mondays. You can catch episode one right here.
We don’t just play games, though! Through June and July we also had six episodes dedicated to setting building, called Cortex Clinic. Check out what we made:
Cortex Prime Time is our weekly news and Q&A show, where Cam Banks and I give updates on Cortex Prime, do a deep dive into a particular rule or setting, and answer chat questions. The show is live on Twitch every Wednesday at 3pm PT, with the VOD available immediately on Twitch!
That’s all for now!
That closes us out for July! Next month I’ll be back with more updates on what the team is working on, which I can’t wait to share with you all. Come and hang out with us on the Discord in the meantime: Find some folks to play with, and maybe share what you’ve created. We’d love to have you.
~ Mellie Doucette
June: Cortex Codex First Look and More!
almost 3 years ago
– Fri, Jun 25, 2021 at 10:04:46 PM
Hello there, Cortex Prime backers!
Mellie Doucette here, and it’s time for our monthly Cortex Prime update!
The Cortex Codex
The Cortex Codex (formerly known as the System Reference) will be the encyclopedia of rules from Cortex Prime.
As mentioned in the last update, our editorial team is hard at work on organizing and preparing this for you all, and that work continues. That said, I’m very happy to be able to show you all your first preview of what you can expect from The Cortex Codex when it releases:
The Cortex Codex is planned to be something of a living document. When we release new Cortex Prime settings, such as Tales of Xadia or the many Spotlight settings coming from this Kickstarter’s stretch goals, The Cortex Codex will be updated to include new rules and mods from those settings.
Those of you receiving the initial printed version, one of our goals is to present the content in a way that makes it easy to add new rules and mods to best allow you to keep your version organized the way you like!
Community License
We’ve discussed in prior updates that the Cortex Creator Studio is our long-term plan for supporting the creator community for Cortex. The Cortex Creator Studio will be THE home for Spotlight settings, new mods, and ready-to-run adventures, tales, or stories for existing Spotlight settings. Creators will be able to derive income from their games made using Cortex, while retaining ownership of their original IP. We’re extremely excited about the potential of the Creator Studio... But we also know that it’s not quite ready.
We recognize that creators have, are, and will continue to make exciting, cool content using the system, and that questions about licensing and ways in which you can share that content are common. So I’m very pleased to say that, while our team continues progress on the Creator Studio down multiple lanes, we will be releasing a community license this summer. I’ll have more information to share in my next updates!
Spotlight Volumes
Progress on these five Spotlight Volumes continues! I don’t have a huge update on these this time around, however I’ve got one bit of news: Backers who supported at the Prime Spotlight Character Creator tier will be receiving an e-mail from me before the next Kickstarter update to start working on your characters! These characters will have their statistics and original artwork presented with their Spotlight, similar to the characters in the Cortex Prime Game Handbook pages 220-227.
Progress on Tales of Xadia continues! If you missed the last update: You can find the free rules primer, an intro tale (adventure), and 12 pre-generated characters at TalesOfXadia.com, where you can also pre-order a digital or physical edition (which includes digital access!).
Next week our e-mail newsletter will include a first look at something extra special (oh how I wish I could say more! The newsletter goes out on Tuesdays.) If you’re curious, you can sign-up for the newsletter at the website.
This past month, the first trailer for MOTU: Revelation was released, which was the first look at the new Netflix series centering on the Masters Multiverse. It definitely got us more excited about our upcoming game!
We have no release date to share at this time, but Legends of Grayskull is currently projected for a 2022 release, and we plan to precede it with an all-the-bells-and-whistles playtest period like we had for Tales of Xadia. Next time I have an update on Legends of Grayskull, I’ll be sure to update you!
Streaming & Events
Our weekly streamed shows continue for those with an interest in even more Cortex Prime content:
Role & Keep isn’t just a weekly liveplay show anymore! Every Thursday on Twitch at 3pm PT, we have a show where we either show the game being played OR we have a special guest showing how the system can be used to create a new game. The Twitch VOD is available immediately, and the YouTube VOD goes up on Mondays.
Cortex Prime Time is our weekly news and Q&A show, where Cam Banks and I give updates on Cortex Prime, do a deep dive into a particular rule or setting, and answer chat questions. The show is live on Twitch every Wednesday at 3pm PT, with the VOD available immediately on Twitch!
Tales of Xadia AMA. This July, we’re heading over to The Dragon Prince Reddit for a special AMA with Narrative Lead Dan Telfer! If you’ve got questions about what it’s like developing new narrative content for The Dragon Prince, working with Wonderstorm, or his role with Cortex Prime as a Narrative Lead, this is a great opportunity to get those questions answered. We'll be announcing the official date on our Twitter, so keep an eye out!
End Transmission
That covers us for June! I’ll be back here in July to give you all another update, but until then: What type of setting/genre do you really want to play in Cortex Prime, that you haven’t already? I want to know! (Psst: Mine is anything about witches. I’m a simple Mellie.)
~ Mellie Doucette
MAY: Update on the Cortex Universe
almost 3 years ago
– Sun, May 30, 2021 at 05:56:15 AM
Hello there, Cortex Prime backers!
My name is Mellie Doucette, and I’m the Community Manager for Cortex Roleplaying. Starting today, I’ll be providing you with monthly updates on what’s happening in the world of Cortex.
First off, I want to thank every one of you for your feedback on our communication with this Kickstarter. Though we have more frequent communication channels for non-KS news, we can see from your comments two things:
You’d like to get non-KS specific updates on what’s happening with the game system, and
Not all of you want to expand into our Discord, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram for information.
Keeping your feedback in mind, we’ll continue these monthly updates until all of the rewards from this Kickstarter have been fulfilled… So I hope you don’t mind me sticking around! ;)
Now, onto the updates!
System Reference
The System Reference (AKA: The Cortex Codex) will be an encyclopedia of rules from Cortex Prime. Many backers chose the reward tier to receive a printed version, and we’ll also be supplying a PDF!
Following the KS release, The Cortex Codex will live on CortexRPG.com. Like the Cortex Prime Game Handbook, there will be an amazing, fully web-optimized version that will allow for searching, and tool-tips. As the Cortex Codex is updated to contain new mods and rules from new games and Spotlight settings, CortexRPG.com is where you’ll be able to access them!
The Cortex Codex will be central to new Spotlight settings, whether they’re ones you create for your own tables or third party Cortex Creator Studio projects, so we’re very excited to get it ready for its prime debut. Our esteemed editor Amanda Valentine continues to make progress, and I’ll share an update again next month on where we stand!
Tales of Xadia: The Dragon Prince RPG
Tales of Xadia is the first licensed game coming for Cortex Prime, and it’s set in the world of The Dragon Prince by Wonderstorm, which you can watch on Netflix right now!
Though the release date of the game has not yet been announced, it’s been confirmed to release this year, in 2021. But you don’t have to wait until it’s released! You can find the free rules primer, an intro tale (adventure), and pre-generated characters at TalesOfXadia.com, where you can also pre-order a digital or physical edition (which includes digital access!).
We’re incredibly excited about this game, as all of us on the team are big fans of The Dragon Prince, and the show’s community has been so wonderful and accepting of us joining the family.
Spotlight Volumes
The Spotlight Volumes, which are five sets of new Spotlight settings Primed with Cortex, are in the editorial pipeline! Sally Christensen, who has joined our editorial team to work with Amanda Valentine, is hard at work on these volumes as well.
Also tied into the current stage of development for these volumes is art and layout. As a part of their editorial, Amanda and Sally are building initial art notes for Tina Lam Collier, the art director and layout designer for Cortex Prime. Tina will be working on getting the right artists for the right Spotlights to really bring them to life in their final form. You’ll see some familiar names from the Cortex Prime Game Handbook, such as Lenka Šimečková! We’re excited to work with these incredible artists once more.
Want a bit of a preview? One of the Spotlights from the first volume is Stranger Towns, which was designed by Kira Magrann. We’re using this setting in our streamed Role & Keep show’s current season! Speaking of which…
Streaming & Events
We have two weekly streamed shows that you can check out for even more Cortex Prime content!
Role & Keep is our weekly liveplay show that airs Thursdays on Twitch at 3pm PT. The Twitch VOD is available immediately, and the YouTube VOD goes up on Mondays.
On Role & Keep, we play different Cortex Spotlight settings each season, and rotate GMs! Currently, we’re playing Stranger Towns from Spotlight Vol. I, by Kira Magrann. You can catch Episodes 1 & 2 on YouTube, and tune in live on Twitch for Episodes 3 & 4 on June 3rd and 10th! GM: Vanessa Guerrero. Players: Aliza Pearl, Amy Dallen, Cam Banks, and Mellie Doucette.
If Stranger Towns isn’t your cup of tea, we have past seasons that might strike your fancy:
Hammerheads (6 Episodes) - Using the Spotlight setting from the Cortex Prime Game Handbook. GM: Cam Banks. Players: Adam Bradford, Aliza Pearl, Joe Starr, Mellie Doucette, and Vanessa Guerrero.
Tales of Xadia: The Dragon Prince RPG(6 Episodes) - Using the free rules primer and intro tale, The Lost Oasis. GM: Joe Starr. Players: Aliza Pearl, Cam Banks, Mellie Doucette, and Vanessa Guerrero
Eidolon Alpha (6 Episodes) - Using the Spotlight setting from the Cortex Prime Game Handbook. GM: Mellie Doucette. Players: Aliza Pearl, Cam Banks, Joe Starr, and Vanessa Guerrero.
Tales of Xadia: The Dragon Prince RPG (4 Episodes) - Playing an original, non-canon tale in partnership with High Rollers. GM: Mellie Doucette. Players: Aliza Pearl, Kim Richards, Rhi Gower, Tom Hazell, and Vanessa Guerrero.
Cortex Prime Time is our weekly news and Q&A show, where Cam Banks and I give updates on Cortex Prime, do a deep dive into a particular rule or setting, and answer chat questions. The show is live on Twitch every Wednesday at 3pm PT, with the VOD being available immediately.
Tales of Xadia AMA! This Sunday, May 30th at 5pm PT, we’re hosting an AMA in our Discord with Cortex Prime and Tales of Xadia Art Director Tina Lam Collier, and Tales of Xadia character designer Hanna Hofer. The AMA will also include a reveal of the last new playable character being released for the game!
That wraps us up for this month’s update! I’ll be back in June to provide you all with the latest information. Until then, I’ve just got to know: Have you been playing or running a Cortex Prime game? In the comments, tell me about what you’ve been getting to the table (virtual or otherwise)!
~ Mellie Doucette
DECEMBER: System Reference and Streaming
over 3 years ago
– Wed, Dec 02, 2020 at 09:55:25 PM
Ahoy ahoy, Cortex-Philes!
This month I’m sharing a few updates about the progress of the Kickstarter campaign’s rewards and some exciting news about Cortex streams on Twitch and YouTube.
System Reference
You’ve heard me talking about this for a while now. It’s coming together under Amanda’s editorial knife, and once we’re happy with the document we’ll share it with backers again before it goes into layout. Essentially, the System Reference is an encyclopedia of rules from Cortex Prime, arranged alphabetically and with copious crosslinks and references so you can find everything you need to know about plot points, action order, scene types, and traits without having to flip through the Game Handbook’s chapters.
The System Reference will live on CortexRPG.com, but many backers are also getting printed versions of it, and a PDF will also be available, too. Over time, we expect to add more entries to the System Reference as Cortex games are released, so that if you like a cool new mod from one of our licensed games, you should see it appear in the System Reference.
The System Reference also serves as the basis for any third party Cortex Creator Studio projects. It has no spotlights or examples or GM guidance, but it does have any and all essential rules and procedures in plain language for when you’re designing your own hacks, putting together your own Cortex builds, or even playing the game at the table (virtual or not).
Live Streams!
We’re excited to launch two new Cortex Prime live stream shows this week. They’ll be available on Twitch.tv/FandomTabletop and VOD on Twitch and Fandom Tabletop’s YouTube account in the days following.
Cortex Prime Time is our weekly news and updates stream, hosted by Adam Bradford and myself. We’ll take questions and give you the latest news on what’s happening in all things Cortex.
Role & Keep is our weekly Cortex RPG live stream, where Aliza Pearl, Vanessa Guerrero, Joe Starr, and Mellie Doucette join Adam and I for two hours of Cortex gameplay. We’ll switch up GMs from time to time as well, though I’m heading up the first story arc with Hammerheads.
We hope you’ll tune in and see us!
Peace,
Cam and the Cortex Production Crew
NOVEMBER: Service and Support Update
over 3 years ago
– Thu, Nov 05, 2020 at 12:01:35 AM
Ahoy ahoy, Cortex-Philes!
The Cortex Prime Game Handbook is on its way to backers at this point, so this is an update on the overall progress of Cortex Prime and some pointers if you’re running into some issues.
Damaged or Missing Books
We’ve set up a customer service link for folks who’ve been reporting that their shipment has arrived damaged, or is entirely missing (says it’s been delivered but it hasn’t). That link should take you to a form to complete. It’s helpful if you can take photos and provide us with a description of the problem, and you also need to make sure you include your Kickstarter info (or BackerKit if you joined the campaign there).
Rules Questions
Got some questions about the rules or trying to figure out what the difference is between relationships, resources, and reputations? Join us on the Discord and become a part of the growing community of Cortex fans! The official Cortex Discord is moderated by Fandom and enthusiastic volunteers and you’ll even see me, Adam, and other members of the creative team there. We have channels to discuss rules, Cortex game builds, actual play, and give feedback.
What’s Next?
We’re working hard on the two licensed games due in 2021: Tales of Xadia, based on Wonderstorm’s The Dragon Prince show on Netflix, and Legends of Grayskull, based on Mattel’s Masters of the Universe. But we’re also chugging along on the additional Kickstarter rewards!
The System Reference is Amanda Valentine’s current project and she’s doing extensive edits and structural revisions to make the full suite of Cortex Prime accessible and easy to look up. Think of it more like a “rules encyclopedia” or “mega-index” for Cortex.
The five Prime Spotlight collections have had considerable rules development and are also in the editorial pipeline. These each have several stretch goal funded settings for Cortex Prime ready to launch wildly divergent sessions of play. Volumes I thru V will be collated and laid out by Tina once the System Reference is complete.
That’s it for now! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Stay safe out there, folks.
