Cortex Plus Design Diary 02: Components of Character, Part 3

Upon looking at the list of different Trait types for all the Cortex Plus games I have noticed that a few patterns emerge.

First off you can find the Distinctions Trait in every game.  I think this is very telling of the quality and design of the Margaret Weis Productions games.  Distinctions are all about the character of your PC, and all of these games do a wonderful job of exuding and promoting character through mechanics.  It is one of my favourite things about them.

Next let's look at what else is common across all four games.  Though the name and details may change, there is always a type of Trait that deals with the skills and training of the character, as well as one that deals with the physical abilities, be they natural, preternatural, or supernatural.  Since the use of these type of abilities is the most logical way to take actions and just plain do things, this completely makes sense.

Relational Traits are the next most common, appearing in three of the four games.  The only one without them is Dragon Brigade, so technically they are in all of the published games.  They are more of the focus in some games, Smallville, than others, Marvel, but they are there.  I'm very happy to see them too.  I love mechanically codifying relationships and social connections in roleplaying games.  Yes, there is a good amount of debate about whether you should have this or that amount of social mechanics, and how you should "just roleplay it."  But I really think, if you put the weight and consistency of mechanics behind your social roleplay, as long as you stay in the mindset of putting fun and story first, you only help out the roleplay.

The last of the five categories of Traits I'm going to talk about are ones that deal with morals and values.  Two of the games, and only one of the published ones, have an explicit Trait type that deals with this topic.  But I think the subject is there in the others, it just isn't focused on as much.  Also, in Marvel and Leverage you are playing superheroes and Robin Hood types respectively.  So to a degree an amount of moral viewpoint is already pre-set by the very character types.

So as I move towards creating a system where one can customize Cortex Plus to whatever setting you want, I'll be looking at five distinct Trait categories:  Character, Relational, Skill, Physical, and Morality

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love Cortex Plus.  The Traits system is just so wonderfully flexible and modular.  It strongly integrates great roleplay aspects, like unique character qualities and relationships, into the mechanics.  And at the end of the day, in all my experiences, it has been just a ton of plain old fun.

Next up is stripping the setting and fluff off of Smallville character creation and looking at its base framework, but that will wait till later in the week.  Next few days will have the start of a serial story and some game reviews.