Cortex Prime vs Savage Worlds
Compare Cortex Prime and Savage Worlds side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Cortex Prime | Savage Worlds | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Play Style | Narrative, Modular, Collaborative, Toolkit, Roleplay-Heavy, Character-Driven, Tag-Based | Cinematic, Fast-Paced, Tactical, Pulp Action, Combat-Heavy, Heroic, Miniatures |
| Core Mechanic | Assemble a dice pool from trait sets (attributes, skills, relationships, etc.) rated d4–d12. Roll the pool, keep the two highest for your total vs. opposition, then choose an Effect Die from the remainder to determine magnitude. Plot Points let players add dice, activate abilities, or alter the narrative. Every mechanical element is a swappable mod. | Roll trait die + wild die (d6), keep the highest. Target number 4. Raises every +4. |
| Dice | d4–d12 dice pool | d4–d12 |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Accessibility | Low | Medium |
| Community | Medium | Medium |
| License | Cortex Creator License | Savage Worlds Adventurer's Guild |
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Dire Wolf Digital | Pinnacle Entertainment |
| Year | 2020 | 2018 |
| Best For | GMs who want to build a custom system from modular parts — homebrew designers, genre-mixers, and groups tired of forcing their stories into a pre-built framework. | Fast-paced pulp action across any genre. Great for large groups and mass combat. |
| Highlights | Highly modular — 18+ mods for core rules alone, clear writing with worked examples, Plot Point economy creates dynamic give-and-take, powered well-known licensed games (Marvel Heroic, Firefly, Leverage) | Fast resolution, genre-flexible, handles large groups well |
| Considerations | Not playable out of the box — requires significant GM assembly, steep learning curve to understand which mods fit your game, less community content than Fate or GURPS, restricted third-party publishing ecosystem | Exploding dice can produce extreme variance in outcomes, setting books vary in depth — some provide minimal mechanical content beyond a genre frame |