In August 2022, Dire Wolf Digital (DWD) acquired the Cortex RPG from Fandom, including the Cortex Prime Game Handbook and Tales of Xadia: The Dragon Prince Roleplaying Game. Despite this transition, the game remains alive, but in need of revitalization. A dedicated and vocal fanbase remains active on the Cortex RPG official Discord, and meanwhile, the larger tabletop industry hasn’t moved on either, despite some fans’ fears. In fact, Cortex is still widely discussed and recommended across forums and social media. It has garnered hours of content and hundreds of thousands of views in the past few years, even as DWD has remained silent on its future. New products are still being launched as recently as last week (June 2024).

A deep dive into the current state of Cortex RPG, conducted with the help of dedicated fans, revealed several strategies to change the perception of Cortex as an under-supported game. These ideas can help Cortex achieve the potential Fandom saw when they purchased it in 2019.

The Business of Cortex

Cortex Prime started as a crowdfunding campaign with a rocky road to development. Fandom’s purchase in 2019 breathed new life into the game. Since then, although all promised materials have been released to backers, the public has only received two titles. However, these titles are among the most sturdy and gorgeous hardcover releases in the roleplaying game industry, and have been nominated and awarded in their own right for these reasons.

Thanks to licensing opportunities, former Cortex developers and fans have released additional titles and continue to do so in a limited but worthwhile capacity. A Cortex powered zine is now on issue #2 , and two sites have endeavored to collate both the more professional releases as well as fan-made hacks, showcasing the quality and passion within the community.

The Presence of Cortex

The longevity of interest in Cortex is extremely positive. Despite two years without new product announcements from DWD, buzz about the game remains strong. Data gathered from roleplaying game forums, Reddit, podcasts, and YouTube highlights Cortex’s popularity:

  • RPG.Net has over 530 posts discussing or recommending Cortex from 2023-2024. (Here’s just 2023-2024.)
  • As just one example, the Cortex Prime General Thread, created in December 2020, has generated 1177 posts and remains highly active as of today, appearing on the first page of RPGNet’s thread list, as it has done since its creation.
  • ENWorld features over 500 posts or threads about Cortex, including current play-by-post campaigns across multiple genres including fantasy, science-fiction, and superheroes.
  • Reddit’s r/RPG (1.5M members, Top 1% rank by size) has 248 threads about or recommending Cortex RPG.
  • The r/CortexRPG subreddit has grown from just over 2k members in 2021 to 2.3k members, ranking in the Top 14% by size.
  • Two podcasts, What’s In the Rift (actual play, radio-drama style) and Primed by Cortex (featuring interviews, actual play, and development sessions) have released more than 50 episodes combined.
  • Episodes of shows like Character Creation Cast feature interviews with lead designer Cam Banks.
  • YouTube is filled with Cortex content, with 33 videos generating 119,298 views and 811 comments from 2017-2024. That’s not including the Fandom-turned-Dire Wolf Digital videos.

This level of engagement is a testament to the game’s potential, and many (most?) tabletop roleplaying game companies dream of such numbers.

Strategies for Cortex’s Future

The Obvious

  1. Publish the Spotlight Setting books (physical + PDF). Start with PDF to catch errata before printing.
  2. Publish the Sunfire Chronicles.
  3. Reactivate social media with weekly or monthly content, starting with marketing the above releases, and relying on polls when releases slow down.
  4. Release Cortex Dice Sets themed for Cortex Prime and Tales of Xadia, preferably in a dice rolling tray.
  5. Create Cortex-themed merchandise (shirts, mugs, etc.) on platforms like Redbubble, partnering with artists and sharing profits.

Low-Hanging Fruit

  1. Update Cortex and ToX merchandising in the DWD online shop for easier discoverability.
  2. Repackage the ToX Fables into PDF and print releases, starting with PDF.
  3. Create polls, how-to’s, and more for TalesOfXadia.com’s digital tools.
  4. Weekly blog about Cortex with occasional guest writers discussing news, mechanics, and game-building exercises.
  5. Increase social media marketing with weekly polls about genres, spotlight settings, popular mods, etc.

Big Wins

In no particular order:

  • Regular YouTube videos covering blog topics, deeper dives, and game-building exercises.
  • Monthly or quarterly ToX Fable releases.
  • Monthly roundup of new ToX pregenerated characters, adding them to TalesOfXadia.com.
  • Create how-to pages for the TalesOfXadia.com digital tools, showing their use for non-ToX games.
  • Partner with creators to develop popular user-generated content from previous Cortex Confabs into future Spotlight Settings.
  • Develop a robust User Generated Content (UGC) plan on socials to crowdsource marketing.
  • Turn the Cortex Codex into a digital reference tool like the Cortex Prime Game Handbook.
  • Create new Fan Community and Publisher licenses, embracing the TTRPG designer’s hobby.
  • Launch an actual play series for ToX, preferably long-form.
  • Run one-shot or short-form actual play series for the Spotlight Settings.
  • Host more Cortex Confab events on Discord, making them monthly and smaller in scale.

Why Listen to These Ideas?

I have over 18 years in business analysis and technical project/program management in the e-commerce industry, focusing on the Voice of the Customer. I also happen to have a comprehensive understanding of the tabletop games industry. My expertise spans game publishing, digital tools, UX/UI, merchandising, systems integration, data management, and revenue generation without compromising user experience.

  • Business analyst for The Walt Disney Company (Disneystore.com).
  • Former Reddit moderator for r/CortexRPG (2021-2023).
  • Indie RPG publisher on DMsGuild, DriveThruRPG, and itch.io with nearly 50 titles, 6 achieving the highest sales medals.
  • Lead editor, publisher, and project manager for teams of 6-25 contributors.
  • ENWorld member since 2004 and RPG.Net member since 2006 with well over 10,000 posts.
  • Featured on five different podcasts across more than two dozen episodes discussing the roleplaying industry or leading actual play games.

My resume, including all tabletop roleplaying game-related experience, can be found here. I’m available to discuss any of these ideas in more detail; start here.

Let’s work together to bring Cortex to new heights.

Game On!

Did I miss anything? Do you have other ideas for elevating the Cortex RPG and Tales of Xadia product lines or digital tools in the collective consciousness of gamers? Comment below!