(Experimental new post format where Miriam just rants about Cortex things. Will there be a second rant? Will it continue for any length at all? Who can say!)
Distinction prompts are great, especially for new players. A lot of games have two solid prompts and then round out the third with “Personality Quirk.”
So I haaaaaaate “Personality Quirk” as a distinction prompt. It’s wildly imprecise, with different players ranging the gamut from “Control Freak” to “Says ‘Gosh’ A Lot.” It generally promotes really superficial roleplaying.
It also limits growth, not for any good reason, but because players tend to think of that as their Personality Quirk slot and then they don’t swap it out for anything other than a new Personality Quirk, which has even odds to be worse than the original.
I honestly think almost anything is a better alternative to “Quirk.” BW suggested “Song Lyric,” which sounds fabulous. “Personal Motto” is also really good in general, because that is easily swappable as the character grows. Freakin’ zodiac sign or blood type make better distinction prompts than “Personality Quirk.”
