Picture this: the world is on fire literally. Forests are blazing, hurricanes are throwing tantrums, and some corporate bigwig’s latest “whoopsie” has turned a city into a toxic smoothie. Who you gonna call? Not Ghostbusters, my friend. You call the Hammerheads, the high flying, crisis crushing heroes of the 2020 Cortex Prime setting from Fandom Table top. This tabletop roleplaying game (RPG) is a love letter to disaster movies, Thunderbirds, and the sheer audacity of saving the world with a can do attitude and a really cool helicopter. Buckle up, because we’re diving deep into what makes Hammerheads a table top triumph, with a sprinkle of humour to keep things lively.
Table of Contents
What Is Hammerheads, Anyway?
Hammerheads is one of three spotlight settings in the Cortex Prime Game Handbook (2020), designed by Cam Banks with editing by Amanda Valentine and art direction by TL Collier. It’s a free quickstart setting, meaning you can download it faster than you can say “climate catastrophe” and start playing without selling your vintage D20 collection. Set in a near futuristic world ravaged by climate change and human hubris, Hammerheads casts you as an agent of the World Crisis Organisation (WCO), an elite squad of first responders, scientists, and all around badasses. Your mission? Tackle natural and man made disasters with grit, teamwork, and a souped up vehicle called the Hammerhead think Thunderbirds’ rescue crafts but with extra swagger.
The game runs on the Cortex Prime system, a modular RPG toolkit that’s like the LEGO of table top gaming: endlessly customizable, occasionally confusing if you lose the instructions, but oh so satisfying when it clicks. Hammerheads draws inspiration from Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds, blending action adventure with a focus on saving lives rather than, say, punching villains into next week. It’s less “explode the bad guy” and more “extinguish the inferno before it barbecues a small town.” If you’ve ever wanted to roleplay as the lovechild of a firefighter, a pilot, and MacGyver, this is your game.
Fun Fact: The name “Hammerheads” refers to the High Altitude Multi Mission Emergency Response Headquarters, which is both a mouthful and a testament to humanity’s love for acronyms. It’s also a nod to the hammerhead shark, because nothing says “crisis management” like a fish with a weirdly wide head.
The Setting: A World on the Brink
Let’s set the scene. It’s the near future, and Earth is throwing a tantrum. Climate change has cranked the thermostat to “inferno,” corporate greed has turned ecosystems into sludge, and natural disasters are popping off like plot twists in a Roland Emmerich flick. Forests burn, cities flood, and the occasional rogue AI decides to “help” by rerouting all the world’s traffic into a single cul de sac. Enter the WCO, a secretive group of heroes who swoop in when the world’s screaming for a timeout.
Your team operates from a Hammerhead, a high-tech craft that’s part helicopter, part tank, and part Swiss Army knife. It’s loaded with water tanks, extinguishers, and enough gadgets to make Q from James Bond jealous. The setting is deliberately vague beyond this premise, which is a stroke of genius. Instead of a rigid lore dump, Hammerheads invites players to co create the world. Want a dystopian megacorp pulling the strings? Sure. Prefer a rogue volcano god stirring up trouble? Go for it. This flexibility makes every campaign feel like a bespoke disaster movie, tailored to your group’s wildest imaginations.
Character Creation: Building Your Inner Hero
Creating a Hammerhead agent is where the fun really kicks in. You’re not just rolling stats; you’re crafting a character who’s ready to stare down a tsunami and say, “Not today.” The process is intuitive yet deep, using Cortex Prime’s mix of attributes, training packages, distinctions, and relationships. Here’s the breakdown:
- Attributes: Every agent has Physical, Mental, and Social attributes, rated with dice (d6, d8, or d10). Want to be a beefy firefighter who deadlifts burning trees? Pump up Physical. Prefer a brainy scientist who hacks rogue weather drones? Mental’s your jam. Social is for charming the socks off panicking civilians or the occasional shady CEO.
- Training Packages: These are your skills, renamed to sound cooler. There are 14 packages, covering everything from Demolitions to Medical to Piloting. Each gets a die rating, reflecting your expertise. You might be a d8 in Firefighting but a measly d4 in Diplomacy, meaning you’re great at dousing flames but might accidentally insult a foreign dignitary.
- Distinctions: These define your character’s vibe three narrative traits that shape their past, attitude, and quirks. For example, “Ex-Military Medic,” “Never Gives Up,” and “Obsessed with Vintage Sci-Fi” could describe a grizzled doctor who quotes Star Trek while bandaging wounds. Each distinction comes with Special Effects (SFX) for mechanical bonuses.
- Relationships: Your bonds with teammates are rated with dice, adding emotional depth. If you’ve got a d10 relationship with your pilot, you’re ride or die; a d4 might mean you’re still mad about that time they “accidentally” left you in a mudslide.
The result is a character who feels alive, with strengths, flaws, and a knack for improvisation. My group once had a physicist with ADHD who designed Hammerhead upgrades but got distracted mid mission to chase a shiny new theory. Chaos ensued, and it was glorious.
Gameplay: Crisis Pools and Heroic Shenanigans
Hammerheads gameplay is all about high stakes action and teamwork. Instead of traditional combat, you’re battling “crisis pools” dice pools representing the worsening disaster. Picture a forest fire with a pool of d8s and d10s, growing nastier every turn. Your job is to roll your attributes and training packages, trying to beat the crisis before it beats you.
The mechanics are elegantly simple. You build a dice pool from relevant traits (say, Physical + Firefighting + “Never Gives Up”), roll, and add the two highest results to overcome the crisis pool’s total. Success shrinks the crisis; failure makes it worse, maybe adding complications like “Sprained Ankle” or “Radio Malfunction.” Stress applies to your attributes, using the Shaken and Stricken mod to simulate exhaustion or injury. It’s a system that rewards creativity want to use your Social attribute to rally a crowd of evacuees? Go for it.
Scenes alternate between action (fighting the crisis) and downtime (recovering and bonding).
The Cortex Prime system is the unsung hero here, offering a dice pool mechanic that’s intuitive yet deep. You’re not just rolling to hit; you’re telling a story. My group once turned a routine earthquake rescue into a comedy of errors when our pilot misjudged a landing, stranding us in a petting zoo. We saved the day, but the alpacas were not impressed.
Pro Tip: Lean into the absurdity. Hammerheads thrives on over-the-top heroics. If your plan involves rappelling from a Hammerhead to lasso a rogue weather drone, you’re doing it right.
Why Hammerheads Shines
Hammerheads stands out for its heart. In a genre often obsessed with grimdark violence, it’s refreshing to play heroes who save lives without throwing punches. The focus on teamwork and non violent problem solving feels like a warm hug in a world of gritty antiheroes. Plus, the modular Cortex Prime system lets you tweak the game to fit your group add mechs for a sci-fi twist or zombies for an apocalypse vibe.
The free quickstart is a masterclass in accessibility. You get all the rules, character sheets, and vehicle files you need, no wallet required. The art by Ten Ten Studios Malaysia pops with vibrant energy, and the writing is crisp and witty. It’s a game that says, “Yes, the world’s a mess, but you’ve got this.”
Final Thoughts: Why You Should Play Hammerheads
Hammerheads is a table top gem that blends high octane action with heartwarming heroism. Whether you’re a seasoned RPG veteran or a newbie who just binge watched Twister, it’s a blast. The Cortex Prime system is a playground for creativity, the setting is a blank canvas for epic stories, and the vibe is pure, unadulterated fun. So grab some dice, assemble your crew, and take to the skies. The world needs saving, and you’ve got a Hammerhead with your name on it.
Have you played Hammerheads? Got a wild rescue story to share? Drop it in the comments below, and let’s geek out over the best disaster busting RPG around!
