[7:31 PM]Safetypinmeg: Hi! My name is Megan Dawson Jaffe, head writer for Holomatixx: A New Wave Order and CEO for Nerdy City.
[7:32 PM]Safetypinmeg: Holomatixx is a table-top roleplaying game set in Nerdy City’s Radical Shadows universe, where the toys and cartoons of the 80’s come to life! Holomatixx uses the Omnisystem; our own narrative-focused system using just six-sided dice and minimal stats. Players and GM will decide together on the Relationship Setting, which helps set the tone of your game from light and bubbly to dark and dramatic. Once that’s completed, it’s Showtime!!!
[7:33 PM]Safetypinmeg: (done)
[7:34 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Thanks, @Safetypinmeg! The floor is open to questions!
[7:34 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What other games share the Radical Shadows universe?
[7:35 PM]Safetypinmeg: Holomatixx is the second in this planned series, the first one was Commandroids: A World Transformed.
[7:36 PM]Safetypinmeg: Commandroids is a love letter to the transforming robot properties of the 1980s’s, and Holomatixx is a love letter to the Pink Aisle pop star dolls and MTV itself.
[7:39 PM]Safetypinmeg: We eventually plan for a toybox universe, which will include Myrmidons of Mydkeria, about sci-fi barbarians a la He-Man, She-Ra, Thundercats, etc, and Rainbow Riders, about prismatic animals.
[7:39 PM]Safetypinmeg: Each of the games is playable on it’s own, but will be able to be combined with the others.
[7:39 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Do you intend to have any crossover products at some point?
[7:42 PM]Safetypinmeg: Definitely! We include stats for the other groups as NPCs in each book, so right out the gate you can get access to them.
[7:42 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Oh, that’s a nice touch!
[7:42 PM]Safetypinmeg: We also have a Patreon where we are building a series of settings and modules for Radical Shadows and ReMemorex, and we plan to add extra crossover information and lore for the various worlds.
[7:43 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Speaking of lore, can you tell us more about the setting and premise of Holomatixx?
[7:46 PM]Safetypinmeg: Absolutely. The basic setting is in 1986 America, with MTV king of the airwaves. You start as regular teens, who have a secret; you have been gifted a Holographic Persona powered by the Videosphere- Earth’s own media atmosphere. You can use your powers of music and illusion to help protect the Earth from the voracious Compellers and the riotous Shriekers, but you still have to make it to history class on time!
[7:47 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Is the assumption that the PC group is a band?
[7:48 PM]Safetypinmeg: Indeed, though you are given the option of either starting as one, or coming together as the game progresses.
[7:48 PM]Safetypinmeg: There is a separate Band Sheet that is a communal effort to fill out though the course of the game.
[7:50 PM]Safetypinmeg: Speaking of, shall I drop the Character sheet and the Band Sheet?
[7:51 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Sure!
[7:53 PM]Safetypinmeg:Holomatixx_Character_Sheet_v0.5_QR.pdf5.82 MB
[7:54 PM]Safetypinmeg: Hm. Let me know if you can open that. (Still getting used to dropping things into disc.)
[7:55 PM]Safetypinmeg:Band_Sheet_v0.5.pdf2.46 MB
@SafetypinmegHm. Let me know if you can open that. (Still getting used to dropping things into disc.)[7:55 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Yup, it works!
[7:55 PM]Safetypinmeg: great!
[7:55 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Looking them over here…
[7:57 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Hmm… You know, I’ve been doing this for quite a while and can often tell a lot about a system based on the character sheet, but I’m stumped on this one. (Not a problem with the character sheet, mind you — the system just isn’t obvious to me.) Can you describe the system?
[8:00 PM]Safetypinmeg: Can do! So you begin down the left side of the sheet in creating the Self. Much like with ReMemorex, you make up your Type, Training and Talent: who you are, what you know, and what makes you special. Then you move to the Persona, your Holomatic alter-ego. Your Scene is the type of music you play, Gig is the type of instrument, and House is your performing style.
[8:02 PM]Safetypinmeg: At that point, you decide which of those sets of traits is most important to your character; that becomes Primary, with a dice pool of 8 which you split between Active and Passive. Active is Doing the Thing, Passive is Knowing or Noticing the Thing. Secondary is a pool of 6, Tertiary a pool of 4.
[8:02 PM]Safetypinmeg: I do also have a Character Creation Quicksheet, which might be helpful.
[8:04 PM]Safetypinmeg:Holomatixx_Character_CreationBorder.pages1.82 MB
[8:04 PM]Silverlion: So this is basically Jem and the Holograms the RPG?
[8:04 PM]Safetypinmeg: whoops, wrong file. Yes!
[8:05 PM]Safetypinmeg: Jem is the main inspiration, along with lesser known propeties like Kidd Video and Buckaroo Banzai.1
[8:05 PM]Silverlion: Cool.
[8:05 PM]Silverlion: The game uses dice pools, d6?
[8:06 PM]Safetypinmeg: yep, you add them together once rolled, up against a GM-set difficulty.
[8:07 PM]Safetypinmeg: For larger problems, you can pool your rolls by using the Montage mechanic.
[8:07 PM]Silverlion: Ooh so simple dice pools, I like. What do the heroines do in the game? I mean its about music and being true to yourself, I imagine despite the holo guises
[8:07 PM]Safetypinmeg:Holomatixx_Character_CreationBorder.pdf1.54 MB
[8:07 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Do you have a filled-out character sheet that we can see?
[8:08 PM]Safetypinmeg: Exactly!! @Silverlion you are right on the nose.
[8:08 PM]Safetypinmeg: Yes, let me get one from the Let’s Play I just did.
[8:09 PM]Silverlion: Awesome!
[8:09 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Kidd Video was a fun cartoon, and Buckaroo Banzai is a modern pulp classic.
[8:11 PM]Safetypinmeg:Holomatixx_Character_Sheet_-Stephanie_Panik.pdf5.85 MB
[8:12 PM]Safetypinmeg: One thing to add: all of the Radical Shadows games do have a horror element. The problems that the toys and cartoons of your youth don’t hit quite as hard as an adult, so we raise the stakes by adding in a soupcon of horror. Each game has a horror director as inspiration as well.
[8:13 PM]Safetypinmeg: Holomatixx is John Carpenter, specifically They Live.1
[8:13 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Would it be correct to say that your abilities can be used in whatever way you can justify?
[8:13 PM]Silverlion: I love this one “Electro Rock Sound Scientist”
[8:13 PM]Safetypinmeg: Yes. We wanted to really lean into the crazy physics of music videos and cartoons.
@SafetypinmegHolomatixx is John Carpenter, specifically They Live.[8:14 PM]Silverlion: So you’re fighting aliens also hiding behind well holograms?
[8:14 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Does that “Brown Note” Riff mean what it sounds like?
[8:15 PM]Safetypinmeg: Sort of! There are parasitic aliens from another dimension, and there are also corrupted performers, like the Holomatixx but without morals or boundaries. (though their songs may be better.
[8:15 PM]Safetypinmeg: and yes, yes it does 1
[8:16 PM]Safetypinmeg: the musical puns are thick on the ground, let me tell you.
[8:16 PM]Safetypinmeg: Nerdy City does nothing, if not commit to the bit.
@Safetypinmegthe musical puns are thick on the ground, let me tell you.[8:18 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Puns? As anyone can tell you, we don’t abide puns here…
[8:18 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): >.>
[8:18 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): <.<
[8:18 PM]Safetypinmeg: But back to the aliens, I noticed that the Red Lectroids of Buckaroo Banzai dovetailed extremely well with the Ghouls of They Live, which was the origins of the Compellers.
[8:19 PM]Silverlion: I find that note a little dark.
@SafetypinmegBut back to the aliens, I noticed that the Red Lectroids of Buckaroo Banzai dovetailed extremely well with the Ghouls of They Live, which was the origins of the Compellers.[8:19 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): If they get really good at their job and start receiving pay, do they become Propellers?
@SilverlionI find that note a little dark.[8:19 PM]Safetypinmeg: Well, that brings me to the Relationship Tables.
[8:20 PM]Safetypinmeg: Once you have created your characters, since you are all presumably in the same school or at least the same area, you roll together on a Relationship Table to put together a web of connections.
[8:22 PM]Safetypinmeg: With Holomatixx, I wanted to give the players and GM the option to choose a drama level for their game from the start. So unique from the other RS games, you will have several to choose from. You can go for a more standard teen setting, an outrageous soap opera setting, or a darker, more dramatic setting.
[8:22 PM]Silverlion: Rolled or picked?
[8:22 PM]Silverlion: Ah cool!
[8:23 PM]Safetypinmeg: You choose the table together, then roll on said table.
[8:24 PM]Safetypinmeg: I tend to run very cozy games myself, where the horror is more under the hood. But I also have clear memories of some of the unhinged shit I used to imagine during play with dolls when little, and I wanted to make that an accessible aspect.
[8:25 PM]Safetypinmeg: Plus, the Compellers basically are capitalism, which was(and is) a lot of the darkside of the music industry. The Holomatixx are fighting back with creativity, love, and community.
[8:25 PM]Safetypinmeg: And sweet guitars.
[8:25 PM]Silverlion: Interesting. I like cozy these days–I used to be huge into horror stuff, but these days, well, I was a kid of the 80’s so I got old
[8:26 PM]Safetypinmeg: Solidarity, yo.
[8:26 PM]Safetypinmeg: If you like, I have a link to the actual play I ran, you can take a peek at a game in action.
[8:26 PM]Silverlion: That’s cool!
[8:27 PM]Safetypinmeg: https://youtu.be/iz_Qqvedk4Y?si=hJlS6OB_repsN5LTYouTubeRook and RaspSeriously, Let’s Play – S5E01 – Holomatixx
[8:28 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What sorts of powers do the PCs have?
[8:28 PM]Silverlion: I will watch this when I can. But I’m paying attention here.
[8:29 PM]Safetypinmeg: So first there are your Quirks, which are more intrinsic powers delineated by your House. They’re inspired by the toys themselves; animal sidekicks, glorous hair, glowing in the dark.
[8:30 PM]Safetypinmeg: Next are your Riffs, which come from the Gigs and are thus related to your instrument. These are simple one-shot effects.
[8:30 PM]Silverlion: So like a form of holographic magic?
[8:31 PM]Safetypinmeg: Last are your Vibes, which come from your Scene. Your Vibes are not dissimilar to Spheres from old-school Mage, you can do just about anything with them as long as you are playing music and pumping enough power into them.
[8:32 PM]Safetypinmeg: Kinda yeah! As the atmosphere is produced by the processes and organisms of Earth, the VIdeosphere is generated by the 50 years of broadcasting we’ve been beaming off in all directions.
[8:32 PM]Safetypinmeg: Holomatixx draw from the media of the Videosphere, and they can also enter into it.
[8:33 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What does the Videosphere look like from the inside, and what are the possible reasons for going there?
[8:36 PM]Safetypinmeg: The closer areas of the Videosphere look much like the real world, but drained of color. Think the video for Take On Me. As you go further into the Flipside(nickname for the Videosphere) you can find yourself in different areas drawn from types of media. It can get dangerous to veture too far in though, the Earth is not the only planet with a Videosphere, and the Broadcast has depths beyond imagining.
[8:37 PM]Silverlion: Spooky. A place where memes breed.
[8:37 PM]Silverlion: Well, 1980’s memes anyway
[8:37 PM]Safetypinmeg: It also depends somewhat on the time of day. Daytime on the Flipside is related to daytime programming, and the denizens tend to be more friendly and helpful. As the hour grows later, things begin to become more fraught, and the Midnight Movie hours are best avoided.
[8:38 PM]Safetypinmeg: Yes!
[8:39 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): I assume you took the Flipside from Kidd Video?
[8:40 PM]Safetypinmeg: yes, that was the initial inspiration. But the Videosphere is it’s proper name.
[8:40 PM]Safetypinmeg: Rewatching that show is a fever dream, let me tell you.
[8:40 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Given the potential of a world comprised of broadcast media, would it be fair to characterize this as something of a multigenre setting?
[8:41 PM]Safetypinmeg: It absolutely would.
[8:41 PM]Safetypinmeg: There’s another actual play happening this weekend, and that one is going to be delving much further into the dark options of this game.
[8:42 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Oh, I think you only answered half of my earlier question. You covered what the Videosphere looks like, but not why one might want to go there.
[8:42 PM]Safetypinmeg: Oh yes!
[8:43 PM]Safetypinmeg: Thank you. For one, it can be easier to fight the Compellers and the Shriekers in a place safe from bystander casualty.
[8:44 PM]Safetypinmeg: Two, it is a new world to explore, with creatures and wonders aplenty.
[8:45 PM]Silverlion: So back to system, are there any tricks or unique things the game does to empower the dice rolls?
[8:46 PM]Safetypinmeg: Three, it can be helpful when you are trying to keep your Persona a secret and need to return your Self to where theyre supposed to be.
[8:47 PM]Safetypinmeg: Yes! So Glitter is what you use to empower your Vibes, and potentially your Riffs.
[8:47 PM]Safetypinmeg: Glitter is pure media and creation, and is most often used to creat longer lasting or more powerful illusions.
[8:49 PM]Safetypinmeg: As for unique things, there’s the Montage I mentioned, which also works for Video Duels against other performers. There is also the Tracking Error, which is a mechanic which can keep you in the game even if you aren’t in the scene.
[8:50 PM]Safetypinmeg: All parties split up eventually. If your character is not present in an ongoing scene, you can choose to throw a Tracking Error. You do this by grabbing a handful of any random dice and dropping them on the table. Just the sound of dice dropping gets gamers attention.
[8:51 PM]Safetypinmeg: You throw the dice, call Tracking Error, and then you can affect the scene in some way.
@SafetypinmegAll parties split up eventually. If your character is not present in an ongoing scene, you can choose to throw a Tracking Error. You do this by grabbing a handful of any random dice and dropping them on the table. Just the sound of dice dropping gets gamers attention.[8:51 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): That mechanic appears in ReMemorex as well, doesn’t it?
[8:51 PM]Safetypinmeg: Yes, it’s a hallmark of our nostalgia-focused games.1
[8:53 PM]Safetypinmeg: You can do something good, something bad, you can ask to play one of the NPCs, or you can add an element to the scene. What you cannot do is remove anyone’s agency. So they can bump into something and make a noise, but you can’t have them break their leg.
[8:53 PM]Silverlion: Interesting, I love thematic designs. Harder if you play virtually I suspect.
[8:54 PM]Safetypinmeg: It’s tricky, and we actually did a lot of that over the lockdown times. We wound up finding a sound for dice on Discord.
[8:57 PM]Safetypinmeg: It tends to be used more in longer campaigns; usually in the demos there’s not enough time to split the party and get into that sort of play.
[8:58 PM]Silverlion: That’s cool!
[8:58 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): How long can the effects of a Tracking Error last?
[8:58 PM]Safetypinmeg: It has been an experience, working to build Holomatixx. I do not consider myself by nature a GM, but because I’m lead on this game I have been running it a lot.
[8:59 PM]Safetypinmeg: The specific effects only last for the scene pretty much (though sometimes the NPC will become a repeat) but the repercussions can last longer, depending on what the player’s reactions are.
[9:00 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): In a way, it reminds me of the “confessional” scenes in the game InSpectres.
[9:01 PM]Safetypinmeg: Ooh, I’m not familiar! I’ll have to check that out.
[9:02 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): It’s pretty amusing. It’s done like a confessional scene in a reality show. You physically set aside a chair as the confessional chair, and when a player gets up and goes to sit in it, they’re in “confessional” mode, talking directly to the “camera” about what was currently happening in past tense, adding elements to the scene along the way.
[9:03 PM]Safetypinmeg: Oh wow, that sounds fun as hell tbh
[9:03 PM]Silverlion: It’s fascinating way to do things.
[9:03 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): “It sure was a shame that Bill was deathly allergic to coffee…”
[9:03 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): (An example from our game.)
[9:03 PM]Safetypinmeg: Oh, that actualy reminds me of another aspect of the game.
[9:04 PM]Safetypinmeg: So your Band sheet, while much of it is flavor, can affect play. There are a number of different available musical Scenes, and people tend to run the gamut in their characters rather than deciding on a cohesive group.
[9:06 PM]Safetypinmeg: That’s ok though, because the Lead accounts for the direction of the Band. Usually the Vocals, the Lead can also be Guitar, Drums, Keys, potentially anything, but they set the general tone for the band and also give everyone access to their House Vibe bonus.
[9:07 PM]Safetypinmeg: Hoever, as you build your Setlist (which is a fun thing to do in game, a good way to immortalize moments), some songs have different Leads, which can switch up the power mechanics of the group.
[9:08 PM]Safetypinmeg: Like some Beatles songs are McCartney, some are Lennon, some Harrison.
[9:08 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Regarding Scenes, given the name of the game, I’m somewhat surprised that New Wave isn’t on that list.
[9:10 PM]Silverlion: Huh, I didn’t notice, I guess I assumed it was there.
[9:10 PM]Safetypinmeg: So we’re using New Wave as more of an overarching term for the new music of the time. Hence New Wave Order. There was also a fair amount of variance in different New Wave bands, so this was how we chose to square the circle.
[9:11 PM]Safetypinmeg: You get to choose up to two Scenes, so it’s also kind of a mix and match scenario.
[9:11 PM]Silverlion: What has been your favorite thing to come up in the game?
[9:11 PM]Safetypinmeg: A ska kid would be Reggae and Punk
[9:14 PM]Safetypinmeg: Hm! Honestly the moment when the Bands finally click is always a favorite. There’s usually a fair amount of back and forth on names, themes, etc, but that moment is pretty great. Also! The first time they describe their Persona; it’s almost a magical girl transformation and is so much fun.
[9:15 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Does physical combat take place in the game, and if so, what are the mechanics behind it?
[9:15 PM]Silverlion: Awesome! I’ve always been fond of moments when a person actually get a game, and its concept gels for them.
[9:16 PM]Safetypinmeg: It does; heh, I actually suprised my last table at Origins when I called for an initiative roll
[9:19 PM]Safetypinmeg: Your initiative is your highest Active dice pool; your perception checks your Highest Passive. For combat you roll Initiative, and then roll off against your opponent.
[9:20 PM]Safetypinmeg: Any plusses by your powers add more dice, but the biggest your personal dice pool can get is about 8, we aren’t shadowrun here.
[9:21 PM]Safetypinmeg: As far as combat choices, in many games people tend to keep at a distance and use their powers almost exclusively, but last game people waded into actual physical combat, which was fun.
[9:21 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Do things like weapons and armor matter?
[9:24 PM]Safetypinmeg: You can have specialty instruments which add bonuses, and there are rules for mundane weapons. Holomatixx doesn’t get into armor near as much as Commandroids, for sure; again when protection is needed players lean on their powers. They’re rather the spellcasters of the Radical Shadows.
[9:27 PM]Safetypinmeg: That’s the other reason for the Videosphere, a lot of this culture war is taking place behind the scenes.
[9:27 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe):You mentioned the Shriekers earlier. What are they?escape to cancel • enter to save
[9:28 PM]Safetypinmeg: Shriekers are corrupted Holomatixx. Often their Selves aren’t even aware that they’re turning into crazed rock stars at night.
[9:29 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): How powerful do Holomatixx powers get? Can you give us an example of a power on the high end of the power scale?
[9:31 PM]Safetypinmeg: The highest end of the power scale is Shredding the Vibe. To Shred a Vibe means to use it in a damaging capacity. This can either be physical damage, property damage, or potentially a full-scale riot.
[9:33 PM]Safetypinmeg: Most Holomatixx tend toward the moral and try not to hurt bystanders, but this is what makes Shriekers so dangerous; they don’t care.
[9:33 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Can it turn into a ballroom blitz?
[9:33 PM]Safetypinmeg: The Misfits from Jem, from whence they are based, I would submit caused more property damange than COBRA.
[9:34 PM]Silverlion: Well maybe to civilian stuff, I’m pretty sure Cobra destroyed a LOT of military hardware
[9:34 PM]Safetypinmeg: 100% Ballroom Blitz!1
[9:35 PM]Safetypinmeg: Not even a Quiet Riot!1
[9:35 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Does the game include any sort of bestiary?
[9:36 PM]Safetypinmeg: It absolutely does, the Flipside is rife with Glowmers and CopyCats and more dangerous beings like Earworms
[9:37 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): About how many entries are in the bestiary?
[9:37 PM]Safetypinmeg: Not to mention the other Outliers of the Radical Shadows, which as I said before are included
[9:39 PM]Safetypinmeg: There’s around 13 base types of Flipside creature, there are the Compellers in their different forms, and then there are the other Outliers like Commandroids, Wasteoids, Myrmidons, and Rainbow Riders.
[9:40 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): How “weird” does the “real world” appear to be in this setting, and how aware is the average person of the weirdness?
[9:42 PM]Safetypinmeg: The average person is quite unaware of the weirder aspects, however there is a group in-game called the Boxtops, who aren’t empowered but are aware and have an information network. They work on behalf of the “good guys,” as it were. There are also shadowy organizations like the Helix and the Compass Rose.
[9:43 PM]Safetypinmeg: Who aredefinitely less interested in the greater good.
[9:44 PM]Safetypinmeg: The Compellers are definitely not the only inimical force out there.
[9:45 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
[9:46 PM]Safetypinmeg: One of the other things we encourage, both for the thematics and also for reasons of ritual, is an opening theme song to be played before the game, and a credits song.
[9:46 PM]Silverlion: That’s cool. What songs? I mean Jemm or something else?
[9:47 PM]Safetypinmeg: It can be any 80s styled music! Doesn’t have to necessarily be of the time, but should evoke the setting.
[9:47 PM]Safetypinmeg: For the start, it helps get you into the mood of the world and provides a line between the real world and the game world.
[9:47 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): I would open with “Tom Sawyer” by Rush.
[9:48 PM]Safetypinmeg: And at the end, it can provide a cooldown, and a place to kind of release any in-game drama and tension.
[9:48 PM]Safetypinmeg: We’ve used that for our Canadian game lol1
[9:48 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Thanks very much for joining us, @Safetypinmeg!
[9:49 PM]Safetypinmeg: Thank you so much for having me Dan! So many great questions!1
[9:49 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Usual reminder: If you’ve enjoyed this Q&A and would like to treat me to a coffee or two, you can do so at https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe. Anything’s appreciated! Ko-fiBuy Dan Davenport a Coffee. ko-fi.com/gmshoeBecome a supporter of Dan Davenport today! ❤️ Ko-fi lets you support the creators you love with no fees on donations.
[9:49 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll get the log posted and link you!