redstripe

I'd like to suggest that Malifaux is such a unique setting because we -don't- have ubiquitous tropes like werewolves and vampires.

From what I've read on the subject, the "method" must be duplicated exactly and in its entirety to be considered infringement. Of course that never happens, there is invariably going to be differences in the way two independent companies do things and so the extent of the variation is up to a judge to decide whether or not it constitutes infringement. But if it goes to a judge, that means it involves lawyers. Even if Outrider or Sabol are not infringing on a patent, the threat of legal fees in order to defend against Battle Foam's claims could be enough to get them to change their product or their behavior.

A "Method" claim is a particular and specifically defined justification for a US patent. The examples you give aren't really relevant. These processes do not interact with a market (and they do not meet the criteria for being "novel" or "unobvious".) You can absolutely patent a process. A "claim" is an integral part of the patent document and a claim on a "method" (or process) is a legally accepted claim. A recent process that was in the news was Amazon.com's patent on "1-Click" buying. If you feel that Battle Foam's claims on their tray making process are inane, Google the 1-Click patent. Method Patents are relatively common. Potato Chips are made by a variety of companies, however there are existing patents on methods to produce potato chips. A quick google search turned up: United States Patent 5085137 (which can be viewed on a few free patent search sites, including...) http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5085137.html and http://www.wikipatents.com/US-Patent-5085137 In the end, all that matters is if the US Patent office believes that the process meets a standardized set of criteria (in which "novelty" and "unobviousness" are clearly defined.) Despite Sabol's claims that such a patent is ridiculous, if Battle Foam shows that its process is novel enough, the USPTO may issue their patent. The date of the filing is important, too. It sets a benchmark by which Battle Foam might claim damages, should Sabol or Outrider be found infringing upon their patent at a future date. Apart from all of this, I have no doubt that Battle Foam's intent is to apply a chilling effect on Sabol and Outrider's sales by suggesting their sales may be subject to future penalties.

A few requests about Molly, and some of that information is: She grants access to the Reconstructed Dead Special Forces. She has Slow to Die and Hard to Wound and she's also Pitiful (she's a very sick girl.) Her actions are: Impossible Knowledge, The Gorgoneion, Uncontrolled Crying, and Reveal Phillip. Her Spells are: Whispered Secret, Terrible Secret, The Philosophy of Uncertainty, and The Shocking Truth. She has a talent that allows her to take a particular totem with her, as if she were a Master. It is called "The Necrotic Machine" and it is an artifact of Old Malifaux that seems to identify her as an agent of The Gorgon and follows her because of that connection. Her picture in the book shows her holding Phillip's Head against her chest. She has a few abilities that modify fate flips, cause terror, and a spell that kills the target outright.

Beautiful work. I'm always impressed by your stuff jmp!

I feel this way, too. When you win a game, it really feels like a victory. Someone can't say "Oh, wow, the dice won that game for you." You win or you lose due to the way you play. There are very few shallow victories.

You get home from the mine, the wireless is on the fritz, and the pub's closed early because of another brawl. What else are you going to do? You're going to make babies. That's why there are so many kids in Malifaux!

Neverborn Architecture, (if they even build buildings anymore) would most prominently be represented by the City of Malifaux itself. If the Neverborn are the remnants of the people who built that City, the Streets, Buildings, and Sewers of Malifaux terrain sets that are being released would be Neverborn Architecture.

I'm not sure I would attempt to seduce a Viktoria. One of them is a Neverborn doppelganger and who knows what kind of crazy swamp-born STDs a Neverborn might be carrying? Flaming Bayou Herpes?

It may be that Hoffman and Ramos have a history together, as well.

I've seen similar posts from you at a couple other places, dboeren. Punk Zombies are strong models on their own, without any support. If you feel like including them, they're going to work. If you don't feel like they fit her theme, there are a great number of other options for Kirai in the new book. What is shown in her boxset and the first blister releases are just a touch of what is available. I personally feel that they do fit with her thematically (with no regard to the rules) and their shared Nipponese origin is even referenced at one point.

I've been a fan of yours for a long time, Jess... but man this was a great season of Doctor Who, wasn't it? That Van Gogh episode was wicked powerful.

A Ramos and Collette team up would also represent their storyline well.

I will be there. Even if I die before Gencon, my friends have been instructed to take my corpse there, Weekend-At-Burnie's-Style.

I think one of the major themes of Malifaux, is that this game and this story is about men and women. Leaving aside the Neverborn for a moment, the characters depicted in this game are flawed people, just like real people, just like the people we historically look to as heroes. I think a perfect example is Ramos. There is -no doubt- that he does good. The Mechanical Canary and the beautiful Hollow Marsh Pumping Station save innocent human lives just as much as any Neverborn Hunter or Zombie Killer. These creations exist beyond reproach. They are good. But Ramos, the man, like all men, is flawed. He is self-righteous and believes the good he is capable of is justification for the evil he performs. In his quest to dethrone the Guild, he would replace the Governor General with himself, a man equally capable of murder, propaganda, and perhaps even tyrannical rule. When you play Ramos, you have the option, in the narrative of your battles, to represent him in his altruistic moments, defending the miners and the downtrodden or to represent him in his criminal moments, sabotaging the Guild or pursuing wealth. That is what a man is, good and evil together. Of all the characters in the game, I would say that Viktoria most closely fits my definition of good. In the card reading given to Viktoria by Zoraida, the hag states that Viktoria wields Masamune's sword because she wishes to become a hero, like the man from the sword's story. If that's true, that Viktoria wants to become a hero, what more altruistic goal is there than that? To play a character that is "good" because his actions are endorsed by his god's holy text can be a similar moral challenge. There are tons of wonderful stories that depict holy-men struggling with their faith. And if we hold paladins to be the highest example of the good, holy knight, what of the Knights of the Round Table, a group epitomized not only by their heroic and righteous works, but by the affairs, indecencies, and scandals that ultimately destroyed their utopian court. Just because a group proclaims that it is the mortal agent of a righteous god does not mean those people are capable of living up to that ideal. If a religious "good" group were added to the game, have no doubt that this fact would be explored in their theme. For the Neverborn, I think it is important to remember that these creatures are -not- human. Ethics and morality may not exist for them in the way it does for humans. Just as the perception of ethics differs between cultures on this planet, the Neverborn are foreign and alien and it is very clear that their life and biology are incredibly different than humankind's. The Neverborn don't exist in the same way humans do and so it is difficult to assign our standards to their worldview. What they do, within their own ethical framework, may be their very definition of good. And one final thought about the world. At several points, it is described that there is an energy in this world that permeates everything. Those newly arrived in the world describe a tingle on the back of their neck. It may be that simply living in this world has some kind of effect on someone's sanity and morality. Certainly something to consider. Can any human man or woman remain good when subjected to the atmosphere of this world? Gosh, I can rant. Oh well. Those are my thoughts.

I totally going to steal this idea.

I'll see what I can do about a Guild Poster.

I made a few of these, but they are far, far from official. Here are the two I made that you are referring to:

You give too much away just by saying its not in the book, Nerd! I could tell them all sorts of things that aren't going to be in the book but that would spoil too much! Would have been a great opportunity to shut the door on this one. I promise, next book, I'll try to fit this answer in!

I just said I was going to nail it down! You never listen to me Nerd!

Maybe not, but I'll look into getting this topic nailed down in print very soon. It is a very very common question about the setting.

You made me look it up and I'll eat my words. I could have sworn I referenced East West Steam Transit in the "Into the Breach" chapter in the book. I did not, however. There is some discussion about East West Steam Transit in the Wyrd Chronicles 2, in the story "My Name is Master." But that's the best that I can do for published evidence in my search. And even that doesn't place the breach well. New Amsterdam and "back east" are referenced so many times, I must have just arbitrarily linked them in my head. I concede that evidence is not as clear as I originally thought. The Breach is certainly west of something! Of that we can all agree!

The books clearly establishes Malifaux's breach as on the same landmass as (and west of) New Amsterdam (an anachronistic name for New York) which would indicate it is on the North American continent. I also believe that the "soul stone rush" is so time and theme appropriate to America's Gold Rush era, that the analogy is difficult to ignore. This would make me believe that Malifaux's breach is in the Far West of the American continent (as opposed to Near West locations such as Chicago.) In addition, East-West Steam Transit seems to be named in a similar manner to reality's Union Pacific Railroad in suggesting a goal for transcontinental rail, a national goal for the United States at the time.