Interview: Malifaux Creator Nathan Caroland

From the first moment I read the synopsis of the wargame Malifaux, I was hooked. I loved the idea of a game that brought together three of my favourite things: Victorian horror, steam punk, and the old west. Mix that with the back story that the world of Malifaux is scary and dangerous as hell and I get to play steam punks, monsters, and zombies - well, you have just described my version of heaven.

Malifaux is a beautiful story-driven game with exquisite miniatures, and a rule book with artwork to drool over.

The game is fun and deadly. It's card- not dice-based which my husband likes because I can't warp the bell curve with my dice rolls. (Don't worry my sweet, I'll kill all your forces in this game as well.) Malifaux is well thought out and well put together, and I want every single Neverborn and Archanist model I can lay my grubby little fingers on.

All gushing aside, please make sure to visit the Malifaux link at the end of this interview with the game's creator, Nathan Caroland.

Lili's Lair: How long have you been involved in the gaming industry Nathan?

Nathan: We released our first miniature on my birthday in December of 2005. At that time it was just a bit of dabbling to satisfy a curiosity more than anything and I certainly hadn't intended to dive on into the hobby and gaming industry in the least. Interest and sales of our first miniatures went over very well though and before we knew it we had dived in head first.

Lili's Lair: Where did you come up with the name "Malifaux?"

Nathan: One of our artists and good friend actually made the suggestion. When we started the hunt for a name one of our criterias was that it wasn't common and too 'American' sounding. We wanted something that would capture the attention and make folks go 'what'? Of course due to that as well as our art and miniature style we are commonly thought to be a European based company. Folks are usually a bit surprised when they talk to me and hear that southern drawl which of course just makes me smile.

Lili's Lair: Where did the idea for the Malifaux setting arise from? A Wyrd dream perhaps? /wink

Nathan: It just evolved. I'm a huge fan of so many different genres that I wanted to bring it all together. We've made no secret that we were a miniatures company long before we even thought of a game. Folks kept asking for a game though and that got us thinking and we started to tighten up the line a bit more, base everything in this shadowy world we hadn't even fully realized and started honest to goodness development and search on just what was Malifaux. There are a lot of folks who have helped shape Malifaux to what it is today.

Lili's Lair: Was Malifaux the first game you designed or were there others?

Nathan: Eric Johns is actually the head game developer for Wyrd, as well as one of four partners in this venture called Wyrd. I like to jump into the pond and cause ripples and throw out ideas, thoughts and suggestions but its up to Eric and the other developers to make any sense out of it and mostly I stay out of the way and facilitate these days.

But to answer the question, yes and no. I used to write quite a bit a number of years back and wrote for AD&D and D&D for modules, items, characters, backgrounds and the like which we called 'Olde Tavern Tales' which I headed and sought publication. I've a few published articles about but nothing that I really considered serious like Malifaux.

Lili's Lair: What were the steps in the creation of the game and the miniatures line?

Nathan: Ton of work. Game rules, character design, concept search, finalized concept, sculpting, molding, master casting, painting, photography, production molds, production casting, sorting, cleaning, packaging, advertising .. and a good deal more. It's like herding cats, try it some time and you'll both smile and curse.

Lili's Lair: The game uses innovative card-based mechanics. Where did your inspiration for the game system come from?

Nathan: We wanted to do something different and this market is very competitive for the consumer interest and dollar. You either carve your own niche or you follow in someone else's shadow.

We weren't sure if we could do it at first to be honest, there were several versions of the core rules that we scrapped before a bit of brainstorming brought about the current core mechanic you see being used with Malifaux. We wanted to make certain it wasn't just dice with cards and that took a ton of work and playtesting, and not a few folks tearing their hair out in the early days!

Lili's Lair: What were the easiest and most difficult aspects of putting the game together?

Nathan: Easiest is coming up with the ideas and direction you want to go. Making it happen - whole 'nother story.

Manufacturing is fun. There is also that leap of faith one takes in bringing a product to market - its not for the timid as not only are you putting your time and effort into the process, your likely putting your mortgage, kids college tuition and a happy marriage on the line too. It can be stressful sometimes, but also rewarding. Of course, I've got a lot of white chin hair now from the experience!

Lili's Lair: Who else was involved in the creation of Malifaux/Wyrd miniatures?

Nathan: My wife Victoria has been supporting and guiding from the beginning along with Eric Johns and his wife Casey Jones who are all partners in Wyrd. We each have our roles and tasks within Wyrd but we lean on each other pretty heavily.

There are also a ton of folks who have helped us walk this road and if you crack open the Malifaux rulebook you'll see a rather large list of folks in there. Each and every one of them has been a huge help.

Lili's Lair: Was it a difficult process finding the right people to help you realise your dream?

Nathan: We've been really blessed in that respect as the right folks just happened to be on hand early on as we were friends through various communities or found each other through friends and contacts. That's one thing that has been a real treat for us from early on and the internet is a wonderful thing in keeping us all connected.

Lili's Lair: If you had this to all all over, would you? And if so would there be anything that you would change? (Hindsight being 20/20 of course.)

Nathan: Ask me in another year and I'll give you and honest answer!

Lili's Lair: Where would you like to see your gaming company a few years down the line?

Nathan: At the top. :)

Lili's Lair: I know that you have new releases of minis that come out regularly for Malifaux, but do you have any plans for supplements to the core game system?

Nathan: Oh plenty, we haven't been shy about that in the least. Book two is due out in August for Malifaux and we've got a fair number of irons in the fire which we're working on for future projects.

Lili's Lair: Please tell my readers where they can find more information on your brilliant game Malifaux and the incredible Wyrd miniatures.

Nathan: Drop in on us at our website (www.wyrd-games.net) though expect some serious changes there in the next couple of months (yay!). We've got a great community built up around Wyrd and we're always eager to see new folks join the ranks and talk about anything and everything.