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Johnny Lauck has teamed up with Miles Holmes, the creator of Road Kill Ultimate Car Combat Game, to offer a set of modular vehicles, scenery, weapons, and accessories cast in metal at N scale. Johnny is casting the figures, fulfilling orders, making the molds, and managing this kickstarter.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/967512676/car-combat-miniatures-and-road-kill-game-system





You will find the FREE 98 page revised core rules book and templates on the Kickstarter. Road Kill is a tabletop strategy game where horsepower meets firepower! Road Kill can be played in less than 1 hour with 2-5 gamers.



This Kickstarter runs from September 1st to October 17th, 2015 with the first wave of shipments will start heading out on November 17th 2015. Johnny’s new policy is to ship the highest dollar pledges first.

I did enjoy car wars back in the day!

Was one of the first non Avalon Hill games I ever played. D&D, Ogre, Villains & Vigilantes, and Car Wars.

The truck makes me think of the anime version of Optimus prime

N scale!? But otherwise yeah, for 35 why not? Stretch goals are great too, I get a little something every few thousand bucks.

Can we get any clarification on how tall the human models are that are shown in the KS? (and shown next to one of the cars perhaps?)

N scale is about 10mm, same as Dropzone Commander.

If you mean the "Salvage Crew" minis, those are 28mm; existing figures, apparently unconnected to this new range. The Kickstarter page sadly forgets to mention that, although it's made clear if you click through to the creator's homepage.

Not to cause trouble or be pedantic but West Wind already makes a post-apocalyptic mini game called Road Kill.



http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/proddetail.asp?prod=RULES-70

http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/products.asp?cat=350

And to be really pedantic, no, the addition of a slash Road/Kill does not make a diffence under US trademark law (yeah someone could try and fight that point but I'd bet good money they'd lose).

So you might want to change it now if you can, even just adding a word or two can make a difference. I doubt anyone is interested in a legal fight over two smallish mini games.

^ Full name is Road Kill Ultimate Car Combat.

No copyright issues.

Minis look great!

 scarletsquig wrote:
^ Full name is Road Kill Ultimate Car Combat.

No copyright issues.

Minis look great!

Again, I don't want to cause trouble for what looks like a cool campaign, but I can see unnecessary problems here.

I am not a lawyer but I've worked in IP law and publishing and for trademark (not copyright) purposes Road Kill and Road/Kill: Ultimate Car Combat are the same name. (UK law might be different but IIRC Mega Minis is US based).

A whole new name would be best, but since the campaign is launched there's a few things that can be done. Referring to it and creating a logo with a revised name would avoid problems.

Just calling it R/K or Ultimate Car Combat throughout might help, Road Killers might also work.

Talking to a lawyer would be a good idea, or, I you're willing to take a risk, talking to West Wind to see what they would ask for.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Just for comparison would anyone here recommend publishing a game called War/Hammer: Ultimate Fantasy Combat?

West Wind probably doesn't have a legal department, but again, why take unnecessary risks.

Mega Minis is a small shop, it's hard enough to launch a new game without risking legal troubles.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
And to be really pedantic, no, the addition of a slash Road/Kill does not make a diffence under US trademark law (yeah someone could try and fight that point but I'd bet good money they'd lose).

Neither company has registered Road Kill as a trademark, in fact technically trademarkwise it currently TM by a restaurant done in 2012. At least according to the Trademark Electronic Search. Since they are completely different games, there isn't going to be a copyright.

It also isn't titled Road Kill, it is titled Road/Kill if you notice not only in the logo the / but also in the KS text when they talk about Road/Kill.

 Dark Severance wrote:

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
And to be really pedantic, no, the addition of a slash Road/Kill does not make a diffence under US trademark law (yeah someone could try and fight that point but I'd bet good money they'd lose).

Neither company has registered Road Kill as a trademark, in fact technically trademarkwise it currently TM by a restaurant done in 2012. At least according to the Trademark Electronic Search. Since they are completely different games, there isn't going to be a copyright.

It also isn't titled Road Kill, it is titled Road/Kill if you notice not only in the logo the / but also in the KS text when they talk about Road/Kill.

Under US law the name for a product in a given field has a common law trade mark as long as you are using it.

Registration is not required.

A restaurant (or band, or whatever) called Road Kill doesn't matter since they are not games. West Wind's Road Kill is.

And the rule of thumb is 'confusingly similar' so if both names are pronounced the same the names are in conflict. Hyphens, slashes, even alternate spellings (Rhode Khill!) do not make a difference.

As I understand it even Road of Kills would not be different enough.

Again, would you launch a game called War/Hammer? Or Mono/Poly?

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Under US law the name for a product in a given field has a common law trade mark as long as you are using it.

Common law rights require prior actual and continuous use in commerce. To prove common law rights in a mark, one must show that it was the first to use the mark within a geographical area. Courts look at many factors in determining whether one has acquired common law rights in a mark: widespread distribution, public association with the mark, whether consumers associated the mark with the source of the goods, whether the mark has become distinctive, and whether the mark owner has exercised control over the quality of the goods and has used the mark in a trademark sense.

Common law rights are severely limited because they are restricted to the geographical area where the mark was used.

Technically speaking under common law, since the miniatures aren't sold retail level in other states then that only prevents them from entering the GA market. I don't believe at this time they've identified online sales as being regionally tied to an area yet. Although if only as a common law, then the first to register federally would take precedent over the common law.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Again, would you launch a game called War/Hammer? Or Mono/Poly?

If the name of the game matched what was being launched possibly. Since neither War/Hammer or Mono/Poly are relevant to a 'theme' no I wouldn't, unless the game was specially about making War Hammers or some science game about Mono and Poly. Personally I hate the name War Hammer because it does nothing to describe the product of the game, it is a war of hammers or a game where people use war hammers? As a car game I would try to come up with something unique but unfortunately in terms of Roadkill, Road Kill, Auto Wars, Car Wars, Auto Duel, etc there isn't a lot of ways to name a game that aptly fits the name of the game.

If 'confusingly similar' is the precedent then that would also mean they would both also have issues with Midway Games RoadKill. Roadkill itself which is a dictionary word referring to the remains of an animal killed by a motor vehicle. I had thought one of the defining factors was also not simply name, but also if you put the products in front of someone with just the name and nothing else would they confuse them with each other. In the Midway Games Roadkill, it is an electronic video game about cars which couldn't be confused with miniatures. In the case of Road Kill skirmish game with miniatures that are vampires, motorcycles while another is cars on a completely different scale. I also thought there was another qualifier used in determination but can't remember it.

Any clarity on the scale of the miniatures?

 Malika2 wrote:
Any clarity on the scale of the miniatures?

The very first line of the post
Johnny Lauck has teamed up with Miles Holmes, the creator of Road Kill Ultimate Car Combat Game, to offer a set of modular vehicles, scenery, weapons, and accessories cast in metal at N scale.

N-scale is between 1:148 and 1:160

So a human miniature is about 10-11mm tall?

Yes 10mm tall human figures for N scale.

Here are the 30 components you get with the basic $35 pledge and all stretch goals achieved for this level.



Check out these Road Kill Car Combat YouTube videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3DfrBWuK0U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhU7rDYYz7M