-This post is going to be long enough, so I'll give the mini-musings a miss for this one. But let me take a second to thank our Patreon sponsors, and encourage anyone out there to
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-Also, special thanks to the folks at Wyrd, particularly Kai, who helped make this review happen.
***
Since nearly the beginning of Malifaux’s time as a
miniatures game, there was one recurring thread that would appear over and over on the forums: there needs to be a role-playing game set in this world.
It has a rich background steeped in earth history and arcane lore. It
integrates a number of genres that the fans of Malifaux and RPGs in general
enjoy like Western, Gothic Horror, and Steampunk. It has a great story and
vibrant, interesting characters. The only question was, how do we do that? What
game system could people use to represent it? There were some Weird-West
options out there at the time like Deadlands, but it was always more a matter
of folding and patching the systems to make them fit rather than playing
something designed whole cloth to feel like a Malifaux RPG. Then in late November
2012, Wyrd launched their Kickstarter for Through the Breach, a roleplaying
game set in Malifaux based on the rules of the miniatures game. The goal was to make the games so compatible that you could port
between the two freely, taking your characters to games on the tabletop or
bringing any of the wargame’s rules or models into your RPG. It wanted to let
you play characters that were reminiscent of the ones you used on the tabletop,
be they spellcasters, melee specialists, ranged experts, or even everyday
people like gamblers or workmen. It was ambitious, and like any effort to
create something from whole cloth, there were bumps. Parts of the game worked
well, but other parts fell short. While the general feel of Malifaux was there,
the characters didn’t really feel like they had the same level of power or
ability as even some Minion level Malifaux characters. At the same time, making
things challenging for these characters was difficult as well, as the rules for
accruing injuries and dying made actual character death a rare thing. And, like
most 1st editions of games, there were rules that were clunky,
awkward, or unnecessary.
After creative control passed to the
current head designer, Mason Crawford, some of the philosophy began to shift
and newly created character options began to reflect the lessons learned from
some of those earlier bumps. The character options presented in the Arcanist
book Into the Steam, the Resurrectionist book Under Quarantine,
and the Gremlin book Into the Bayou were better right out of the gate,
due in large part to characters gaining new abilities when they first enter a
character class (called Pursuits) rather than after completing the first
session with them. However, introducing newer and more effective Pursuits made
some of those presented in the original Fated Almanac feel underpowered enough
to be borderline unplayable. And some of that rule and skill clutter was still
there, bringing down what was otherwise a strong game. It seemed like it was time to go back and create an updated version of the rule set incorporating the lessons learned from the first trial run.
Thus, the project that would become Through the Breach: Core Rules began. The
final product is a tighter, more characterful revised edition of the original
rules which is fully compatible with all published Malifaux products to date (a
rarity in today’s world of new RPG editions) that I recommend highly.
Physical Design
One
thing that is obvious straight away is that Through the Breach: Core Rules is
the first hardcover sourcebook Wyrd has published (at least, to my knowledge). It features a high quality
matte finished look with a glossy logo that stands out on the shelf. After a
number of readings and perusals I see no sign of damage to the spine despite
the book’s weighing in at a hefty 415 pages, and it comes with a trio of
attached ribbon bookmarks for tagging frequently utilized sections (two of mine
are permanently placed on the Skills table and the Critical Wounds charts.) The
art design for the book is for the most part consistent with other Malifaux
products, with a number of pieces recycled from previous offerings but with an
equal number of new pieces as well. The cover art features a battle between
Witch Hunters and what are likely Arcanists or Outcast spell-casters and
includes something that has not previously had a large presence in Malifaux outside of the Gremlins: a
sense of wry humor. Namely, one of the Witchling Stalkers has been backhanded
by the Hannah-esque suit of steampowered armor one of the rogue magic users is wearing
and is flying backwards, wide-eyed with its weapons trailing behind it. This
feels like a bit of a departure from the grimness that the setting can
sometimes convey, but it manages to not go over the top and doesn’t dominate
the rest of the book’s art. The one thing present in previous Wyrd publications
that I do miss is the high quality short fiction, as this book has none. This
is a mixed blessing, as it means there is more room in the page count for the
detailed information contained within the book, and it also means the numerous
revelations regarding the background and history of Malifaux are delivered
directly rather than having to be cribbed from the short stories. But still, it
almost doesn’t feel like a Wyrd book without them.
Background Material
The
first section of the book contains 56 pages of information on the world of
Malifaux and its history. For those that are new to the world and have maybe
arrived here after looking up reviews online, Malifaux is a game set in an
alternate earth history. Events progress roughly the same as in our world until
the end of the 18th century, with the variation that magic is a real
thing but works about as well in this alternate Earth as it does in our real one
because there just isn’t much of it here. When the world’s magic users realize
that the last of the magic is about to run out, they pool their efforts
together and punch a hole into a parallel world, Malifaux, in search of a new
source. What they discover is a place where magic flows almost tangibly through
the air, where a magic user who could barely light a match on Earth can set an
entire room on fire with their flame. And, best of all, they discover that the
magic can be stored in stones called Soulstones that can be transported Through
the Breach back to Earth, allowing magic to be used there as well. All was
going well for about a decade, but suddenly the natives of Malifaux banded
together, threw the humans back through the Breach they had opened between
worlds, and sealed the portal behind them. The last thing to pass through the
first Breach was a human body with the words “Ours” scratched into the chest,
hurled through just before the Breach sealed.
In the
ensuing panic, the Earth is plunged into an early version of World War I, called
the Black Powder Wars, as the great powers of the planet vied for control of
the now limited resource of Soulstone. The result of this is the seizing of
power by a collection of Soulstone dealers known as the Guild of Mercantilers
(or Guild for short) out of the ruins of the cabal of wizards that created the
Breach in the first place. This new power gains control of the world by seizing
the global Soulstone trade in an iron grip. So things remain until about 100
years after the closing of the first breach when, spontaneously, the Breach
reopens, allowing humans to once again travel to Malifaux. Prepared for
trouble, the Guild brings a small private army with them, only to find the city
once again sitting empty as was the case when the First Breach opened. Relieved,
they nonetheless use the ever-present threat of Malifaux’s natives to establish
a military dictatorship and monopoly controlling Soulstone mining and trade
with Earth. They are opposed by rebels called the Arcanists who resist their efforts
to control the study of magic. Meanwhile, the humans who have travelled through
the Breach to try and make their living in Malifaux are constantly menaced by
necromancers called Resurrectionists and the various natives of Malifaux,
including the Bayou pests known as Gremlins and the nightmarish Neverborn who
twist the human’s fears against them. And in the shadows of it all, a
Far-Eastern crime syndicate known as the Ten Thunders slowly spreads their
influence through all the other factions, quietly stealing power and wealth for
themselves.
The
background section next discusses the city of
Malifaux itself, former capital of the Neverborn which is now occupied by the
human forces. It goes into a great deal of detail regarding each of the districts
of the city, including the well-developed Downtown district where the Guild
keeps their headquarters, the Slums where most of the city’s people try to eke
out a living, and the Quarantine Zones walled off by the Guild that serve as
sanctuaries for The Guild’s enemies. This section is dripping with potential
campaign or adventure hooks. It then goes on to describe some portions of the
world outside of the main city in slightly more general terms, as much of this
material is described in greater detail within the other Through the Breach
sourcebooks. Finally, the background chapter finishes up by offering
information about the seven factions operating within Malifaux, including some
new revelations regarding the early history of the Miners and Steamfitters Union
that the Arcanists use as their front, the methods by which the Ten Thunders
rose from humble street gang to become one of the most powerful factions in
Malifaux, and some information regarding the true form of Lillith, leader of
the Neverborn vampiric-creatures known as the Nephilim.
Character Options
The next
six chapters detail the numerous character options offered in the book. As with
the 1st edition Fated Almanac, the only character race available is
humans. Options for playing undead, gremlin, or partially cybernetic characters
are presented in the other sourcebooks. Presumably, players who want to play as
Neverborn will be able to do so once the appropriate book is published at some
point in the future. This section begins by detailing the very unique method of
character generation used by Through the Breach: performing a Tarot reading
that simultaneously provides you with information on your character’s
background, skills, and attributes as well as spelling out a Destiny for your
character to embrace or resist over the course of the campaign. This Destiny
serves both as a source of plot hooks for your gamemaster (called a Fatemaster
in TTB) to use, as well as a means of character advancement, as the most potent
increases in abilities for your character will come when they face part of
their destiny. Once all your players have completed their destinies (presumably
in one big-blow out final adventure) players are recommended to wrap up that
campaign and start a new one with new characters. One consequence of this is
that Through the Breach campaigns are, by their nature, more linear and limited
than what some players may expect from other RPGs they’ve played. While not
impossible, a sandbox style game where a Fatemaster simply drops his players
into the world of Malifaux and turns them loose to see what happens is more
challenging than one with clear adventure hooks, follow-up, and resolutions. I
like to think of my TTB campaigns as being episodic, very much like a western
like Gunsmoke or Bonanza with a cold-open prologue that gives the players an
idea of what’s coming for them in that game session, the meat of the adventure
itself, and an epilogue that wraps up some of the action and possibly sets up
the next episode.
Next, the book details the various
Pursuits which Fated characters can follow over the course of their adventures.
The fourteen basic pursuits available in the Core Rules cover a number of roles
in the world, ranging from Dabblers who craft magical energy to produce
powerful spells, Tinkerers who animate robotic constructs to serve them,
Gunfighters, Mercenaries, Gamblers, Performers, and even every-day laborers
like Drudges and Pioneers. One of Through the Breach’s most unique rules
compared to other RPGs is the ability to choose which pursuit your character
will be on at the beginning of each game session based on information presented
in the game’s Prologue. To help encourage switching, each Pursuit includes a
Rank 0 talent which Fated characters receive when initially embarking on a
Pursuit, allowing even new characters to have a taste of the flavor inherent in
each. Additionally, the book contains five Advanced Pursuits: the Death
Marshal, Freikorpsmann, Grave Servant, Steamfitter, and Torakage, giving your
character the ability to become a member of some of the iconic organizations in
the world of Malifaux.
Next, the book details the skills
your character will use during their adventures. Almost everything you do in
the game involves flipping a card from the Fate deck and adding your ranks in a
skill and a relevant attribute (the equivalent of Ability Scores from other
RPGs) to overcome the various challenges and obstacles put in their path by the
Fatemaster. The list of available skills is the same as in the previous edition
of Through the Breach with some trimming to remove and consolidate some of the
redundant skills together (a sidebar includes information on which skills
should sub for some of those that were deleted out.) One addition to the Core
Rules is the inclusion of skill triggers, bonuses you can use for skills with
which your character is particularly adept based on the suit of the card you
flip from the Fate Deck (explained in more detail later.) Every character who
gains three ranks in a skill becomes eligible to add a trigger, and each skill
has an example trigger listed in the book for each of the four suits.
 |
| His skill trigger is: Come at me, bro! |
Following the skills, the next chapter details
Talents, abilities that further help to flesh out and define your character.
One of my favorite parts of the original Through the Breach was the inclusion
of a number of talents that require you to have a poor score in one of the
game’s core attributes, representing means your character has developed over
the course of their life to get around some of their deficiencies. Next, the
equipment chapter contains a much more concise list of the various weapons,
armor, prosthetic replacements, and gear available to Through the Breach characters in the Core Rules.
While I appreciated the numerous historically accurate options for, in
particular, the guns in the first edition of TTB, trimming the lists down makes
it a lot more useable and removes a great deal of redundancy. If someone has a
particular antique weapon they’d like to see represented, they can always just
reskin one of the guns presented in the book and say it’s the one they prefer. I
think it was a great change.
 |
| "I cast Magic Missile at the Darkness"-A thing that can actually happen in a TTB game. |
Finally,
the Magic chapter describes how Fated characters are able to manipulate the
magical energies available within Malifaux itself. Magic use in TTB is not
limited to characters from one of the magic using pursuits (though they have
the easiest time getting into it.) Each character who uses magic must acquire a
magical theory detailing their means of accessing these energies. Some of these
are familiar to players of the Malifaux miniatures game, including the Oxford
Method used by some Arcanists, the Whisper that teaches necromancers to raise
the dead, and the Thalarian Doctrine used by the Guild to suppress other forms
of sorcery. Others are unique to Through the Breach (at least as far as I’m
aware.) The Lifewell Doctrine is a theory that enhances a character’s ability
to use restorative magic at the cost of their ability to use magic to do
damage. The Darlin theories (named, presumably, with a tongue-in-cheek
reference to Aaron Darland, head designer of Malifaux) focuses on animation of
mechanical constructs. The Balanced Five is focused on the balance created by
the five elements in Malifaux (Air, Earth, Fire, Metal, and Water) and creates
magical effects by throwing this balance out of whack. Additionally, magic use
for the Core Rules characters involves the acquisition and utilization of
Grimoires, which can range from your traditional spellbooks to the writings of
madmen on sanitarium walls to a special magical shovel that whispers the
secrets of the spells to its wielder. Spells themselves are crafted by the
players by combining Magia, the base spell effects, with Immuto, modifiers to
the spells that allow for the alteration and manipulation of the magical
effects to increase their range, change the types of creatures they can target,
cast them faster, etc. etc. etc. Each Grimoire contains a selection of Magia
and Immuto with which the Fated character can craft unique spell effects on the
fly during the game, at the cost of making them more difficult to cast for each
positive modifier they tack on. Finally, the magic chapter discusses Soulstones,
the reason humans are in Malifaux in the first place. The rules for these are
very much trimmed down from their previous iteration. Soulstones are given a
Lade based on their size and clarity which affects their monetary value, but
ultimately the only effect this has in game is to increase the range at which
they can be recharged by someone’s death. Otherwise, each stone carries one
charge which can be used for specific functions: augmenting the casting of a
spell or manifested power, animating magical constructs for a number of weeks
equal to the lade of the stone, or healing the bearer. It’s a vast
simplification, and Tinkerers and Graverobbers in particular will miss being
able to use stones that would recharge faster than their creatures would
consume them in order to keep their creations alive into perpetuity, but I
suppose sometimes sacrifices must be made for the sake of clarity and ease of
use.
Game Rules
The Core
Rules contains all the information one needs to run a game of Malifaux,
combining all of the material that previously would have been found within the
Fated and Fatemaster’s Almanacs. As previously stated, the rules for Through
the Breach are based very closely on the Malifaux miniatures game. All
interactions are resolved by flipping cards from a central deck of cards, the
Fate Deck. The number flipped on the card plus a modifier from the character is
compared to a target number set by the game’s Fatemaster to determine
success or failure. If a situation delivers particularly positive or negative
circumstances for the action, players receive + or – modifiers and flip
additional cards to reflect this. And, much like the miniatures game, players
are not stuck with the result of the card flip. After generating their
characters, players build a 13 card Twist Deck that they can use to replace
cards flipped from the Fate Deck, allowing them to Cheat Fate and seize control
of their own destiny. Since everything is done with static target numbers, the
FM never actually flips any cards, as resisting attacks or effects delivered by
non-player characters (or Fatemaster Characters) is done instead by the players
(Fated) flipping a card and adding their relevant defense versus a static
number. This can lead to a few head scratchers early on when odd interactions
occur (for instance, remembering that FM characters receiving a + modifier to
their attack actually results in the Fated character receiving a – to their
defense flip) but, from experience, it usually takes about one game session for
everyone to learn the ins and outs and get a feel for the mechanics. After
that, everyone plays like a pro.
The suits on the cards are used for
triggers as previously mentioned or, in the case of spellcasting, are usually a
required part of the Target Number for casting a spell. In the updated Core
Rules, effort was made to tie each of the schools of magic (Sorcery,
Prestidigitation, Illusion, and Necromancy) to one of the four suits and keep
that consistent throughout, while at the same time reducing the number of
effects which allow Fated to build a suit into their relevant skill and negate
this cost early in their careers. So, no skill mastery as your first general
talent to let you ignore the suits required for your spells, an overall
positive change. This change leads me to recommend that most groups bring an
Overseer, as its ability to discard Twist cards and add their suits to their
party members’ Challenge flips can be huge early on. The Red and Black Jokers
in the deck represent incredibly good or bad twists of fate, as per usual. The
Red counts as a 14 with any suit, while the Black counts as a 0. If you flip
the Red Joker out you may always use it, even if you have a negative modifier
to your flip. If you flip out the Black, you have to use it even if you have a
positive modifier. And, of course, if you flip both you have to use the Black,
because this is Malifaux and Bad Things HappenTM.
Damage
also works the way it does on the tabletop. Characters’ attacks have 3 damage
values, Weak, Moderate, and Severe, corresponding with the three ranges of
cards (1-5 for weak, 6-10 for moderate, 11+ for severe.) After you make a
successful attack flip you receive a modifier based on the amount by which you
beat the opponents’ defense, flip cards, and the relevant fate card leads you
to deal the damage. The Red Joker deals severe damage as well as an immediate
critical effect (more on these in a moment) while the Black, as per usual,
deals 0 damage (other than the crushing of your soul, of course.) Characters
have a number of wounds that represents their ability to take and/or shrug off
damage. Once they drop to 0 wounds, any additional damage they take results in
an immediate Unconsciousness Challenge to avoid passing out and a flip on the
Critical Effects table. Depending on the severity of the injury, these can
result in as light of an effect as the character being rattled and incurring a
minor reduction to any actions they take next time or as harsh as losing a limb
or, eventually, their life. Any time you take damage past this point results in
another flip on the Critical Effects table until, eventually, the character
expires. Facilitating this, the tables themselves have been revised,
compressing them and removing a number of the less impactful critical effects
to make them really hurt when you suffer one. Since characters usually don’t
have a ton of wounds to lose before these critical effects start happening, the
end result is that combats in Through the Breach are quick, brutal, and
vicious. It can still seem, at times, like some combat-oriented characters are
nearly unkillable, particularly later in their careers. But then you run into
the wrong group of opponents that match up poorly with their defenses, or you
fight a lot of opponents with Black Blood or another passively damaging
ability, or you just flip badly, and you find out how quickly things can go
wrong in Malifaux.
One of
the things I like best about this game system is the use of Ongoing Skill
Challenges. Most Challenges require only a single skill flip to resolve.
However, larger activities like searching a library for a lost tome, crossing a
desert, or presenting a case in a court room require a bit more of an extended
effort. In these cases, you use an Ongoing challenge to represent this, introducing
a list of skills that apply and giving a static target number to hit along with
a number of successes required before a certain number of failures. If you
succeed, the challenge is overcome and the Fated meet their goals. If they fail
catastrophically, typically a consequence is introduced that they will need to
overcome before the adventure can continue. This basic framework can serve in and of itself, but I find the best
Ongoing Challenges involve modifications that crop up as the Fated go along.
One of the most memorable Ongoing Challenges came from the first chapter of the
Nythera event where the Fated get caught in the middle of a firefight between
two Masters in Malifaux’s streets while trying to fetch the head of Phillip
Tombers. After every round of action, a new complication would creep up
(fireballs raining down from the sky on them, someone summoning ghostly spirits
in their path, etc.) that would have to be overcome or taken advantage of
before the Ongoing Challenge could progress. Between this and the combat rules,
the game offers a variety of challenges for the Fated to overcome on the path
of their destiny.
Bestiary and Sample Adventure
 |
| Two opponents from the Bestiary. Oh, you don't have the core rules? Then you don't get to find out who they are! Ha ha! |
The final section includes the last of the
tools required for the game, a Bestiary. Trying to cram a comprehensive
bestiary for the world of Malifaux into 87 pages would be next to impossible, but the creatures
provided do an admirable job of presenting a cross-section of the flora and
fauna of that Fated characters will face, and if a particular critter from the tabletop game isn't in here yet, you can usually just use their stat card from the mini to at least pass as a Through the Breach creature. Representative creatures are
presented for each of the seven factions so no matter what antagonist your
campaign is built around, you can always find something to use for it.
Additionally, the system of assigning models to their stations in life (peon,
minion, enforcer, henchman, master, and tyrant) allows for built-in scalability
of the bestiary contents. Have a game involving rogue spellcasters and enjoy
Witchling Stalkers as enemies but not sure if they’ll be a challenge for your
higher level players? Just increase them to Enforcers or higher and adjust
their station accordingly. As Fatemaster Characters’ stations increase, so does
the card they’re assumed to flip for every action, so all the things these new
elite Witchlings do will scale up along with them. Additionally, to counter the
disadvantage at which FM characters are placed due to not flipping cards or
having a Twist Deck to cheat with, FM characters receive a certain number of Fate
Points based on their station to spend to either give themselves a + modifier to a challenge, add in a
suit of their choosing, or heal some damage, making fighting a Master or higher
level opponent a truly intimidating proposition. Speaking of which, the final
entry in the Bestiary is a master level character, Leopold Von Schill, leader
of the Freikorps and general all-around badass. Included mostly, I think, to
give a ball-park range for what Fatemasters should shoot for in the
capabilities of other masters (though it’s not like an adventure where the
Freikorps have a contract to take out one of your characters would be boring)
it’s still nice to see the old man in action. And if you're thinking "But, I have Von Schill's stat card. Why would I need a new one?" Well, Mr. Smartypants...this Von Schill has a rifle. So there! But seriously, some of the mini game abilities don't translate well to the RPG every time, so it's usually worth the effort to redesign them slightly to iron out those wrinkles.
After
the Bestiary, the Core Rules contains a very short adventure meant to serve as
an introduction to a game of Through the Breach. Fittingly, it features your
characters doing just that: boarding the Iron Ram and travelling from
Breachtown (built in what was Santa Fe until the first breach opened and
destroyed it) to Malifaux. Of course this is a role-playing game so the Bad
Things from the title of the adventure end up happening, and the Fated end up
having to step in and save the train from getting stuck in the ether between
the two worlds. As I said, it’s very short, and it features a skill challenge
that, if failed, ends the adventure (and the career of your newly minted Fated
characters) which is a personal pet peeve, but otherwise it’s a good
introduction to the game and to the world of Malifaux itself.
Final Thoughts
Through
the Breach isn't always going to fit with every gaming group. I know of at least one local group in
particular that likes the campaign world but chafes at how it lends itself to linear versus sandbox
storytelling due to the idea of your characters’ destinies being spelled out at
the beginning of the game (for clarity, you get a vague idea of the important
events in your characters’ careers with the Tarot, but nothing says you have to go along with
what Fate has in store for you when the time comes.) Some may find the system
of flipping and adding in a skill and an attribute while remembering various
Talents and building spells from Grimoires to be too complicated.
Paradoxically, others may find the game to be too rules light, preferring a more
tactically oriented system. What Through the Breach does have, however, is tons
of character. Malifaux is a fantastic world in which to run a campaign, as I’ve
previously effused. The diversity of the character options presented in the
Core Rules makes it possible to build any character a player might want,
honestly. The “heroes” are larger than life and characterful, and the
“villains” are grotesque, stylish, and terrifying. It ranges through a number
of different genres from steampunk to gothic horror to the Wild West, so it
shouldn’t be tough to find something to pique your players’ interests. And the bottom
line is, when you play Through the Breach it feels like you’re playing a
Malifaux RPG. You’re flipping cards. The jokers and the suits are all there
just like you expect. You’re cheating fate and trying to embrace or outrun your
character’s destiny. I recommend it highly. The changes to the Core Rules are
nothing but improvements, and my hat is off to the game designers for making
the choice to keep everything backwards compatible so as not to invalidate
previous Through the Breach publications. If you like Malifaux and you want to
try an RPG set
in the world, you enjoy episodic style storytelling, or you want to find a new RPG that plays differently than anything you've previously tried, I think this is the best way to do it. Some come join us Through the Breach!
