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Tell me of Through the Breach


James Mason

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Having recently (in the last month) got into Malifaux, I'm surprised and disappointed about how little info there is available on Through the Breach, especially as so many Kickstarters have it their hands already. Lots of discussion on the minutiae of the rules, but I can't find a detailed overview (or review) anywhere  - the Wyrd website and the Kickstarter page tells me very little.

 

I'd like to know....

 

1) Whats is about? "It's the Mailfaux RPG" doesn't tell me that, any more than saying "Dark Heresy is the 40K Game" (I know, DH is one of many 40k games). What do the PCs do? Who do they work for? Is the default playstyle exploration, combat, investigation, all of the above...? Whats the typical TTB session like?

 

2) Fate Decks. I know how they work in Malifaux. Does each player need their own deck in TTB?

 

3) Theres a players book and a GM's book, I know. Whats in them? Whats is each chapter? Are there NPC stats, equipment, starting adventures, how does player advancement work, magic etc....?

 

Thanks for your time folks!

 

:)

 

James Mason

 

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Perfectly good questions all. Lemme see if I can help a bit.

Mile high view: Malifaux Minis game with Non-combat Stuff fleshed out as well.

1) a typical TtB game varies based on player and GM preferences. The system (in my opinion) lends itself better to a "Storyteller" kind of game (ie: not combat focused like most DnDs), and as a result, a lot of the adjudicating power lies with the GM. The actions the players can take as a result are MUCH more game-changing. Beyond that, the only real limits are "where does your group want to be, what stories do they want to tell in Malifaux?"

2) the Players have a communal deck they flip from, and they each have a customized "Twist Deck" of 13 unique cards they cheat fate from.

3) the players book has world history, excellent fluff, character creation, classes (called pursuits), feats (called General and Pursuit Talents), equipment magic and basic rules. The GMs guide has BUCO GMing advice, NPC stats, adventure hooks, and advanced pursuits.

Cliffnotes: if you play the skirmish game, you're 87% of the way to understanding TtB.

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The big schtick that TtB has going for it is that character creation has some randomization elements to it (you generate ratings for physical attributes randomly, but once you have the numbers you can place them where you want for example), and during character creation you create a monster plot hook for the GM. Progression towards or away from this destiny earns you bonus stuffs.

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@ Brewmaster

 

I am new to Mailfaux, and not a table top gamer.  I would like to know which if any of the table top rulebooks would be good additions for more general background on the world of Mailfaux,  to expand on the fated/fate master books.

 

Would you have any recommendations?

well, all the books are wonderfull background, altough you can use the system only and "create" your own houserules etc.

also, you can perfectly play TTB as the skirmish game because of the disposition rules

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If you want the most optimized bang for your buck, the Malifaux 2nd Edition rulebook will work just fine. Not only does it give you a solid overview of the 7 factions and great fluff for each, you also get 7 factions worth of stats that, with minor bookkeeping, can be turned into NPCs.

If you want to supplement, 2nd Edition Crossroads is a good choice, and I believe the older books (with still legit fluff) can be found digitally over at Drivethru RPG at a reasonable price.

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Holy thread derailment Batman!

 

Thanks for the replies Brewmaster. I guess what I'm trying to get at with the Fate Deck thing is

how much would a group of say 4 players and a GM need to buy to play the game?

Are the Twist deck cards taken from a standard fate deck? Do the players need one deck each?

 

thanks again.

 

:)

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The group will only need 1 communal fate deck for resolution of actions however, each player will need to create a custom Twist deck so will likely need a deck as well. You might be able to get a way with fewer fate decks than number of players plus one if your players dont have card duplicates in their twist decks.

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Best if the players have a deck each - every player makes their twist deck from all four suits, so two players may both need the 12 of crows for example. But they are just pulled from standard fate decks, one of each value, with the suits chosen during character creation.

Easiest to have each player and the FM have a fate deck, so each player builds the twists from their own deck and the FM has the communal deck.

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Remember you can use a normal deck of cards to create individual fate decks.

Total Cost + Breakdown ( Think these are the prices. ) for 1 FM and 4 players.

 

Fatemaster Almanac (40 USD) + The Fated Almanac ( 40 USD ) + 1 communal Fate Deck (7.25 USD) + 4 individual Fate Decks (29 USD) = 116.25 USD

 

That is all you need to play, but again you drop the price point by using playing cards for Fate Decks if you want.  

 

100 Bucks gets you into the game and gives you everything you need to play.  

100/5 people is 20 USD each.  I think its a pretty easy price point to hit for most gaming groups.

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20 USD each sounds OK in theory, but I've never run an RPG where I've expected the players to front some of the cost themselves, especially

for a group of players who have never heard of Malifaux or Through the Breach. Generally in my gaming group one prospective GM brings a game to the table and says "I want to run this" -it'd be a tough sell if I followed it with "but first you must spend x on it before we can start".

Its good to know conventional cards would suffice though.

I'm still not sold on it, again mainly because information on the game is so sparse; I suppose more detailed reviews might emerge when it hits general release.

 

Thanks for the helpful replies though folks.

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James glad to be of help.  But, I am intrigued by your answer.  If you would allow me to dive down this rabbit hole, when you begin your "new" RPG expereince what is your expected price point?  I do assume that you want to spend something.  If you wanted to play D&D 2nd Ed. way back in the day you would need at least two books and dice.  I guess I am trying to find out what the barrier for entry is for you.  That information would be really helpful for Wyrd to produce a possible quick start package.  And saying Free is a choice, but I would ask you please justify your answer.

 

Hopefully you will induldge my curiosity.  Thanks.

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Theres no big "barrier" as such - my point was mainly  that if I have a certain amount of money to spend why would I spend it on Through the Breach, rather than say Dark Heresy 2nd edition (which I'm also interested in). I'm happy to spend money, just saying that among my gaming group I would almost certainly be the one fronting the cost. Which I'd be happy to do, but at the moment there just doesn't seem enough info on the 'net about TTB to sell it to me.

I think a quick start package would be a fantastic idea, something like a free PDF with quick-start rules, some pregenned characters and a starter adventure, much like Fantasy Flight do with with their 40k games or Green Ronin with Dragon Age (or even D&D 5th edition, the basic rules are free).

Anyhow, I guess it's early days for TTB still, hopefully Wyrd might expand the TTB section on their website for starters - there doesn't seem to be much info about to sell TTB to the greater roleplaying market beyond existing Wyrd customers who are already aware of the game, i.e. Malifaux players.

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James some of my personal favorite mechanics in TTB would be

 

Magic - magic and manifested powers are so interchangeable and mutable you can make almost anything. With GM finesse your able to come up with some crazy powers ( my personal favorite i made was a Mind control character that had some stipulations before he could cast the spell such as he has to introduce himself by full name and shake their hand.)

 

The setting- As a long time malifaux player i love the dark gritty feel of malifaux with the steam Victorian style but with enough magic you can basically explain anything into your game. 

 

Destiny- The destiny mechanic works great and really make me think as a gm. As players make their character they flip 5 cards these give you stats and info about the character, but this also gives you their fate. As a gm you have to try and connect these fates to your story witch i find helps me make a better fuller story that my players enjoy more because it has its spot light moments for each of them.Think about your best and worst RP moments..they all have that epic spot were it was allabout you..and TTB has that built in.

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I've read this thread like 5 times now and I don't understand it so I need to reply for the sake of my own sanity.

Having recently (in the last month) got into Malifaux, I'm surprised and disappointed about how little info there is available on Through the Breach, especially as so many Kickstarters have it their hands already. Lots of discussion on the minutiae of the rules, but I can't find a detailed overview (or review) anywhere  - the Wyrd website and the Kickstarter page tells me very little.

 

I'd like to know....

 

1) Whats is about? "It's the Mailfaux RPG" doesn't tell me that, any more than saying "Dark Heresy is the 40K Game" (I know, DH is one of many 40k games). What do the PCs do? Who do they work for? Is the default playstyle exploration, combat, investigation, all of the above...? Whats the typical TTB session like?


 

James Mason

It's... an RPG... just like every RPG it's about whatever you want it to be about.. It's an RPG set in Malifaux.... Just like World of Darkness would be an RPG set in the World of Darkness univese and Pathfinder a story in the Pathfinder univeerse. It's a framework from which you create your own story. That's how RPGs work.

 

20 USD each sounds OK in theory, but I've never run an RPG where I've expected the players to front some of the cost themselves, especially

for a group of players who have never heard of Malifaux or Through the Breach. Generally in my gaming group one prospective GM brings a game to the table and says "I want to run this" -it'd be a tough sell if I followed it with "but first you must spend x on it before we can start".

Its good to know conventional cards would suffice though.

I'm still not sold on it, again mainly because information on the game is so sparse; I suppose more detailed reviews might emerge when it hits general release.

 

Thanks for the helpful replies though folks.

It's kinda like expecting people to bring their own dice to a dice RPG and the cost is pretty much exactly the same, besides most people already own a deck of playing cards they can use.

 

 

Theres no big "barrier" as such - my point was mainly  that if I have a certain amount of money to spend why would I spend it on Through the Breach, rather than say Dark Heresy 2nd edition (which I'm also interested in). I'm happy to spend money, just saying that among my gaming group I would almost certainly be the one fronting the cost. Which I'd be happy to do, but at the moment there just doesn't seem enough info on the 'net about TTB to sell it to me.

I think a quick start package would be a fantastic idea, something like a free PDF with quick-start rules, some pregenned characters and a starter adventure, much like Fantasy Flight do with with their 40k games or Green Ronin with Dragon Age (or even D&D 5th edition, the basic rules are free).

Anyhow, I guess it's early days for TTB still, hopefully Wyrd might expand the TTB section on their website for starters - there doesn't seem to be much info about to sell TTB to the greater roleplaying market beyond existing Wyrd customers who are already aware of the game, i.e. Malifaux players.

It mostly comes down to what kind of story you'd prefer to make. I don't know if we just do it very differently in my group but we think of a type of story we'd like to play and then pick the most suitable story. Last year we wanted to do an RP about Knights so we picked up the Game of Thrones RPG. Before that we wanted to play space pirates so we went with Rogue Trader. There's plenty of information about what Malifaux is about so it shouldn't really be difficult to figure out if the setting suits your group or not.

 

I hope this didn't came across as rude in any way it just seems like me and my group has a very different view of RPGs than you so it all seems sort of confusing to me haha xD

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Sorry for confusing you. I'm as baffled by your confusion as you are by my posts. :)

I feel a bit like I've asked "tell me about the Star Wars RPG" and I've been told "go and watch Star Wars. Thats all you know need to know".

 

Perhaps I asked the wrong question - I should have said "does Through the Breach have a specfic focus or does it just you create characters from tthe world of Malifaux to go off and do whatever they want". It seems that the answer is the latter.

 

Every game has some assumptions about how you play it. Take your Pathfinder example. Its a poor game for some stories set in the Pathfinder universe. If I want to run a trading empire game based around shipping in the Inner Sea for example, or run nations at war in Golarion, I'd be better served by Reign. Thats because the default assumption of Pathfinder is "You're heroic adventurers who use martial skills, divine and arcane magic to defeat evil monsters and take their stuff", in which case page after page of combat spells, feats and monster stats is a waste of time, space and money for my shipping empire game.

 

Some games have a narrower focus than others; some like TTB it seems, or any version of D&D, say "why are all the PCs working together? Dunno. Up to you. Make it up".

Some however say "you all work for an Inquisitor (Dark Heresy). I know that Tau are part of the WH40K universe, but to play a bunch of Tau this is the wrong game".

 

Telling me "it's the Malifaux RPG" leaves me to assume (with no more info that) that anything I see in the minis game I can have in the RPG. Can players fight  Masters? Can players be masters? Can I play a resurrectionist? Are there rules for summoning magic, schools of magic, building a construct? Playing a construct? If I want a bunch of PCs who are a Ten Thunders ninja squad, are there detailed martial arts rules?

 

Is the game deadly? Are monsters and Neverborn bags of hit points for heroic PCs to take down with awesome powers and skills without breaking a sweat, like say in 4e D&D or Feng Shui? Or they murderous horrors against whom fighting is the last resort, like in Call of Cthulhu? Somewhere in between? Could they drive the PCs insane? Are there rules for driving the PCs insane? Is there is skill list, or is it more freeform, like Fate Aspects or 13th Age backgrounds?

 

Thats the sort of stuff I want to know more about.

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To cover some of that:

 

Can players fight  Masters?

Absolutely, if your FM puts one up against you. But... don't be surprised if you get slaughtered. You can hit like a freight train, but not dying is trickier.

 

Can players be masters?

You can get close to that power level late on, but in terms of hiring minions and running things that again would be on the FM to put it into your game. I know I allow my lot to take charge of large organisations if they get themselves into that position. Specific named masters, like 'can I be McMourning?', is more a case of picking your skills to match as best you can.

 

Can I play a resurrectionist?

Yup. There's a whole pursuit called Graverobber, there's advanced pursuits for it too. Plus necromancy spells like raise undead. A later expansion book will expand on the undead significantly, too.

 

Are there rules for summoning magic, schools of magic, building a construct? 

Yes. Though the building constructs section is quite broad and vague for now. Again, a future expansion is all about them.

 

Playing a construct? 

Not yet, but that construct book should open that up if I remember right. There's also gremlin and neverborn ones in the works.

 

If I want a bunch of PCs who are a Ten Thunders ninja squad, are there detailed martial arts rules?

There's one specific combat skill of martial arts, and the torakage is an advanced pursuit that you can take if you fulfil the requirements (story based ones). That grants you various bonuses depending on what you learn from your masters.

 

It's a massively flexible narrative system, so pretty much anything is possible. The later books will open up different races/beings to play and give more options for things that are currently more vague, but it's easily possible to adapt things into the system from the tabletop game as it stands. 

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Pretty much anything in the miniature game works in the rpgs and can be ported over easily. There are advanced classes for all the human Malifaux factions. If you want a game as comparisson it's probably most similar to WoD out of the games I've played. The game is basically sandbox with very little focus except "you're in malifaux, go nuts!". But with rules for all skills and such. Progression is kind of similar to Pathfinder with things happening on tiers but you can mulitclass like crazy with no penalty since you decide which class you want to level at the start of a session.

In our Pathfinder campaign we're playing a priestly order trying to contain mages and being on the brink of war with the kingdom... Last session ~8hr long I rolled less than ten dice, not sure if that"s how the game normally works but it's fun :)

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