Modifying TTB session structure, and adapting for other settings? (Destiny Steps specifically)

[Zarpd]

I recently discovered Through The Breach and I am a bit fascinated by it! I do not know anything about Malifaux as a setting and this book is my first exposure to any of it.

 

I have a lot of experience running D&D and other systems, but the rules for Through The Breach are really hitting me differently. I find it really interesting that the players typically do all the "Dice rolling" (cards), how the different skill triggers can really add flavour to even the simplest interactions, and the way you can sort of change your class from session to session by way of picking new pursuits at the start of an adventure. Heck, I could ramble about the cool ideas in basic systems for a few paragraphs, and I haven't even started on the magic section yet!

 

My group tends to enjoy more sandbox style adventures, and due to real life commitments it is quite common for 1 or 2 players to miss sessions. This seems to run directly counter to TTB's structure, where each session is supposed to involve a player's Destiny Step and campaigns run for an amount of sessions equal to the players at the table x5. I am worried that this will be a non-starter for the game and that our group simply cannot fit with the game.

 

Is Through The Breach still fun if you ignore the Destiny Steps / Session Structure and run it more open ended? Or is a firm session structure (Prologue -> Pursuits -> Adventure -> Epilogue) so important to the game that we would be destroying too much of the game if we decided to ignore those rules? Are there other parts of TTB that you feel should never change, or aspects that are more malleable and can be adapted to different settings if need be?

[Shadowopal]

Short answer, yes it is still fun if you ignore the destiny. Though I would add it in and use it. Just don't make it a focus for folks. Use it as a kind of milestone system if that makes sense. The destiny really does add a lot of character to the stories as well as the Statsheet rewards. 

[explorator]

Sometimes, in my games, a single Destiny Step may take more than a single session, as the sandbox leaves a ton of room for player improv, which I would not stifle just to stick to a set rate of advancement.

Just try to make the gains in Destiny Steps balanced among the characters and you will find your way.