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  Starting a roleplaying game can be a bit of a tricky 
  experience. You need to go through character 
  creation, after which you’re thrown into a world 
  you don’t really know. All the players have to start 
  working together, and they have to work with the 
  Fatemaster in order to tell a successful story.
  I understand how difficult the first session or two 
  can be, and it is made even more complicated when 
  players don’t know the rules. In order to help get 
  the Through the Breach pistons firing, I’ve created 
  this introductory adventure designed to highlight the 
  rules of the game. Maybe it’ll help you start on the 
  right foot when you’ve crossed the Breach.
  Reading this adventure may help you understand 
  the game even if you don’t actually play it, so I’d 
  encourage anyone considering the journey into 
  Malifaux to read this story.
  This starter adventure includes a couple of pre-
  generated characters to use: Barnabus Hatrick 
  and Francis DuMont. Feel free to substitute these 
  characters with your own, use them as is, or add 
  more characters to the story. It can support up to 
  four players.
  SET Up
  Since this is your first time playing Through the Breach, 
  we’ll spend a moment talking about set up. You’ll 
  need a couple of Fate Decks to play, and each player 
  should have a copy of their character sheet. If players 
  are playing Barney and Francis, copy the shortform 
  character sheets out of Chronicles to use. The only 
  other thing you need is a copy of this adventure, but 
  a copy of the Fated Almanac could come in handy in 
  case you want to look something up.
  You’ll need at least two people to play: one to be the 
  Fatemaster and one to play a Fated. The Fatemaster’s 
  job is to host the story, and this adventure is written 
  for the perspective of the Fatemaster. Anyone playing 
  one of the Fated are focusing on just one character 
  and trying to navigate the story and challenges the 
  Fatemaster presents.
  If you’ve never played a tabletop RPG before, this 
  may sound a bit confusing. I’d encourage anyone 
  looking to know more about RPGs in general to look 
  around on the net. There are a lot of great sources 
  out there that will help explain the genre to you. 
  Here’s a link with some videos that may help: 
  AN EASY MARK
  A STARTER ADvENTURE FOR THROUGh THE BREACH 
  http://learntabletoprpgs.com/see-how-a-game-is-played.html
  
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  OK. Let’s get on with set up. Grab one of the Fate 
  Decks. Start by sorting the cards by suit and number, 
  as this deck is going to end up as four individual 
  decks called Twist Decks. Any players (i.e. not the 
  Fatemaster) should take the 1, 5, 9, and 13 of one 
  suit, the 4, 8, and 12 of a different suit, the 3, 7, 
  and 11 of a third suit, and the 2, 6, and 10 of the 
  remaining suit. Players will not be able to choose the 
  same suit as another player in this set-up as we’re 
  only dividing up one deck (in a normal game you 
  could, you’d just need more Fate Decks to divide up).
  Once each player has their cards, they should 
  combine and shuffle them. Now you have your Twist 
  Decks for play. You’ll notice that the two Jokers 
  aren’t used here, so you can just set them aside.
  The remaining Fate Deck should be shuffled and 
  placed in the middle of the table (with all of its 
  cards). This deck is referred to as the Fate Deck 
  below, and is how most conflict will be resolved.
  The last thing we need is for each player should 
  draw the top 3 cards of their personal Twist Deck. 
  They’ll be able to use these cards during the course 
  of the game.
  The Game
  Estimated time to play: 20 minutes/player
  Tarot tie-ins: CRSC 12C
  Summary: The Fated are at a train station looking 
  for a way to get on the train to go to Malifaux.
  When we present TTB adventures, we’ll give you 
  this information as a quick summary, which may 
  help you in your own games. The Tarot tie-ins, in 
  particular, might be useful for you. The CRSC 12C, 
  for example, is the Cross Roads Tarot Southern 
  Card: “As you strain to see through the high noon 
  veil”. This adventure will take place at noon, thus 
  the tie-in.
  The goal of this information is to make Fatemastering 
  as simple as possible so that you can focus on 
  the experience and enjoyment of the game. This 
  example is fairly straightforward, but there are a lot 
  of creative ways you can weave the Destiny Steps 
  into your game!
  Prologue
  This session focuses on Barnabus Hatrick, a small-
  time criminal and petty thief looking to escape his 
  past. Paraphrase the below or read it aloud:
  You’ve been living on Earth since your momma 
  brought you into the world, and you’re not convinced 
  it’s so great. Living’s hard, and you’ve tried to scratch 
  out what livelihood you can, but it’s just not borne 
  any fruit. You’ve managed to do OK ‘borrowing’ 
  things from others, but it seems this time maybe you 
  borrowed the wrong thing… and wouldn’t you know 
  it, before you could put it back people were calling 
  you thief. What’s the world coming to?
  So last night you made your way to the station, looking 
  to hop on the high noon to Malifaux. Surely any place is 
  better than this… At night, the station was gloomy and 
  mostly deserted, so you took your meager possessions 
  and fell asleep on a bench. Come morning, you’re out 
  of here come hell or high water.
  Sometime during the night and early morning, a few 
  others drifted in, finding their way to the station. 
  Everyone who comes here is looking to leave, and in 
  a few hours, you’ll all be gone… assuming you can 
  get a ticket.
  Players would normally pick their Pursuits here. 
  As this is the first adventure, the pre-generated 
  characters already have their starting Pursuits chosen 
  and factored in, as this happens during character 
  creation. If you have multiple players in the game, you 
  can have each player describe what their character 
  looks like as they make their way in at night.
  The Prologue is used in Through The Breach to set 
  the scene for the adventure. It lets the players know 
  not only what type of conflict they’ll face, but also 
  which Fated’s destiny is in play. In this example, 
  Barnabus is the key player, and the conflict revolves 
  around wanting to get a ticket on the train. You don’t 
  need to spell everything out in the Prologue, but it 
  can really help set the tone you want for the game.
  If you’ve read the Fatemaster’s Almanac, this is 
  Phase 1 of an adventure, “Awareness” mentioned 
  on page 21.
  When we present TTB adventures, we’ll give 
  you this information as a quick summary, 
  which may help you in your own games. The 
  Tarot tie-ins, in particular, might be useful 
  for you. The CRSC 12C, for example, is the 
  Cross Roads Tarot Southern Card: “As you 
  strain to see through the high noon veil”. 
  This adventure will take place at noon, thus 
  the tie-in.
  The goal of this information is to make 
  Fatemastering as simple as possible so 
  that you can focus on the experience and 
  enjoyment of the game. This example is 
  fairly straightforward, but there are a lot of 
  creative ways you can weave the Destiny 
  Steps into your game!
  The Prologue is used in Through The Breach 
  to set the scene for the adventure. It lets 
  the players know not only what type of 
  conflict they’ll face, but also which Fated’s 
  destiny is in play. In this example, Barnabus 
  is the key player, and the conflict revolves 
  around wanting to get a ticket on the train. 
  You don’t need to spell everything out in the 
  Prologue, but it can really help set the tone 
  you want for the game.
  If you’ve read the Fatemaster’s Almanac, this 
  is Phase 1 of an adventure, “Awareness” 
  mentioned on page 21.
  
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  Scene 1
  The morning mist is just beginning to break as the 
  players all wake up (or start paying attention if they 
  didn’t sleep). Give the players some time to greet 
  each other and get to know a bit about each other. 
  If they’re not inclined to do so, give them a few 
  indicators that these fellow vagabonds may also not 
  have a ticket, and maybe working together is the 
  best course of action.
  It’s not long until the noon train will thunder into 
  the station. Take a moment to remind Barnabus 
  that his past is after him, and the other players may 
  have similar trouble coming their way. Essentially, 
  you want the Fated to know that it’s this train or no 
  train. It’s important to convey a sense of urgency, 
  otherwise the players might just see it like a morning 
  commute (which is unpleasant and not really the 
  stuff of stories).
  You can let the players talk to the disinterested clerk 
  selling tickets, but the price is set in stone. Roleplay 
  this out a bit, with the clerk barely answering their 
  questions and have his eyes glazed over. None of 
  the players should have more than 10 Scrip on them 
  from character creation, and all the tickets into 
  Malifaux cost 20 Scrip. More and more travelers are 
  beginning to arrive at the station now.
  In the Fatemaster’s Alamanc, this is “Establishing 
  the Stakes”. It is important to the story that the 
  players know that getting on that train is important 
  to them, and if they don’t bad things might happen. 
  The exact reason for their motivation will vary by 
  Fated; for Barnabus, some thugs have been sent 
  after him because of something he recently stole.
  One of the travelers arriving is hard to ignore. 
  He is a wealthy man, possibly an aristocrat, in a 
  brightly colored outfit with a veritable gaggle of 
  assistants. You should stress the casual wealth this 
  man displays, and the way he is dismissive of his 
  servants. This man, Barnabus should note, is an 
  easy mark.
  Do what you can to point the players in this man’s 
  direction. His name is Cornelius Trefast, and he is 
  fairly easy to dislike. That said, he’s also an easy 
  target for a con, a simple pick pocketing, or maybe 
  even convincing his servants to just let the Fated 
  have something to help them get a ticket. Any of 
  these are possibilities, and you should let the 
  players determine how they want to proceed.
  Make sure that you are describing Cornelius to the 
  players. The way in which you present the narrative 
  will help give the players the clues they need to 
  complete their journey, but the answers aren’t just 
  dropped in front of them. It’s important that players 
  have a sense of agency and choice!
  This might be a good time to try out describing 
  the scene, but if you’re not quite ready you can 
  paraphrase or read the below:
  A man walks into the train station, and the people 
  milling about seem to make way for him. He walks 
  with an air of authority, and he is followed by a 
  number of individuals that, based on their dress and 
  deference to him are clearly his servants.
  The man suddenly blurts out “I will not ride in anything 
  but first class, Larot! How dare you even suggest it!” 
  You can see the servant, presumably Larot, frown 
  deeply. “To think that you’d suggest Cornelius Trefast 
  ride with the likes of these… people.” Cornelius 
  looks around at the other people in the station with 
  disdain in his eyes. “Give the clerk whatever amount 
  is necessary that I can be left to my own devices, 
  Larot. Another mistake like this and you’ll be fired just 
  like Ollander!”
  Cornelius seems to puff himself up with his own air of 
  self-importance while Larot talks to another servant. 
  A large purse is pulled out and some money handed 
  to Larot as both servants shake their heads, casting 
  sidelong glances at Cornelius.
  With the outburst finished, activity at the station has 
  resumed, but people are giving Cornelius Trefast an 
  even wider berth. 
  However the players approach Cornelius, they’ll need 
  to see if they are successful getting on the train. 
  They’ll do this by flipping cards off the top of the Fate 
  deck (the communal deck each player flips from).
  In the Fatemaster’s Alamanc, this is “Establishing 
  the Stakes”. It is important to the story that the 
  players know that getting on that train is important 
  to them, and if they don’t bad things might happen. 
  The exact reason for their motivation will vary by 
  Fated; for Barnabus, some thugs have been sent 
  after him because of something he recently stole.
  
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  How they approach Cornelius makes a difference in 
  how the card is interpreted. If they try to con him, 
  they’ll be using their Deceive skill. If they try to steal 
  from him, it should be Pick Pocketing. If they try to 
  convince a servant, it should be the Convince skill. 
  Regardless, the player will flip a card off the Fate 
  Deck for their character and add their skill.
  For the purposes of this game, we’ll assume that 
  any Duel (which is what flipping a card is called) 
  against Cornelius needs an 8 to succeed. If the 
  player to approach him flips a card and the total of 
  that card plus their relevant skill is 8 or more, then 
  they’ll succeed.
  If it’s not, the player can use one of the cards in his 
  hand instead of the card they flipped. If he does, 
  reveal that card and discard it next to your Twist 
  Deck. This is now added to the skill instead of the 
  card from the Fate Deck.
  It is not difficult for the players to succeed against 
  Cornelius, but you should try to play out the scene 
  as a narrative. Describe the conversation and 
  circumstances, and let the player (once successful) 
  describe how they pulled off getting the money 
  to buy some tickets. It is possible for one player 
  to steal enough Scrip for all the players, but it’s 
  your job as Fatemaster to make the scene both 
  entertaining and challenging, even if the Duel itself 
  isn’t particularly challenging.
  Scene 2
  The Fated succeeded (or not) against Cornelius, 
  but it’s not long before he realizes he’s been had. 
  Cornelius will loudly and melodramatically call for 
  the guards, who will come jogging over to him to 
  discover the issue.
  It will quickly become apparent that the guards are 
  going to be checking through the milling travelers 
  looking for any shady individuals. Unfortunately 
  for the players, not only are they largely shady 
  individuals but they ALSO happen to be guilty.
  This is establishing “Fear” in the Fatemaster’s 
  Almanac. The players need to know there is a 
  legitimate chance of failure here, and that this will be 
  a challenge. This is how you’ll build tension, which 
  will make the upcoming “Climax” phase a reward 
  even without them gaining experience points.
  Feel free to paraphrase or read the below to help 
  set this scene:
  If you look over at Cornelius, he seems lost in thought. 
  Slowly, his eyes get wider and wider, and his jaw 
  slowly drops open. It reminds you for all the world like 
  a slow motion version of surprise – maybe Cornelius 
  is just a bit slow himself.
  “GUARDS!” his scream cracks into your thoughts. 
  “GUARDS!” Cornelius starts looking frantically around 
  the station as two guards rush over to him. He begins 
  talking hastily to them, gesticulating wildly. You can’t 
  make out every word from where you’re standing, but 
  the word “robbed” really stands out in your head.
  Cornelius’ head swings back toward the crowd, and 
  he’s clearly looking for you. You try to slink back into 
  the crowd, but more guards have arrived and they’re 
  starting to question the nearby onlookers. With more 
  guards probably on the way and the train not in the 
  station, it’s only a matter of time before they start 
  asking you questions.
  The guards will start coming through the crowd. 
  Describing the way they are coming closer to the 
  players and how more guards seem to be arriving 
  will ratchet up the tension. The train is not at the 
  station yet, and the players will need to figure out 
  what to do about the guards (and they might each 
  try something different).
  If they try to hide, they will need to flip a Stealth 
  Duel against the guards’ Notice skill (6). Make the 
  players make a few flips, broken up by narrative 
  of them going through the crowd, before the train 
  arrives. Remember that the players can use their 
  hand to increase their Duel total!
  This is establishing “Fear” in the Fatemaster’s 
  Almanac. The players need to know there is 
  a legitimate chance of failure here, and that 
  this will be a challenge. This is how you’ll 
  build tension, which will make the upcoming 
  “Climax” phase a reward even without them 
  gaining experience points.
  
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  This is an example NPC guard that can be used for 
  these Duels.
  Guild Guard (Minion)
  Character Breakdown… 
  straight from the Fatemaster’s Almanac page 139.
  For example, this Guard would have a Notice of 
  6: Notice 2 + Cunning -1 (it’s associated Aspect) 
  + NPC rank of 5. This means the Fated needs to 
  get a Stealth + flip number equal to or greater than  
  5 to succeed.
  If they try to fight, they will need to flip Defense 
  against the guards’ melee (9) to avoid getting hurt. 
  They can attack back by flipping their own AV, or 
  Attack Value, against the guards’ defense (9). A 
  fight will be difficult for the players at this phase, so 
  if they go this road make sure the other guards are 
  distracted. The guards will not use their guns if the 
  players decide to fight.
  A player that gets hit by an attack or succeeds at an 
  attack will need to flip for damage.
  If they try to convince the guards they are legitimate, 
  they’ll need to use Convince or Deceive (their choice) 
  against the guards’ Scrutiny (-1). This is by far the 
  easiest way to go, and if you’re worried about your 
  players surviving through a fight try to coax them in 
  this direction.
  This is the Climax and Dramatic Ending mentioned 
  in the Fatemaster’s Almanac. They’ve encountered 
  some challenges now and risked failure, and not 
  it’s all on the line in these final moments. Will they 
  succeed or fail? By following the steps of Awareness, 
  Establishing the Stakes, and Fear, you’ve created 
  enough tension to allow the climax to really shine.
  Feel free to paraphrase or read the below, regardless 
  of which actions the players took:
  “Oh. Oh! OH! THERE THEY ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE!” 
  Cornelius’ voice is shrill and unfortunately carries 
  well over the sound of the huge steam engine pulling 
  into the station. You risk a glance and see Cornelius 
  pointing you out to a couple of guards, and they start 
  to run over.
  Your heart starts beating wildly, knowing there are 
  few ways out. A huge burst of steam is released from 
  the train behind you, and for a moment you lose sight 
  of the guards. But a moment is enough for you to get 
  your bearings and realize the train is finally here. 
  The steam clears quickly, and you see the incoming 
  guards pulling their guns from their holsters as you 
  hear your salvation from behind: “All aboard!” You 
  turn and begin to move toward the train, fighting past 
  the crowd trying to board.
  The guards should take a few shots at them. The 
  guards would normally have an AV 9, but because of 
  the crowd of people they’ll receive a -2 if the Fated 
  use the crowd for cover. This will make it an AV 7 
  against the Fateds’ defensive flips. After a few flips 
  and some discussing what is happening, the train’s 
  doors should open and the players should safely 
  make it on the train. 
  What if the Fate Deck runs out of cards?
  If this happens, the Fatemaster should shuffle the 
  discard pile to create a new Fate Deck, and each 
  player should draw a card from their Twist Deck into 
  their hand.
  Epilogue
  The whistle blows and the train pulls away from the 
  station, heading toward the Breach. The Guild Guards 
  stand glancing around the platform, some of them 
  looking in the windows of the train rapidly speeding 
  up. Cornelius is standing there screaming at them, 
  seemingly unconcerned about missing his own train. 
  Thank goodness you’ll be in Malifaux soon, things 
  have to be better there.
  gUIlD gUARD (MINION)
  Character Breakdown… straight from the 
  Fatemaster’s Almanac page 139.
  For example, this Guard would have a 
  Notice of 6: Notice 2 + Cunning -1 (it’s 
  associated Aspect) + NPC rank of 5. This 
  means the Fated needs to get a Stealth 
  + flip number equal to or greater than  
  5 to succeed.
  This is the Climax and Dramatic Ending 
  mentioned in the Fatemaster’s Almanac. 
  They’ve encountered some challenges 
  now and risked failure, and not it’s all on 
  the line in these final moments. Will they 
  succeed or fail? By following the steps of 
  Awareness, Establishing the Stakes, and 
  Fear, you’ve created enough tension to 
  allow the climax to really shine.
  WHAT IF ThE FATE DECK 
  RUNS OUT OF CARDS?
  If this happens, the Fatemaster should 
  shuffle the discard pile to create a new 
  Fate Deck, and each player should draw a 
  card from their Twist Deck into their hand.
  
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  Discuss with the players, and Barnabus in particular, 
  whether or not his destiny of “As you strain to 
  see through the high noon veil” was accepted or 
  rejected. The veil can mean many things here, and 
  high noon probably refers to the train. Did Barnabus 
  see where the train was really taking him? Did he 
  accept his destiny to go Through the Breach?
  Barnabus, since his destiny was in play, can choose 
  to increase one of his Aspects by 1 or to gain a 
  Manifested Power. We won’t go into Manifested 
  Powers here, but suffice it to say that this is a large 
  decision for Barnabus to make and should not be 
  made lightly. 
  Only Barnabus gets the above options, but every 
  player gets something. Each player will receive 1 
  Experience Point for their characters. It is possible 
  to earn more for particularly significant story 
  milestones, but that didn’t occur this game.
  Players may spend their Experience Points on skills, 
  but players may only choose from 4 different skills 
  per session. You should choose 3 skills that you 
  feel were relevant to the player during the game, 
  and they have those choices plus 1 choice from 
  their Pursuit. It costs the current level in Experience 
  Points to raise a skill by 1, including a free skill if 
  one is offered that the player has at 0. A player 
  cannot gain more than 1 free skill per session.
  Finally, players will gain one Step in their Pursuit, 
  giving them access to a Pursuit specific Talent or a 
  general Talent, as described by their Pursuit. Once 
  chosen, the Epilogue is complete and the session 
  is concluded.
  With that, you’ve learned the basics of Through the 
  Breach, and have taken the first step toward your 
  destiny. Your next adventure will be Breachside 
  as you learn to navigate the dangerous world 
  that is Malifaux.
  CHARACTERS
  In the characters presented below, the Skill already includes the relevant 
  Aspect, so you are always flipping based on the number presented.
  BARNAbUS hATRICK
  Fated Character, Pursuit: Criminal
  Might -2, Grace +3, Speed 0, Resilience -1
  Charm +1, Intellect 0, Cunning +3, Tenacity -2
  Defense 2, Walk 4, Height 2
  Willpower 2, Charge 4, Wounds 4
  Skills: Barter (0), Convince (1), Notice (6), Art (4), Literacy 
  (4), Music (2), Lockpicking (6), Scrutiny (6), Pick Pocket (1), 
  Pugilism (-1)
  Talents: Just a Graze – This character may Cheat Damage 
  Flips that he suffers, as long as the Damage Flip has no +.
  (1)Bowie Knife: AV (-2), Rg: y1, Resist: Df
  Target suffers 1/3/4 damage.
  (1)Maucher Three-Barrel: AV (3), Rg: z6. Resist: Df
  Target suffers 2/2/5 damage.
  Other Equipment: Lockpicking toolkit, watch, banjo
  Notes: If this character fails an Expertise duel (any duel 
  involving: Appraise, Doctor, Explosives, Forgery, Gambling, 
  Husbandry, Lockpicking, Music, Navigation, Pick Pocket, 
  Scrutiny, Track, or Wilderness), he may draw a card. During the 
  Epilogue, this character may advance in any Expertise skill.
  FRANKIE WALlACE
  Fated Character, Pursuit: Wastrel
  Might +1, Grace +1, Speed 0, Resilience 0
  Charm -1, Intellect +1, Cunning -2, Tenacity +2
  Defense 2, Walk 4, Height 2
  Willpower 4, Charge 4, Wounds 4
  Skills: Appraise (1), Melee (3), History (4), Barter (5), 
  Literacy (0), Deceive (3), Pistol (3)
  Talents: Luck of the Draw – This character draws 2 cards 
  when the Fatemaster shuffles the deck, instead of 1.
  (1) B&D Pocket: AV (3), Rg: z6, Resist: Df
  Target suffers 2/3/3 damage.
  Other Equipment: Forgery toolkit, 3 scrip
  Notes: If this character fails an Expertise duel (any duel 
  involving: Appraise, Doctor, Explosives, Forgery, Gambling, 
  Husbandry, Lockpicking, Music, Navigation, Pick Pocket, 
  Scrutiny, Track, or Wilderness), he may draw a card. During the 
  Epilogue, this character may advance in any Expertise skill.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Through the Breach/Through the Breach - One Shot - Easy Mark, An (Chronicles #14) [_oef_].pdf