Through the Breach Spell Deck and Penny Dreadful: Play Guide
By Wyrd Games Official Store | Tabletop Games & Miniatures | Published: 2026-10-16
Category: How-to Guides
Learn how to use the Through the Breach Spell Deck and Penny Dreadful adventures in your campaign. A step-by-step guide for new and returning Fated.
Quick answer
Use the Through the Breach Spell Deck as your table's shared spell reference: draw or reveal the card when a spell is cast so everyone sees the cost and effect without flipping through the core book. Run a Penny Dreadful as a self-contained adventure between your larger campaigns, treating it like a one-shot with pre-generated characters or your existing Fated. You need the TTB Core Rulebook to play; the Spell Deck and Penny Dreadfuls are supplements, not standalone games.
What the Spell Deck actually replaces at the table
The Through the Breach Spell Deck is a physical card accessory that puts spell details in front of the players instead of buried in a rulebook. Each card typically shows the spell's name, its magical skill, the action type, and the TN or resist, so you can resolve a cast without passing the core book around. It is a reference tool, not a second rulebook, and it does not replace the TTB Core Rulebook, which contains the full magic rules and character creation.
At the table, keep the deck sorted by magical skill or by the character who owns it. When a Fated casts, they pull the card, read the relevant numbers aloud, and place it face-up near their character sheet. This keeps the spotlight on the fiction rather than on page-flipping.
How a Penny Dreadful differs from a full campaign
A Penny Dreadful is a short, self-contained Through the Breach adventure, usually designed to run in one or two sessions. It has its own hook, scenes, and resolution, so you can drop it into an ongoing game as a side story or run it as a standalone night. Unlike a campaign book, it does not assume the players will keep the same characters for months; it works with pre-generated characters or your existing Fated.
Because Penny Dreadfuls are episodic, they are a low-commitment way to try Through the Breach if your group is unsure about a long campaign. You still need the TTB Core Rulebook for the base rules, and the Spell Deck helps if the adventure involves magic.
Preparing the deck and the adventure before session zero
Before you run a Penny Dreadful, read it once for the plot and once for the mechanics. Note any spells the antagonists or NPCs use, then pull those cards from the Spell Deck and set them aside in an encounter pile. This prevents mid-scene hunting and lets you reveal the card the moment an NPC casts.
If your players are new, print or copy the core rules for casting and the duel of wits, since the Spell Deck assumes you know how to resolve a cast. The deck speeds up play; it does not teach the magic system from scratch.
Step-by-step: running a Penny Dreadful with the Spell Deck
- Read the Penny Dreadful and note every spell: Skim the adventure once for story, then again to list each spell, ritual, or magical effect that appears. Write the spell names on a sticky note. Checkpoint: if a spell appears in more than one scene, flag it for quick access.
- Pull the matching Spell Deck cards: Find the cards for your list and place them in a single encounter stack. Keep the stack face-down until the scene begins so you are not shuffling mid-game. Common mistake: leaving the deck in its box and searching during combat, which kills pacing.
- Set up the table with a visual anchor: Place a few scenery pieces like street lamps or a ruined street section where the magical scene happens. This gives players a shared reference for range, cover, and mood. Checkpoint: if the scene is indoors, skip the street furniture and use a simple mat instead.
- Reveal cards instead of reading from the book: When a spell is cast, flip the card and let the table read the TN, resist, and effect. Resolve the cast from the card, then return it to the encounter stack. Common mistake: reading the spell aloud from the core rulebook while the card sits unused, which slows the game.
- Debrief after the session and file the cards: After the adventure, ask what worked and whether any spell felt confusing. Return the cards to the deck in their original order so the next Penny Dreadful starts clean. Next step: if the group enjoyed the format, pick another Penny Dreadful and repeat the process.
Products that support this guide
- M3E Fate Deck - Explorer's Society Theme: Malifaux uses cards, not dice, and the illustrated pack is called a Fate Deck; it uses the four suits of Malifaux (Rams, Crows, Tomes, and Masks) and indicates Weak, Moderate, and Severe results. Made of high-quality linen cardstock. Two Fate Decks are needed to play, one for each player. If your group also plays Malifaux, a themed Fate Deck like the Explorer's Society edition is a practical shared purchase, but remember you need two decks for a game, so budget accordingly.
- Wyrdscapes: Street Lamps: Wyrdscapes: Street Lamps includes five detailed street lamps that add vertical detail and atmosphere to Malifaux bases, dioramas, and gaming tables. They can frame an objective or turn a plain base into a scene with a story. For Through the Breach, these lamps work as table scenery for city encounters, giving players a visual anchor during a Penny Dreadful set in the streets of Malifaux.
