Return to Innocence vs In Defense of Innocence: Which Penny Dreadful?
By Wyrd Games Official Store | Tabletop Games & Miniatures | Published: 2026-11-03
Category: Comparativas
Compare the two Innocence Penny Dreadfuls for Through the Breach: start with In Defense of Innocence for an 84-page town, or add Return to Innocence for a four-session murder mystery.
Quick answer
Start with In Defense of Innocence if you want a campaign-ready town your group can defend and revisit. Choose Return to Innocence if you already know Innocence or want a self-contained four-session murder mystery that can stand alone.
The core trade-off: foundation vs. follow-up
These two Penny Dreadfuls serve different jobs at the table. In Defense of Innocence is built to establish a place: 84 pages of people, locations, plots, and threats that turn one settlement into an ongoing campaign hub. Return to Innocence assumes the town matters and puts it under pressure with a murder investigation, a dead mayor, and a water shortage.
The trade-off is preparation versus momentum. In Defense of Innocence gives you more material to learn and more freedom to shape, which suits a group starting fresh. Return to Innocence gives you a tighter four-session arc that can continue from the first book or run on its own, so it suits groups that want a clear mystery to solve without building a whole settlement first.
When the order matters
Return to Innocence is written to follow In Defense of Innocence, and returning groups benefit from familiar history. That continuity is the main reason to run them in order. If your group has not played In Defense of Innocence, Return to Innocence still works as a standalone mystery, but you will be introducing the town and its tensions at the same time as the investigation.
If you are choosing only one for now, pick based on what your table needs next: a place to call home for many sessions, or a focused problem to solve in four.
Trade-offs at a glance
- Scope and length: In Defense of Innocence is an 84-page town sourcebook built for an ongoing campaign. Return to Innocence is a four-session mystery. Choose the former for long-term play, the latter for a tight arc.
- Starting point: If your group is new to Innocence, begin with In Defense of Innocence so the town and its people are established. If you want a standalone mystery, Return to Innocence can run without the first book. Running Return to Innocence first means introducing the town during the investigation.
- Campaign continuity: Return to Innocence is designed to continue from In Defense of Innocence, and returning groups benefit from familiar history. Running them in order rewards players who remember earlier events.
Product facts
- Penny Dreadful: Return to Innocence: A four-session mystery that can continue In Defense of Innocence or stand on its own. You can slot it into an existing Innocence campaign or use it as a short, self-contained arc.
Penny Dreadful: Return to Innocence - Penny Dreadful: In Defense of Innocence: An 84-page, campaign-ready Penny Dreadful that turns one settlement into a place the group can know, defend, change, and return to. It provides the locations, people, and active plots needed for an ongoing campaign rather than a single session.
Penny Dreadful: In Defense of Innocence
Which should you buy?
Best for
- Groups starting a Through the Breach campaign who want a detailed home base.
- GMs who prefer a settlement with active plots and threats to build sessions around.
Not for
- Groups that want a short, self-contained mystery without managing a full town.
- Tables that have already played In Defense of Innocence and want the next chapter.
