Through the Breach Core Rulebook: What You Need to Know Before You Play

Quick answer

Buy the Through the Breach Core Rulebook first if you want to run or play a Malifaux roleplaying campaign and you do not already own it. It is the only required purchase: every player at the table needs access to the core rules, and the Fatemaster should own a copy. Add expansion books only after your group has played a few sessions and wants more character options or a structured campaign.

The Through the Breach Core Rulebook is the entry point to the Malifaux roleplaying game, and the one book a new group should buy before anything else. It covers the rules players use at the table, the character creation process, and the guidance a Fatemaster needs to run sessions. This guide explains what belongs in your first purchase, what to add later, and which expansions are worth it once your group is invested.

A quick note on scope: the store catalog for this book does not list page count, edition number, or a digital bundle option, so this guide sticks to what the product records and expansion descriptions actually confirm. If you need those specifics before buying, check the product page rather than assuming.

What the core rulebook gives a new group

The core rulebook is the foundation of a Through the Breach campaign. It is where your group learns how the game works, how characters are built, and how a Fatemaster frames scenes and resolves uncertainty. Because it is the only mandatory purchase, it should be the first item on any Malifaux RPG beginner's list. Everything else in the line is optional support material that assumes you already own and understand the core.

That makes the buying decision simple at the start: one copy for the table, or one per regular player if your group prefers everyone flipping pages during play. If you are the Fatemaster, budget for your own copy even if a friend owns one, since you will reference it most often.

• Buy the core rulebook before any expansion, penny dreadful, or accessory.
• If only one person owns it, make that person the Fatemaster.
• Check the product page for edition and format details, which the catalog does not confirm.

Character creation: what to expect and how to prep

Through the Breach character creation is the part new players most often want to preview. It is a guided process rather than a quick pick-a-class step, so plan a full first session around building characters together instead of rushing it before play. Reading the creation chapter before session zero saves table time and prevents the common mistake of building a character who does not fit the campaign the Fatemaster plans to run.

The practical move is to decide the campaign premise first, then build characters who have a reason to be involved. That is also where expansion books earn their place: they add options, not a replacement for the core process. Start with the core, learn the baseline, then expand once you know what your group actually wants.

• Schedule a dedicated session zero for character creation.
• Agree on the campaign premise before anyone spends points.
• Keep expansion books closed until the group has played a few sessions.

Fatemaster duties and when to add campaign material

The Fatemaster runs the world, the NPCs, and the consequences. The core rulebook teaches that job, but running a long campaign eventually creates demand for ready-made adventures and structured arcs. That is the point where a Penny Dreadful becomes a smart purchase: it hands you a prepared scenario instead of asking you to build one from scratch.

For example, Penny Dreadful: Bayou Games is a four-session adventure built around contests and rivalries between Gremlin families. Penny Dreadful: Northern Sedition runs four sessions in a town shaped by riots and revolution, and it can stand alone or continue an existing storyline. Both assume you already own the core rules, so treat them as second purchases, not starter products.

• Run two or three core-only sessions before buying adventures.
• Pick a Penny Dreadful that matches the tone your group already enjoys.
• Standalone adventures are the safer first buy for a new Fatemaster.

How the core book fits with the wider Wyrd line

Through the Breach shares a setting with Malifaux, which means miniatures and faction material can enrich your table if your group wants a visual, tactical layer. They are not required for the roleplaying game, and buying them before the core rulebook is the wrong order. Treat miniatures as an upgrade you add when your group already enjoys the campaign and wants representation on the table.

If you do want miniatures for NPCs or player characters, pick models whose faction and keyword match the story you are telling. Malifaux Third Edition: Descendants and Guardians, for instance, is a Ten Thunders Retainer set with Sun Quiang, Chiaki the Beacon, and two Komainu, supplied unpainted in 32mm heroic scale and requiring assembly. That makes it a painting and assembly project as well as a game purchase.

• Core rulebook first, miniatures later, if at all.
• Match miniature faction and keyword to your campaign's story.
• Unpainted plastic means you need assembly time and hobby supplies.

Decision rules for your first Through the Breach purchase

• If you own no Through the Breach books: Buy the Through the Breach Core Rulebook. No expansion, Penny Dreadful, or miniature set substitutes for it, and every other product in the line assumes you have it. Core rulebook first, always.
• If you are the Fatemaster and your group has played a few sessions: Add a Penny Dreadful rather than another rules expansion. Bayou Games suits groups that want chaotic, competitive sessions; Northern Sedition suits groups that want political conflict and a continuing storyline. Prepared adventures save the most Fatemaster time.
• If your group wants a long exploration campaign: Look at Through the Breach: Onward! for Explorer's Society play, vehicle rules, Relics, and Society Honors. It rewards dangerous journeys, so it fits groups that already enjoy travel-focused stories. Add it after the core, not instead of it.
• If you want miniatures on the table: Choose models that match your campaign's faction and keyword, and accept that plastic kits arrive unpainted and need assembly. Descendants and Guardians is a Ten Thunders Retainer option if that fits your story. Miniatures are an optional upgrade, not a requirement.
• If you are unsure about format or edition details: The catalog does not confirm page count, edition, or digital availability for the core rulebook, so verify those on the product page before ordering if they affect your decision. Check the listing rather than guessing.

Products worth knowing about

• Through the Breach: Onward!: An expansion that equips the Fated to push beyond familiar Malifaux with the Explorer's Society, including new vehicle rules, Relics, and Society Honors, and support for turning exploration into a campaign. This is a campaign-shaping expansion, not a starter book. Buy it after the core rulebook once your group wants travel, exploration, and long-term rewards.
• Penny Dreadful: Bayou Games: A ready-to-run four-session adventure about rival Gremlin families, contests, and questionable safety standards, aimed at the Fatemaster. The lowest-effort way for a new Fatemaster to run several sessions without writing material. It assumes core rules ownership.
• Penny Dreadful: Northern Sedition: A four-session adventure set in a Ridley shaped by riots, revolution, and distrust; it can stand alone but carries on an existing storyline. Choose this if your group prefers political tension and urban conflict, or if you are continuing an earlier arc.
• Malifaux Third Edition: Descendants and Guardians: A Ten Thunders Retainer set containing Sun Quiang, Chiaki the Beacon, and two Komainu, in 32mm heroic scale, supplied unpainted in plastic and requiring preparation and assembly. A thematic miniature upgrade for a Ten Thunders campaign, but it adds hobby assembly and painting time on top of the RPG.

Who should buy the core rulebook

Best for

• Players and Fatemasters starting a Malifaux roleplaying campaign from scratch
• Groups that want one required book before deciding on expansions
• Fatemasters who plan to run prepared adventures like the Penny Dreadful line
• Hobbyists who want to combine RPG play with Malifaux miniatures later

Not for

• Shoppers looking only for miniatures or skirmish game rules
• Groups that want a single self-contained adventure with no interest in a core rulebook
• Buyers who need confirmed page count, edition, or digital format details before purchase, since the catalog does not list them

Start with the Through the Breach Core Rulebook, run a few sessions, then add a Penny Dreadful or an expansion that matches the campaign your group actually enjoys. That order keeps your first purchase useful and your later ones deliberate.