Wyrd came out with a pen and paper RPG for the world of Malifaux,Through The Breach .

First, the character creation is simple characters are made from a tarot-like set of cards picked from a deck. Each portion of the Tarot provides a different set of attribute points, skills, etc. in a random character creation method. Most of this is just stats, but the Station card determines your character's background which isn't necessarily who your character is now. This also creates a prophecy called the "Destiny" mechanic. As players complete part of their Destiny by either denying or accepting it, the players may gain certain perks or powers, created by the DM.

This is where people are divided when it comes to this, because there are only five goals of the Destiny, unlike Dark Heresy or Dungeons and Dragons where it can go for several dozen sessions without a clear goal. The idea is that once every few session at least one player has the option to complete part of their destiny. But this can be stretched out as pursuit progression is more like actual leveling.

But the next thing can possibly infuriate most neckbeards and call down the wrath of the fucking Blood God. Instead of rolling dice, the players draw from a communal "fate deck" which can decide how encounters or decisions go. And you know what, it somehow fucking works. While constantly pulling up cards like it's Magic can be monotonous, that's only on certain occasions. The best part is that you can "Cheat Fate", if you have a better card in your hand you can replace it with what you flip from the deck. Its the equivalent of having die result that you can pull out anytime to guarantee a hit, looking at you Tzeentch!.

If you're interested in Malifaux but not the wargame, or you already play Malifaux and are interested in tabletop RPGs, this can be worth a look. Other people have found this interesting as a Steampunk/Gothic setting though your mileage will vary. The setting is very tied with the rules so it may take some work to make this the system more generic.

Wyrd has released the second edition of Through the Breach, combining the two core books into one. Second edition mostly just streamlined and retooled a couple things. All of the first edition supplements and penny dreadfuls are compatible with second edition with minor tweak here or there.

Books

First Edition

Core Books

Through the Breach RPG - Fatemasters Almanac (1st Edition): The Dungeon Master's Guide/Beastiary.
Through the Breach RPG - Fated Almanac (1st Edition): The Player's Guide.

Modules

Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful - In Defense of Innocence: Equivalent of a campaign setting in its own right.
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful - Into the Steam: A supplement that also includes additional character options.
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful - A Night in Rottenburg
Through the Breach RPG - Under Quarantine (Expansion Book)
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful - Nythera
Through the Breach RPG - Into the Bayou (Expansion Book)

One-Shots

Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - In the Gutter: A shorter adventure expecting to last about a single session.
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Recruitment Drive
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Legacy of Darkness
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Night of the Carver: A Halloween themed one-shot.
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Bad Blood
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - The Ferryman
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Bad Moon Rising
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - No Strings Attached
Adventure Box Collection 1: A collection of One-Shots that were present in box sets. The Brotherhood of the Rat and Crossroads Seven.
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Dirty Deeds
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Last Remains
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Honor Among Thieves
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Sixteen Tons
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Madman, Interrupted
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Child of Flame
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Ghost House
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - The bayou Games
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - A Malifaux Christmas Carol
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - The Hand that Feeds
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Till Death Do Us Part
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Earthly Desires
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Heart of Darkness

Second Edition

Core Books

Through the Breach RPG - Core Rules

Modules

Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful - Fire in the Sky: An Adventure linking Malifaux to The Other Side.
Through the Breach RPG - Above the Law (Expansion Book)
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful - Northern Sedition

One Shots

Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - Jurassic Faux
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - A Stitch in Time
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - The Show Must Go On
Through the Breach RPG - Penny Dreadful One Shot - The Badlands Invitational

Gameplay

The Fate Deck

As mentioned previously the core mechanic of Through the Breach does away with your shiny new dice (Sorry plastic crack addicts), replacing them with a deck of playing cards, now it's worth mentioning that this is not like a normal deck as the suits have changed to thematic ones representing the icons of 4 of the major factions in-game. There are decks you can buy though there is a conversion chart for any normal deck of cards to use before you inevitably cave and buy all of them. In short Hearts are now Rams, Diamonds are Masks, Spades are Crows and Clubs are Tomes. You'll also need to ensure you can distinguish between the one Red and Black Joker in the deck, as these represent your Nat20, or Critical Fail. The Fate Deck is a communal one that all players will flip from, and ends up being quite tactical for anyone that can count cards ~~just find your pal that got banned from the casino~~.

The Twist Deck

In addition to the Fate deck, each player gains a mini-deck all to themselves. This special deck allows you to draw cards into a hand to keep throughout the session and, so long as you're not at disadvantage or pull the Black Joker, Cheat Fate by using one of your hand cards instead. Sad that you flipped a 2 to cast Wrench? Cheat in a 12 of Tomes and watch that Simulacrum take a Seeping Wound critical!

Triggers

Unlike most games, high numbers aren't everything you need to succeed. The suits of the playing cards essentially provide bonus effects called Triggers if it's included in your flip/cheat. You'll get one trigger for a skill at Rank 3 and another at Rank 5. Some of these effects can do things like ignoring any armour of an enemy, allow you to take an additional action or cause someone to accidentally reveal a bit too much information under interrogation. There's one trigger possibility per suit per skill, so the options are extremely varied. It's important to note that not all of these effects require you to succeed, so you can mitigate some negative effects on the off chance you fail. Later on some Pursuits will let you add a specific suit on top of your drawn card, so you can always use your favourite flavour of trickery.

Pursuits

Unlike other games Through the Breach uses Pursuits instead of classes. The leveling system is based on completing missions(i.e. Discovered/Killed what was threating a town, rescuing an ally from jail). The game is story driven so don't expect to get a level up after killing a dozen giant rats. Each Pursuit has ten stages that progress as you complete stories. And you are freely allowed to switch between pursuits between missions, the only change being that you only benefit from the Active Pursuit's special ability; usually this benefit is a "If you fail X type of action, draw a card".

While each Pursuit is different there can be thematic simularities to other Pursuits. For example the Gunfighter and Mercenary are both Ranged Pursuits, but grant different benefits. Similarly the Guard and Scrapper are both melee centric, but the Guard is more of a tank whereas the Scrapper is a DPS type. There are no sub-classes in Through the Breach, but with the Pursuit count at over 40 base classes and a further 10+ Advanced Pursuits (Which are unlocked mid-game after completing specific requirements), there's hardly a struggle for diversity.

Some Pursuits will have general themes towards Magic/DPS/Tanking/Support/RP etc. as you would expect, but also may have a particular Suit focus for Triggers (bonus effects that can make the difference between a nice action and a NICE one), so if you're looking into going down multiple Pursuits, you may want to lean into either guaranteeing getting your FAV suit, or choose Pursuits that focus on different ones (so no matter what card you have in hand, you've got a use for it).

Fated Almanac/Core Rules Pursuits

These are the core Pursuits.

Academic

[RP, Tomes] Combat? No no no, let's have a long conversation instead! The Academic is a class for picking up a book and learning how to apply knowledge to day to day life. Think Wizards without the magic (yep, just a bookworm then), who specialise in the RP side of the game. Due to the mass-multiclass way that pursuits work, this is actually worth picking up for some levels if you'd like to show off a bit of your Malifaux smarts! By dropping a Tome on any mental based skill challenge (Note - this will not apply in combat), they can use any Academic skill instead!

Criminal

[DPS, Masks] The ~~Rogue~~ *Ahem* Criminal pursuit is your first choice for EDGE. There's no sneak attack bonus in sight, but the Criminal is very rogueish in gaining additional actions, bonuses to pick-pocketing and manoeuvrability. The do get a neat trick to be able to make shivs (very useful in weapon-free zones), and can even get TWO subordinate thugs to follow them around, beat up oversteppers and be some general meatbags to tank hits, so you can feel like a literal mob boss.

Dabbler

[Magic, Tomes] The "Wizard" class. Unlike other games magic has a lot more customization and starting off as a Dabbler has its perks. In particular you start off with a grimoire with a Sorcery Magia, Prestidigitation Magia, and a few Immutos to help customize your magic. Also you get a Magical Theory which boosts magic based actions. While playing a spellcaster is really powerful they also are pretty heavily regulated(see Inquisition). If you play correctly and have a really high card in your hand you can increase your target number(read as DC) to increase damage and amount of burning on a target. For those who don't know the game, this would be the equivalent of knowing you have a Critical Hit in your pocket that you could use at any time.

Drudge

[Tank, Support] The Drudge is for those who like to be more survivable than most, and are often associated with manual labourers who are physically capable beyond normal limits. What may help with this is that one of their limbs may be #STEAMPUNKED, with a vibe of getting back up whenever they're knocked down. They can even ignore/delay some Critical effects (Seriously, these are bad news, and are one of the few ways in the game that can outright insta-kill a character), and cheat even on a negative flip (read as Disadvantage) or even against the dreaded Black Joker.

Graverobber

[Magic, Crows] When the EDGE wasn't enough with Criminal, you can now pick up a career in digging graves and looting the bodies! With one of few early-game mechanics for getting some fast dough (Dropping a Crow when searching a body will find you half the card value's worth of scrip), which can actually be a significant income. Be aware though, the FM decides if a corpse is nearby so try not to abuse it or 'Fate' *See - God's Decisions* may land you with an empty coffin when you need a body. Typically Graverobber's are a magic user that specialises in the Necromancy Magia, but can dabble in other Magia a little more than the Necromancer. You also get better at casting Necromancy Magia while around corpses, so keep an eye on the terrain and choose your fights carefully.

Guard

[Tank, Tank, Tank...Rams] Tank. This is how to be the wall incarnate, Impose and the Defensive Stance action are the two things you'll need, plus some tasty self healing to make up for the extra hits you'll be pulling on yourself. Also gain a Df trigger on a Ram to reduce damage by 1 (That can actually go down to 0!), very handy.

Gunfighter

[DPS, Masks] Pew pew pew! Pistolero at the ready! Purely DPS at a mix of ranges, as you have the option to use pistols in Melee range, and the further you advance, the faster you fire! The Fastest Gun Df trigger is pretty sweet, being able to auto-shoot after dodging a Ranged attack. There's also an interesting ability to shoot a pistol to skip a turn in an ongoing challenge, which can lead to some fun roleplay.

Mercenary

[Support, RP] Gun for hire, emphasis on Hire. The Pursuit is all about MONEY, and how to keep track of/manipulate payment bounties, odd jobs and somehow able to find more scrip on a corpse than anyone else in the group. They can even further down the line spend money to literally buy time and gain another freaking action.

Overseer

[Support, Tomes] This is what the Mastermind Subclass in D&D wishes it could be. The real reason you'd become an Overseer is for the Supervision ability, where you can discard a card to add its suit to ANYONE'S DUEL. Seriously this is everything, your hand becomes everyone's saving grace. They've got a 12 of Crows but need that extra Tomes to add burning? DONE. The Overseer is a vital part of Ongoing Challenges (A series of skill checks to show complicated maneuvers such as repairing a ship's hull and engine while bucketing water out), who can use their Leadership Skill (Your bread and butter for the pursuit) on behalf of others to help secure a success. You are the voice of the operation, the presence. Command your allies and give them the opportunity to succeed from your armchair while sipping a glass of wine.

Performer

[RP, Support, Masks] For those who played Bard ~~and just wanted to seduce EVERYTHING~~ who enjoy manipulating opponents as easily as if they were allies. The Performer uses the art of showbusiness to distract their targets and keep their eyes focused on where they like. They can save another character's failed social challenge by attempting it themselves (and quite likely, better).

Pioneer

[Support] 'Murica. Pioneers are rough and ready backlanders, those who are more comfortable in rugged terrain than a city. Most of their abilities reflect this, and focus on creating/manipulating terrain to give a home-field advantage. They even get the most American ability ever of Manifest Destiny, to just lay claim to a space they want and defend it VERY well, gaining another action while in anything the have claim to call their home.

Scrapper

[DPS] A neat starter class if you want to just do melee damage without thinking too hard. Able to move quickly and potentially avoid friendly fire. Close the Gap is especially strong, allowing the Scrapper to draw a Twist card (Your hand to NOPE against those low drawn cards) whenever they charge into combat (hint: Do this a lot). There are additional moments to inflict damage than usual, such as when an opponent charges the Scrapper, or when taking an opportunity attack (which normally just stops the runner in range).

Tinkerer

[Support, Mechanic, Tomes] The Tinkerer is where Steampunk really starts. They design constructs that are truly one of a kind, which can be a little bit technical as far as creating the construct, so it's advised to read how to do this before throwing yourself in, maybe make a few of them to practice before being stuck with a one-skill-wonder bot that cost you 25 Scrip. It is worth mentioning that once you've mastered this, the abilities are pretty fantastic, giving boons to one or more of your subordinate constructs more so than yourself.

Wastrel

[RP, Support, Masks] In a game where playing cards are at its core, it's hard not to expect a Gambler-type Pursuit. A large amount of card manipulation that can turn the Wastrel into a character with luck on their side. A general theme of High risk, high reward play. High Aces is a neat ability to choose after flipping to turn a 1 into an 11, and Fifty-Fifty Chance allows them to guarantee a Joker on the next flip once per combat, a random Joker mind so this can be devastatingly good or bad.

Into the Steam Pursuits

These Pursuits revolve around the Arcanist faction, the renegade magic users of the setting. These Pursuits are varied and are not all magic based. These Pursuits also have different talents than those that are in the main book.

Animator

TBA

Augmented

Like Edward Elric taking this pursuit early on can cost you...an arm and a leg (I'm so, so sorry). One of the most common ailments in Malifaux is, of course, limb loss! Seriously there are entire TOWNS that look like Rush Valley from Fullmetal Alchemist, and man do these things pack a punch! Advancements in this pursuit are designed to fine-tune your intergration with machinery, and how to apply that in any physical situation.

Collaborator

Support: Aww friends! This Pursuit allows you to increase everyone else's chances to hit a target, by doing things like dropping to hands and knees behind them ready for a push. People will like you for choosing this class, as you're not really the one in the spotlight but really help to set up a "Just as Planned"

Engineer

TBA

Illusionist

TBA

Mage

This class is like the Dabbler on acid. Normally there is a restriction on what can be put into a spell, single Magia with Immuto to create the spell as well as what skill it goes off of. With these guys they don't, with Fatemaster/GM approval they have no limits and there is no spoon. So how are they not overpowered? They have a limitation of complexity, when new Immuto are added to a spell that increases the TN and their spells cannot increase passed their step in the Pursuit.

Primal

Based on the Malifaux Master Marcus, Primal is essentially the Druid class from DnD. You can get an animal companion and it leads to the character becoming more like a beast than a person. They also become sort of like the Ranger in that they are better at tracking quarries and targeting a single target .

Under Quarantine Pursuits

Based on the Quarantine Zone location in Malifaux. The Zone is known for being filled with criminals, monsters, and undead. In particular this is used by Resurrectionists as a haven to create Undead creatures. As such the Pursuits are very much focused with this in regard.

Bully

Essentially the Intimidation character. They give out the "Terrorize" condition and get bonuses against NPCs with the condition.

Chemist

TBA

Forgotten

TBA

Ghost Eater

TBA

Ghoul

TBA

Medium

TBA

Necromancer

TBA

Sawbones

TBA

Into the Bayou Pursuits

Based on the Bayou, a collection of swamps outside the city. Chock full of Gremlins and swamp monsters. Most of these Pursuits are for those of you who want to play as gremlins, though gremlins can use any pursuit and non-gremlins can use these pursuits themselves.

Bokor

TBA

Boomer

TBA

Boozer

Get ready, because this is a genuine RPG class for being an alcoholic. In addition to being able to handle your drink better than most, you can also learn to make your own homebrew and offer it to opponents as a distraction (because it's hard to fight someone offering you the good stuff). Further along the pursuit you can learn how to fling your used bottles like a damn Kyle, or light that BELCH to turn into a fire-breather. You thought Bards piss off your GM? Get ready to role-play a drunkard and have GROUND to say "It's what my character would do!"

Buckaroo

TBA

Copycat

TBA

Pugilist

TBA

Swineherd

TBA

Trapper

TBA

Above the Law Pursuits

An upcoming book focusing on Guild characters, these pursuits focus on people who likely work for the guild, but can be freelance or work for other groups.

Magewright

TBA

Bureaucrat

TBA

Gunner

TBA

Propagandist

TBA

Commander

TBA

Marksman

TBA

Advanced Pursuits

Special Pursuits that can't be selected at character creation. Each one will have a specific requirement that must be fulfilled in order to enter the path of, which can be extensive efforts of training with a multitude of tests...or just owning a large enough hat. All of the following involve some form of RP/combat element, so they will not be included in the referenced functions. Also included here are specific faction/character associations that may be important for gaining ground with beforehand/within. Advancement in these Pursuits unlike the normal ones does not give any options, and are all set at each step with no General talent slots. They're shorter too, at only 5 steps each before they're mastered but boy are they worth it.

Fatemaster's Almanac Advanced Pursuits

Death Marshals

(Guild, Lady Justice) [Crows] The Death Marshals are the Guild's primary anti-necromancer division, and yes the hypocrisy is clear. These Skulduggery Pleasant mages are permitted use of any necromancy Magia that does not cause an increase in the number of undead, and can fling the coffin that they built themselves to be buried in when they die at targets, and even trap them in a pseudo-dimension within temporarily.

Freikorpsmann

(Outcasts, Freikorps, Leopold Von Schill) [Masks, Tomes, All suits a little] Ze Germans! The Freikorps are a group of elite mercs, initially part of the human ~~second invasion~~ reclamation of Malifaux, now broken away from the Guild to their own Headquarters who are paid handsomely due to their high success rate. Because of this payment they will outfit their members with some high-ass equipment (Totalling 79 Scrip worth!) and train them to become better at all standard combat areas.

Grave Servant

(Resurrectionists) [Crows, a little Mask] The Edge King, which you know is true when you see the first ability titled Servant of Death. The abilities are centred on those who have been spoken to by the Grave Spirit (Read as the actual Death in spooky ghost flavour), and are now amazing at summoning better undead, as well as being open to TEAR OPEN A FUCKING DIMENSION DOOR TO HAVE CTHULHU LICK AND UNDEADIFY THINGS UNDER THEIR CONTROL. This can get truly game-breaking if used at the right time (plus it would be pretty fun to have Lady J become the very thing she seeks to destroy, mastered by a necromancer).

Steamfitter

(Arcanists, Miners and Steamfitters Union, ~~Victor Ramos~~ *spoilers* Toni Ironsides, Anasalea Kaeris) [Mechanic, Magic] It's relatively easy to become a Steamfitter, and chances are if you're a construct maker this will be of use to you. More efficiency with using construct points makes big happy golem even more big and happy. Also gives you access to the vault of the ~~Anarchists~~ Arcanists, essentially choosing a new 3 Magia, 3 Immuto Grimoire every session.

Torakage

(Ten Thunders, Misaki Katanaka) [Masks, Crows] The Torakage are ninjas with an arsenal of weapons, and significant training in them. This is reflected in gaining ANY SUIT OF CHOICE to an attack made with one of the 10 weapons, ~~well 9 weapons and a fist but still~~. This is also where you can learn to craft shurikens (no idea why these aren't in the main equipment pages). Also leads to gaining a double crow trigger on the 10 weapons to INSTAKILL, so that's pretty sweet.

Into the Steam Advanced Pursuits

December Acolyte

TBA

Silent Ones

These are the mute worshippers of the Tyrant December. Originally they would have their tongues removed, but this has been changed as Rasputina has taken leadership of the cult. Expect few to take this Advanced Pursuit unless they are a female character. Male Silent Ones have to be castrated when they take their vows.

Showgirl

TBA

Shapeshifter

TBA

Demolitionist

TBA

Under Quarantine Advanced Pursuits

Abettor of Obliteration

TBA

Exorcist

TBA

Revivalist

TBA

Revenant

TBA

Student of Transmortis

TBA

Into the Bayou Advanced Pursuits

Virtuoso

TBA

Big Hat

TBA

Lightning Bug

TBA

Rocketeer

TBA

Taxidermist

TBA

Above the Law Advanced Pursuits

Witchling Handler

TBA

Executioner

TBA

Soulstone Aficionado

TBA

Guild Lawyer

TBA

Fire Power

In 1st edition, the magic system had a lot of hiccups. To give a quick overview there aren't pre-set spells; mage characters would have a basic spell template and then add modifications to it. For example if you wanted to throw a fireball, you'd take the range elemental attack then add fire and damage by increasing the difficulty to cast.

In a group playing the Night of the Carver module there was a player who created a dabbler. The module was supposed to have the Carver harass the players as they try to retreat to the walls of Malifaux city. The Carver is a Master level NPC who was not meant to go down easily, in fact he had high armor that could reduce most attacks down to only 1 damage. But this dabbler had read his Fated Almanac and knew the power of fire. The first encounter with the Carver he wasted a few spells, until he was reminded of the Burning condition which ignores armor. He also had a high card in hand, he applied as much fire as he could to make his Burning +7. He flipped a low card, cheated in his high one and did one wound of damage, but Burning +7. At the end of the turn, the Carver exploded into fiery bits. The Carver reappeared three times, the group not at all afraid of the creature. With the module completely broken by one super fireball the players managed to get to the city, except for the Dabbler who wasn't allowed in because he clearly was a magic user... Moral of the story, don't cheese fire or you are gonna get burned.