Through the Breach Campaign Document part 1

I’ve decide I want to run a campaign for Through the Breach. For those of you unfamiliar with TtB, it is an RPG based in the Malifaux world. Malifaux is a parallel world found by passing through a giant hole in the fabric of reality. Thematically, it’s a fantasy, western, Victorian, gothic, steampunk, wuxia, Lovecraftian, comedy, horror. I know that’s a lot, but it’s pretty accurate. Basically, the world is filled with necromancers, magic users, cowboys, inventors, gremlins, and unspeakable nightmares all vying for control of the world and a resource called Soul Stones.

That’s as much as I’ll describe the world. I will give brief descriptions of things as I come across them. For the most part, it’s a nice hodgepodge of all these wonderful genres that meld in a beautifully fun and unique way.

PLOT:

For my campaign I’ve been playing with a couple of different ideas. I’ve decided that my group will be brought together by a Doctor Anton Beaufort. Each member of the team will be summoned by a letter that will indicate some personal detail that may hint to a useful exchange. They message will also include a train ticket from Earth through the Breach and into Malifaux.

As the campaign continues the group will be guests in Beaufort Manor. From there they will investigate various events that and mysteries that occur around Malifaux City. Each mystery will be connected to an overarching plot. What that plot is and what the players will need to do to reach the end of the puzzle will be the key thrust of the story.

Immediate mysteries: Several people have been disappearing from the streets of Malifaux city. Every sixth night at exactly midnight a person goes missing. The person who vanishes lives two streets over from the person who previously vanished. The path is making a direct route across Malifaux City. Beaufort is the only one paying attention right now. However, if the pattern continues it will enter the wealthier district of Malifaux City in three or four kidnappings. What Beaufort doesn’t know is there are actually a kidnapping every third night. There are two lines moving across the city from different direction. In eleven kidnappings the lines will intersect.

Someone broke into the manor house to steal a puzzle board. It’s not even a particularly valuable board. They ignored everything else to try and steal the board. Beaufort will retrieve it quickly but why steal it and who did the thief work for. The thief threw himself into the way of a large wagon when cornered and was crushed under the hooves of the two massive steam powered horses pulling the wagon. Beaufort managed to retrieve a locket and a picture from the man’s remains. Where do they lead?

Beaufort has been tracking a series of magic power flares through the city. There’s no pattern he can detect but they are becoming more and more frequent.

As a sub-plot the Beaufort Manor will hold a few puzzles for the party to solve. Over the course of the campaign they’ll find some of these puzzles. I intend for them to find a couple in the first session.

POSSIBLE PUZZLES

1: There will be a diary that refers to rooms that aren’t in the manor house.

2: A Puzzle board that hangs in the grand foyer has been stolen and will return by the end of the first adventure.

3: A riddle inscribed in the wall in the wine cellar leads to a lost passage.

4: A set of keys that fit no lock in the house.

5: A door in the attic that’s been boarded up.

6: An antique Mirror that’s been covered in a tarp, locked in an iron cage with a sturdy lock, and hidden in the back of a large wardrobe.

7: A broken jewelry box that holds a locket with a torn picture.

8: A wind up ballerina statue that only/always dances at midnight.

9: A painting that shows a room in the house that doesn’t exist.

Some of these should appear in the player’s rooms. I like the diary, mirror, ballerina statue, and painting for this. I may come up with more. I don’t really have any idea what these lead to yet. I may use some, none, or all of them. Also, they probably won’t come across some of these right away. I can see missing the attic and cellar items for a few games. The key ring would probably be in a study desk and could be grabbed in hopes of helping them get around the house.

That's what I have for now. I'll drop some more here later. I think I'll start writing up stuff on the characters. If you have any input, ideas, or places I can go for cool puzzles O'd love to hear.