Step Through the Breach — Malifaux Hits the Tables at West Allotment Wildlings

This past Friday, Daryl and Peter sat down for a game of Malifaux — and it’s not the first time this gothic gem has made an appearance at the club. With a few games now under the collective belt of our Wildlings community, it feels like the perfect time to shine a light on what exactly this game is, because if you haven’t heard of it, you really should have.

So, what is Malifaux?

Malifaux is a skirmish-level miniatures wargame created by Wyrd Miniatures back in 2009. Set in the ruins of the eponymous city of Malifaux and its surrounding wilderness, the game blends Victorian horror with steampunk in a way that’s genuinely unlike anything else on the tabletop. It’s a two-player skirmish game set in an alternate world version of the early 1900s, where various factions clash over territory, resources, and survival. The model count is low — you’re typically commanding a crew of around six to ten models — which means every single figure matters, and every decision counts.

The World Beyond the Breach

The first known breach to this world was created in 1787, after magic began to decline on Earth and magicians searching for a new source of power discovered a world separated from ours by a thin barrier. The creation of the breach tore the life force from the inhabitants of the city surrounding the ritual site, creating a grim new equilibrium between the two worlds. Beyond the breach lay the city of Malifaux — surprisingly similar to many of Earth’s own cities, but utterly devoid of inhabitants.

That discovery opened the floodgates. What followed turned into a new frontier, as crumbling mining towns surrounding the city were rebuilt into boom towns. The resource driving this gold rush? Soulstones — a magical mineral of immense power found only on the Malifaux side of the Breach.

By 1901 Earthside, the Guild’s control is precarious. Lesser, unstable breaches have appeared. A significant part of the workforce has organised itself into the Miners and Steamfitters Union, smuggling is rife, and large segments of the city are still quarantined and walled off to protect the human population. A railway runs through the Breach and into Malifaux, as well as out to a scattering of mining towns. It’s a world on the knife-edge — colonial power meets gothic horror, with a healthy dose of Wild West grit thrown in.

The Factions

Malifaux is ruled by the interests of powerful organisations. The Guild was the first to seize power, establishing rigid and authoritarian law that guarantees their control over the precious Soulstones. Despite that control, the Arcanists have managed to build a powerful resistance and maintain a black market Soulstone trade. The grim Resurrectionists loot the city of its secrets and wield terrible powers drawn from the grave and forgotten lore. And the nightmarish Neverborn — native creatures of Malifaux — pursue their own dark agenda, sowing terror in the shadows.

The Guild controls Malifaux, which means the Guild controls Soulstones, which means the Guild controls the world — or so they’d like to believe. In reality, they struggle constantly against outlaw Resurrectionists, the secret society of Arcanists, and the dangers of Malifaux itself. Many Resurrectionists have been forced into the abandoned Quarantine Zone of Malifaux City, where grim necromancers fortify ruined districts and populate them with shambling undead militias.

The Neverborn, native and familiar with the eerie trees and haunted pathways of this realm, have grown disdainful of humanity’s intrusion and its craving for pure magic — and now they seek to purge mankind’s existence from Malifaux entirely. Beyond these core factions, the Ten Thunders, the Bayou, and the Explorer’s Society round out a roster that has something for every player’s taste and moral compass.

How Does it Actually Play?

One of Malifaux’s most distinctive features is that it ditches dice entirely. Fate Decks — standard poker decks with 54 cards across four suits and two Jokers — are used to determine the outcome of any conflicts within a game. The suits are Tomes, Crows, Rams, and Masks, with the black joker acting as a critical failure and the red joker always taking precedence over everything else. Players can also “cheat fate” by swapping drawn cards with ones from their hand — meaning every game has an element of hand management and risk that keeps things tense right to the end. It’s a tight, low-model-count skirmish game where both players are making meaningful decisions on every single turn.

Another New Game Finding a Home at WAW

It’s brilliant to see Malifaux getting table time at the club. Daryl and Peter’s game on Friday is exactly what West Allotment Wildlings is all about — players bringing their passion for the hobby and sharing it with the community. The admin team are fully behind seeing Malifaux grow at the club, just as we’ve supported every game that’s found a home here. Whether you’re a seasoned wargamer or just curious about stepping through the Breach, keep an eye out — you might just find a game waiting for you on a Friday night.

If you want to know more about Malifaux, have a chat with Daryl. He’ll be happy to talk your ear off about it — and maybe even get you into a game.