Fistful of Lead: Bring Me The Head of Big Nick!

 Happy New Year, gentle readers! In keeping with my goal of playing at least two games, solo or otherwise, every month in 2025, I got the dining room table cleared off (we never actually eat at the table, so it quickly becomes a catch-all site) and set myself up with a modern game of Fistful of Lead. Here we have two rival gangs - one a Mexican cartel group, and the other a group of Hell's Angels-style bikers - out for each other's blood, using the "Head Hunting" scenario from Wiley Games' "Wasteland Warriors" supplement. Since I had more cartel soldiers than I had bikers, the bikers became the defenders in the scenario, with the cartel's goal being to kill the biker leader "Big Nick." To that end, they've tracked Big Nick's gang to this trailer park...

The Los Lobos gang deployed in cover behind the Taco Truck, and are as follows:

• Carlos (Leader; Leader, Steady, Inspiring, Encouraging), armed with a Pistol
• Javier (Specialist; Eagle-Eyed, Killer), armed with an Automatic Rifle
• Ramon (Regular; Sprinter), armed with a Modern Rifle
• Michael (Regular; Sniper), armed with a Modern Rifle
• Hector (Regular; Observant), armed with a Pistol
• Marcus (Regular; Dodge), armed with a Pistol

L to R: Ramon, Marcus, Javier, Carlos, Hector and Michael

Meanwhile, the Satan's Sadists biker gang deployed spread out, in cover in two trailers and crouching behind the hummer in the car port. They consisted of:

• Big Nick (Leader; Leader, Tough as Nails, Impervious, Cold-Blooded), armed with a Submachine Gun
• Grill (Specialist; Stealthy, Deadeye), armed with a Flamethrower
• Legs (Regular; Quick), armed with a Shotgun
• Hogan (Regular; Loads of Ammo), armed with an Automatic Rifle
• Barbie (Regular; Killer), armed with a Submachine Gun

Big Nick keeps Barbie close by

Grill lurks in the car port

Legs and Hogan watch from cover in the other trailer

Per the scenario, the game goes for a semi-random number of turns, between 6 and 10, before the noise of the fight brings authorities to the scene. I rolled an 8, so we had eight turns for mayhem before the police showed up. 

The Los Lobos began to cautiously move forward, moving from the Taco Truck to the UPS van, while Michael moved towards the fence to get a better vantage point for shooting; Ramon fired a potshot at Grill but missed. 

A nervous Barbie stepped outside for a cigarette, and Grill moved forward to retaliate against Ramon; he sent a gout of flame towards the Los Lobos member, but Ramon managed to avoid being roasted. 

Legs was drawn outside by the noise, and Ramon rolled out of the way, firing off another ineffective shot. Moving forward, Grill got Ramon and Javier in his sites and let loose another spray of flame - wounding Javier and killing Ramon. 

Meanwhile, Michael lined up a shot and put Barbie out of action:

"Enough of this," Hector thought to himself, and jumped into the UPS van. Hotwiring it, he hit the gas as hard as he could and accelerated directly into Grill, pulping the biker under the tires.

In the confusion (and with the UPS van as added cover), Marcus and Carlos moved forward into the trailer park - Marcus to distract and take down Legs and Hogan, while Carlos hightailed it towards the other trailer. A shot from Hogan put a Shock token on Marcus and sent him tumbling for cover among the trash; Legs put a second Shock token on him with a blast from her shotgun. However, Marcus got up, shrugged off both Shock tokens, and shot Legs, putting a Wound on her. 

Meanwhile, Carlos darted and weaved towards the other trailer, leaping over the tire barricade. Unfortunately, as he landed in the yard, Big Nick erupted from the trailer.

"Heard ya was lookin' for me!" the biker roared, his submachine gun spitting lead. Bullets tore into Carlos, sending him out of action!

That could have been the end of things right there; the Los Lobos were leaderless, after all. However, the scenario didn't say anything about the attackers' Leader being killed, just whether or not the defenders' Leader was alive at the end of the game. 

Michael was still behind the fence, 11 1/2 inches away from Big Nick. Taking a deep breath, he aimed, fired, and put a round in the big biker's forehead. 

With Nick's death taking place at such a long range, I decided the surviving gang members would need to get close and verify that the biker leader was dead before they could flee the scene.

Legs struggled to her feet, and Marcus decided he wasn't having any of that; he leapt forward and pistol-whipped her back to the ground. Meanwhile, Hector made his way to the trailer to take a better look at both Big Nick and Carlos, undeterred by Hogan's ineffectual shots in his direction. 

With the deaths confirmed, Hector, Marcus and Michael loaded the wounded Javier into the UPS van and sped away, minutes ahead of the approaching police sirens. 

***

That was some spectacular carnage and mayhem, and the perfect start to 2025. When Grill hit both Ramon and Javier with the flamethrower I thought this game might swing towards the defenders, especially with Hogan in cover firing through a window at the attackers and Big Nick hidden deep in the second trailer. I gave the Los Lobos an extra guy since so many of them only had pistols. I think having the extra figure made a difference, especially since Javier spent the entire game on his back, too wounded to get up but not enough so to bleed out. And clearly, Hector was an MVP with that vehicular assault!

I've never used the vehicle rules for Fistful of Lead (found in Galactic Heroes 2nd edition) before, but it occurred to me that I have vehicles now, and that they can do more than just be scatter terrain. Plus, in moving it, Hector provided better cover for his teammates - it was a brief thing, but very useful and game-changing. 

I decided to roll on the recovery table under the campaign rules in Wasteland Warriors for Carlos and Ramon, since this may become a campaign this year, with different gangs fighting for control of Anytown, USA, police trying to maintain/restore order, and other events going on.

Carlos was "just winged," and so makes a full recovery and will be available to partake in the next game the Los Lobos take part in. 

Ramon needs more intensive healing; he'll miss the next game, and upon his return in the following game he'll start with a Wound. 

As for Satan's Sadists...

• Big Nick and Grill are pushing up daisies. There's no coming back for them.
• Legs and Barbie will recover, but will need to miss the next game. 

The Los Lobos receive 5 Renown Points, and the Sadists receive 0. 

***

And finally, I'm adding this to my blog posts this year - an accountability tracker for figures and terrain purchased and painted.

Figures Purchased in 2025: 0

Figures Painted in 2025: 0

Wasteland Warriors: Into the Zone

 So this AAR isn't Fistful of Lead's "Wasteland Warriors" proper, but more like "Fistful of Zona Alfa." I like the localized apocalypse of Osprey Games' Zona Alfa and its inspirational media (Roadside Picnic, etc), but mechanically, Fistful of Lead is much more my speed. So instead of going full Kamandi, this game is a little more subdued; as such, scavenge points and the Wasteland Warriors rule of "once you go out of ammo, that's it" aren't in play.

15 years ago, an extraterrestrial encounter - a "roadside picnic," the equivalent of a representative of an unimaginably advanced civilization stopping on earth long enough to change a flat and smoke a cigarette - resulted in the creation of the New Mexico Exclusion Zone in the American Southwest. The "Zone" is a place where the normal laws of physics are only loosely enforced, and entrance into the Zone is illegal; nonetheless, the Zone is home to no shortage of bandits, refugees and exiles. Long-term exposure to the Zone results in madness and mutation; many of the Zone's residents could be classified as prehuman, abhuman or posthuman - scientists disagree, but there's speculation that some of these things arrived in the Zone via time- or dimensional portals from somewhere entirely alien. 

From the ravings of an escapee from the Zone, President-for-Life Travolta has learned that an extant copy of Polybius, an arcade game designed as a CIA psyop in the 1980s, might still exist in the camp of a sociopathic bandit gang called the Junkyard Dawgs. Intrigued and eager to lay hands on such a game, President Travolta has authorized a fireteam of private military contractors to enter the Zone and retrieve Polybius' hard drive.

 

The PMCs are at the bottom of the photo; the Dawgs are deployed in cover.

THE PMCs (Gang Trait: Ranger)

Figures by Hasslefree Miniatures

• Captain Victoria Chelinski (Leader; Leader, Veteran, Encouraging, Sixth Sense) armed with a pistol with laser sights and a cigar (1/game, removes all Shock)
• Deano (Specialist; Coolheaded, Tough as Nails) armed with body armor, a medkit and an automatic rifle
• Harlequin (Regular; Sniper) armed with body armor and an automatic rifle
• Freak (Regular; Sprinter) armed with body armor and a shotgun
• Woody (Regular; Stealthy) armed with body armor and an automatic rifle

THE JUNKYARD DAWGS (Gang Trait: Fearless) 

Figures originally by Grenadier, I think I got mine through Forlorn Hope Games

• Big Nick (Leader; Leader, Coldblooded, Impervious, Tough as Nails) armed with an SMG and knife
• Grill (Specialist; Stealthy, Deadeye) armed with a flamethrower and knife
• Hogan (Regular; Loads of Ammo) armed with an automatic rifle and knife
• Legs (Regular; Quick) armed with a shotgun and knife
• Barbie (Regular; Killer) armed with an SMG and knife

The Dawgs started the game deployed in cover around the table, with the PMCs beginning play clustered at one table edge. To make things interesting, once models begin taking injuries, they run the risk of attracting wandering threats from the Zone. As long as at least one unhealed Wound is on the table, each turn ends with a roll of a D10, + the number of Wounds on the table (figures put Out of Action that turn count as 2 Wounds, but don't count towards subsequent turns). If the result is 10 or higher, I'd randomly determine a threat that entered the table, activating on the following turn. Obviously, things would start slow but once the wounds started piling up, more and more threats would show up. 

Captain Chelinski motioned her team forward, advancing into the cactus patch for cover; Barbie stepped forward and fired ineffectively with her SMG at the PMC leader. Freak darted forward and gave Barbie a blast from his shotgun - "1!" Out of Ammo! Meanwhile, Harlequin moved into the shadow of the nearest building, attracting the attention of Legs.

On Turn 2, Legs gave Harlequin a blast from her shotgun, putting her down with a Wound. Deano moved forward and returned fire, Wounding Legs. Captain Chelinski Wounded Barbie with a pistol shot while Freak reloaded. Woody advanced almost to the long main building of the bandit camp. No threats showed up on Turn 2.

 

Turn 3 saw Deano rush forward and heal Harlequin with the medkit. Unfortunately, Legs struggled to her feet and fired again with her shotgun; Harlequin was put Out of Action and Deano took a Shock token, retreating towards cover. Chelinski finished off Barbie with a pistol shot and waved Woody towards the main building. Unfortunately, Woody got fried extra crispy by Grill and his flamethrower. Drawn by the sounds of combat and the smell of blood and burning flesh, a squad of Hunter-Killer Robots entered the table.

Turn 4, Chelinski shot Grill, Wounding him; he managed to regain his feet and tried to roast Chelinski, but rolled a "1" and going Out of Ammo. Hogan emerged from cover into the alleyway between the two side buildings, shooting ineffectively at Chelinski and getting sent Out of Action by Freak. Seeing this, Legs decided that it wasn't worthwhile to stick around, and routed off the table. Big Nick emerged from the long building, Wounding Chelinski and getting Wounded in turn when a Hunter-Killer robot opened fire with full-auto on him and Grill. Stumbling to his feet and retreating, Grill ran headlong into a slow-moving, blubbery mutant, drawn by the smell of blood.

Staggering to her feet, Chelinski put two Hunter-Killers out of action with two well-placed shots; Big Nick likewise managed to regain his feet, firing again at Chelinski and going Out of Ammo. The Sludge-Man killed Grill easily in close combat, and kept advancing towards the center of fighting. Advancing across the table, Deano shot Big Nick, sending him running with a Shock token - directly into the arms of the Sludge-Man. Big Nick, wounded and out of ammo, was no match for the slobbering mutant. A second Sludge-Man arrived, drawn by the smell of carnage.

Exchanging fire with the remaining Hunter-Killer and the first Sludge-Man kept Freak and Deano busy while Chelinski obtained the Polybius hard drive. Freak ended up in close combat with the second Sludge-Man, and a second squad of Hunter-Killers arrived on the table, while Deano and Chelinski made their way back across the table towards their starting edge with the Polybius hard drive. 

Freak managed to get the Sludge-Man between the Hunter-Killers and himself, letting the machines' simple programming save his bacon; programmed to eradicate the nearest living being, the three robots stood stock still, firing repeatedly into the regenerative bulk of the Sludge-Man without real effect while Freak slipped away, rejoining Chelinski and Deano. They'd fulfilled their objective; hopefully President-for-Life Travolta wouldn't simply order their liquidation once they turned the hard drive over to him.

***

All in all a really solid game; the addition of random monsters (I made a chart, but just rolled H-K Robots and Sludge-Men instead of any Rad-Zombies, Rad-Ghouls, or Big Mutants. Oh well) made a big difference in that the game wasn't simply over when the PMCs wiped out the Junkyard Dawgs; there was still a threat putting pressure on them, so there was no assumption of completing the original objective of collecting the hard drive. I still had to play out their escape from the table.

Wasteland Warriors: Where's The Map? (Solo Campaign Game 3)

 I've been trying to "shop my stash" and paint things from my leadpile, and especially terrain pieces, this month. I'd bought some 3D-printed "Post-Apocalyptic Shantytown" buildings a while back and finally got them primed and painted (and I realized that my priming area is south-facing - I primed these buildings black and the roofs warped a bit. Oops!). So I decided that called for another solo game of Wasteland Warriors, continuing my irregular solo campaign. 

MENTOK'S GANG (Gang trait: Advanced Comms)

• Mentok! The Mind-Taker (Gang Leader; Mutant; Psionics, Smart, Ranged Fighter, Cunning; Mutations: Dual Brains) armed with a Beamer Pistol
• Blaster (Specialist; Human; Strong, Observant) armed with a Heavy Machine Gun
• Andrea (Regular; Human; Medic) armed with an Auto-Rifle and Machete
• Two-Badd (Regular; Mutant; Two Fisted, Street Fighter, Drunkard; Mutation: Two Heads) armed with an Axe and Mace
• Jacko (Regular; Mutated Plant; Bloodthirsty; Mutation: Large) armed with a Scythe

 

MAXIMUS' GANG (Gang trait: Ferocious)

• Maximus Firepower (Gang Leader; Human; Veteran, Fearsome Presence, Encouraging, Impervious) armed with a Handgun, Knife, and Frag Grenade
• Barbeque (Specialist; Human; Killer, Predatory, Steady) armed with a Flamethrower
• Breaker (Regular; Human; Brawler) armed with a length of chain and a Knife
• Jackson (Regular; Human; Street Fighter) armed with an SMG
• Fat Boy (Regular; Human; Cunning) armed with a Crossbow and Knife

 

I pulled a King of Hearts when determining scenario, so Mentok and his followers have snuck into Maximus' hideout in search of a hidden treasure map; as they're searching, Maximus returned, and now has to shoot his way into his own home. If Mentok can find the map and make his way off the table carrying it, he'll score a win. 

The game opened with Mentok and Andrea in the central building, with Blaster, Jacko and Two-Badd on lookout. Blaster took a shot at Breaker, putting a Shock token on him and sending him scurrying for cover. Barbeque crept forward, getting into position behind the left-hand shack, while Maximus Firepower moved into cover. Fat Boy moved up and took a shot at Jacko, putting a Shock marker on the plant. Two-Badd entered the house to warn Mentok that they'd been spotted.

Turn 2 is where things got wild. Jacko moved 8" towards Fat Boy and Maximus Firepower, and Blaster moved towards where Breaker disappeared into cover. Mentok found the map, while Barbeque moved forward and unloaded with his flamethrower at Jacko; Jacko took a single Wound, but Fat Boy, caught in the blast of flame, was reduced to a pile of sizzling bacon.

On Turn 3, Jacko charged Maximus Firepower, hacking at him with his scythe over the low, crumbled wall. Maximus took a Wound and went down, but stood up on his activation, and struck back at Jacko - and sent Jacko Out of Action! The big mutant plant is reduced to guacamole! (I might be writing this while hungry.)

Jackson fired a burst at Blaster and Andrea, putting a Shock token on Andrea and a Wound on Blaster while going Out of Ammo. Two-Badd and Breaker came to blows - prone, Two-Badd still managed to nail Breaker in the ankle with an axe in self-defense, but when he tried to struggle to his feet it became too much, and the two-headed mutant expired on the table. 

 Maximus Firepower threw his frag grenade at Mentok, but missed, and in retaliation Mentok used his Psionics to move Firepower 10" into the air and then drop him, the falling damage sending the green-haired warlord Out of Action. 

Mentok fired his Beamer but immediately went Out of Ammo, getting charged by Jackson. Andrea moved to defend Mentok in Close Combat, but got put Out of Action for her troubles. Blaster rolled a "1" on a Recovery roll and bled out. 

Quickly being alone on the table, Mentok took off running, with Jackson in pursuit - through some miracle, Mentok managed to pistol-whip Jackson and send him Out of Action, securing his own escape. 

 

It was a messy and brutal game, and the last three paragraphs cover two or three turns of play.  Making it off the table with the map earned Mentok 3 Renown Points; rolling for survival, Blaster and Andrea will miss the next game but return on the following game, Jacko is ready to go for the next game, and Two-Badd has a date with the Soylent factory. 

On the other side, Barbeque, Breaker and Jackson will be ready for the next game. Maximus Firepower and Fat Boy, however, are Soylent-bound. Barbeque will graduate to Leader status going forward.

Wasteland Warriors: Ambush! (Solo Campaign Game 2)

It's been a hot minute since I've done a Wasteland Warriors game (since January in fact), so I decided to get the table set up and run a second game for my (sporadic, I guess) solo campaign. I pulled "Ambush" as the scenario from the book - one gang, spread throughout the ruins, is caught in an ambush and have to pull together a defense quickly. I decided Annette's Gang, the winners of last game, would be the defenders this game; it's a "Survival" game so there's no Renown to be won. Stalker, one of Annette's Regulars, has to sit out this game due to injuries sustained during the previous game. The Ambushers would be a gang of Warmongers - descendants of an attempt to genetically engineer super-soldiers that worked a little too well. They're definitely not Orks.

ANNETTE'S GANG (Crew Trait: Loyal)

 

• Annette (Gang Leader; Human; Veteran, Coolheaded, Killer) armed with a Shotgun
• "Nine-Yards" Nora (Specialist; Human; Ranged Fighter, Strong) armed with a Heavy Machine Gun
• Bandit (Regular; Human; Stealthy) armed with an Assault Rifle
• Croak (Regular; Mutated Animal; Brute; Mutations: Regenerate) armed with a Club

 WARMONGERS (Crew Trait: Bloodthirsty)

• Boss Guzbag (Gang Leader; Mutant (Warmonger); Veteran, Fearless, Cunning; Mutation: Armored Hide) armed with a Blaster Pistol and Chainsword
• Baldy (Specialist; Mutant (Warmonger); Deadeye, Strong; Mutation: Armored Hide) armed with a Heavy Machine Gun
•  Ace (Regular; Mutant (Warmonger); Quick; Mutation: Armored Hide) armed with an SMG with Bayonet
• Cap (Regular; Mutant (Warmonger); Brawler; Mutation: Armored Hide) armed with an SMG with Bayonet

The game began with just Nora and Croak on the table, with Bandit and Annette elsewhere in the ruins; Guzbag's crew began spaced out along one table edge. The table was densely packed with ruined buildings, rock outcroppings and mutated plant growth.

Note the extra Warmonger; I took this photo, reread the scenario and realized gang sizes needed to match. Sorry Davy, you're sidelined.

Bandit arrived on the opposite table edge from the Warmongers at the beginning of Turn 2, and that's when things went wild. I'd forgotten to take the Jokers out of the deck, and Nora activated on one on Turn 2; I decided to roll for a random event and the table got hit by a Radiation Storm; a couple of Warmongers took Shock tokens from the storm, as did Nora, while Bandit took a Wound!

Also on Turn 2, Guzbag shot at Croak using his Blaster Pistol, but missed due to long range, Croak being behind heavy cover, and the Blaster's own incredible kick. Croak responded by charging the big Warmonger, bashing him with his club and putting two Shock tokens on him. Then Baldy, the Warmonger Specialist, charged Croak, swinging his machine gun like a club - and Croak turned around and smashed him in the face, putting a Wound on Baldy! 

 

On Turn 3, Guzbag rallied, shrugged off his Shock tokens, and brutally cut Croak down with his chainsword, sending the mutant lizardman Out of Action. With some encouragement from Guzbag, Baldy also stood up; however, while this was happening, Bandit activated on a Queen of Hearts, which removed his Wound. Moving into range, Bandit used Burst Fire to put a Wound on Guzbag and a second Wound on Baldy. Using Burst Fire put Bandit Out of Ammo, and in Wasteland Warriors, due to scarcity of resources, unless you're specifically carrying extra ammo or activate on a "6" card, you're out for the game. 

 Meanwhile, Annette arrived on the table this turn, maneuvered into position, and shot Warmonger "Cap" in the back with her shotgun, putting a Wound on him. 

 

On Turn 4, Annette ran up and started hammering on "Cap" with the butt of her shotgun, sending him Out of Action. Guzbag and Baldy both staggered to their feet, and Bandit...ACTIVATED ON A "6"! Finding one last bullet in his pocket, he chambered the round and shot Baldy, putting a third Wound on him and thus sending him Out of Action. 

Per the scenario conditions, the game ended when 50% or more of the Ambushing Gang were rendered Out of Action or routed off the table, and Baldy and Cap made 50%. Wounded, Guzbag rounded up his remaining flunky Cap (who also had a Wound on him from getting shot by Nora earlier in the game) and went looking for easier pickings.

It was a quick and brutal game that proved perfect for a weekday night; for campaign purposes, Croak recovered fully and will be ready for the next game.