Another Day In The Desert - Fistful of Lead Moderns

A little over a year ago I got another wild hair to embark on a new project - moderns. So with some quick use of the interwebs, I was able to track down the minis I'd need at Empress Miniatures and Spectre Miniatures. I rounded up some of the buildings at Recruits in Lee's Summit, Missouri last fall and built the rest by hand over the last several months. For the rules we used the Baron's labor of love, Fistful of Lead (Wiley Games). If you haven't looked into this card-activation set of rules, I encourage you to for its simplicity and versatility in being suitable for everything from ancients to moderns. This would be our first time using FoL for moderns and with some minor tweaks the Baron has captured another genre his rules will cater to.

A little over a week ago we put said rules and toys to the test. Two SEAL teams and one team of U.S. contractors would attempt to extract a captured high-value asset from an abandoned coalition compound being used as a base of operations by insurgents. Three insurgent teams would attempt to stymie the mission. FoL uses a special 52-card deck (including jokers) to individually activate each model per turn. If a joker was drawn, one of several scenario events from air support for the U.S. teams to an IED detonation for the insurgents would take place. 10-sided and 12-sided die are used for combat and tasks. With the help of some poor rolling by the insurgents and some lopsided team qualities (to be refined), the good guys would conquer on this night.

A Blackhawk surveys the area of ops prior to insertion

As tow teams make their way to the compound, a third team approaches in a Humvee

A CIA agent surveys the neighborhood.

Insurgents begin to flock to the sound of gunfire.

After sustaining damage from an RPG, a team spills from the Humvee to take up positions around the compound.

A SEAL canine would do considerable damage to the insurgents. After being wounded, patched up by a SEAL medic, and wounded again, it would survive the mission.

After a contractor/CIA team breached the compound wall, insurgents were not able to hold back the assault. 

Not Another Project!

As if my pile of lead wasn't big enough, I had to go and add a couple handfuls of minis from Wargames Foundry's Plains Indians and Little Bighorn collections. George Custer has always been one of my favorite personalities of the American West, so several years ago I decided to paint several of the LBH personalities. Ever since I've wanted to one day put them on the table for a LBH scenario.  With Jaye Wiley over at Baron's Blog offering the perfect ruleset in Fistful of Lead , I have decided it is time to bite the bullet (no pun intended). It's been a privilege to call Jaye a friend and to game with him on a regular basis. Maybe this project will encourage him to add to his supplements for Fistful of Lead.

Fistful of Lead Colonial Skirmish

Last Thursday we gathered at the Baron's for a fun night of Fistful of Lead and some new 28mm AWI minis the group has acquired. With a few tweaks to the original rules including more cumbersome re-loading for muskets, the game flowed as well as the Sam Adams Boston Lager that Doug provided. Not much in the way of details of the clash, as you can read a very nice AAR report over at the Baron's Blog.

British lights infantry and Hessians move into a small hamlet to sabotage a colonial wagon packed with powder.

Receiving word from a local farmer the wagon had been discovered by redcoats, a unit of Continental Army regulars along with the help of some local militia are dispatched to secure it.

British cautiously move up the road towards the wagon positioned at a crossroads.

A small squad of Hessian mercenaries spot CA troops approaching in the distance. Bold moves towards the continentals would prove deadly for the Hessians. 

The lobster backs would attempt to put pressure on the crossroads and the colonists' right flank.

Heavy fighting across the hamlet ensues and the militia begins to take heavy casualties.

A strong continental left and the ability to shift reinforcements to the center would prove to be the difference in the battle.

Towards the end of the evening what looked like a sure British victory would turn disastrous. A stiff rebel resistance in the center at the objective would win the day.

Cowboys & Zombies

Last Thursday night the Baron ran a fun, little game using his A Fistful of Lead rules with a twist...Zombies! It saddened me to miss his annual zombie hunt game the night before Halloween, so it was good to get my zombie fix after all. FFL are a simple, fun set of skirmish level rules you can find at Kickstarter: A fistful of Lead -Reloaded. Read more about the shootout over at The Baron's Blog.