Brave knights, resplendent in their shining armor and colorful heraldry. The sound of the clash of steel on steel. Mythical quests. What’s not to love?

I’ve been a fan of movies and books on the Middle Ages and Fantasy, for as long as I can remember. I watched movies like “Ivanhoe”, “The Knights of the Round Table” and “The Black Shield of Falworth” every Sunday morning. I played endlessly with plastic knights I bought at the Dime Store and devoured books by Howard and Moorcock.

Then, when I was 11, I discovered a certain roleplaying game with dragons and dungeons. I loved the miniatures just as much as the game. That’s when I first started painting miniatures and tinkering with rules.

Fast forward several decades and the release of Fistful of Lead. We started with the Hollywood Western, then moved to Horse & Musket, SciFi, Horror and the Post Apocalyptic world. Each new release added something that would eventually lead to these rules, my homage to Medieval Fantasy.

Might & Melee - Book I

Might & Melee is a standalone book. Players familiar with Fistful of Lead will find the core mechanics the same. What we’ve added is flavor for the genre.

This rulebook can be used by itself for skirmishes between knightly retinues or barbarian warlords, but it is also the first book of three for using Fistful of Lead in a larger fantasy setting. The second book introduces magic, while the third brings in mythical monsters and the underground world they often inhabit.

We’re using the term Medieval in a broad sense. You should be able to use these rules for anything from a Viking Raid to a skirmish between Yorkists and Lancastrians. Covers Dark Ages, Middle Ages, and War of the Roses. You could also use these rules, with a few tweaks, for non-European combats like those between samurai.

Might & Melee doesn’t focus on huge battles. Instead we’re focusing on individuals. A knight could go his whole life and never see a battle, but he would see numerous skirmishes against robber knights, old enemies and bandits. Not to mention the occasional marauding dragon.

Fistful of Lead: Might & Melee IS NOT a faithful historical recreation of Medieval combat, but rather a Hollywood version of it.

Magic & Mages - Book II

Fistful of Lead: Magic and Mages, the second book in our Fantasy Trilogy, introduces spellcasting to the Fistful of Lead family of games.

This is not a stand alone set of rules. You’ll need the first book, Might and Melee, or at the very least the Fistful of Lead Core rules. You can use this book to introduce magic into other genres if you choose.

Spellcasters

Wielders of magic are able to tap into the arcane energies of the “Else” and use these energies to bend reality to their will. They are powerful additions to your Retinue or Adventuring Party.

You can call them Magic Users, Wizards, Sorcerers, Warlocks or Witches, but we’re going to use the term “Spellcaster” to cover them all. A spellcasting miniature can be added to your Retinue just as any other miniature. They can be your Leader, a Sergeant or Regulars. Rabble cannot be Spellcasters.

Levels

There are 3 Mastery levels of Magic User corresponding to Leader, Sergeant (Second/Specialist if using other rules sets) and Regular:

Leader: Master
Sergeant/Second/Specialist: Journeyman
Regular: Apprentice

In order to use magic, your Retinue member must have the Spellcaster trait.

Spellcaster (New trait): This character has the ability to use magic.

Paths

The Paths of Magic are representative of the many different types of magic found across worlds and dimensions. They allow Spellcasters to practice different types of magic depending on the character, race or faction used. Players will choose a Path for their Spellcaster. Paths of Magic are linked to the card suits used for activation. If a magic user casts a spell using a card of their magical path suit they gain +1 to the attempt. Using spells not of the magic user’s path attracts a -2 penalty to cast unless otherwise stated. This may be altered depending on the world’s background and race’s affinity with magic (Elves may often have greater magical control than other races, for example).

There are eight (8) paths of magic to choose from (CODE for Get-Your-Wizards-Ready)

Path of Light
Path of Darkness
Path of the Elements
Path of the Dead
Path of the Wild
Path of Chaos
Path of Illusion
Path of the Rune

Wiley Games has now given you a tool box of endless fantasy playability for magic.

Monsters & Mazes - Book III

Monsters & Mazes is NOT A STAND ALONE BOOK. You will need Might & Melee to play. Includes a catalog of creatures, introduces new classes and rules for the classic dungeon crawl.

Creature Catalog

Like our Sci-Fi Codex Galactica, Monsters & Mazes is an AMAZING resource of FANTASY creatures, already statted up and ready for you to drop right into your game.

Dungeon Builder

Want a quick dungeon that's different every time? This tool alone is worth the money.

Solo Play

Solo players rejoice! This is your supplement.

From trolls and ogres, to dragons and skeletons, Monsters & Mazes is an essential and versatile investment in your fantasy wargaming catalog.

Full Color

Reviews:

The rules were great fun and the fantasy specifics (of which I'm not giving anything away!) worked really well.

- Elk101, Lead Adventure Forum

Status Markers Ten (10) Extra OVERWATCH (Orange)

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