🤠 Steel Vaqueros
“Lola, you want in, you need to prove yourself to the pack.”
A Nomad pack out of Salinas, the Steel Vaqueros run ragtag convoys up and down the California coast. Smart, tough, and relatively honest, they’re one of the most respected transport operations between the agriplots and the southern cities.
📋 Overview
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Nomad pack |
| Origin | Salinas, California |
| Route | Coastal highway — Santa Cruz agriplots to southern cities |
| Camp | The Badlands, east on I-9 |
| Leader | Lola Blaine (“Mama Lola”) |
| Size | 12+ vehicles (cars to big rigs), dozens of members |
| Character | Smart, honest, formidable fighters |
🏜️ Territory & Camp
The Steel Vaqueros maintain a semi-permanent camp in The Badlands:
- Directions: Head east on I-9, past a garage, up a dirt road. Count the old windmills on the left — turn left at the second. The camp sits on flat land between the hills.
- Camp life: Tents, vehicles ranging from beaters to big rigs, crates marked with logos from a dozen different corps.
- Mobility: The Vaqueros pull up stakes after hostile contact. They don’t stay put when trouble finds them.
Some Vaqueros also do business near the Rancho Coronado / Pacifica border, dealing with local Nomad groups.
👥 Structure & Recruitment
Leadership
Lola Blaine, known as Mama Lola, runs the pack. She’s an older woman, skin beaten rough by weather and time, who carries a shotgun casually and commands absolute respect from her people. Quiet nods from Mama Lola carry more weight than shouted orders.
Recruitment
The Vaqueros accept anyone — regardless of background — who displays:
- Skill at something the pack needs
- Dependability under pressure
- Ability to keep up with the convoy life
New members must prove themselves through a task before full acceptance. The pack has been known to offer membership to outsiders who earn their respect in crisis, though Mama Lola doesn’t extend the offer lightly.
💰 Operations
Convoy Running
The Vaqueros’ main business is transport — running cargo convoys along the coastal highway from the Santa Cruz agriplots to cities further south. Their routes pass through contested territory, and they’ve learned to fight for every kilometer.
Supply Deals
The pack maintains supply deals with several Reclaimers groups in Night City, funneling agriplot produce and scavenged goods into the city’s grey market. These relationships make the Vaqueros valuable middlemen between the rural food supply and the city’s hungry millions.
⚔️ Combat Reputation
Don’t mistake “relatively honest” for soft. The Steel Vaqueros are formidable fighters:
- Held their camp against a two-AV Arasaka assault, shooting down both aircraft
- Members sport serious chrome — one grizzled veteran was seen firing an ancient Gunmart rocket launcher with two chromed-out cyberlimbs
- Fight on equal terms with corporate soldiers
- Use Kevlar armor (upgraded from standard Nomad leather)
🔗 Relationships
| Faction | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Reclaimers | Allied — supply deals, mutual trade |
| Arasaka | Hostile — targeted by Arasaka troops |
| Valentinos | Tense — territorial friction in some areas |
| Local Nomads | Friendly — do business near Rancho Coronado |
🎲 GM Resources
Using the Steel Vaqueros
As Allies:
- Reliable transport contacts for moving goods or people out of Night City
- Can provide temporary refuge in the Badlands
- Mama Lola respects courage and directness — earn her trust and the pack has your back
As Complications:
- Their convoy schedule creates time pressure for jobs
- Corp enemies (especially Arasaka) may target anyone associated with them
- They pull up stakes fast — miss your window and they’re gone
Stat Block
Use Road Gangers with Leather replaced by Kevlar. (CRB p.417)
Adventure Hooks
- Escort a Vaqueros convoy through Raffen Shiv territory
- Help repair a broken-down truck before gangers close in
- Retrieve salvage from a crashed Arasaka AV in the Badlands
- Smuggle someone out of Night City with the next convoy run
🔗 Related Topics
(Sources: CRB pp.308, 417; Edgerunners Mission Kit “The Jacket”; Interface RED Vol. 4)