Written as a last message from a professional hitman who reckons that a former employer is going to tidy up loose ends by killing him, this is advice for any Shadowrunner who intends to kill... be it for a living or as collateral damage during a 'run. Let's face it, when did you last get through a 'run without killing someone? Yeah, we know. Self defence.

It's a dispassionate look at the trade of killing. Not sociopaths for whom a paycheck merely selects who to kill, not cold-blooded individuals for whom the target has no more meaning than a paper one on the range, nor some wide-eyed kid who fancies being an assassin but has no idea how to go about it. Stealth, precision, planning are key, not rushing in yelling and firing like there's no tomorrow... because if you do, likely there will be no tomorrow.

Even if you are protesting that you'd never take on an assassination job, the information about how good assassins operate may come in useful if someone takes out a contract on you. Forewarned is forearmed.

The author, one Quietus, claims to be honourable at heart, and to prove this shares his code, that he lives by (and others die by). It makes for interesting reading. The discussion then moves on to the skills an assassin ought to develop. Most are loners, self-sufficient, rather than teamworkers like most shadowrunners so things like weapons training, stealth and deception, physiology, psychology, planning, burglary skills, repair/maintenance and even magic need to be understood as there isn't anyone else to call on. Likewise, having the right tools is also essential... and that doesn't necessarily mean a sniper rifle with lots of accessories. (However, should you think one is useful, full stats are provided for an old but tried and tested Soviet one.)

The discourse winds up with some advice for aspiring assassins. This is followed by some out-of-character thoughts on lone wolf characters. Perhaps an assassin hires in 'ordinary' shadowrunners to provide a particular service, or maybe you have one who is not quite so much of a loner and can work in a team... he just steps apart to do his thing, just as the hacker or someone astral sensing does. A selection of codes of honour are provided, with game-related advantages and disadvantages to each one.

An interesting and thought-provoking read. Having assassins about is not for everybody, but even if you only use them as antagonists, you can now portray them with considerable depth.

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Reviewed: 26 October 2013