Leverage The Roleplaying Game (oef) 3h2y1

T H E   R O L E P L AY I N G   G A M E

Credits Project L Conceptual Design Leads:

Cam Banks and Rob Donoghue LEVERAGE RPG Design and Development:

Cam Banks, Rob Donoghue, Fred Hicks, Ryan Macklin, Clark Valentine Additional Design and Development:

Matt Forbeck and Laura Anne Gilman Editing:

Lizz Weis and Amanda Valentine Art & Creative Design Team:

Tiara Lynn Agresta, Stephanie Ford, Fred Hicks For Electric Entertainment:

Rachel Olschan

Photography: Gavin Bond, Erik Heinila, Alan Markfield, Michael Muller, ©2008–2010 TNT Originals, Inc. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. TM & © Turner Network Television. ELECTRIC © all rights reserved. Special Thanks: Adrian Agresta, Jessica Banks, Gina Bellman, Christi Cardenas, Brian Clements, Dean Devlin, Deborah Donoghue, Chris Downey, Paola Ferrarri, Christie Hicks, Aldis Hodge, Timothy Hutton, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf, Josh Roby, John Rogers, Jeri Ryan, Mark Sheppard, Source Comics & Games, Margaret Weis & Wil Wheaton

Project L Playtesters: Christopher Acker, Scott Acker, Chris Adkins, Ray Axmann, Jeremy Beyer, Ron Blessing, Veronica Blessing,  Casey Coker, Kim Corley, Jason Corley, Don Dehm,  Bill Dickerson, Cat Dickerson, Kurt Edwards,  Andrew Harvey, Brenden Johnson, Jeremy Keller, Golda Lloyd, Brenda Lund, Michelle Nephew, Bobbi Olson, Kimberly Parker, Ian Richards,  LeAnn Tiede, Seth Tiede, Kirk Utley and everybody who played, hacked, and ran the LEVERAGE Quickstart Job or took part in events at Origins and GenCon Indianapolis!

M A R G A R E T

WEIS PRODUCTIONS, ltd.

Margaret Weis Productions, the MW Logo, Cortex System, Cortex Plus, the Cortex Plus System Logo (and derivatives), and Project L are trademarks of Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. © 2010. © Leverage Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Additional photography © Electric Entertainment. TNT logo, photography, and key art TM & © TNT Originals, Inc. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.

THE PITCH

1

What is Leverage?................... 2 The Cast of Characters..............2 A World of Crime......................3 What is a Roleplaying Game?...................4 What’s in this Book?.................6

THE BRIEFING 7 Who’s Who of the Game................................. 8 The Crew and the ing Characters............................... 8 Traits....................................... 9 Dice............................................11 Plot Points.................................13

THE CREW

15

Recruiting Your Team............. 15 Recruiting the Crew................ 16 Before You Start........................17 Creating a Crewmember..........17 Crewmember Recruitment Steps...17 Roles..........................................18 A Work in Progress...................18 What Do the Dice Mean?.........19 The Grifter.............................. 20 The Hacker.............................. 22 The Hitter................................ 24 The Mastermind..................... 26 The Thief................................. 28 Attributes................................ 31 Distinctions............................ 33 Talents..................................... 34 Narrative Activation Criteria...35 Grifter Talents...........................36 Hacker Talents..........................37 Hitter Talents............................38 Mastermind Talents.................40 Thief Talents..............................41 Open Talents.............................41 Constructing Your Own Talents....43 The Recruitment Job.............. 44 Creating The Recruitment Job........................44 What’s the Problem? Who’s the Mark?........................44 How Can The Crew Get What the Client Wants?............44 Running a Full Caper.............. 44 What’s The Plan?..................... 45 Spotlight Scenes...................... 45

Establishment Flashbacks...... 48 Finishing the Job..................... 49 Fast Recruitment.................... 50 Establishing Your Remaining Roles..........................................50 Establishing Your Remaining Talents and Specialties.............50 Establishing Your Remaining Distinctions...............................50 Benefits of Experience............ 51 Training Up...............................52 Getting an Advance on Advancement.......................52 Signature Assets...................... 52 Moving, Changing and Destroying Assets................... 53 Changing Distinctions............ 53 Course Corrections................. 54 Breaks..................................... 54 Optional Rule: Growing the Crew with Trust................ 54

THE JOB

61

Managing Traits...................... 62 Choosing Crew Traits................62 Choosing Opposition Traits......62 Picking Up Dice.........................64 Traits and Scale.........................65 Assets and Complications...... 66 Assets.........................................66 Complications...........................67 Changing Complications..........68 Actions, Scenes, & Beats.................................... 68 Beats..........................................68 Taking Action............................69 Basic Actions.............................69 Contested Actions.....................71 Timed Actions...........................75 Failing Doesn’t Mean Game Over.....................75 Flashbacks.................................76 The Next Steps........................ 78 Wrap-Up Flashbacks in the Middle of the Job.......................78

THE FIXER

79

Crooks and Capers: The Heist Genre ..................... 80 Discussion of Genre.................. 80 The Three-Act Structure...........80

Structure the Leverage Way.....81 A Sense of Humor.....................82 Creating a Job......................... 82 Instant Caper Creation.............82 Knowing Where to Start...........82 The Big Questions................... 84 The Mark and the Problem......85 ing Cast & the Client...90 Dialing Up the Presentation.....95 The Job In Action......................98 The Twist: The Plot Thickens....100 The Solution: When The Mark Goes Down...............104 Dénouement: Wrapping It Up...106 Getting Your Hands Dirty........106 Assets and Complications.........109 Get Your Tinfoil Hat On...........113 Keeping Track of Assets and Complications...........................115 The Players’ Bag of Tricks.........117 Pulling It All Together...............118

THE TOOLBOX 121 People...................................... 122 Marks ........................................122 The Power of Names.................122 Clients .......................................124 ing Characters..............125 Places...................................... 127 Roles of Places ..........................127 Making Places Interesting.........129 Problems....................................135 Ripped from the Headlines.......137 Situation Generator..................138

THE CRIME WORLD 149 The Lay Of The Land............... 150 Your Place In Crime World..... 153 Thinking Like a Criminal....... 154 Problem Solving........................154 Violence.....................................157 Keep it Simple...........................158

Cons........................................ 160 The Steps of a Con.....................161 Requirements of a Con.............163 Classic Short Cons....................165 Classic Long Cons.....................167 The Anatomy of a Bad Guy................................ 170 Every Caper Needs a Villain.....................................170 The Record................................173

THE RECORD 173 Season One............................. 174 The Nigerian Job.......................174 The Homecoming Job...............175 The Two-Horse Job....................176 The Wedding Job.......................177 The Snow Job.............................178 The Mile High Job.....................179 The Miracle Job.........................180 The Bank Shot Job....................181 The Stork Job.............................182 The Juror #6 Job........................183 The 12-Step Job.........................184 The First David Job...................185 The Second David Job...............186 Season Two............................. 188 The Beantown Bailout Job.......188 The Tap-Out Job........................189 The Order-23 Job......................190 The Fairy Godparents Job.........191 The Three Days of the Hunter Job..192 The Top Hat Job........................193 The Two Live Crew Job.............194 The Ice Man Job........................195 The Lost Heir Job......................197 The Runway Job........................198 The Bottle Job............................199 The Zanzibar Marketplace Job...200 The Future Job...........................201 The Three Strikes Job................203 The Maltese Falcon Job.............204

procedurals; the market on foiling scraggly white loners

FOREWORD

with a penchant for baroque clue construction was already cornered. We decided to go after fresh game. The Big Game, the Bad Guys who used the system to screw you. So we set out to find bad guys. Not just jerks, but BAD

All we want to do is set the world right.

guys. Men and women who, because they’d put profits

I mean, think about it. We roleplayers get together

ahead of humanity, left a wake of misery behind them.

in living rooms and classrooms and garages all around

This was, sadly, frighteningly easy. Pharmaceutical

the world, and we tell these infinite stories set in infinite

companies that sold you poisoned drugs? Check.

worlds, and they all have one thing in common. Your

Food companies distributing salmonella-laden frozen

sword-swinging barbarian and your lightning-throwing

dinners? Check. Coal mining companies who’d rather

steampunker and your neuro-cyborg all have the same

lose men than pay a fine? Check and double-check. Real

job: they fight injustice. Sometimes they do it for a

honest-to-God villains. There’s an unending parade of

pocketful of money, don’t get me wrong, but in the end,

sinners in suits. We knew we had a bad guy for the

the world’s a better place for your hero’s presence.

show whenever we’d read a profile on one of these guys,

Sometimes I think that roleplaying is an echo of

shudder, and yell: “I HATE this guy!”

the old morality plays. In the end, we crave an ordered

Running Leverage has, of all things, given us more of

universe. A universe where good deeds help you and

a sense of control over the world around us. Now, when

bad deeds don’t go unpunished. And what happens,

we read a story about some corporate malfeasance, and

really? Good deeds go unremarked, and bad deeds are

we mutter to ourselves “I wish I could do something

scarcely noticed. We live in a world that continually

about that...” the left side of our brain will chime in “We

confounds our sense of decency. Even more so, our

can! We’re the people who run that TV show!” And

sense of control.

voila, we con the bad guy, and we get catharsis.

When Chris Downey and I were drinking in my

Now you can do the same. Take our band of Grifters,

garage in 2007—it’s not as sad as it sounds, it’s a very nice

Hitters, Hackers, Thieves, and tell your own stories

garage—we were talking about the latest run of heist and

about setting the modern world right. The ability to

con shows. They were gritty and serialized, and they were

do con and heist material in an RPG has been the Holy

failing. We thought that they’d missed the point of the

Grail for years, and I really think these folks have licked

con show: to show the magic trick, and to screw the bad

the problem. To paraphrase our situation from earlier—

guy. They got all the thief stuff right, but left out the most

other people have the whole “killing orcs” thing down.

important part—the Robin Hood factor.

You have new villains—villains who actually exist.

The world economy hadn’t collapsed quite yet when

Take ‘em down a peg, at least in your story. Live in the

we were creating the show, but we decided to go after

world where, when you’re going up against the rich and

the bad guys nobody else was tackling on television. Oh,

powerful, bad guys are sometimes the only good guys

they were rounding up serial killers by the dozen on the

you get. Set the world right. John Rogers Co-Creator & Executive Producer

The Pitch By Way of Introduction

1

Chapter One The Cast of Characters THE PITCH

The Pitch So, here we are. You and me, sitting down and talking about making something of yourself. Getting involved. Using your talents to do the right thing. This

THE BRIEFING

is the Leverage Roleplaying Game, and that’s what it’s all about—helping others to get even. This book brings you up to speed on how a Crew works, what the dice are for, the usual. You want to hang on a suspension harness over a room filled with lasers like Parker, or take on a

THE CREW

room filled with losers using only your fists, like Eliot? That’s fine; we’ve got you covered. You have an idea for a whole new Crew operating somewhere other than Los Angeles or Boston? No problem; there are plenty of jerks out there that need taking down a peg or two. The

THE JOB

Leverage RPG is here to let you do all of that and more. But we need to clear up a few things first. Get them out of the way before we get down to business.

THE FIXER

What is Leverage? Leverage is the story of a group of thieves and confidence men who choose to use their expertise to take down bad guys the authorities can’t—or won’t—

THE TOOLBOX

take down themselves. It’s at times light-hearted and comical, other times intense and tragic. Every Job the Leverage Crew takes on brings to light more of their criminal backgrounds, their unparalleled skills, and

THE CRIME WORLD

their need to trust one another in a very untrusting world. As their Clients are avenged and the Marks brought to justice, one way or another, we see more and more of the shadowy world of crime that exists alongside ours. And we can celebrate the fact that, sometimes, the

THE RECORD

bad guys make the best good guys. So you’re wondering, who are these people? And what is this world of crime? And why don’t I just let the game tell me? I’m glad we’re on the same page here.

Nathan Ford is a former insurance investigator whose employers failed to provide the life-saving care his son needed. Driven by revenge and a need to fill the emptiness in his life, he’s found renewed purpose in taking down the corrupt and crooked on behalf of their victims. Years of chasing down criminals and con artists gives Nate the experience and skill he needs to lead his Crew. As the Mastermind, he’s the brains behind their operation—and a Grifter and Thief in his own right. While his battle with the bottle and his own temper frequently complicates matters, Nate’s sense of justice and irony keeps him on the side of angels. Sophie Devereaux isn’t her real name. Onstage, she’s a terrible actress. And I mean painfully terrible. But when she’s in the middle of a con and playing a character opposite real people, there are few who can match her as a Grifter. Charming and cosmopolitan, Sophie is something of a den mother for the Crew and a peerless match for Nate. Although she was absent for a while, she’s returned to lend the team her assistance and keep a closer eye on their success. Her looks can turn heads; her wits can loosen tongues and break hearts. Eliot Spencer has spent more time in dangerous situations and hostile countries than anybody cares to count. He can clear a room of thugs in moments and can identify the make and model of a handgun simply by the sound it makes. Even with his extensive combat experience, Eliot refuses to use guns, and frequently disposes of ammunition after disarming his opponents. As the Crew’s Hitter, Eliot supplements his “retrieval specialist” duties with a mastery of haute cuisine and a disarming talent of blending in with his surroundings. He is much smarter than he looks, which he often works to his advantage. Parker—it’s the only name she uses—is the product of years of foster homes and petty crime. While her social skills are definitely a work in progress, Parker is a world-class burglar, safecracker, and Thief. She can fit into a small space, hang by her fingers from a narrow

2

Trained by a master burglar named Archie Leech and

middle-class values and forward-marching progress is

honed through hundreds of break-ins and heists, Parker

another world, a world filled with corrupt executives,

is a major asset to the Crew, but also one of the most

vicious smugglers, and mob bosses scrambling for

unpredictable.

power. It’s bigger, more dangerous, and more lucrative

Alec Hardison is a wizard of technology and a citizen

than any normal person would imagine. But this isn’t

of the Age of the Geek. He credits his grandmother

the kind of work normal people get into, so we’ve already

for raising him right, grounding him in certain moral

taken care of that. And I’m sure you can imagine quite

principles that he sticks to despite his Hacker methods.

a lot.

Hardison doesn’t have the Grifter background or the

In this Crime World, everything scales upwards. You

knife-edge experience of his fellow Crew, but

might find you’re operating on one level of intrigue,

his ability to secure and liberate information borders on

secrets, and schemes, and then you pull back the

the miraculous. In the short space of time that he’s been

curtain to find that there’s a whole other level above the

associated with Leverage Consulting & Associates, he’s

one you’re on. There’s always somebody out there who

revealed even more diverse talent and potential—and a

knows more than you, hiding in the dark, waiting for

growing affection for Parker.

you to step into the light. The good news is, sooner or

THE TOOLBOX

and shop in malls. But behind this façade of thinning

THE CRIME WORLD

ledge, or skydive from a roof without fear or hesitation.

THE FIXER

THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Pitch

A World of Crime

THE RECORD

later you’re gonna be turning that light on them, and the innocent victims will finally catch a break.

The world of Leverage is one that, on the face of it, seems just like the one we see outside our doors. People go to work, get married, have kids, buy lottery tickets,

3

Chapter One Cortex Plus System, and they’re a variation on a set

THE PITCH

What is a Roleplaying Game? So now we’re all straight on what Leverage is. But what’s this about a roleplaying game? Do you play it

THE BRIEFING

on a computer or sign up to an online server? Is it a kind of therapy or a board game with cardboard bits and pieces? No, the Leverage RPG isn’t anything like that. Not really. It’s a game that you play with a group of friends, either around a table or via the Internet and

THE CREW

a suitable chat feature. You get into character, you roll dice, and you tell stories, just like you’d see on TV. How does this work? What kind of stories are we talking about, here? Questions, questions. Here’s your answers.

THE JOB

The Cortex Plus System Like any game, there are rules, and while you don’t need to know them all to begin with, it’s a pretty easy game to master. The rules as a whole are known as the

THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

4

of rules used in other games published by Margaret Weis Productions. Cortex uses dice of various sizes, from four-sides to twelve-sides, with an attention toward using the rules to help players tell dramatic and interesting stories. It’s called Cortex Plus because with this game there are even more twists and tweaks than before, all in an effort to really capture the slick action and cool tone of Leverage. And it’s a system because it all works together like an engine, with the players keeping it running smoothly.

A Team of Experts Leverage stories revolve around a Crew of individuals who are, let’s be clear, each extremely competent. In fact, you could almost say they’re the best there is at what they do, if it wasn’t for the occasional reminder that there are even more skilled experts out there to foil them. Regardless, each of them fills an essential Role on the team and, when they’re performing within that Role, they rarely fail. The Leverage RPG makes showing off your expertise a feature of the rules,

The Pitch but also makes stepping out of your comfort zone both interesting and rewarding. It makes it clear that you THE PITCH

can’t do everything by yourself, so if you want to pull off a successful heist or trick that bad guy into revealing his corrupt schemes, you’re going to need your fellow Crew.

THE BRIEFING

Bad Guys Make The Best Good Guys This isn’t a game about playing a guy on the straight and narrow. Even Nate Ford, who started out as the honest man, has to come to with the fact that he’s a thief, even if it takes him a while to it it. Every

THE CREW

character has a shady background, a criminal record, or a desire to pull the big con and make the score. The only innocent characters are the clients, and even they sometimes have a terrible secret they have to atone for. But the Leverage RPG isn’t so much about being

THE JOB

bad as it is about, ah, turning that leaf. Using your larcenous talents to protect those innocents. The road to redemption is a twisty one, all right. You gotta bring your own moral com.

Although the stakes are always high and the

your Crew knows where they’ve gotta be; your earbuds

problems that Clients bring to the Crew are always

are all working. It’s pitch-perfect timing, and then,

dire, Leverage is not a serious and gritty drama. The

yeah, everything kind of goes to hell. But don’t worry.

Crew are quirky, the schemes at times darkly

Things have a habit of working themselves out, with a

humorous, and the action is fun and entertaining.

little lateral thinking and some cunning reveals. The

So while you could play the Leverage RPG with a

Leverage RPG highlights the fact that, even when

straight face and zero sense of humor, we don’t advise it.

the Job jumps the rails, a contingency plan helps to get

Don’t go down that path. It’s just gonna make you sad

things back on track. Flashbacks and other clever rules

and worked up and hey, it can drive you to drink. So

ing them are an integral part of making this

crack a smile when you’re cracking that safe. If you can’t

work. Don’t know how you’re gonna get out of the mess

have a good time catching the crooked Chairman of the

you’re in? Don’t sweat it. You’ll figure it out later. Wait—

Board with his pants down, what’s the point?

THE CRIME WORLD

and they’re right. Your briefing hits all the key points;

THE TOOLBOX

Seriously?

THE RECORD

They say that no plan survives its own execution,

THE FIXER

Flashbacks and Fail-safes

you do have a Mastermind, right?

5

Chapter One and other statistics on your Crewmember’s

THE PITCH

What’s in this Book? Now that you’re up to speed on what the Leverage RPG is and why you’d want to recruit a Crew of your own, I’m sure you’re wondering how to start.

THE BRIEFING

What’s next? What’s in the book? Here’s a convenient summary, reference, what-have-you. 1. The Pitch: By Way of Introduction—That’s this chapter, the one you just read.

THE CREW

2. The Briefing: The Basic Rules—An introduction to the core mechanics of the Cortex Plus System, what dice are for, who the players are, and what the Fixer does. 3. The Crew: Recruiting Your Team—The rules for creating and putting together your own

THE JOB

gang of highly-specialized misfits, including descriptions of the Roles, Attributes, Talents,

Rap Sheet. 4. The Job: Playing the Game—Expanding on the rules presented in The Briefing, this chapter explains how to resolve all of the dramatic action that takes place throughout the Job, from fights to flashbacks. 5. The Fixer: Running the Game—This chapter introduces the Fixer to the preparation and management of each Job, including the key elements of any plan and how to keep things moving along. 6. The Toolbox: People, Places, and Plans— The Fixer’s own smorgasbord of ing Characters and setting locations, and tables of random ideas to help make any Job more memorable and interesting. 7. The Crime World: Where It All Happens—This chapter is a brief guide to portraying the world of thieves and grifters where the Leverage RPG takes place. 8. The Record: Guide to Seasons One and Two—

THE FIXER

Episode summaries and a good source of inspiration for your own Leverage Jobs. You should go to Chapter Two: The Briefing next,

THE TOOLBOX

since that’s your introduction to the rules of the game, or you could catch up on the story so far by going to Chapter Eight: The Record. What are you waiting for? It’s your game now.

THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

6

The Briefing The Basic Rules

7

Chapter Two Marks are the bad guys the Crew needs to bring down.

THE PITCH

The Briefing

They’re the reason the Client comes to the Crew in the first place. The Mark often makes use of Agents, people the Crew have to deal with before they can get to him.

THE BRIEFING

The Leverage Roleplaying Game is all about capers

Foils are the characters who make life difficult for the

and cons that are carried out by a Crew. You and your

Crew, usually independently of the Mark. Everybody

associates get together and work as a team to tell those

else is just an Extra, one step up above scene decoration.

stories. Your Crew’s activities—we call them Jobs—are

Together, the Marks, Clients, Agents, Foils, and

well intentioned, if not strictly legal, and everybody has

Extras are known as ing Characters. They’re

a good time. With us so far?

not controlled by the players; they’re controlled by…

The rules of the game help make all of this happen. As each Job progresses, you add more and more details THE CREW

to the story, based on the outcome of the dice or your own decisions. This chapter gives you a quick overview of how all that works.

The Fixer One player doesn’t play a Crewmember. Instead, this player, the Fixer, takes responsibility for the ing Characters. He’s responsible for coming up with the opposition for the Crew, and for helping see to it that

THE JOB

Who’s Who of the Game First up, let’s take a look at who does what, both in the world of the game and at the table where the game’s

THE FIXER

being played.

THE TOOLBOX

The Crew and the ing Characters Every Job features a whole cast of characters, from devious corporate bigwigs to square-jawed FBI agents and, of course, the Crew themselves. All of these people belong to one of the following categories within the game.

THE CRIME WORLD

Crew are the protagonists of any Leverage Job, people who were—or still are—criminals of some stripe. They’re not quite good guys, but sometimes you gotta go with what you’ve got. A different player usually controls each Crewmember, making decisions for them

THE RECORD

as the Crew works the Mark, rolling dice, and providing clever dialogue. Each Crewmember has a Rap Sheet, a record of their important game statistics, backgrounds, and abilities.

8

they take this opposition down. Generally, the Fixer knows the rules better than anybody else, and probably bought this book in the first place. But that’s not always true. You might even switch out the Fixer every once in a while. Give those other players a shot. Speaking of which…

The Briefing The Players This is everybody else at the table, those quick‑witted THE PITCH

and eager individuals who’ve decided to form a Leverage Crew of their own and take on the responsibility of playing a Crewmember. They drive the action, come up with the clever plan, and then try to execute it as

THE BRIEFING

best they can. With each Job, their Crew grow, refine their expert talents, and leave a trail of bad guys behind them. If you’re a player, it falls to you to make sure you don’t just sell your own success but that of the

THE CREW

others on your Crew. That’s teamwork, right there.

Traits Each Crewmember’s Rap Sheet is mostly a list of Traits and related game statistics. The three main categories of Traits belonging to Crew are

THE JOB

Attributes, Roles, and Distinctions. There’s also space on the Rap Sheet for Talents, which cover special tricks and techniques the Crewmember’s picked up in his line of work, and Plot Points, which are a game currency

book calls out most specific Traits by using small caps, like this. Each Trait has a die rating. When that Trait comes into play, you’ll roll that die. Bigger dice tend to roll higher, but no die is safe from rolling a 1 (rolling a 1 is

Roles Your Crewmember’s place on the team is decided by where his skill and expertise is most obvious. There are five broad Traits that encom these skills, and we call them Roles. Your Crewmember has a die rating in each of the five: Grifter, Hacker, Hitter, Mastermind,

significant—we’ll get to this later).

and Thief. The Role with the largest die rating is called

Attributes

you’re likely to pick up. You’re going to be rolling one

Crewmember does something where the outcome’s uncertain, you’re going to be rolling an Attribute that relates to it. Each Attribute’s die rating represents how significant that Attribute is to your Crewmember’s performance. Every Crewmember has the same six Agility,

Alertness,

Strength, Vitality, and Willpower.

Intelligence,

of these Traits with your Attribute whenever you do something in the game. Roles are also associated with Specialties, specific and narrow fields of training. A Specialty can arguably fall under multiple Roles, but you’ll decide to go with one in particular when you recruit your Crewmember.

THE RECORD

ability, Attributes are the yardstick. Every time your

THE CRIME WORLD

your Primary Role, and that determines which Talents

When it comes to describing raw physical and mental

Attributes:

THE FIXER

take a closer look at each category in a little bit. This

THE TOOLBOX

you can spend to grease the wheels in your favor. We’ll

This covers things like driving, explosives, and cooking. Specialties add an extra d6 along with your Role die when you’re using it for that kind of thing.

9

Chapter Two

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB

Distinctions Is your Crewmember a Drunk? Is he Smarter Than THE FIXER

He Looks? Maybe he’s a Geek, or a Jock, or a Control Freak? These are all examples of Distinctions, descriptive Traits that fall outside of the area of Attributes and Roles. You’re gonna have three of them,

THE TOOLBOX

maybe more. They can either help you out or make

take the form of exceptions to the normal rules. Most can only be used on certain occasions or when some condition is met. They don’t have a die rating, but they do influence Traits that have dice, or change dice that are already in play.

Assets and Complications

THE CRIME WORLD

life difficult for you—or both—but you decide which

Not all Traits belong to Crew or get marked

is which, and when. Distinctions don’t have a specific

down on your Rap Sheet. Some are temporary, reflecting

die rating; how good or bad their influence is depends

things that help the Crew out (Assets) or make things

on the circumstances. They exist to make playing your

difficult for them (Complications). These Traits often

Crewmember more interesting and, at times, get you

start out with only a minor influence on the Job, but

into all sorts of trouble.

as more and more twists and turns take place they can become game-changers.

Talents Not every Grifter or Hacker is the same, and this is

THE RECORD

reflected in your Crewmember’s choice of Talents. These are the things your Crewmember keeps up his sleeve or relies upon to get the job done, and they frequently

Assets are included in the role with a Crewmember’s other dice when they’re applicable. You might have an Asset like Really Big Stick, which could help you fend off guard dogs, or 16 oz Energy Drink, which makes staying alert a cinch. They can be environmental, too: Shadowy is an Asset that would help you sneak around. You can create them yourself by spending Plot Points. We’ll get to that shortly.

10

The Briefing The Fixer rolls Complications as part of your

dice, which is why the smaller your dice the more likely things are going to get…complicated.

Dice are used to determine how things shake out in situations where the outcome’s not certain. You don’t have to roll dice if everybody at the table agrees something’s going to turn out one way or the other. But when there’s a dispute, or your Crew doesn’t have total

Other Traits

control over the results, it’s time to pick up the dice.

As well as the Crewmember’s Traits and any Assets

When you roll dice, you’re taking action, so we use

or Complications that might crop up in the course of

the term Action to describe any occasion where you’re

a Job, many ing Characters are described by

trying to achieve something and you’re rolling dice to

Traits that are both descriptive and functional. In fact,

do it. An Action can be initiated by a player, or called

an Extra is not much more than a single Trait, like

for by the Fixer, depending on the situation.

Club Hopper, Clown, or Bank Teller. Locations are also given Traits, too, when they might be useful as opposition to your Crew: Vault, Alarm System, and Laser-Filled Hallway of Death are similar to fixed Assets or Complications that help the Fixer describe where the action takes place.

THE BRIEFING

Complication comes up as a result of rolling a 1 on your

When To Roll Dice

THE CREW

like Extra-Alert Security or Slippery Floors. A

How To Roll Dice So let’s say you’re working a Job. When you want your Crewmember to do something that might not go well, you pick up a few dice and roll them. You always roll at least

THE JOB

the results you want. Complications can include things

THE PITCH

opposition’s dice and they make it harder for you to get

two dice: one for the Attribute and one for the Role most you might have some other dice to roll. Here’s some

This game uses five different kinds of dice: d4, d6, d8, d10, and d12. The number tells you how many sides the die has, and the more sides, the bigger the numbers. If you see a number in front of the d—such as 2d6—it means you roll that many dice of that type. We assume that if there’s no number there, it’s just a  singleton.

examples of situations where you might be rolling dice and what Attributes and Roles would factor in. You’re trying to clear the room of hired goons?



Strength + Hitter You’re leaping from a fire escape to escape the



notice of security? Agility + Thief You’re scanning the lobby of a five star hotel for a

THE TOOLBOX

Dice

THE FIXER

appropriate to the situation. Depending on the situation,

Icon

d4

4

d6

6

d8

8

d10

10

d12

12

potential Mark? Alertness + Grifter You’re going over the latest internal memo from a



crooked CEO? Intelligence + Mastermind You’re trying to decipher an encrypted database



well after 3am? Vitality + Hacker You take the two highest results of all the dice and add them together to get your result. You’ve just set the stakes. If any of your dice comes up a 1, don’t add it into

THE RECORD

Die Rating

THE CRIME WORLD



11

Chapter Two

Sometimes, the Action’s not about raising the stakes THE PITCH

the result; set it aside for the moment. If all of your dice

or getting some kind of advantage. It’s just a simple check

come up a 1, your result is a big zero.

to see if a Crewmember can do something or not. In that

THE BRIEFING

The Fixer now wants to raise the stakes by rolling at

case, the Fixer usually sets the stakes first with a roll of

least two dice based on what you’re up against: one die

dice, and if the player manages to raise the stakes with

for the complexity of the task, and one that reflects an

his own roll, he succeeds in whatever it was he wanted to

opposing character or a situation. The Fixer might also

do. In this case, an Extraordinary Success means you did

be rolling a few more dice, depending on the situation;

even better than you figured you would.

like you, he takes the two highest and adds them up. If his result is greater than the current stakes, they’re considered raised. The Fixer now has the edge!

THE CREW

If a side succeeds at raising the stakes, it goes back to the other side. At any time, one side can simply decide to Give In instead of trying to roll the dice again, allowing that side to end the Action on their ; otherwise, the side that fails to raise the stakes has lost, and whoever

THE JOB

last set the stakes gets to decide what happens. This is called being Taken Down. If you raise the stakes by 5 or more (the Fixer rolls a 12 and you get a 17 or higher) then you’ve got an Extraordinary Success and you take down the opposition right then and there.

THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

12

Complications and Opportunities However, other things can happen with the dice as well. Every time you roll a 1 on any of your dice, it allows the Fixer to introduce a Complication—some way in which the situation gets worse. When you roll a 1, you might still succeed with your other dice, but that doesn’t mean everything goes as planned. On the other hand, if the Fixer rolls a 1, that creates an Opportunity, a break that cuts your way. Many Talents are based on taking advantage of these Opportunities.

The Briefing

of token (pennies, paperclips, bottle caps … you get the idea). Everybody gets 1 Plot Point to start the Job. Don’t worry, you’ll get more.

Spending Plot Points Plot Points can be spent to include more dice into your result, to activate some Talents, and to create new Assets. Including More Dice: After any roll, you may spend a Plot Point to include more dice out of those you just rolled in your result. In this way, your result may be three, four, or five dice added together. The only limit to how many dice you may add to your result is how many dice you rolled to begin with and how many Plot Points you have available. Activating Talents: Some of your Talents may have effects that must be activated by spending a Plot Point. Any effect that’s activated like this lasts for the duration of the Action you’re using it on; once you start a new Action, the effect must be activated again. Creating New Assets: You can create your own Assets by spending a Plot Point. Your new Asset starts out as a d6 and lasts for the rest of the scene. If you spend two Plot Points, you can keep it for the rest of the Job—assuming something doesn’t happen to remove or eliminate it. This allows you to give some dramatic weight to an item (Length of Pipe d6), part of the scenery (Unlocked Door d6), or even effectively create a new Extra (Handyman d6), as if to say, “this thing’s important to the story.”

when he spends Plot Points in a roll against you, he picks up a Plot Point from the pile and slides it over to you. Whenever you get Plot Points like this, keep

THE BRIEFING

Another option is to use poker chips or some other kind

have his own private supply the way players do. Instead,

them separate from the Plot Points you already have. You can’t use these until the current Action has been resolved and the dice are set aside.

THE CREW

way is to write them on your Rap Sheet as tally marks.

may spend Plot Points on his rolls, too, but he doesn’t

Earning Plot Points So, Plot Points are useful—but you only start the Job with one of them. How do you get more? We’ve already mentioned that when the Fixer wants to spend a Plot Point on one of his ing Characters, he has to

THE JOB

You need to keep track of your Plot Points somehow. One

the middle of the table, in front of the Fixer. The Fixer

hand one over, but there are other, more painful ways to get them. We’ve talked about Complications as Traits that the Fixer adds in. Well, whenever you roll a 1, the Fixer might hand you a Plot Point to activate that

THE FIXER

powerful, and let you use some of your special Talents.

Typically, spent Plot Points go into the big pile in

Complication. So, while you might not have rolled so well and the situation’s just got a little more complicated, at least it gets you a Plot Point. Complications start as a d6, but the Fixer can use any additional 1s that you or others roll to step up the Complication to d8 or more.

Collaboration and Responsibility When you play the Leverage RPG, you’re playing part of a team of experts. A lot of decisions are made throughout the game, and most of those decisions

THE TOOLBOX

give you more dice, make the dice you have more

The Fixer and Plot Points

THE CRIME WORLD

affect the plot over the course of your Job. Plot Points

you make together. Sometimes you discuss what to do on the Job and how to course correct when things go wrong. Other times, you build up a vibe at the table and you won’t need to discuss what happens next because it will be obvious—everyone will know. That’s where a lot

THE RECORD

Plot Points are a game currency that you spend to

THE PITCH

Plot Points

13

Chapter Two

Players are responsible for: THE PITCH

of the magic is: working together and getting into that groove with your friends. The thing is, none of this hangs together if you’re not together. And that’s the trick, folks. You have to go into the game knowing what you’re responsible for and

THE BRIEFING

aiming to make good on those responsibilities. Sure, everybody else at the table is going to give you one suggestion or another. Or push you into some action you’re not sure about. At the end of the day, you gotta decide how to step up. Which suggestion do you take? Is

THE CREW

now a good time for this choice, or will the Job work out better if you hold off for a few scenes? Juggling all these decisions—well, that’s the rest of the magic. Here are three short lists of what everybody is responsible for. These aren’t exhaustive, but they’re

THE JOB

pretty concise summaries of who does what.

Deciding what their Crew do



Deciding whether their Crew stand up



and fight or Give In Confronting the problems the Fixer throws in



front of them Pointing their Crew in directions that



make for good stories ing other Crew and giving them



a shot at what they’re good at Deciding how their Crew change and



grow over time In general, telling the story of their Crew



Fixer is responsible for: Presenting problems (or apparent problems) for



the Crew to confront Deciding how ing Characters can give



THE FIXER

the Crew exciting challenges Presenting the Client, the Mark, and the Problem



Managing Complications and structuring the



scenes THE TOOLBOX

In general, stirring up trouble



Everyone is responsible for: Looking out for openings in which to later frame



THE CRIME WORLD

Flashbacks Offering suggestions to other players, but



respecting the decisions they make in the end In general, making everybody else at the table



THE RECORD

14

look awesome

The Crew Recruiting Your Team

15

Chapter Three

THE PITCH

The Crew The core of the Leverage Roleplaying Game is the Crew, that dysfunctional family of expert criminals,

THE BRIEFING

thieves, and rogues that fights the good fight and takes down the bad guys. This chapter lays out the steps to recruit the right Crew, taking them from an initial idea for a character to an actual completed Rap Sheet filled with Traits and other elements. Here, you’ll also find what Talents, Distinctions, and Attributes

THE CREW

are for. Please note that, yes, we go over some things in this chapter that we already introduced in The Pitch. Repetition is good. And odds are, you’re going to come back here more often than the front of the book, right?

THE JOB THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

16

Moving on.

Recruiting the Crew Once you start to recruit your Crewmember in a mechanical sense, you should have a good idea of what type of guy this person is, what Role he’s best suited for on the team, and in general what he’s good at. So here’s something really important about putting your own concept of who you are into mechanical language: this is very much a collaborative process. You can’t do it by yourself. (Well, you can. That’s an option. But it’s not one we recommend.) Leverage Crews are recruited with a close eye toward how well the work together. If you do this process in isolation, you get Crews that don’t mesh together. Crews that aren’t together turn into what we in the business call “prison inmates.” Let’s try to avoid that, shall we?

The Crew

relationship right up front. So let’s get blank Rap Sheets, scratch paper for writing down notes, and some dice. It’s recruitment time.

Creating a Crewmember Here’s a step-by-step presentation of how to get ready for action as a Crewmember on a Leverage Crew. Each step is discussed in greater detail later in this chapter, so if you have more specific questions they’re probably addressed there. From here on out, I’m going to use “you” to mean “you the player.” Recruitment’s very much in the hands of the players. The Fixer only needs to step in when you’re lost.

Think about where you came from. Your childhood, your previous career—life of crime or something more respectable—and what got you recruited into a Leverage Crew.

Step 3. Assign Your Primary Role You need to know where you fit in with the others on your Crew. Each of the five Roles is rated with a die, d4 through d10. Your primary Role is the one at d10.

Step 4. Assign Your Secondary Role This is what you’re next best at doing. It’s important, and it helps define who you are on the Crew, but it isn’t as important as your primary Role. And you’re done asg Roles for now. Yes, this leaves three of your Roles blank. That’s by design; they’ll

Crewmember Recruitment Steps 1. Get a blank Rap Sheet. 2. Consider your Background. 3. Assign your Primary Role. 4. Assign your Secondary Role. 5. Assign your Attributes. 6. Compose one Distinction. 7. Play through The Recruitment Job.

get filled in later.

Step 5. Assign Your Attributes Next, assign die ratings to your six Attributes: Agility,

Alertness,

Intelligence,

Strength,

Vitality, and Willpower. You’re prioritizing here, so make sure you look carefully at what each Attribute is used for.

Step 6. Compose One Distinction Distinctions are words or short phrases that describe

Step 1. Get a Blank Rap Sheet Your Rap Sheet is the central clearinghouse for all the details you need to run your Crewmember through a Leverage Job. Compiled by the great minds at

THE BRIEFING

by fate. You’re going to want to establish that working

Step 2. Consider Your Background

THE CREW

well together, even if they’ve been thrown together

THE JOB

put it this way: the best Crews are the ones that work

is what we’re doing here.

THE FIXER

in this chapter and the Fast Recruitment option, but let’s

requires you to add your own notes to it, though, which

THE TOOLBOX

Crew independently, using the steps provided

it represents all the essential knowledge about you. It

THE CRIME WORLD

all players and the Fixer present. You can create

you in softer, less quantifiable . Just choose one now; two more are chosen in the next step.

THE RECORD

It’s a good idea to do all of this at the table with

THE PITCH

Before You Start

Interpol—or at least, everybody at your gaming table—

17

Chapter Three Background THE PITCH

Step 7. Play Through The Recruitment Job This is where most of the remaining blanks are filled in. This is also where you should pick your starting Talents and Specialties. It’s a group process, but if you’re

THE BRIEFING

short on time or want to create Crew ahead of the game, you can use the optional Fast Recruitment on page 50.

Leaving Blanks THE CREW

If you get through all your recruitment steps and still have blanks on your Rap Sheet, don’t fret—this is okay. You can fill in this stuff as you play.

The Rap Sheet THE JOB

Curious about how the authorities summarize you, your background, and your abilities? Take a look at your Rap Sheet. Recently stolen from the impenetrable databases of Interpol and other law enforcement

THE FIXER

agencies around the world, your Rap Sheet contains all the information you’ll need during a Job that’s unique for your character—Attribute and Role ratings, Specialties, Distinctions, Talents, any Signature Assets you have, and a bit about your personal background.

THE TOOLBOX

But I’ve never been arrested, you say. The cops don’t know about me, you protest. Think again—you’re good at what you do, that is why you’re being recruited. The authorities know it too and they’ve had their eyes on you.

This section of the Rap Sheet contains a short narrative about your background — childhood, education, criminal record, outstanding warrants. These are useful details for any recruiter. It discusses your upbringing, or at least what’s known about it: did you grow up in a broken home; in a stable family with 2.4 kids, a dog, and a station wagon; or as a war orphan from a Cold War era brushfire? Your education, if you have any—School of Hard Knocks, or Harvard MBA? It details your career as a criminal. Are you on the wanted lists of the American FBI, the British SOCA or Serious Fraud Office, or the Chinese Ministry of Public Security? Does Interpol have your portrait with crosshairs superimposed atop it? Don’t forget any little stuff that’s widely known—if you’re wanted in Bolivia on four thousand counts of petty larceny, it’ll be here. (And seriously, if that last one’s true, take a long, hard look at your priorities in life.) Then again, this is just stuff that’s publicly known. Maybe some parts of your background are still secret. Maybe they’ll be revealed later, as your career progresses. The police don’t know everything—and neither do your Crew. Neither do you, for that matter. that sealed arrest warrant that’s out for you in Texas? Oh, right, you don’t. It’s sealed.

Roles

THE CRIME WORLD

Roles are Traits rated by dice. They’re broad skills,

A Work in Progress

applicable in any situation that might come up in the game. The dice you assign to the Roles determine what

Your Rap Sheet is a work in progress,

you do to help the Crew. So you have Mastermind d8,

so it’s useful to have it in easily modifiable

or Thief d10? That’s great, but what do you do with that

electronic format or in pencil. As your career

exactly? Let’s cover this in detail.

THE RECORD

progresses you can learn new tricks, pick up new Specialties, and the like. You might even reveal new details of your background. All of this adds or changes details on your Rap Sheet.

Primary Roles Your primary Role is the one you’ve rated at d10. You’re often referred to by that Role—Parker’s a Thief, Eliot’s a Hitter, etc. This Role defines your main job

18

The Crew within the Crew, and the sorts of activities you’ll be decide the outcome of a given action, he’ll usually call

buy a fake Rolex, or distracting a guard so the Hitter can knock him out would all be rolls made on Grifter. Hackers deal in information. They get it for the Crew, deny it to the Mark, use it to help the Crew, or manipulate it to take the Mark down. They usually do this by cracking computer networks and security systems, but Hackers are also often good with physical tools and obtaining items the Crew needs. Hacking a network firewall, eavesdropping on the Mark’s cell phone, and “airbrushing” a photo ID would all be rolls made on Hacker. Hitters deal in force. They engage in direct combat to put force on bad guys, getting them out of the way. Engaging in combat, sizing up a tactical situation, and intimidating a guard would all be rolls made on Hitter. Masterminds deal in plans. They formulate the plan at the start of the Job and coordinate the team’s efforts to stay on track. They deal with the unexpected events that threaten to blow every plan. Figuring out where the Mark might have hidden the money, noticing that three unexpected guards are coming in the front door, and guessing what sort of bribe would best win the Mark’s confidence would all be rolls made on Mastermind. Thieves deal in access. They get themselves and the Crew access by breaking through security systems, and they use access to steal items or information. Sneaking past a guard, cartwheeling through a room of laser sensors, and picking the Mark’s pocket would all be rolls made on Thief.

only do dice with more sides tend to result in higher numbers, but they are also less likely

THE BRIEFING

businesswoman from , convincing a Mark to

or get lost behind the couch cushions. Not

to roll a 1. This lends itself to a scale of how important that Trait is to the Crewmember. d12: Anything rated at d12 outshines everything else. It’s some aspect of the action

THE CREW

lying, and manipulating people. Pretending to be a

come up with numbers, roll off the table,

that probably dominates the exchange it’s being rolled in. Roles and Attributes aren’t generally rated at this level, but other Traits (Complications, Assets, Scene Traits, etc.)

THE JOB

at their best in social situations and are good at acting,

Dice do more than help you randomly

might be. d10, d8: These ratings indicate a high degree of competence. They represent aspects of your Crewmember that are solid and dependable. d6: This is kind of ho-hum and dull. It’s

THE FIXER

against the people who’ve entrusted it to them. They’re

unlikely to add to the final total of the roll, but also unlikely to generate an Opportunity or Complication. A Role or Attribute rated at d6 is one you find uninteresting, one that you don’t want to play a big part of who you are.

THE TOOLBOX

Grifters deal in trust. They gain it, and then use it

What Do the Dice Mean?

d4: This is a counterintuitive case. You might think it means “I’m terrible at this,” and sometimes that’s exactly what it means, but sometimes it means, “This is interesting to me.” It’s much more likely to generate

THE CRIME WORLD

Here’s a recap on Roles; see more details on page 20.

Complications than other die types, so the plot often thickens when one of these comes into play—and with that comes Plot Points for the Crewmember.

THE RECORD

for a player to roll Attribute plus Role. But which Role?

THE PITCH

attempting most often. When the Fixer calls for a roll to

19

Chapter Three Role Descriptions THE PITCH

Secondary Roles

When recruiting a new Crew, you’ve got to cover as many bases as possible. That’s why we’re going to go

THE BRIEFING

Your secondary Role is the Role you choose to put

through each of the classic Roles for you, one at a time,

your d8 rating in. This decision says a lot about what

in alphabetical order. To give you a feeling for what you

sort of (fill in primary Role here) you are. You might

should be looking for. Each of the following sections

tend to solve problems related to your primary Role with

includes vital data on who these people are, what they

a bias toward solutions your secondary Role would be

do, and how this works to your advantage in the game.

good at. Or maybe you used to serve in your secondary

Trust me, you’re going to be coming back to this chapter

Role on a different Crew, and you’ve decided to change

a lot, even after you’ve got your Crew together.

your professional focus. You’ll find ideas for what these combos actually mean in the next section. THE CREW

The Grifter The Grifter is the consummate confidence trickster. Her main weapon is trust, earned with a level of empathy and deceit that must appear flawless. She can make

THE JOB

people believe she’s a businesswoman from Pretoria, an actress from London, or a wedding planner from Staten Island. She can sell a raincoat to someone in the Sahara, talk a drowning man out of his life vest, and convince a corrupt banker to spill his secrets for little more than a

THE FIXER

drink and a sympathetic ear.

What Grifters Do THE TOOLBOX

Wielding the trust she inspires like a surgeon wields a scalpel, a Grifter aids the Crew by gaining information and access for herself or other Crew. Unlike the Hacker, she does this on a purely personal level. Sometimes she manipulates the Mark into acting

THE CRIME WORLD

against his own interest, usually by convincing him that his true interest is her own…or that of her alter ego. Grifters think quickly. Sometimes the Crew’s Mastermind sees a transient opportunity he didn’t anticipate; sometimes circumstances aren’t like the

THE RECORD

Crew expected in the briefing room. Either way, plans change—sometimes without warning. Grifters have to roll with it while maintaining their characters. Grifters manipulate people. Everyone has a button (most more than one), some aspect of their personality

20

The Crew that can be pushed on to achieve any desired outcome.

how the Mark’s going to respond to get the reaction

a helpful reaction when the Grifter makes with

she’s looking for—will flattery get her somewhere?

the Mark. Falling on hard times is the typical motivation

Flirtatious chit-chat? Hints of business opportunities

for an actor to move to the criminal con. The rest of the Grifter population comes from the

Grifters pretend to be people they’re not. This means

business and legal world. Salespeople, charismatic

they are good at a lot of skills often found among

managers, stock brokers, insurance agents, trial lawyers,

people with careers in theater and acting: disguise and

and dozens of other sorts like them make great Grifters;

costuming, languages and accents, consistently affecting

arguably what they do is legal grifting anyway, so it’s not

the mannerisms, gait, and dynamic physical traits of the

exactly a big leap.

identity they’re taking on. Good Grifters are careful not to overdo it; chewing the scenery in a community theater performance will get her bad reviews, but doing it in a con could get her killed. Grifters lie. When it comes right down to it, Grifters

Mechanical Options for Grifters Attributes

are professional liars. They tell the Mark whatever he

Grifters are terribly well rounded people; sooner

needs to hear in order for the Crew to get the reaction

or later, they need to use every Attribute they possess.

the con needs, whether by false flattery, making

Intelligence and Agility are perhaps the most useful,

promises she never intends to keep, or just spreading

helping them with fast talk and lies. Vitality is useful in

misinformation. They’re usually very good at this—be

keeping a Mark’s attention during a grift, especially if he

careful playing poker against a good Grifter—but for

has reason for his attention to go elsewhere. Alertness

some, a life of lies can wear on the soul. Sometimes, she

is helpful for making disguises believable.

keeps the truth of who she is even from her own Crew.

Who Becomes a Grifter Let’s be honest, here. Most Grifters started their careers as simple criminals and con men. Some used to take tourists’ money playing three-card-monte on the street. Others started in fake injury frauds, robbed traveler scams, or other common cons. Some worked as fences for stolen goods or sold cheap merchandise out of the back of trucks—any con where a likable personality, fast talking, and a willingness to lie to anyone can be put to use. Some Grifters started out as actors. Most of them

Secondary Roles Grifting is a variable and personalized skill; every Grifter has her own style. These differing styles are modeled by the choice of secondary Role. The following interpretations are descriptions of particular Grifters— one can only marvel at the potential breadth of styles and specializations. The Swashbuckler: This Grifter d10/Hitter d8 is a verbal jouster. She uses language aggressively, challenging and sparring with the Mark. When necessary she backs up her words with muscle, and she does it with some panache—lots of quips and misdirection, as if a fight is

THE RECORD

and profit? She needs to be ready for all of them.

THE BRIEFING

awful lot like that woman from that TV show…” is not

THE CREW

need to talk to him. Once you do, a Grifter figures out

THE JOB

is not going to have a long career in crime. “You look an

THE FIXER

you so much about a Mark, and sometimes you just

THE TOOLBOX

local community theater—a Grifter with a famous face

THE CRIME WORLD

much of this is reading people—research can only tell

THE PITCH

It’s the Grifter’s job to find and push that button. So very

were obscure character actors or never got beyond the

21

Chapter Three (and has pulled most of them at one time or another), she can make up new ones on the fly to salvage a plan that’s THE PITCH

just a grift by other means. Suggested Talents: Takes One

crashing and burning. Suggested Talents: Wanna Buy a

to Know One, How YOU Doin’?

Watch, Johnny On-The-Spot.

The Phisher: While as good face-to-face as others in her Role, this Grifter d10/Hacker d8 prefers to do her grifting remotely. She engages the Mark via computer

THE BRIEFING

or telephone, convinces him that she’s an officer from his bank, or that she’s the police, or she’s his ex-wife, and before he knows it she’s installed a rootkit or talked him out of his broker’s and . Suggested Talents: Over the Shoulder Hacker, Slip of the Tongue

THE CREW

The Actress: A master of being someone she’s not, this Grifter d10/Thief d8 es as the Crown Princess of San Marino one day and a housewife from Tuscaloosa the next. San Marino doesn’t have royalty, you say? That’s the point. She makes the Mark believe that it does.

THE JOB

Suggested Talents: Social Center, Slip of the Tongue The Confidence Woman: This Grifter d10/ Mastermind d8 belongs to the traditional Grifter community. Not only does she know all the classic cons

The Hacker The Hacker’s main weapon is info, pure and simple. He’s either providing it to the Crew or he’s keeping it from the opposition. Sometimes it’s straightforward—a vital bit of information or misinformation, the to the Mark’s computer database, or the Mark’s Swiss bank number. Other times, it’s actually a physical object—an electronic lock pick, a radio jammer, or even a forged sculpture that you can’t tell from the real deal.

What Hackers Do You can’t pull cons or heists without info, and there’s a lot of ways Hackers can get and use that information to the Crew’s advantage. See, Hackers are research people. When the Crew identifies a potential Mark, it’s often the

THE FIXER

Hacker’s job to find out everything he can about that Mark—not just where he lives and where he works, but what his personality’s like, who all his business and personal s are, and where he keeps his

THE TOOLBOX

money. The Hacker needs to find out if the Mark’s got vulnerable investments, owns shady shell companies, or makes illegal deposits into offshore s. Hackers

identify

the

security—physical

and

THE CRIME WORLD

electronic—at any building or installation that’s gotta be infiltrated, and how to disable it. Hackers sometimes need to intercept or eavesdrop on phone calls, break through network firewalls, or spoof security cameras. The Hacker might have to call or send emails that the Mark thinks are coming from someone and somewhere else. Hackers

THE RECORD

provide their Crew’s internal comms, and protect the secrecy of that communication from the bad guys. Some Hackers have other skills you might not consider. Like, you’ve got your experienced engineers who can build or modify useful devices for the rest of the Crew

22

The Crew

like vehicles, sensors, or electronic code breakers. Then a doctored photograph, a fake ID, a forged signature, or

or currency. Other Hackers are savvy ants and

a hundred grand in counterfeit currency, and you need

financial experts who can sort out the most convoluted

it right now.

electronic money trail. And of course there’s experts in

Don’t forget the world of finance and ing.

photography, videography, and visual effects equipment

That industry’s full of sharp mathematical minds and

and software, pulling off these illusions both onscreen

computer experts without peer, and they have lots of

and off. You name it, there’s a guy who can hack it.

experience in banking, both global and domestic. You need somebody to trace financial transactions and

You’ve got your corporate, government, or military computer security experts; they’re real familiar with how large institutions protect their data and systems. These dudes are often highly professional and thorough— they understand the value of research, process, and doing their homework. Others come from the world of malware authors, cybercriminals, and hacktivists. Don’t let the nerdity fool you, though, man. These are some bad, bad people. Anyplace you want to hack, it’s even money they’ve already hacked it at one time or another. The most successful are methodical and deliberate, but don’t let that fool you either—they’re daring risk-takers; “in over their heads” is well inside their comfort zone. Some Hackers come from a background of engineering, communication systems, or media technology. They’re full-on wizards of video feeds and communication networks. Also, they’re great at improvising their own gear, which sure is nice to have when you’re a little short of cash or in an unexpected tight spot. A small number of Hackers get their start as artists. While most use modern tools for their trade these days, these guys are the original Hackers—the counterfeiters

THE CREW

Attributes Intelligence is gonna be a Hacker’s number one Attribute—nothing else comes close. Alertness is

THE JOB

Many come from the field of computer security.

Mechanical Options for Hackers

often a good runner-up, as a Hacker’s gotta keep his eyes on a lot of rapidly changing information at once. The Hacker’s secondary Role should determine the rest of his Attributes’ ratings.

THE FIXER

whole lotta technical expertise.

Secondary Roles The Role the Hacker takes as his secondary? That decision’s guided by both his overall skill set and his personality. Here’s a few interpretations of what each choice might mean; the same decision might just as well

THE TOOLBOX

thing they’ve all got in common is technical expertise. A

further. It’s right here, man. It’s right here.

lead to other types of Hacker, so don’t feel as though you’re limited by this list. Netzilla: This Hacker d10/Hitter d8 was absent the day they taught discretion at Hacker School. He stomps through network defenses like a giant monster

THE CRIME WORLD

Hackers come from many walks of life, but the one

figure out where the money’s going, right? Then look no

through Tokyo. Dude takes no prisoners and leaves a smoking ruin in his wake. Why use a key when you can use a hammer? Many Marks need to replace their hardware when he gets through with them.

THE RECORD

Who Becomes a Hacker

THE BRIEFING

identity cards, documents, or even counterfeit artwork

THE PITCH

there are artists who use their skills to forge convincing

and forgery experts that’re there for you when you need

23

Chapter Three

THE PITCH

Suggested Talents: Shut Down All the Garbage Mashers on the Detention Level, Are You Gonna or Whistle Dixie? The Gadgeteer: This Hacker d10/Thief d8 is obsessed with building hand-held gadgets and

THE BRIEFING

portable gizmos. He’s armed with robotic lock picks, wireless sensor jammers, and weapons-grade chemical solvents—just the things to get him past the guard shack, through the locked door, and into the safe. Suggested Talents: Do You Have That Thing I Gave You?,

THE CREW

Safecracker The Spoofer: A master of network deception and misinformation, this Hacker d10/Grifter d8 is the flip-side of Netzilla. It’s pretty rare that people notice his online activity, but when they do, he’s all up

THE JOB

and messin’ with the server logs so he’s seen as a trusted peer network, an innocent wrong number, or some harmless kid—anybody but who he really is. Suggested Talents: Can You Hear Me Now, I Just Work Here The Completist: This Hacker d10/Mastermind d8

THE FIXER

does his homework. He knows every server’s strength and vulnerability. He knows the wiring diagrams of every security system on the market, and some that ain’t. He never moves without a Plan B, and usually a

THE TOOLBOX

Plan C. Suggested Talents: Do You Have That Thing I Gave You?, Opportunist.

THE CRIME WORLD

The Hitter Listen up. The Hitter’s main weapon is force. The Hitter’s the one you call in when subtlety’s failed you and when being gentle isn’t going to help. Consequently, most people think of physical fighting when they think

THE RECORD

24

“Hitter,” and yes, that’s certainly something Hitters are good at. But you can’t recruit any old knuckle-dragging cement head for your Crew and expect things to work out. Choose your Hitter wisely.

What Hitters Do So Hitters come in all shapes and sizes, exercising different skill sets to solve the problems they find before them. Even so, there’s some generalizations you can make about them. Hitters need to understand the role of violence. You don’t want a loose cannon, some guy who just likes to hurt people. That’s bad news. Violence is inherently chaotic and introduces an element of chance into the plan—can’t avoid it. Your Hitter needs to know when it’s worth taking that chance. Hitters deal in direct application of force. Usually this is fighting—a good Hitter is going to be experienced in

The Crew at least one if not several styles of hand-to-hand combat, almost always have a good intuitive understanding of

Many are also good at applying social force, usually

tense social situations that are on the brink of violence,

expressed as intimidation, forceful persuasion, or

and when it comes down to it there are few people more

motivating his comrades.

intimidating.

Hitters adapt. Most good cons don’t rely too heavily

A few Hitters start out as athletes, usually from a

on violence—until something goes wrong. So until that

combat sport like boxing or mixed martial arts. Athletes

happens, the Hitter is your Free Safety, lending a hand

are going to be in great physical condition, which has

to other Crew as needed. You know what they

some advantages if strength or acrobatics is a plus in the

say—once the Hitter has to get involved, that plan’s all

sorts of Jobs you have in mind.

THE BRIEFING

firearms, although that has its own set of considerations.

THE PITCH

both armed and unarmed. Some may be good with

and what weapons will get you arrested.

Obviously, your Hitter tends to emphasize the physical scores. Strength is most Hitters’ main Attribute—lets them pack a good punch, carry a heavy

Who Becomes a Hitter Recruiting a good Hitter requires you to look in a lot of different places. Lots of Hitters start their careers as bodyguards and security, some from highly trained backgrounds such as law enforcement, national or corporate intelligence, or government security like the Secret Service. These guys are trained to put people down fast and move on—an ideal quality in a Hitter. Some possess unique skills such as combat driving, explosives expertise, or counter surveillance training. Other Hitters are former military or paramilitary. Former soldiers have been all over the world and might have extensive combat experience. They don’t scare easily, are in excellent physical condition, and are generally reliable and highly disciplined. Some have very specialized knowledge—piloting or linguistics or wilderness survival, for example. Some Hitters come from the ranks of criminals: gang thugs, outlaw bikers, mob leg breakers, those types. These guys tend to be brawlers, so make sure you don’t

THE JOB

especially regarding when the cops can stop and search

Attributes

load, and perform feats of athletics. Agility is possibly his second highest. Alternately, placing Agility highest could be a good choice for a quick, wiry kinda guy who knows how to use opponents’ size advantage against him. In any event, Vitality is important so he can take

THE FIXER

to throw down and fight. Hitters often know local laws,

a punch and keep going. The Hitter’s secondary Role determines how important you want to assess the other Attributes.

Secondary Roles These are some interpretations of what the choice of a secondary Role might say about a Hitter. This is by no means an exclusive list; there are many ways to play each choice other than the ones presented here. The Wheelman: This is a Hitter d10/Hacker d8 who always has exactly the right vehicle for the job;

THE TOOLBOX

copacetic, when it’s in over its head, or when it’s time

Mechanical Options for Hitters

THE CRIME WORLD

a good tactical eye and can evaluate when the Crew is

sometimes he builds it, sometimes he steals it. And he can drive it better than anybody, both offensively and defensively. Suggested Talents: Everything is a Weapon, I Can Kill You With My Mind

THE RECORD

Hitters are good at threat assessment. Hitters have

THE CREW

kinds of no good.

recruit some reckless moron. The upside is that they

25

Chapter Three

The Mastermind THE PITCH

The Ninja: This Hitter d10/Thief d8 can sneak

Most people think of the Mastermind as the brains of

past locked doors, dodge motion sensors, and by

the operation, but it’s more accurate to say that he’s the

cameras like a ghost. Unlucky security guards in his way

planner of the operation. Everyone on the team needs

usually fall before they even know he’s there. Suggested

to think. You understand? But the Mastermind doesn’t

Talents: Aerialist, Only Suckers Fight Fair

have to be smarter than everyone; he just has to see the

THE BRIEFING

The Duelist: This Hitter d10/Grifter d8 is a quick

big picture. It’s his job to coordinate the Crew’s actions

and deceptive combatant who baits his opponents with

and make sure they’re all working together, executing

feints and distraction before putting them out of the

his main weapon—the plan. Pick your metaphor: the

fight. Suggested Talents: Threat Assessment, Put That

Mastermind is the conductor to the Crew’s orchestra,

Gun Away

the director to the Crew’s cast, the captain to the

THE CREW

The

Platoon

Sergeant:

This

Hitter

d10/

Crew’s…uh…crew.

Mastermind d8 is the team leader’s right-hand-man. He’s good at helping come up with a plan, motivating his Crew to execute it, and cracking skulls to keep it on track. Suggested Talents: Threat Assessment, Badass

What Masterminds Do I’ll lay it bare for you, here. The plan is the blueprint for

THE JOB

the whole Job—if it succeeds, the Job does. Everything the Mastermind does is directed toward making sure

THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD

Firearms

the plan works. Everything.

Eventually somebody’s going to shoot at you, and while returning fire is the customary response, strongly consider not packing heat. There’s a lot of reasons for this, not the least of which is that loud gunfire and dead people make cops really curious. You want to avoid curious cops. Second, guns amplify unpredictability. While flashing a gun can open doors for you, you run the risk that once one gun comes out, others follow, and suddenly you’re not in control. Third, guns can magnify the consequences of unexpected problems. In some jurisdictions, a simple traffic stop becomes a 10-year sentence if you have a gun in the car. Finally, that you’re supposed to be on the side of the angels here. Try not to kill anyone.

Hacker’s help, he identifies the Mark’s weaknesses and

Masterminds coordinate research. Usually with the the best way to attack them. He consults the Thief and Hitter about physical security and the Grifter about personal vulnerabilities and “soft” avenues of attack. Masterminds plan ahead. Once the research is complete, the Mastermind devises the plan—again, with input from the rest of the Crew. Will the Crew use the template of a classic con? Will the team need material , like fake IDs or specialized tools? Who is making initial with the Mark, and how will they do it? Masterminds coordinate the Crew once the Job is underway. Most Crews have reliable communication devices so that the can talk to one another; this is especially important for the Mastermind. He has

THE RECORD

to keep track of where everyone is and what they’re doing. If someone needs a hand, he needs to direct backup to them. If someone gets distracted or runs into a roadblock, he needs to get them back on task.

26

The Crew Masterminds need to be flexible and think quickly.

Many Masterminds come from a background of law enforcement—usually police detectives or FBI—or insurance investigation. Not only are these Masterminds excellent researchers (knowing all the

THE BRIEFING

and most come from backgrounds that encourage that.

to know what works and what doesn’t in of a con. Additionally, they know the techniques that the authorities are most likely to use to catch them.

THE CREW

tricks of investigation), but they have the experience

Some Masterminds come from the world of business, investment banking, and finance. Given their education and experience, they’re great at following the money trail and identifying illegal and/or vulnerable

THE JOB

come up with a new one on the fly.

Masterminds are organized, detail-oriented people,

investments and businesses. They’re highly detailoriented and meticulous planners. Many, especially ones with experience trading in the stock and commodities markets, are very good at dealing with highly dynamic situations and unexpected changes in plan. The flipside of people from the business and financial

THE FIXER

salvage a damaged plan—and when to toss the plan and

worlds, a few Masterminds started their careers as financial regulators. These include officials from federal and state banking and securities regulatory agencies, as well as insurance officials. Much like law enforcement personnel, they’re detail oriented, are good at

THE TOOLBOX

Mastermind knows when to rearrange resources to

Who Becomes a Mastermind

investigation and research, and know the tricks that are hard for the authorities to track. An unusual source of Masterminds is academia, especially fields dealing with commonly stolen items like art or antiquities. These Masterminds may have

THE CRIME WORLD

and curve balls that inevitably come up. A good

once helmed outfits of art thieves; they get plenty of real-world experience before their conscience drives them to a more enlightened sort of thievery.

THE RECORD

most important job is arguably to deal with the hiccups

THE PITCH

Almost no plan goes flawlessly, and the Mastermind’s

27

Chapter Three Mark, even those that don’t focus on that particular skill. Suggested Talents: Archangel, Master Plan THE PITCH

The Merry Old Gentleman: This Mastermind d10/

Mechanical Options for Masterminds

Thief d8 manages his little band of thieves as adeptly as

Attributes

a bit past his prime, he now takes pride in helping the

Dickens’ character Fagin in Oliver Twist. A wily veteran

THE BRIEFING

Intelligence is hands-down the most important

Crew learn and improve their own skill, especially

Attribute for a Mastermind, but don’t discount the

skills of physical theft: pickpocketing, larceny of all

importance of Alertness. Willpower can be important

sorts, breaking & entering. Suggested Talents: Master of

to motivate fellow Crew. The other Attributes

Disguise, Chewing the Scenery.

are dependent on the Mastermind’s secondary Role. THE CREW

Secondary Roles While this is by no means an exhaustive list, here are some ways that secondary Roles might affect a Mastermind. The Field General: This Mastermind d10/Hitter

THE JOB

d8 plans a con like he’s Patton charging across . He’s aggressive and daring, and he quotes Sun Tzu a lot. His plans tend to rely on the application of violence, more so than the plans of most other Masterminds.

THE FIXER

Suggested Talents: Stay On Target, Sea of Calm. The Quartermaster: Much like the grumpy gadgeteer from those movies about a certain British secret agent, this Mastermind d10/Hacker d8 ensures that the Crew is outfitted with all the gear that they could ever

THE TOOLBOX

find useful—and his plans rely on it. Additionally, he’s

The Thief The Thief ’s main weapon is access. Getting into places. Breaking in. Sometimes through the roof. Thieves, like Hitters, can’t usually work remotely—they need to be right there, in the line of fire. Thieves use direct physical access to people, places, and things to get the job done, whether that job is removing a million dollars in hard currency from the Mark’s safe—nice!— or setting up a hidden recording device in the Mark’s living room. That one’s sneaky, but boring.

What Thieves Do Thieves use their access in a variety of ways to achieve the Crew’s goals.

THE CRIME WORLD

especially creative at coming up with novel uses for

Thieves obtain items. This is usually the Thief ’s main

computer and communications gear. Did you know

job description: gain access to someplace that she’s not

you can jam a wireless closed-circuit TV system by

otherwise entitled to be, and take things that are not

reversing the antenna of a common sleeve transmitter?

hers. Yet. “Someplace” could be a locked office, a bank

He did. Suggested Talents: Do You Have That Thing I

vault, or the Mark’s pocket. The item’s as varied as the

Gave You?, Master Plan

Jobs you pull: a computer hard drive, a secret document,

The Director: This Mastermind d10/Grifter d8 is

or the Mark’s wallet.

THE RECORD

a good actor, but what he really wants to do is direct.

Thieves know their opposition. She’s good at

He and his Crew play the Mark like a trained theater

identifying security systems (electronic and otherwise)

company plays an audience, and he occasionally takes

and knows the best ways to get ‘round them, sometimes

on a role for himself. His plans are heavy on grifting,

working in concert with the Crew’s Hacker.

and every Crewmember plays a role in fooling the

Thieves are often highly athletic. They’re one part acrobat to dodge laser motion sensors, one part contortionist to crawl through tiny ventilation systems,

28

The Crew and one part rock climber to scale the exterior of a

as a high degree of personal courage and the ability to stay cool under pressure. It can also manifest as a few boats shy of a regatta. Oh well. Moving on.

outcome of a misspent youth. Very sad. Maybe they start in petty crime: shoplifting, nicking wallets, boosting cars, small-time burglary, that sort of thing. They gain

THE BRIEFING

vault is probably on her own. This Trait can also manifest

Most Thieves get into the profession as a natural

the sort of skills in evaluating security, casing buildings, picking locks, and stealthy maneuvering that will serve them well later in their careers. An important note: violent crime—home invasions, abductions—doesn’t

THE CREW

backup, a Thief cracking a safe deposit lock inside a bank

varied as other Roles.

tend to produce many Thieves that will be successful on our sort of Crew. The temperament just isn’t right. Blow things up? Yes. Kidnapping people and holding their kids hostage? No, no, no. Some Thieves are former law enforcement or private

THE JOB

independently. Where other Roles can often count on

else’s, the source of a Thief ’s skill is perhaps not quite as

security personnel who originally learned the trade in order to catch thieves. Imagine! There are as many reasons why a cop turns from that path as there are cops who do it—some for better pay, others for more personal reasons. Former cops who the ranks of

THE FIXER

that is denied to others—Thieves are good at working

While their personal stories are as varied as anyone

Crews like ours are often frustrated working within the system, and they want to make a difference any way they can. A few Thieves are former military or paramilitary . These Thieves are most often trained as rapid

THE TOOLBOX

Given their extra-important talents—gaining access

Who Becomes a Thief

entry or special operations troops, and are very, very good at obtaining entry to even the most heavily guarded buildings. Used to having a team of highly trained soldiers working with them, these Thieves sometimes have a harder time adjusting to working alone. Very strange.

THE CRIME WORLD

because sometimes running away is the best tactic.

However, once this difference is overcome her extensive experience works well in her favor.

THE RECORD

guts. Oh yeah. Being a good sprinter never hurts,

THE PITCH

skyscraper using nothing but suction cups and sheer

29

Chapter Three addition to light fingers. Suggested Talents: Pickpocket, Silent Entry THE PITCH

Mechanical Options for Thieves Attributes Agility is almost always the most important

THE BRIEFING

Attribute for a Thief. You need to be very very bendy. Good Agility allows the Thief to expertly open locks, pick pockets, balance on a tightrope, or sneak past the guards that pay attention. Good Alertness is almost as vital, helping the Thief keep tabs on the security systems

THE CREW

she’s attempting to by. Willpower is important to help the Thief concentrate in high-pressure situations. Really, just try to be good at everything.

Secondary Roles THE JOB

Here are some ideas for what the choice of a secondary Role might say about a Thief. The Daredevil: This Thief d10/Hitter d8 has had her self-preservation surgically removed. Cling to the hood of a moving car? Lay in ambush clinging

THE FIXER

to a sixth-story windowsill? Jump from the roof of a skyscraper with nothing but a thin safety line holding her up? No problem! All in a day’s work. Suggested Talents: Aerialist, Perfect Timing

THE TOOLBOX

The Safecracker: No physical lock can stop this Thief d10/Hacker d8. Whether using sound and feel to open a mechanical lock, or sophisticated code breaking techniques and devices to defeat an electronic lock, if you need what’s behind that locked door she

THE CRIME WORLD

can get it for you. Suggested Talents: Safecracker, Steady Hands

The Consultant: This former security expert is a Thief d10/Mastermind d8 who used to catch thieves for a living. There isn’t a break-in plan she hasn’t seen before, and she knows the advantages and pitfalls of them all—and now, she’s kinda working for the other side. Want someone to poke holes in your plan before you put it into action? Give her a call. Suggested Talents: Steady Hands, Master Plan

Specialties So you’re flying a stolen helicopter through a city at night during a snowstorm, and suddenly the shadow of a skyscraper looms out of the billowing blizzard, much closer than you thought it was—the Fixer wants you to make a roll to avoid clipping the top of building. What do you roll? Not everything a Crewmember might want to do during a Job maps neatly to one of the five Roles. Specialties are the way to represent these narrow skills that don’t quite fall under any Role. They indicate that when it comes to Specialty X, you want it to fall under Role Y. They add a d6, much like an Asset, when you use them together with their associated Role. They also signal to the Fixer that the Specialties you designate are things that are interesting about you, and things that you’d like to have the opportunity to exercise in the Job.

Asg Specialties There are no hard and fast rules mapping any particular Specialties to particular Roles, nor is there

THE RECORD

The Pickpocket: This Thief d10/Grifter d8’s

a definitive list of Specialties available. You should be

specialty is relieving the Mark of items that he’s

able to justify why your skill falls under a certain Role,

currently carrying on his person. She can get wallets

and it should be suitably narrow in scope that you won’t

and mobile phones in her sleep; the proof of real talent

be using it every scene. Note that two Crew

is a wristwatch or necklace. That takes some distraction

can have the same Specialty but assign it to different

skills, and lucky for her she’s got the gift of gab in

Roles. The Role simply describes how you express the Specialty. For instance, if you have Driving (Hacker), perhaps you drive with an awareness of the capabilities

30

The Crew of your car, and how to exploit them. But someone with

act as good back up for a d8 or d10 Role, and represent a better focus for a d4 Role. Consider this when making your assignments. Examples: Explosives (Thief), Driving (Hitter), Piloting (Hacker), Cooking (Mastermind), Singing (Grifter),

Trauma

Surgery

(Hacker),

Cardsharp

(Grifter), Sports Trivia (Mastermind), Bartending (Hitter), Snowboarding/Skiing (Thief)

Attributes Attributes define your natural gifts, the raw level of talent that you start with before you begin adding experience and skill gained through your life. Attributes are vitally important to the mechanics of the game; typically, when you make a roll to determine the outcome of some action you attempt, you include one Attribute with your roll.

Asg Attributes Attributes, like most other concepts in Leverage, are rated by dice, from d4 to d10. When you create your Crewmember’s Rap Sheet, you assign all six of your Attribute’s dice ratings. The available die types are defined by choosing one of several standard arrays of die types. If you need to, take another look at “What Do Dice Mean?” (page 19). Focused: Two dice each at d10, d8, and d6. Choose this array if your Crewmember specializes in certain areas over others.

The Six Attributes and Their Uses There are six Attributes: Agility, Alertness,

THE BRIEFING

die when used. A d6 isn’t anything spectacular, but it can

makes sense to represent your natural abilities.

Intelligence, Strength, Vitality, and Willpower. Read over the descriptions; you’ll see that every Attribute has a social aspect. That’s important, especially if you’re someone who feels safe ignoring one side or the other.

THE CREW

have a die rating associated, but they do provide a bonus

Arrange the available dice in whichever manner

On a Leverage Crew, everyone has to step up and con someone at one time or another. So it’s important to consider how your Attributes affect how you perform that sort of task. Sometimes there’s overlap between things two

THE JOB

as the game goes on. Like Distinctions, Specialties don’t

rounded.

different Attributes encom. During a Job, the Attribute that gets rolled in those cases depends on how you describe what you’re doing. Are you listening carefully to the tumblers clicking over in the safe’s lock? That’s Alertness. Have you memorized

THE FIXER

You start with two Specialties, but you can add more

Choose this array if your Crewmember is more well-

all of the standard safe codes for major models, and try those first? That’s Intelligence. Same task, different Attributes. Physically, Agility represents your grace and quickness, your kinesthetic sense. If you have a

THE TOOLBOX

gonna stay associated with that Specialty.

Versatile: One die at d10, four at d8, one at d6.

high Agility, you might be really good at throwing and catching, climbing and leaping, balancing and running. This also encomes fine motor control, so delicate lock opening, pocket picking, stage magic, and defusing a bomb might be done with Agility.

THE CRIME WORLD

and cut other cars off. Whatever Role you choose, it’s

Physically agile people are good sculptors, athletes, and mechanics. Agility’s social component also deals with grace and quickness, but of language rather than hands. Talking in circles to confuse the Mark, distracting someone with

THE RECORD

how to use his vehicle as a weapon to escape ambushes

THE PITCH

Driving (Hitter) is more of a combat driver, knowing

31

Chapter Three Vitality

measures

your

health

and

fitness.

Expanding from that, it’s your endurance (how many THE PITCH

a joke, the flim-flam fast-talking misdirection. Socially

flights of stairs can you climb before collapsing from

agile people are often good salespeople, politicians, and

exhaustion?), your toughness (can you take a punch

stand-up comics. It’s about 90% body language and

and keep going?), and your resilience (how long can

non-verbal cues.

you go without a good night’s sleep?). Physically

Alertness is how good you are at noticing things THE BRIEFING

that are hard to see; in this sense, its social and physical

boxers, and outdoorsmen.

THE CREW

components blend together. Alert people have keen

Socially, Vitality can indicate enthusiasm (real

senses and a good intuitive understanding of the way

or manufactured), patience, and determination. It

things should be. So much so that they can tell when

measures your ability to hold people’s attention and

things are not as they should be. Used in reverse, the

seem interesting to them. Socially vivacious people

insight it gives helps inform efforts at illusion, disguise,

often make good motivational speakers, politicians,

and misdirection—making things and people appear

and coaches.

to be something they’re not. Alert people make good

Willpower encomes your self-esteem, force of

night watchmen, computer network analysts, and

personality, and determination. This can represent a

stage magicians.

social presence or “soft” intimidation ability, how well

THE JOB

Intelligence is related to knowledge, memory, logic,

you appear to be confident and in control. It can also

and facts. Knowing the facts and being able to recall

impact your ability to be sincere and persuasive. When

them without hesitation informs how to alter those

you lie for a career, telling the truth takes some work

facts convincingly, so (in this business, anyway) being

sometimes. People with good Willpower can make

smart helps you with lying. Intelligent people make

good preachers, politicians, and other leaders.

THE FIXER

good computer security experts, technical salespeople, and Job planners. Strength is several things. It measures your ability to apply brute force, true, but more than that it measures

THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

32

vivacious people make good long distance runners,

natural ability at throwing a punch or finding the right

No Charisma Attribute?

handhold for a long climb. Physically strong people are

That’s right. You’ve played those other

often good athletes, soldiers, and piano movers. (What?

games and you’re wondering why there’s

They are!)

no Charisma Attribute. Well, no single one

Strength has a social and mental aspect to it,

anyway. The trappings of what those games

as well. Use it socially for aggressive presence and

call Charisma are found in Intelligence,

intimidation. Mentally, it can represent an athlete’s or

Vitality, and Willpower, and a bit in

mechanic’s intuitive understanding of the more subtle

Strength. It all depends what aspect of

points of applying force, such as using leverage and

your personality you’re exercising, and how

imbalance to your advantage. Many socially strong

the other person perceives what you’re doing.

people are bodyguards, law enforcement officers, and organized crime figures.

things that are important about your character. Like Specialties, there’s no definitive list of possibilities to choose from. Just think about how other people describe you, and there you are.

How Distinctions Work A Distinction simply adds dice to the player’s roll. There are two circumstances when they do: when it works to the Crewmember’s advantage, and when it works to his disadvantage.

disadvantage, the Crewmember may add a d4 to his roll—and collect a Plot Point for his trouble. Note that it says may. That’s important. Distinctions are always within player control. The Fixer plays no role in deciding when a Distinction is brought into play, except to veto abusive use of an overbroad or incorrectly applied Distinction. This might seem a bit counterintuitive—wait, it works against me and I gain a die? Yes, that’s right. Let’s talk a bit about the dice that come into play. A d8 is a good, strong die, one that has a decent chance of improving your final result and is unlikely (1 chance in 8) to create a Complication for you. On the

Example Nathan Ford’s Drunk Distinction obviously comes into play most often as a negative. All of this experience, however, means Nate can pull off a really convincing drunk, even when

THE FIXER

Distinctions, words or short phrases that describe

When the Distinction works to the Crewmember’s

other hand, if a d4 improves your result then you have

THE TOOLBOX

skills or natural abilities. These are expressed as

advantage, the Crewmember may add a d8 to his roll.

THE CRIME WORLD

Every Crewmember has qualities that aren’t really

When a Distinction works to the Crewmember’s

a really crummy result anyway, but a d4 has a relatively good chance (1 in 4) of manifesting as a Complication. Why would you ever choose to complicate your own life like that? It’s how you generate Plot Points. You want

THE RECORD

Distinctions

THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Crew

he’s not had much to drink.

33

Chapter Three

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB

as many Plot Points as you can get your greedy little

can step in if he thinks that a Distinction is broad to the

hands on, since they make it much easier to succeed at

point of abuse or silliness.

THE FIXER

the things you’re doing, and so you can be unstoppable

When you first recruit your Crewmember, you only

when you need to be. Using a Distinction to your

choose one Distinction. The others are selected in either

disadvantage gains you a Plot Point right off the bat, as

Fast Recruitment or The Recruitment Job.

well as the possibility of gaining another one if you roll a Complication that the Fixer decides to activate.

THE TOOLBOX

Choosing Distinctions You want Distinctions that cut both ways. When you choose one, think about how you’d use it both to your advantage and to your disadvantage. If you can think

THE CRIME WORLD

of one but not the other, try to change it up a bit so it can both help and hurt—because even when it hurts, it

Example Distinctions Gorgeous;

Actress;

Deceitful;

Bad

Boy;

Mysterious History; Smarter than He Looks; Honest; Controlling; Drunk; Cocky; Geek; Crazy; No, Really Crazy; Cool Under Pressure; Holds a Grudge; Stubborn; Tall; No Fear; All For One and One For All; Obsessive-Compulsive; Madly In Love; Ladies’ Man

helps. Plot Points are one of the most powerful ways you can affect the outcome of the Job. It bears repeating— you want Plot Points.

THE RECORD

Be careful not to get too broad with Distinctions. If they get used too often, they lose their uniqueness; if you can imagine using a Distinction at almost any time, it’s too broad. Think of a way to narrow it. The Fixer

Talents Characters are more than just their Roles and Attributes, and simply listing them out doesn’t give you a full picture of what the characters are capable of. Everyone in this business has one or two unique aspects that set him or her apart from the rest, and reducing someone to a “smart Grifter” or “strong Hitter” doesn’t

34

The Crew capture that kind of nuance. When the Mark makes a

wouldn’t. These abilities are represented by Talents. Talents are tricks a character knows—special knowledge or a knack for something that not everyone has.

How Talents Work Mechanically, Talents grant you advantages in particular situations. Every player character starts play with two Talents; he might pick up more and change existing ones as his career progresses. Most are directly related to your character’s primary Role and enhance

Narrative Activation Criteria Sometimes, whether or not a narrative activation criterion’s satisfied can get a little fuzzy. The Fixer needs to exercise some judgment on whether these criteria are met. Fixers, suppress the urge to get your rules lawyer on; Talents are there to be used. If the player makes a good case, give it to him, especially if he’s made an effort to arrange for the Talent to be useable.

THE BRIEFING

making the Mark give up information he otherwise

THE CREW

let being outnumbered stop him. Sophie has a way of

THE PITCH

mistake, Hardison always makes him pay. Eliot doesn’t

your abilities under it, but some act regardless of your

Most Talents are related to specific Roles. At any

Talents are activated by an Opportunity, which is when

given time, at least half your Talents must be associated

the Fixer rolls a 1 on his own dice. And finally, some of

with the Role that you have a d10 rating in. Some Talents

the more powerful Talents require spending a Plot Point

have “Open” as their associated primary Role. These

to activate. Many of these have other requirements, too.

are called Open Talents (creative, no?) and they are associated with no particular Role. Open Talents count as non-associated Talents, for purposes of needing half associated with your primary Role.

Activating a Talent

THE JOB

so it should be crystal clear when they’re in play. Some

THE FIXER

(such as a Notice action). These are very cut-and-dried,

Effect The effects of Talents vary, but they fall into a few general categories. Some allow dice manipulation: adding dice to the player’s hand, subtracting them from the Fixer’s, or negating rolled 1s. Some allow (or

Before you use a Talent, it must be activated—which

force) rerolls. Others allow Crew to spend Plot

is really just a fancy way of saying that there are only

Points on another Crewmember’s behalf. Some change

specific occasions, or sets of circumstances, that make

or add to the effects of particular actions. Some allow

using the Talent possible.

substituting one Role or Attribute for another in certain situations.

Some Talents are activated by narrative details. Examples

A lot of the effects tell you that you can add a die

of these details might include: other characters are in

to your roll or include another die in your result. It’s

the same scene as you are; the action you’re undertaking

important to see the difference between adding an extra

depends on precise timing; you’re in direct and

die to your roll (which means add another die to the

uninterrupted communication with the Crew.

pool but you still only add the top two to get the result),

THE TOOLBOX

Primary Role

die in an action or by taking a certain type of action

THE CRIME WORLD

to them: Primary Role, Activation, and Effect.

Some Talents are activated by using a certain Role

THE RECORD

Role on the Crew. Talents have three important aspects

35

Chapter Three

THE PITCH

and including an extra die in your result (which means including a third die when adding up your result, but keeping the size of your pool the same). Note: Any time you get to add or include dice to your roll, this remains in effect for the whole of your action—

THE BRIEFING

including rerolls and escalating reactions. Once you’ve determined success or failure, the effect ends.

Grifter Talents THE CREW

Here’s a list of example Grifter Talents. You can use them as-is or as inspiration for others. For guidelines on creating your own, see “Constructing Your Own Talents” on page 43.

How YOU Doin’? You’re really good at seduction, but be careful—you never know how someone’s going to react. Flirting can backfire. Role: Grifter Activation: You’re trying a Face Action against someone who’s attracted to your gender in a flirtatious or seductive manner. Effect: If you wish, add an extra d10 to your roll— but if you do, you must also add a d4.

Master of Disguise Role: Grifter Activation: You’ve interacted with a character (either the Mark or a ing Character) in the

THE JOB

past, possibly while wearing a disguise, posing as one identity. You then interact with him again, posing as a different identity. Effect: First, you always gain an extra d6 to your roll to as someone you’re not when wearing a

THE FIXER

disguise. Second, provided you were disguised one time or the other (or both), the Fixer may not invoke any Complications or other bonuses against you to see through the disguise the second time.

THE TOOLBOX

Slip of the Tongue You use the Mark’s words against him like a judo master. Role: Grifter

THE CRIME WORLD

Activation: You’re rolling your Grifter die in a Face Action that involves speaking to the Mark or ing Character, and the Fixer gives you one or more Opportunities. Effect: You may ask the Fixer a question about the

THE RECORD

character you’re rolling against, which the Fixer must answer truthfully. The Fixer may answer vaguely, especially if the question requests finely detailed information (“What’s his Swiss bank number?”).

36

The Crew

with that other Crewmember. No more than 3 Plot Points may change hands through the use of this Talent per scene.

Takes One to Know One You can spot a liar better than anyone. Mostly because you’re pretty good at lying yourself. Role: Grifter Activation: You’re trying a Notice Action to judge whether someone is lying to you. Effect: Add a d8 to your Notice Action to sense a lie.

Wanna Buy a Watch? You’re good at crude, street-level cons. Inelegant, but petty criminals pull this stuff for a reason—it works. Role: Grifter Activation: You’re pulling a basic scam on someone:

Are You Gonna or Whistle Dixie? You’re a 104-key-slingin’ cowboy, and it’s high noon. Draw. Role: Hacker Activation: You’re making a roll including your Hacker die, and your opposition is another human computer expert rather than an automated security system or computer network. Effect: Your expertise at real-time dueling with other Hackers gives you an additional d8 in your roll.

Can You Hear Me Now? You’re an expert at cracking communication systems. Role: Hacker Activation: You’re making a roll including your Hacker die, and the roll involves hacking the Mark’s communications: eavesdropping on phone calls and

false-injury, 3-card-monte, pig-in-a-poke type cons.

encrypted radio traffic, intercepting emails, etc.

Pulling the functional equivalent as part of a more

Effect: You gain an extra d8 on the roll.

elaborate Job on a Mark counts. Effect: You gain an extra d6 on the roll, assuming you’re targeting an allegedly sophisticated and savvy Mark not in a street setting. If it is a straight-up street con, it’s a d8 rather than d6.

THE BRIEFING

Effect: You may share (give or accept) Plot Points

your own, see “Constructing Your Own Talents” on page 43.

THE CREW

Crewmember.

as-is or as inspiration for others. For guidelines on creating

THE JOB

Activation: You’re in the same scene as another

Here’s a list of example Hacker Talents. You can use them

THE FIXER

Role: Grifter

Do You Have That Thing I Gave You?

THE TOOLBOX

advantage.

Hacker Talents

You’re a gadgeteer, and you share the wealth. Role: Hacker Activation: Spend a Plot Point Effect: Give another member of the team an extra d8 on any roll by reminding them of the sweet piece

THE CRIME WORLD

around you. You know how to play that to your

of gadgetry you gave them. You must describe how the gadget will help in the current situation. If you use this for somebody during their Flashback Action (see Flashbacks, page 76), increase the die to a d10.

THE RECORD

In social situations, things always seem to revolve

THE PITCH

Social Center

37

Chapter Three Hitter Talents Here’s a list of example Hitter Talents. You can use THE PITCH

Over-The-Shoulder Hacker You have a knack for learning phone numbers, PINs, and s just by casually watching someone

THE BRIEFING

manipulate a phone or keyboard. Role: Hacker Activation: You’re in the same scene as the Mark or a ing Character when he dials a phone, logs into a computer terminal, uses an ATM, or anything like that. Effect: You automatically succeed when you attempt

THE CREW

to access the same system that you watched the Mark or ing Character access (unless they change their , of course). If they dialed a phone, you memorize the number and can easily look it up next time you get the chance. Either way, the Mark doesn’t

THE JOB

notice you observe him.

PDQ Rembrandt You have an artist’s eye, and you’re quick about it. THE FIXER

Role: Hacker Activation: Use your Hacker die in a roll involving creation of forged artwork, documents, or photographs, including ID cards. Effect: You complete the task in a fraction of the

THE TOOLBOX

usual time: hours rather than days, or minutes rather than hours.

THE CRIME WORLD

Shut Down All The Garbage Mashers on the Detention Level You’re an ace at manipulating the physical environment. Role: Hacker Activation: The Fixer includes a Location Trait die

THE RECORD

38

in his roll against a Crewmember you’re in with. You must spend a Plot Point to activate this Talent. Effect: You permanently negate that Location Trait, removing it from play for the remainder of the Job.

them as-is or as inspiration for others. For guidelines on creating your own, see “Constructing Your Own Talents” on page 43.

Badass No help? No problem—you know how to fight when you’re outnumbered. Role: Hitter Activation: You’re engaging in a Fight Action, you’re outnumbered, and the Fixer gives you an Opportunity. Effect: Remove one of the dice the Fixer gains from outnumbering you.

Everything is a Weapon You can use anything that isn’t bolted down, and some things that are, as weapons. Role: Hitter Activation: You’re engaged in a Fight Action, and you’ve spent a Plot Point to gain an improvised weapon Asset. Effect: Step up the Asset die rating by one (d12 maximum).

Haymaker You drop your guard and swing for the fences. Be careful—even if you connect, you might be off balance. Role: Hitter Activation: You’re engaged in a Fight Action. You need to announce that you’re activating the Talent before you roll dice to set or raise the stakes. Effect: For the next beat in this Fight Action, step back your Hitter die rating by one and add a d4 to your roll. If you successfully raise the stakes, it counts as an Extraordinary Success even if you didn’t raise the stakes by 5 or more.

The Crew I Can Kill You With My Mind THE PITCH

You’re not just tough; you’re smart, and you fight that way. Role: Hitter

THE BRIEFING

Activation: You’re in a Fight Action, rolling Hitter as one of your dice. You must spend a Plot Point to activate this Talent. Add

your THE CREW

Effect:

Intelligence die to your roll, and include a third die

Role: Hitter

Role: Hitter

Activation: It’s the first roll in a Fight Action. Spend

Activation: You’re in the same scene as another

a Plot Point to activate this Talent.

Crewmember, and one of you is in a Fight Action.

Effect: Add a d8 to your roll. If the Fixer gives you an

Effect: When the opposition gives you or another

Opportunity when he tries to raise the stakes, step the

Crewmember an Opportunity, whichever of you is

die up to a d10 on your next roll; otherwise, step it down

not in the fight may lend his Hitter die to the one in

to a d6 for the rest of the Fight Action.

the fight, who immediately adds it to the current roll,

Put That Gun Away Heavily armed opponents don’t scare you.

recalculating the result if necessary.

Threat Assessment

Role: Hitter

You can size ‘em up.

Activation: You’re in a Fight Action where the Fixer

Role: Hitter

is rolling a Complication die related to the opposition

Activation: You successfully use a Notice Action

being armed with guns. You must spend a Plot Point to

against a ing Character; spend a Plot Point for

activate this Talent.

extra effect.

Effect: You disarm your opponent(s), removing the

Effect: You identify any of the ing Character’s

Complication die. This Complication remains out of

Traits rated at d10. If you spend a Plot Point and have a

play for the remainder of this scene, and possibly longer

bit of time to study the ing Character, you also

if there’s no narrative justification for the opposition re-

identify any Traits at d4.

THE FIXER

you’re not the one doing the fighting.

THE TOOLBOX

sucker punches, and kicking guys when they’re down.

You’re a good one to have around in a fight, even if

THE CRIME WORLD

You’re not above launching ambushes, throwing

Tactical Eye

THE RECORD

Only Suckers Fight Fair

THE JOB

in your result.

arming themselves.

39

Chapter Three Master Plan THE PITCH

Mastermind Talents Here’s a list of example Mastermind Talents. You can use them as-is or as inspiration for others. For guidelines on creating your own, see “Constructing

THE BRIEFING

Your Own Talents” on page 43.

Archangel You keep tabs on the activity of the Crew, and like an unseen guardian angel you make sure people who need

THE CREW

a hand get one.

Unexpected problem? Think you didn’t plan for that? Think again. Role: Mastermind Activation: Mastermind is one of the dice in your roll, and the Fixer gives you an Opportunity. Effect: For each Opportunity the Fixer gives you, you may turn a 1 of your own into a 2.

Sea of Calm When everything goes to hell, that’s when you step up and pull the team together.

Role: Mastermind

Role: Mastermind

Activation: You’re in voice (face-to-face or

Activation: Any Crewmember that you’re in

electronically) with of the Crew. Effect: Any Crewmember you’re in with THE JOB

(including yourself) can spend Plot Points to give a die to any other member of the Crew you’re in with (also including yourself).

with fails a roll that’s part of a Contested Action or a Timed Action. Effect: The next Crewmember (that you’re in with) to make a roll may add your Mastermind die to the roll.

Stay On Target You encourage your Crew to ignore distractions and

THE FIXER

keep their goal in mind. Role: Mastermind Activation: The Fixer rolls a Complication die as part of a roll against a Crewmember you’re in (verbal

THE TOOLBOX

or electronic) with. You must spend a Plot Point to activate this Talent. Effect: You nullify that Complication, eliminating it for the duration of the Job.

THE CRIME WORLD

The Bigger They Are Your favorite technique for getting things done is to get the Mark to do himself in, using his own strengths against him. Role: Mastermind Activation: The Fixer uses a Complication die in a

THE RECORD

roll against you. You must spend a Plot Point to activate this Talent. Effect: You take that Complication die and add it to your own roll as an Asset. Step it up by one if your description of how it helps you rather than hurts you involves a quick flashback scene.

40

The Crew

Role: Thief Activation: You’re hanging from a windowsill, repelling from a helicopter, walking a high wire, suspended upside-down six stories over a concrete parking lot, etc. Spend a Plot Point for additional effect. Effect: Add a d8 to any roll made under such circumstances. Also, spending a Plot Point nullifies Locationbased Traits related to being up high, swinging from a rope, etc., that work against you for the duration of the scene.

Perfect Timing Folks set their watches to you. Role: Thief Activation: You’re doing something according to precise timing (this is different than “as fast as possible!”), or attempting to assess how long it will take to do something. Effect: Gain an extra d8 to your roll. Oh, and you

ignition, or similar. Effect: You gain an extra d8 on the roll.

Silent Entry Whether it’s because you’re a contortionist, or you’re little, or both, you have a knack for squeezing into tiny spaces in complete silence and without leaving a trace. Role: Thief Activation: You’re making a roll including your Thief die, and the roll involves crawling through an HVAC duct, squeezing between bars, squirming through a tiny window, or the like. Effect: Turn every d4 in your pool into a d6, for this roll only. For each Opportunity the Fixer gives you, convert a 1 in your own roll into a 2.

Steady Hands Unexpected trouble doesn’t rattle you. Role: Thief Activation: Thief is one of the dice in your roll, and

never need a watch to know what time it is.

the Fixer gives you an Opportunity.

Pickpocket

Opportunity the Fixer gives you.

No wallet, keycard, or mobile phone is safe from you. Role: Thief Activation: You’re making a roll including your Thief die attempting to pick someone’s pocket or otherwise relieve someone of an item in their possession without their knowledge. Effect: Add a d8 to your roll.

THE BRIEFING

easily stand on without breaking a sweat.

Thief die to open a safe, locked door, key-driven engine

THE CREW

You can work several stories above anything you can

Activation: You’re making a roll including your

THE JOB

Aerialist

Role: Thief

THE FIXER

Talents” on page 43.

You’re aces at opening locks and cracking safes.

Effect: You may reroll one of your own dice for each

Open Talents Here’s a list of example Open Talents that are not

THE TOOLBOX

on creating your own, see “Constructing Your Own

Safecracker

THE CRIME WORLD

them as-is or as inspiration for others. For guidelines

d with any particular Role. You can use them asis or as inspiration for others. For guidelines on creating your own, see “Constructing Your Own Talents” on page 43.

THE RECORD

Here’s a list of example Thief Talents. You can use

THE PITCH

Thief Talents

41

Chapter Three Role: Any Activation: You’re posing as someone of no THE PITCH

Chewing the Scenery Role: Any Activation: Grifter is a die in your roll, the roll represents your attempt to pose as someone you’re not,

THE BRIEFING

and Grifter is not your primary Role. Effect: You may add your primary Role die to your roll.

Hawkeye THE CREW

You have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox. Role: Any Activation: You’re making a Notice Action. Spend a Plot Point for extra effect. Effect: Gain an extra d8 to your roll. Spend a Plot Point to make it a d10.

THE JOB

I Just Work Here You’re good at pretending to be a faceless worker bee, deflecting attention from yourself.

THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

42

consequence in a scene where the Mark or a ing Character connected to the Mark might see you; examples include posing as wait staff at a party, a random guest at a wedding, or a customer in a bank or a shop. Effect: If you later need to pose as someone else or try a Face Action, the Mark (or anybody connected to him) won’t your face. If, in the original scene, something happened to remove your veil of anonymity (you’re introduced to him, you noisily spill a tray of drinks, or you, I dunno, stab him with a fork) then all bets are off.

Johnny (or Jenny) On-The-Spot You have a knack for being where you need to be, and bringing your A-game when you get there. Role: Any Activation: Spend a Plot Point to activate this. Effect: You can place yourself in any scene that didn’t already have you there, and you give an extra d6

The Crew to the next roll that you or your Crew makes in that engaged elsewhere.

Activation This is the set of circumstances that allows the Talent

Opportunist

to be used. It should be narrow enough that it won’t

Activation: Your primary Role is one of the dice in your roll, and the Fixer gives you an Opportunity. Effect: When the Fixer gives you an Opportunity, you gain an additional d6 on your roll. Recalculate your result if appropriate.

come up every time a player makes a roll on a given Role, but not so narrow that it will only come up once every few Jobs. Talents are meant to be used. The sweet spot is that players should be able to break out one of their Talents two, maybe three times per Job. Similar to effects,

THE BRIEFING

Role: Any

Narrative: Someone is in the same scene as you, you’re talking with the Mark about a certain subject, you’re outnumbered, etc. Anything that depends on the

aspects of Talents. It’s probably most useful to consider them in this order.

circumstances of the story rather than the mechanics is a narrative criterion. Mechanical: Mechanical criteria involve the player rolling particular dice (“The player is making a roll

THE JOB

To build your own Talents, think about the four main

THE CREW

activation criteria fall into some broad categories.

Constructing Your Own Talents

involving their Grifter die,” etc.), a type of action

player-rolled 1s, etc. Adding Dice to a Roll: If the effect happens frequently, make it a d6. Less frequently, a d8. Rarely, a d10 or even a d12. It might allow the addition of another Role’s die or another Attribute’s die to the roll. In rare cases, allow adding a third die to the total. Manipulate Plot Points: Allow sharing of Plot Points among Crew under certain circumstances. Manipulate Complications: Remove or suppress Complications. Allow Extra Benefits From Certain Actions: See the benefits of Threat Assessment, Badass, or PDQ Rembrandt as examples. the

effect

meaningful

without

being

overpowering; Talents with effects that make you say “You’d be crazy not to take this!” should be toned down.

Plot Point Spend: If the effect is a particularly powerful one that the Fixer thinks the player should not be doing over and over, requiring the expenditure of a

THE FIXER

Manipulate Dice: Allow a reroll, allow nullifying

player an Opportunity (rolling a 1).

Plot Point is a good way to limit it. Restricting the Talent to be activated only once per scene can accomplish the same thing. Talents activated by things like Fixer granting Opportunities can limit the Talent’s activation, but not as reliably as a Plot Point.

Role The Role should reflect the type of character that tends to do this sort of thing. Some Talents are appropriate for almost any character type (see Opportunist), and a

THE TOOLBOX

broad categories.

(“You’re in a Fight Action”) or the Fixer giving the

THE CRIME WORLD

This is what the Talent does. Effects fall into a few

few might be appropriate for two Roles. Resist the urge to make a bunch of generic Talents; characters take on their Roles for a reason, and it’s not as much fun when someone else can do your job almost as well as you can.

THE RECORD

Effect

Make

THE PITCH

scene. You can’t activate this Talent if you’re heavily

43

Chapter Three

THE PITCH

Name Finally, the Talent’s name is more important than it might appear on the surface. The name should be evocative and memorable. Cool names beg to be used,

THE BRIEFING

and Talents are created to be used.

The Recruitment Job

THE CREW

The Recruitment Job is the first Job you’ll work with your Crew. It will help you get to know the rest of the Crew a little better, and yourself as well. Generally The Recruitment Job is a simple, straightforward Job that guarantees that each Crewmember gets

THE JOB

a chance to show off what they’re good at—and what they’re not. We’ll present a condensed, cookbook version of Caper Creation here so that the Fixer won’t have to do much prep work. The Fixer should read ahead and at

THE FIXER

least be familiar with Chapter 4: The Job if not Chapter 5: The Fixer. At this point of recruitment, you still have to record: three Role dice, two Distinctions, two Talents, and

THE TOOLBOX

two Specialties. Most of those are determined in The Recruitment Job.

THE CRIME WORLD

Creating The Recruitment Job The point of this Job is to get the Crew to discover their own, and one another’s, strengths and weaknesses. It’s not going to be a fully fleshed-out Job; the details of the Mark, the Client, and the problem aren’t all that important. We just need to generate some scenes and

THE RECORD

some situations for Crew to be awesome—and to goof up.

Running a Full Caper If you’d like to run a full caper for The Recruitment Job, you can certainly do that. It will take a bit more preparation for the Fixer, but you’ll get a longer, more detailed Job for your trouble. It works either way.

What’s the Problem? Who’s the Mark? Choose one of the following problems, or make up your own. Stolen Goods: The Mark has possession of an item—a family heirloom, a piece of art, or computer data—that rightfully belongs to the Client. The Client wants his stuff back. Hurt Client: The Client, or a relative of the Client, was hurt by the Mark’s corporate negligence. The Client wants to expose the Mark. Fraud Victim: The Client lost his family business due to the Mark’s underhanded business dealings. The Client wants compensation, or the business back if the Crew can swing it. Choose a Mark and write a brief description. Assign a couple of Traits to him. Check out Chapter 6: The Toolbox for more ideas.

How Can The Crew Get What the Client Wants? Now just come up with ways that the Crew can get what the Client needs to be made right (or as close as you can get) again. Here are some examples, choose one or make up your own. (When we speak of a MacGuffin, we mean an item that’s important simply because the Crew needs to get it. Substitute whatever makes sense in your scenario.) Steal the MacGuffin from the Mark: The Crew needs to get into the Mark’s office, home, or some other place and get your Client’s item back.

44

The Crew Con the Mark out of the MacGuffin: The Crew needs to convince the Mark to sign over, sell, or otherwise THE PITCH

part with what the Client wants. Preferably without the Mark realizing that’s what he’s doing. Get the Mark to Self-Incriminate: The Crew needs to get the Mark talking and get him to it to

THE BRIEFING

wrongdoing. They need to record that statement and forward it to the appropriate authorities.

What’s The Plan? The Job is going to be pretty simple to pull off. Like

THE CREW

we said, the goal here is to show what the Crew are really good at, and get them to know one another a bit better. The exact details of the Job aren’t as vital, and if the scenes you play through don’t fit together like pieces from a jigsaw puzzle, that’s okay.

THE JOB

The main elements of the Job will be Spotlight Scenes and Establishment Flashbacks. Spotlight Scenes are scenes within the Job that

also defining a mechanical Talent (see page 34). Second, if another Crewmember is present, it allows him to define one of his unassigned Role dice. Sometimes, a Specialty can be defined in a Spotlight Scene. Spotlight Scenes are discussed in detail below. Establishment Flashbacks accomplish goals similar to Spotlight Scenes, but in a different way. These miniscenes not only establish background and motivation, but also showcase interesting skills and personality Traits. They can establish Specialties and Distinctions. They do so by running through flashbacks—the Crewmember’s memories of an event that was important or formative in their past. Could be from childhood, could be from last week. Either one works, as long as it gives insight into what makes them tick.

specifically designed for a particular Crewmember to prove just how competent he is. This is his chance to

THE FIXER

only showing off their crazy skills to one another, but

Spotlight Scenes are scenes in The Recruitment Job

show off, hog the spotlight, and prove that he belongs on a Leverage Crew. By this time the Fixer has figured out who the Mark is, what rotten, dastardly, and evil thing he’s done to the Client, and what the Crew has to do to make things

THE TOOLBOX

they allow one Crewmember to really shine, thereby not

Spotlight Scenes

right. Next the Crew creates a roap to get there— this roap is made up of Spotlight Scenes.

Creating Spotlight Scenes Creating five scenes? More, if you have more

THE CRIME WORLD

their Role. In doing so, they serve two purposes. First,

Crew? Ugh, you’re thinking. You’re thinking, we’re running this seat-of-the-pants, I don’t want to grind things to a halt to create five entire scenes from scratch.

THE RECORD

feature a Crewmember filling some important aspect of

45

Chapter Three

THE PITCH

Don’t sweat it; there’s good news for the Fixer, and better news for the Fixer. Here’s the good news: the general outline of what needs to happen should be fairly obvious, and that the details don’t matter here so much as giving each Crewmember a

THE BRIEFING

stage for rocking out and some scenery to chew on. If the narrative details don’t all flow into one another, that’s okay for The Recruitment Job. This is, as has been observed, seat-of-the-pants. Here’s the better news: the Fixer doesn’t have to do a

THE CREW

damned thing. Here’s how it works: let each Crewmember design their own scene. They just put their heads together and come up with five (or however many) scenes that feel like they’d generally lead from one scene to the next, and give each of them an opportunity to take the

THE JOB

spotlight. It’s the Fixer’s role in The Recruitment Job to make sure that (barring outright failure by the Crew) the Mark acts like the Crew expects him to. the goal here. The Fixer shouldn’t get cute and throw a huge wrench

THE FIXER

in the works, he shouldn’t exploit holes in the Crew’s plan, and he shouldn’t twist the plot beyond recognition. (Unless he really wants to—more on that later.) The Crew should feel free to make all sorts

THE TOOLBOX

of declarations and assumptions about how things will work, as long as they’re reasonable and make a good Job. Need some papers to be in the desk drawer? There they are. Need the Mark to have an estranged son willing to dish some dirt about him? There he is.

THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

46

Example Let’s say the Mark is a corrupt city councilman who accepted a truly staggering bribe to change the zoning designation of a neighborhood and condemned the Client’s house, seizing it through eminent domain. It’s a done deal, the house has been bulldozed and the block of expensive condos is under construction. The Client just wants the Mark’s corruption exposed and, if possible, some monetary compensation. Hacker: “I’ll locate his bank records and learn that he just bought a house in the Hamptons. On a city councilman’s salary? Riiiight.” Thief: “House? I’ll break in and plant a bug. To transmit what he says to you.” (Points at Hacker) “He’ll be visiting there, right?” Grifter: “I can make sure he does. I’ll meet with him in his city office and convince him that…I don’t know, someone wants to meet him there?” Mastermind: “That’d be me. I’m president of the homeowner’s association, and we’re interested in talking to him, as a new and obviously wealthy resident, about a real estate investment in the area. I’ll get him to spill everything with the bug right there.” Hitter: “That leaves me. Hm… What if you—” (points to Grifter) “—get jumped by a couple of mob thugs when you’re leaving the initial meeting and I help you fight them off?” Grifter: “Mob thugs? Where’d the mob come from?” Hitter: “Muggers, then. Doesn’t matter.” Fixer: “Right, the important thing is a fight, and we can make that work. So the scenes are: a bank computer hack for the Hacker, a house break & enter for the Thief, a persuasion scene for the Grifter, a fight for the Hitter, and another persuasion scene for the Mastermind. Right? OK, let’s do it.”

The Crew

if he really wants to. But don’t outright refuse without talking about it.) Secondary Crew are important, because this gives players a chance to assign one of their unassigned Role dice. At least once in the scene, the secondary Crewmember’s player should try to make a roll on one of these unassigned Roles. This player chooses which die to use: a d4 or a d6. If he chooses a d4, he gains a Plot Point for his trouble. If the roll succeeds, he places the chosen die in that Role. If it fails, he places the other. (Note that if he places the d6, this necessarily determines the other Role dice, so he might as well fill them in too.)

be assigned later, so don’t feel pressure to do it now.) Also, any Crewmember in the scene may declare a Specialty (see page 30) if that Specialty is relevant. If the

THE BRIEFING

secondary Crewmember. (Yes, the secondary can refuse

or both his Talents this way. (Unassigned Talents may

Crewmember accompanies his declaration of a Specialty or Talent through an Establishment Flashback, he gains a Plot Point. Crew not in the scene may declare a Talent if that Talent is relevant to someone in the scene—

THE CREW

Crewmember to be there in the scene—this is a

Talent (see page 34), and use it. He may declare one

for example, the Mastermind’s Archangel Talent (see page 34) may get the Thief out of a jam in the second Spotlight Scene even though the Mastermind isn’t there. If he wishes, the Mastermind could declare that Talent

THE JOB

primary Crewmember’s player can invite one other

this is his chance to declare that he has a particular

during the Thief ’s scene to help her out. The Hacker decides to claim the Talent; Are You Gonna or Whistle Dixie? which helps when he’s facing THE FIXER

obviously going to be there, but is anyone else? The

ample opportunity to exercise his primary Role. In fact,

THE TOOLBOX

Spotlight Scene’s intended to spotlight, and they’re

The primary Crewmember in the scene should have

THE CRIME WORLD

there. The primary Crewmember is the person the

THE RECORD

Start the first Spotlight Scene by declaring who’s

THE PITCH

Running a Spotlight Scene

47

Chapter Three Establishment Flashbacks THE PITCH

off against another human on a computer system. With this Talent, he easily trounces his opposition and they gain the information they need.

What Happens If Someone Fails? THE BRIEFING

If the dice gods frown upon you and one of the Crew strikes out completely, it’s time for the Mastermind (or someone with a decent Mastermind die, if the Mastermind is the one who dropped the ball) to step in and save the day. The Fixer and Mastermind

THE CREW

should, together, create a quick scene describing how the pieces get picked up with the Mastermind rolling his primary Role and picking up the pieces. It’s unlikely that a second failure will result, but if it does just wash, rinse, and repeat. Keep the object of The Recruitment Job in

THE JOB

mind—the Fixer’s job is not to beat the Crew on this one.

Example THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

48

Let’s imagine the Hacker declares that the Mastermind is with him, looking over his shoulder as he breaks in and traverses the Mark’s financial transactions. The Hacker needs to make several rolls on Hacker + Intelligence in a faceoff vs. the bank’s security system. Meanwhile, the Fixer calls for the Mastermind to make a Hacker + Alertness roll. Hacker is one of his unassigned Roles, so he chooses his die—a d4. He collects his Plot Point and makes his roll vs. the bank’s security system. He succeeds (writing a “d4” next to “Hacker”) and the Fixer tells him that he realizes that a bank security agent is on the same system, tracking the Crew’s movements and trying to cut them off. Things just got a little more interesting.

Establishment Flashbacks are mini-scenes involving only one Crewmember. They happened at some point in the past—possibly the distant past during the Crewmember’s childhood, possibly as late as earlier this morning. These flashback scenes aren’t just fun ways of exploring a Crewmember’s background, they’re also incredibly useful—you want to trigger them for others, and want them to trigger them for you. Establishment Flashbacks have three aspects: a Trigger (a circumstance that can justify an Establishment Flashback), a Scene Description, and an Effect. Keep in mind that a Trigger simply justifies the flashback, it doesn’t require it; it’s up to the Crewmember that would have the flashback.

Establishing Distinctions Trigger: A question or comment from another Crewmember that would trigger introspective reflection on your part. It should be somewhat prying, like “So where’d you grow up?” or “What made you want to this Crew?” or “You’d have to be crazy to try something like that.” Scene Description: You describe a brief flashback scene from your background that would answer the question or reflect on the comment. The idea is to establish a Distinction. Effect: If you already have three Distinctions, there’s no effect whatsoever. Otherwise, you gain a Plot Point. The rest of the Crew collaboratively composes one Distinction for you based on their interpretation of the flashback. Yes, that’s right—you don’t get control over how other people see you. If you really hate your new Distinction, you can spend two Plot Points (the one you just gained plus one more) to ignore the suggestion and compose your own, based on the flashback.

THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Crew

scene detailing how you learned what you’re showing off, or when you exercised it—either with spectacular success or with impressive failure. Effect: If you already have two Talents or two Specialties, there’s no effect whatsoever. Otherwise, you gain a Plot Point plus the Specialty or Talent you just showed off, which you can use immediately in the Spotlight Scene.

Finishing the Job

be complete. A few things may remain blank, however.

THE FIXER

Scene Description: You describe a brief flashback

Once the Job is done, the Crew’s Rap Sheets should It’s okay to leave these blank for now. You can fill them in, on the fly, as your “real” Jobs proceed. Having a blank Specialty up your sleeve is especially useful when knowing how to pilot a tugboat, or fight a house fire, or tune a piano, is just what you need to get you out of

THE TOOLBOX

Spotlight Scene.

off into the sunset with his rightful compensation.

a jam. When you need to, just declare your Talent, or Specialty, or Role die, and move on. Distinctions are a little different. You get to define one Distinction yourself for free, but the way other people see you is really what Distinctions define. At

THE CRIME WORLD

Trigger: You claim a Talent or Specialty during a

to find it drained of money, and the Client rides

the end of your next “real” Job, if you have any blank

Wrap up The Recruitment Job with a description of how

Distinction slots, the rest of the Crew should compose

the Mark gets taken down: the recordings of him bragging

one Distinction for you. Like in Establishment

about how he got the money for his house in the Hamptons

Flashbacks, if you hate it, you can ignore it and compose

is forwarded to the FBI, who arrests him the next day;

your own, but you start the next Job with one fewer Plot

the Crew is wearing fake FBI jackets and carrying boxes

Point than normal.

THE RECORD

Establishing Talents and Specialties

of data out of the Mark’s office; the Mark checks his bank

49

Chapter Three Establishing Your Remaining Roles THE PITCH

What’s Next?

You have three more dice to assign to your Roles: a d6 and two d4s. The best way to do this is to think about

THE BRIEFING

Congratulations, you’re a cohesive and skilled Crew.

what Roles you want to be problematic for you, the ones

The Marks have all the money, they have all the power,

that really complicate your life. Those are the ones you

and they use it to make people like your Clients go away.

make d4. The remaining Role just isn’t as significant, so

They are living under an immense weight.

it gets a d6, the same as any Asset would start out.

Get out there and provide some Leverage.

THE CREW

The Double Cross?

THE JOB THE FIXER

If the Fixer wants The Recruitment Job to lead directly into the first “real” Job of the Crew’s career, he can make it a double cross. The first job of the Leverage Crew turned out like this; The Nigerian Job is not one they’ll soon forget. The Client playing the Crew like a fiddle and using them to attack his own enemies is a wonderful way to make it personal. No Crew worth their salt will walk away from it. And so the Client becomes the Mark, the circle of life continues, and the relationships among the Crew are forged in a mutual longing for revenge.

Establishing Your Remaining Talents and Specialties This one’s fairly straightforward—just select Specialties and Talents that you’d like to have. If you’d like to describe a flashback scene justifying it, you may, but you don’t gain a mechanical advantage from it. You may leave as many of these blank, to be declared on the fly while you’re playing. See “Finishing the Job” on page 49.

Establishing Your Remaining Distinctions Describe a brief flashback scene either establishing a defining moment in your childhood, or exemplifying

THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

50

Fast Recruitment If you want to get right into playing and want to skip The Recruitment Job, the following rules help you do that. At this point, you still need to record three Role dice, two Distinctions, two Talents, and two Specialties. Much like in The Recruitment Job, there are circumstances that allow other people to have some control over how you’re seen by others.

why you decided to a Leverage Crew. Based on that flashback scene, the rest of the Crew composes one Distinction for you. As before, if you really hate it you can ignore it and compose your own, but you begin the next Job with one fewer Plot Point than usual. Leave the third Distinction blank; you have the option to fill it in at the end of the next Job as described in “Finishing the Job.”

a note of it on his Rap Sheet. This is his Record,

lowlifes slowly working their way up to the lowest

and over time it provides history of the character’s

echelon of competence. A starting Crewmember’s an

accomplishments.

accomplished criminal (or not-quite-criminal) with a

that can take a character from zero to hero doesn’t have a place in a game of Leverage. However, that’s not to say that characters don’t change or grow. For all their expertise, they’re still people, and the experiences they have will leave an impact on them. These changes may be as subtle as achieving a

Example After the first few Jobs, Parker’s Record looks like this: • The Nigerian Job • The Homecoming Job • The Two Horse Job • The Miracle Job • The Bank Shot Job

better understanding of humanity or a firmer grasp of one’s own weaknesses or as blatant as giving up your fight against the bottle. Certainly, characters may find

The Record is a potent resource for a Crewmember,

room to refine their skills and improve themselves, but

and is the most important part of tracking how the

those improvements are just part of the process that

character changes and grows over time.

characters go through as they grow.

Callbacks The player may use the Record to make callbacks, references to things done in other Jobs that may be useful in the current Job. To make a callback, the player makes reference to a Job in his Record while performing a task. While the player might mention the Job name

THE TOOLBOX

this mean? It means the kind of dramatic improvement

explicitly, it’s vastly more stylish for his Crewmember to refer to it a little more obliquely, giving it a clear nod (and only explicitly calling it out if the Fixer is slow on the uptake and misses it). The character then gains a benefit in the scene as if he’d just spent a Plot Point.

THE CRIME WORLD

wealth of experience and skills to bring to bear. What’s

THE BRIEFING

isn’t made up of a cunning mob of farmboys and

THE CREW

Every time a character completes a Job, he makes

THE JOB

As you’ve no doubt seen, a Leverage Crew

THE FIXER

The Record

THE RECORD

Benefits of Experience

THE PITCH

The Crew

51

Chapter Three

IMPROVEMENT THE PITCH

Example Parker is about to rappel down the side of a building at high speed with Hardison in

THE BRIEFING

tow. Parker’s player wants to make a callback to the similar descent from The Nigerian Job, but doesn’t want to be so crass as to state that outright, so instead she gives the episode a nod and tells Hardison: “Sheesh, Sophie

THE CREW

wasn’t this big a sissy about it, and we went ten more stories, easily!”

You can only make a callback to a specific Job once per session, and it might save you headaches to mark THE JOB

Jobs you’ve already called back to with pencil. Still, even with that limitation, this means that a full Record is, effectively, a free grab bag of Plot Points that represents the general experience the Crewmember has gained.

THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

52

A player is free to sit on this bounty, but there is also another option—this experience can also be used to improve the Crewmember in specific ways.

Training Up A Crewmember can “spend” Jobs to make permanent improvements, such as adding a new Specialty or Talent or improving an Attribute or Role by one step. A spent Job stays on the Record, but it can no longer be used for callbacks. The number of Jobs required to make an improvement depends on the improvement, but it breaks down as follows:

JOBS

Add a Signature Asset

1

Add a new Specialty

2

Add a new Talent

4

Step up an Attribute

8

Step up a Role

8

If the Crewmember has enough Jobs to spend, he may simply spend them during the downtime between Jobs and make the improvement.

Getting an Advance on Advancement If a Crewmember is one Job short of training up, he can tell the Fixer what he intends to buy before the Job starts and, with the Fixer’s permission, make the purchase “on credit,” with the agreement that this Job will also go towards paying the piper. This has the benefit of getting the Crewmember his improvement a little early, and it also lets the Fixer make sure the Job includes some way for the Crewmember to showcase how much he has improved.

Signature Assets For the cost of a single Job, a character can introduce a permanent Signature Asset, something strongly associated with the Crewmember that can potentially come up in almost any Job (though there’s no guarantee it will). These include locations (like the Leverage Consulting & Associates office in Los Angeles or John McRory’s Bar in Boston) or resources (Respect the Van). The first such Asset that a character introduces is a d8, with subsequent Assets being valued at d6.

times as the player wants, but once something stops being d8, it can never be d8 again.

Example Hardison’s computer setup in the Los Angeles offices was a Signature Asset Awesome Computer d8. Along the line, Hardison’s player also realized he was spending a lot of time in his van, so he spent another job to buy Lucille d6. After the Los Angeles offices were destroyed, Hardison built a new awesome computer, but decided Lucille was more important, and now has Lucille d8 and Awesome Computer d6.

fit for the character or isn’t as much fun to play any longer. When a player wants to change a Distinction, he just needs to let the Fixer know before the Job begins,

THE BRIEFING

important, and swap a d8 and a d6. This is done as many

will just decide that the Distinction is no longer a good

ideally before the Fixer starts planning the new Job. This gives the Fixer time to make preparations to bring up the old and new Distinctions over the course of the new Job. Sometimes this means an opportunity for the

THE CREW

decide between Jobs that one Asset has become more

may need to change over time. Sometimes the player

Crewmember to make an important choice that reflects this new priority, or it might be as simple as giving the Crewmember a chance to make a little speech. Whatever happens, the player may make the change at the end of the Job.

THE JOB

the same die rating. Alternately, a Crewmember may

elements on the Rap Sheets, and it’s possible that they

THE FIXER

the Crewmember can replace it with a new Asset at

Distinctions are a little bit different than other

THE TOOLBOX

in fact, that often seems to be their fate) in which case

Changing Distinctions

THE CRIME WORLD

These Assets can be lost, stolen, or destroyed (and,

THE RECORD

Moving, Changing and Destroying Assets

THE PITCH

The Crew

53

Chapter Three When a Break occurs, players must spend all the Jobs on their Records, effectively beginning a new Record on THE PITCH

Course Corrections If the Crewmember has a Talent or Specialty that the player feels is proving useless, he should also tell the Fixer before a Job. The Fixer can discuss with the

THE BRIEFING

player how much they have or haven’t used the Talent or Specialty in question, and if the Fixer agrees that it hasn’t seen any use, then the player can swap it out in favor of a new one. If the Fixer is less certain, such as he thinks the player has gotten more use out of the Talent or Specialty

THE CREW

than the player thinks, he can defer the decision to the end of the current Job. The Fixer and the player should just keep an eye on what the Crewmember does, and make a decision at the end of the Job whether or not the change is reasonable.

THE JOB

The Fixer may very well introduce opportunities for that particular Talent or Specialty to come up during the Job. This is not something to be sneaky about—it should be pretty bald faced, and when it comes up, the Fixer is basically giving the player a choice: use

THE FIXER

the Talent or Specialty and acknowledge it’s part of the character, or choose not to do so, making it clear that it’s not. If the player decides to refuse, he should be free to remove and replace the Talent or Specialty at the end

THE TOOLBOX

of the scene, provided he can make the change quickly. If the player needs to think about it and spend time looking through the book for options, then it can wait until the end of the Job.

THE CRIME WORLD

Breaks After a decent number of Jobs (anywhere after 8), it’s time to start considering a Break. Breaks might occur naturally as a result of dramatic events in the game,

THE RECORD

54

or they might just be a result of the Fixer opting to move the clock forward. Breaks correspond to periods between major story arcs where we gloss over things like the Crew breaking up or Nate going to jail.

the far side of the Break.

Optional Rule: Growing the Crew with Trust The level of trust within the Crew is a very important thing. A certain amount of trust is absolutely necessary if they’re just going to get from one day to the next. Establishing that trust and letting it grow is how a group of strangers becomes a Crew, or practically family. Crew may spend a Job to invest trust in another Crewmember. They choose which one when they spend—preferably a Crewmember they spent a fair amount of time with in the Job being spent. Jobs invested as trust in other Crew can always be withdrawn and spent on other things, but what’s important is that as long as the character has any trust invested in other Crew, the spending Crewmember may invoke it much like Distinctions. Trust is a very peculiar Trait that indicates that the Crewmember has tied himself to these other folks. By and large it can only be used for d4s any time another member of the Crew makes your job harder. The only time it can be used as a d8 is to take action in conflict with another Crewmember who has also invested trust. If at any point, every member of the Crew has invested in every other member of the Crew, the Crew is identified as Solid. Anybody in a Solid Crew may use this like a Distinction: d4s and d8s any time being a member of the Crew hurts or hinders things. However, if any Crewmember withdraws trust (or if, for example, a new Crewmember enters the picture), the Crew stops being Solid until everyone is invested in everyone else again.

“I’m the

one with

a plan.

ildren ow you ch n k I , w o N h others y well wit don’t pla old it d you to h but I nee y seven for exactl together utes.” more min

ONS

DISTINCTI

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NAME

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ATTRIBUTE

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GRIFTER HACKER

4

HITTER IND

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12

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er rewmemb el: Any C h Archang it tact w voice con nd Plot you’re in ) can spe lf e s r u o y g (includin any other e a die to iv g to ts in Poin w you’re of the Cre ding lu c member in (also h it w t c ta voice con yourself). ed ady cover ou’ve alre Y : n a l P d is Master astermin s. When M le g ry n a e e th r roll, ve ice in you d e th f u o o one er gives y ity the Fix you turn Opportun dice) lets is h n o 1 avoid (rolls a a 2 (and ur 1s into o y f o e n o tion). Complica gaining a

12

10

8

6

4

TALENTS

12

10

8

6

12

10

8

6

4

SS ALERTNE

8

6

4

12

10

12

10

is Nate’s T D8 This F O L ’S E NAT McRory’s ove John b a t n e apartm it to be his he’d like e il h lly w d ngs usua Bar, an the briefi e r e h w n alone, it’s andy whe omes in h c It . n e p hap or some con pulling off n site. another o

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55

r’s gonna ke Parke ugh the rawl thro c to e v a h forbid gain. God air duct a have lse would anyone e wl on ow to cra to learn h gh a ach throu their stom rocket e. It’s not tiny spac eople.” science, p

“Looks li

ONS

DISTINCTI

CRAZY

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NAME

PARKER S

ATTRIBUTE

AGILITY

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4

INTELLIG

H

STRENGT

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WILLPOW

ROLES

GRIFTER HACKER

4

HITTER IND

MASTERM THIEF

56

6

4

6

4

10

8 8

S RE ASSET

SIGNATU

12

10

8

6

12

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8

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4

12

10

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6

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12

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12

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e IEF is on When TH : s d n a H Steady u may ur roll, yo o y in e ic of the d r every our dice fo y f o e n o re-roll es you Fixer giv e th y it n Opportu e). on his dic (rolls a 1 tra ain an ex iming: G Perfect T need to when you ll o r r u o d8 to y to precise according g in th e do som it how long to assess you timing, or ing. Also, do someth to e k ta would . d a watch don’t nee

12

10

8

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TALENTS

12

10

8

6

12

10

8

6

4

SS ALERTNE

8

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10 10

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trong Grip rbingly S

, Distu ns (Thief) Floor Pla (Thief)

arker has RIG D8 P G N I L L E REP own to drop d ese, used th f o l a r e sev ides ells, the s ns, stairw o ti a c lo into gs, etc. of buildin

“You kno

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re-task es just to get a lousy inte rnet conn ection. Took mor e than an hour to torrent th e last epis ode of Doctor W ho.” two satell it

DISTINCTI

ONS

COCKY

NAME

GEEK

ALEC HA RDISO

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COMPUTE

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ATTRIBUTE

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TALENTS

“Do You H ave That Thing I G You?”: Yo ave u can spe n d a Plot P give anoth o int to er memb er of the extra d8 te a m an on any ro ll by rem them of th in d in g e sweet p iece of ga you gave dgetry them. If y ou use th another C is for rewmemb er’s Flash Action, th back e die is a d10. Opportun ist: When you’re ro Hacker, s lling ometimes th ings that look like setbacks are actua opportun lly ities. If th e Fixer g an Oppor iv es you tunity (ro lls a 1 on you may a die) add an ad ditional d roll, and if 6 to your appropria te, recalcu your resu late lt. SIGNATU

RE ASSET S

LUCILLE D8 This is Hardison van full o ’s f tech. It w a s blown up during “T he Maltes e Falcon but he’s s Job” ince acqu ired Lucil 2.0. Even le tually he’s gonna ne 3.0, too... ed a

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12

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GRIFTER

4

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6

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HITTER MASTERM

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8

6

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12

speak

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57

, wolves , con men Felt clothing. in sheep’s ome.” right at h

“Villains

ONS

DISTINCTI

S

NAME

GORGEOU ACTRESS

X

EVERAU SOPHIE D

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ATTRIBUTE

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4

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GRIFTER

4

HACKER

4

HITTER IND

MASTERM THIEF

58

4 4

6 6

12

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8

6

12

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8

6

12

10

8

6

4

12

10

8

6

12

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12

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8

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), t (Grifter Plain Sigh (Hitter) Hiding in y Gracefull f the Way o t u O et G

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e share (giv You may : r e t n e C Social ts with Plot Poin 3 to p u ) or take re in the ber you a m e m m any tea re than 3 h. No mo it w e n e c same s taken, or be given, y a m ts in Plot Po ong team m a d te u distrib . per scene er : Whenev e Tongue h t f o ip Sl ainst a Grifter ag r u o y g in ll you’re ro the Fixer cter and a r a h C g in lls a tunity (ro an Oppor u o y s e iv g ay ask him ice), you m d is h n o 1 ng e i n about th o ti s e u q a st Fixer mu which the r, te c a r a h C guely. t least va answer a

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59

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t (Thief)

Pickpocke

The Job Playing the Game

61

Chapter Four sometimes, on some part of the scene or even another

THE PITCH

The Job This chapter covers the rules of the game, the nuts and bolts of the Cortex Plus System that directly influence the outcome of the Job. If you’re one of those

THE BRIEFING

gearhead types, this might be one of the first chapters you turned to. That’s fine. Every team needs a Hacker, after all. But make sure you’ve already digested the material in Chapter Two: The Briefing, because we’re not going to repeat it unless we have to.

THE CREW

If you’ve played other games, you’re probably used to a chapter on combat, and maybe you’d look for that chapter right about here. Fighting’s covered, sure. But if you’re at all familiar with how a Job plays out, you’re also aware that going toe-to-toe is only about a

THE JOB

fifth of the action. Not coincidentally, that’s the Hitter’s representation in the Crew. So don’t despair, the rest of you; we have your areas of expertise in hand, too. First, we’re going to talk about Traits, the things on your Rap Sheet that have dice ratings after them. Then

THE FIXER

we’ll discuss Assets and Complications, which are kind of like dynamic or temporary Traits you can add to a roll. Finally, we talk about how Actions, Scenes, and Beats help you structure the Job and make sense of the

THE TOOLBOX

flow of the action.

Managing Traits

THE CRIME WORLD

One of the first things you need to get a handle on when playing a Job is how to handle your Crewmember’s Traits, including Attributes and Roles, and the Traits on other people and places. Since they’re the main source of dice, and therefore the core of any action that takes

THE RECORD

62

place, it’s best to become familiar with them. When it comes time to roll the bones and see what happens—whether you’re the Fixer or a player—you roll dice associated with the Traits on your Rap Sheet and,

character. That’s a lot of possible Traits, though, and you can’t roll them all. So which Traits do you choose?

Choosing Crew Traits In many cases it’s obvious which Traits a Crewmember should be rolling. Hitter needs to punch a guy in the head? Pretty clear he’s using Strength + Hitter. Thief needs to climb over a fence? That’s Agility + Thief. It won’t always be crystal clear which Traits are most appropriate. For example, which Role do you use when the Crew needs to blow something up? Thief makes sense because you need to be able to blow up safes, right? Or how about Hitter? Bombs are weapons after all. Hacker? A bomb is just a gadget that explodes, right? There’s no one right answer (and if you want to clarify these issues, Specialties are the right tool for the job) but context offers some clues. If you’re blowing open a safe, Thief is probably right. If you’re using grenades, dynamite, or military ordinance then Hitter is probably it. If you’re using something with lots of wires and at least one digital counter, it sounds like Hacker. If it’s a crapshoot, the Fixer has to make a judgment call, and this is one of those situations where speed trumps fidelity. Better to just come up with an answer on the spot, roll the dice, and settle on an outcome than it is to spend five minutes dickering over the right answer.

Choosing Opposition Traits When the Fixer decides what dice to roll against the Crew, he should look at the Traits in play. Consider the Traits of the characters in action, any Traits of the location or situation, and add in any applicable Complications. Even just rolling the Traits applicable to the situation should give the Fixer enough dice, and if he ever has too few dice to total up, he can just add in enough d6s to bring up the total. The Fixer can choose to not roll larger dice, if appropriate, but he should always roll any appropriate d4s.

Other people—the Mark, the Client, various Extras,

Locations can also have Traits. These Traits might

Agents, and Foils—can usually be summed up in one or

describe something about the place, or something about

two Traits. An uninteresting security guard might just

the situation. For example, one office building might

be Security Guard d6 but if the Crew is going to end

have Professional Security d8 while another might

up actually talking to him or otherwise interacting with

have Rent-a-Cops d4. That short notation reveals a lot

him, it might be worth adding in a little characterization.

about both buildings. In addition to telling you what

He might be a Lazy d4 Security Guard d6 or an

dice to roll, the difference in Traits helps the Fixer when

Earnest d8 Security Guard d6. For characters who

he needs to describe a situation to the player.

are just color, a single Trait is usually enough; for more

It’s also possible for Traits to reflect temporary

important characters, you rarely need more than two or

qualities, like the mood of a room (Cold Room d8) or

three Traits. Some characters are going to get whole Rap

abrupt problems (On Fire d10).

THE TOOLBOX

Traits for Locations

THE CRIME WORLD

Traits for People

THE FIXER

THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Job

on the different kinds of characters.

THE RECORD

Sheets of their own. See Chapter Six: Toolbox for more

63

Chapter Four something is interesting, a d4 is a flag for something that’s likely to go wrong. This is why the Fixer is always THE PITCH

happy to give you extra d4s to roll—they’re unlikely to raise the total of the roll, but they greatly increase the odds of rolling a Complication. Similarly, any time you can get the Fixer to roll some d4s, it increases your chance of getting an Opportunity. In plain English,

THE BRIEFING

when you see the Trait values, they really read like this:

Die Rating Level of Story Impact

THE CREW THE JOB

4

Something Interesting

6

Mundane

8

Noteworthy

10

Scary

12

Aw, Hell No!

Picking Up Dice THE FIXER

There’s never any obligation to pick up extra dice,

Traits on the Fly When in doubt, the default Trait for anything is d6. This is important anytime the Fixer needs to make a roll

THE TOOLBOX

and doesn’t have two Traits to use for it: he can fill in any missing Traits with a d6, and in situations where there’s no apparent Trait in opposition, the Fixer just rolls 2d6.

Reading Traits THE CRIME WORLD

Because higher dice mean a better chance of success, it’s easy to assume that the only meaning to them is numeric. A d6 is better than a d4 and so on. And, yes, that’s true as far as it goes, but there’s more to it than that. Dice have a meaning that goes a bit deeper than

THE RECORD

the straight numbers. The trick is that a d4 may be the lowest value, but it actually means that the Trait is more important than if it was a d6. While a d6 just means that

and sometimes (especially in the case of d4s) there’s no incentive to do so. If both sides could pick up a particular die, then where that die came from matters— players get to use their Assets, and the Fixer gets to use Complications and any Traits on his people and places. But see, sometimes a Trait cuts both ways. That is to say, even if a Trait seems like it should the opposition, it’s possible the Crewmember can end up rolling it. Take, for example, an Agent with Honest d8 and Cop d8. When the Crew tries to pull things over on him, that Honest Trait works in his favor most of the time. But when a Crewmember has that big talk with him, pointing out the dirty stuff he’s looking the other way for, his honesty isn’t going to help him. In fact, if the Crewmember knows the cop has that Trait, he might pick up that die and use it as part of his roll—the cop’s honesty helps that Crewmember accomplish his goals. The bottom line is this: it matters less who brings a Trait into a roll than how appropriate it is.

64

The Job The flipside of this is that the Fixer’s not gonna poach

not all you need to consider. You might have Freight Train d6 and Motorcycle d6, but just because they’re both rated at d6 doesn’t mean it’s a fair fight when they collide. The Fixer needs to make judgment calls in situations like this. The good news is that most of these situations are a piece of cake to adjudicate. When a train hits a motorcycle, you just don’t worry about rolling the dice; it ends badly for the motorcycle. Most situations are sufficiently clear-cut that you don’t even need to worry about the dice. Most, but not all. Some situations are a little more muddled. Rules-wise, these are pretty easy to handle. A simple advantage usually gets handled by adding more dice to the roll, but more dramatic advantages may allow the advantaged party to include more dice from his roll to his result beyond the two he gets for free. One additional included die represents a pretty profound advantage, and two additional included dice is almost overwhelming. If you’re ever tempted to go to three additional included dice (assuming the pool was 5 dice or more to start with), that’s probably time to just set aside the dice. As a rule of thumb, when the mismatch is so unfair that it would never work for a normal person, but someone as exceptional as a Crewmember might be able to pull it off, that’s the cue to go to the extra dice.

THE BRIEFING

Even though we rate things in of dice, that’s

THE CREW

Traits and Scale

THE JOB

from the players is in the case of the occasional Asset.

Let’s look at cars, as they’re a pretty common example of this sort of problem. Let’s say you have a Crewmember chasing a bad guy, and they both hop into cars, but the bad guy jumps into a suped-up ride while the Crewmember hops into an old junker. In the strictest sense, the bad guy’s car is faster, but the race doesn’t always go to the swift. This discrepancy can be handled by giving the bad guy a SPORTS CAR D8 and the Crewmember an OLD JUNKER D4. The difference in cars is an advantage, but since both sides are in cars, it’s still a reasonably fair conflict. In contrast, imagine the bad guy hops into his car and peels away and the Crewmember is left with nothing but his own two feet. What happens next depends on the situation. Let’s say the Crewmember knows where the bad guy’s going. If it’s a few miles away then, well, he’s pretty much hosed. There’s no way he’s going to get there first, there’s no point in even rolling the dice. Suppose the destination is only just across town, through traffic. Sure, the bad guy’s got an advantage, but it’s not impossible that the Crewmember could pull off some sort of crazy parkour-style montage, cutting down back alleys and running across rooftops to try to get there first (that’s parkour, or free-running, not Parker…just to be clear). It’s doable, but pretty darn hard, so the bad guy gets a bonus. He’s a SLEAZY D8 SLEAZEBAG D6 in a FAST CAR D8. Normally the Fixer rolls those three dice and adds the two highest together, but for this roll the Fixer totals up all three. For the math-heads among you, this means he gets an average result of 12.5 and might roll as high as 22. Even if the Crewmember has 2d10 to roll, there’s no guarantee this goes well for him.

THE FIXER

d4. The only time the Fixer might be able to poach a die

Example

THE TOOLBOX

Distinction’s a problem, the player decides to roll it as a

THE CRIME WORLD

might be, but they’re under the player’s control—if the

THE RECORD

aren’t the sort of Traits to get poached. Distinctions

THE PITCH

the dice on the Crew’s Rap Sheet. Attributes and Roles

65

Chapter Four If the Asset specifically helps with, say, engaging the

THE PITCH

Assets and Complications Most Traits are reasonably static, but sometimes

THE BRIEFING

they reflect temporary situations, such as when a Crewmember has the right tool for the job or when a security guard’s a little more suspicious than usual. These Traits are handled with Assets and Complications. You can find more specifics about handling Assets and Complications on page 115 of Chapter Five: The

THE CREW

Fixer. The details here cover the most important game details that everyone at the table needs to know.

Assets THE JOB

Assets cover anything going in the Crew’s favor. This might be as concrete as a Screwdriver, or as abstract as their Mojo. Most often, Assets enter play when a player spends a Plot Point to create one. For a single Plot Point, you can create a d6 Asset that’s useful for the duration

THE FIXER

of a scene, and for 2 Plot Points it remains useful for the duration of the Job. Some Talents improve this ability— Hackers, for example, are often at an advantage when coming up with new gadgets—but the basics are pretty

THE TOOLBOX

straightforward. There’s no such thing as a generic Asset. If you create an Asset, you need to name it. Assets can’t just be used on every roll—the Asset needs to be applicable in some way or worked into your description of what your Crewmember is doing. This

THE CRIME WORLD

can be a little fast and loose, especially when players are creative, but that’s a good thing. It does, however, point out an important guideline about Assets: there should be situations where they’re not useful. For Screwdrivers and other physical objects, this is rarely a problem; but

THE RECORD

66

for more abstract Assets, there needs to be a clear sense of what it is and isn’t useful for. If Mojo is going to help with every roll, it’s too vague, and it makes for a bad Asset.

opposite sex, then that’s much more specific and usable. It’s also worth noting that Assets can go away, and there should be some reason why. Again, with tools, it’s pretty simple, but with more abstract Assets, it’s worth thinking about the logic of it. To come back to the Mojo example, that might be lost when the character fails to impress a member of the opposite sex. This idea of transience is important because, even if a Crewmember has bought an Asset for the duration of the Job, it’s still possible something might happen to it. Suppose, for example, a character has a Big Knife d6. That’s handy for a number of things, but if it comes time to search the characters for weapons, the Fixer may pick up that die (for a casual search) or just take it away (for a thorough search, such as in prison). The Crewmember can recover the Asset later (without spending Plot Points) but that requires time and effort he can’t spare.

The Logic of Assets If the Hitter picks up a golf club to beat up some thugs but doesn’t spend a Plot Point, should he still get an Asset? After all, he’s still got a weapon, right? Well, no. Here’s the thing—the Hitter’s a badass. If he gets into a fight, he uses whatever’s on hand to his best advantage—that’s just a given. Picking up the golf club, going after the weakest guy, or looking scary, this is all assumed to be part of kicking ass and taking names. Spending the Plot Point doesn’t magically make the candelabra he picked up into something that’s more dangerous than some other weapon. Instead, spending that Plot Point makes a statement. That statement is, “this candelabra matters.” When he tells the story of the fight, it’s “that time I beat up a guy with a candelabra” rather than just another fight where he picked up whatever was on hand. This is why Eliot’s Hors D’Ouevres d6 Asset made his fight in The Wedding Job so memorable.

The Job

each additional 1 rolled by the player stepping up the die to a larger size. So, with three 1s, the Complication’s a d10 (d6 to d8 to d10). The Fixer gets to roll this Trait into his pool whenever it’s appropriate, in opposition to the Crew. Notice that doesn’t mean the Complication needs to come up right then, or even has to apply to the Crewmember who rolled the 1. The Fixer has pretty free rein to be creative with this, and no reason not to be creative. Consider the fight in The Homecoming Job—Eliot fights the guys, but the Client gives the defibrillator to Nate, who shocks one of the guys (and looks cool doing it). All cool, but that’s actually a great example of a Complication coming up—Eliot rolled a pair of 1s, and the Fixer brought Nate into the fight (by

on during the Job. Complications can add new things, but they can also be used to raise the stakes or add a beat (we’ll talk about these in a moment) to an existing scene—let’s say that the Hitter mixes it up with a couple thugs and picks up a Complication. The Fixer might decide someone knocked over a lamp and adds an On Fire d8 Trait to the scene.

THE BRIEFING

Job. The Complication’s represented by a d6 Trait, with

very nearly ends up causing a great deal of trouble later

The thugs have already been dealt with, so that die is probably not going to see much use, but the room being on fire complicates the situation. Maybe the Hitter has trouble getting out, or even worse (better?), maybe the Hitter needs to decide what to do with the unconscious

THE CREW

a Plot Point to the player and add a Complication to the

guards—is he going to leave them to die? Like Assets, Complications have limits—they shouldn’t apply to every roll, and there should be some way for them to go away, even if it’s not necessarily obvious.

THE JOB

Whenever a player rolls a 1, the Fixer can hand over

THE PITCH

Complications

using the Client in this case), and adds Has Seen Nate’s

THE RECORD

THE CRIME WORLD

THE TOOLBOX

THE FIXER

Face d8 to the goon as a Complication, something that

67

Chapter Four

THE PITCH

Changing Complications in Play

Actions, Scenes, & Beats Crew take lots of actions over the course

THE BRIEFING

Sometimes the Crew doesn’t want a particular

of a Job, and they roll the dice a lot, so it’s incredibly

Complication to hang around too long. If the guards

important to get a sense of what those die-rolls mean so

are On Alert d8, that’s going to make a lot of things

you know when to roll and when not to.

THE CREW

more difficult. It may be worth the Crew’s time to

The flow of the story can be broken down into

do something to put them at ease. Exactly what the

scenes, as anyone who’s taken high school English and

Crewmember needs to do depends on the Complication

read some Shakespeare knows. Scenes can be further

in question, but normally it means they need to act—

broken down into chunks called beats, and an Action is

usually taking a beat within a scene—and roll the dice.

a character’s attempt to do something (usually involving

If they succeed, the Complication is removed; if they

rolling some dice), typically over the course of a single

fail, then it either steps up (going from d8 to d10, or d10

beat. These concepts are the basic building blocks for

to d12) or a new Complication is introduced.

creating a narrative from scratch; they also provide us with tools to take apart a narrative and see what makes

THE JOB

it tick. Let’s start by talking about beats.

Beats A beat is basically the smallest dramatic unit of the THE FIXER

story. If two characters exchange a , that’s a beat. If a Crewmember picks a lock, that’s a beat. If a Crewmember hides behind a dumpster as thugs run past, that’s a beat. If a Crewmember spends hours

THE TOOLBOX

researching a problem, that’s a beat. The trick is that it doesn’t matter how long or short the activity is, but how simple it is. Hardison may spend all night hacking a system, but it’s a single beat because it can be boiled down to

THE CRIME WORLD

“Hardison hacks the system.” In contrast, within the span of thirty seconds, Parker’s scaled a wall, picked a lock, and evaded a laser tripwire—three separate beats. Scenes are composed of several beats and represent a complete event, like a meeting or an attempt at breaking

THE RECORD

and entering. There’s no real way to say how many beats make up a scene since that can depend a lot on the dice, but it may be as few as one and as many as, well, a lot. The important part is this: each beat corresponds with an opportunity to roll the dice, or take an Action. This

68

The Job gives you a gut sense of the scope of the outcome, and The Hacker takes an Action to spot the thugs (success),

stakes, and the player, to try to beat it. A Contested

then takes one to try to slip away unseen (failure),

Action is one where both sides keep rolling to raise the

attempts to hide for a moment (success), then hacks the

stakes until one side gives in or is taken down. There are other types of Actions that are frequently

What types of Action you’re taking, however, can

used in a Job: the Timed Action, which is really

vary based on the nature of the beat and what the

multiple Basic Actions in a row against the clock; and

Crewmember is trying to do. Which leads us to the

the Flashback Action, which is a variation of the Basic

next section.

Action that reveals useful Assets in the present. But

THE BRIEFING

cars (success).

THE PITCH

hopefully that comes across clearly in the breakdown.

Basic Actions When it comes to making Basic Actions, you describe what your Crewmember is doing, the Fixer says which Traits you roll, and he decides which dice to set the stakes. You make the decision to use any Distinctions or Talents, maybe you pick up the dice

THE JOB

he’s rolling in opposition. The Fixer rolls his dice

for an Asset or two, and roll the dice. If you win might expect; but if the Fixer wins (you roll less than or equal to the stakes), he describes how things go wrong—or rather, not as you expected. As ties go to

THE FIXER

(getting greater than the stakes), things go as you

the active party, Basic Actions like this require you to raise the stakes, not get a tie. Some examples of commonly used Basic Actions include the Notice Action and the Face Action, but anything you can imagine taking place in one beat with

THE TOOLBOX

Hardison sees thugs approaching on the monitor and slips out the window. One of the thugs spots him, and they chase him through the parking garage. He hides behind a dumpster as the thugs rush past. He then decides to trigger every car alarm in the garage, forcing the thugs to flee to avoid the unwanted attention. This is a pretty good scene, and it’s composed of four beats: 1. Hardison spots trouble and flees 2. Thugs spot Hardison and pursue 3. Hardison hides behind dumpster 4. Hardison triggers car alarms Do you see how each beat is a single event or exchange of events? If the chase had to cover other locations, there might have been more beats, and if the thugs hadn’t spotted him, it would have been only a single beat. It’s hard to predict exactly how many beats there will be in a given scene, and you don’t need to stress yourself trying to do so—that’s not why they’re important.

a specific end-goal counts. Lifting a wallet, cracking a code, knocking a guard unconscious, or scaling a wall might all be suitable Basic Actions. Most of the time, the Fixer is the one who calls for these Actions, which is why he rolls his dice first to set the stakes.

THE CRIME WORLD

Example

THE CREW

more on them later.

As you learned back in Chapter One: The Pitch, an Action is resolved by rolling dice. Most of the time, these actions are Basic Actions rather than Contested

THE RECORD

Taking Action

Actions. A Basic Action is two rolls: the Fixer, to set the

69

Chapter Four With a failed Notice Action, you’re not standing there staring out into space, but you won’t be able to get THE PITCH

Example

THE BRIEFING

Basic Action: Parker is trying to jimmy a lock with a paper clip. The Fixer calls for Parker to roll Agility + Thief to spring the lock quickly. He rolls 2d6 for the simple lock, getting a 9. Parker rolls 2d10 (Agility d10 + Thief d10), also getting a 9. The Fixer tells Parker that she’s almost got it when the cheap doorknob breaks right off in her hand and jams the latch in place. Now what?

THE CREW

Notice Actions Anytime you want to get a read on somebody, case a scene, spot something out of the ordinary, or generally

anything useful for later. If you don’t beat the stakes set by the Fixer, it’s business as normal, essentially. Some Talents specifically work with Notice Actions. They’re described in Chapter Three: The Crew.

Example Notice Action: Nate is surveying a busy city sidewalk, looking for a man trying to slip away in the crowd. The Fixer calls for a roll on Alertness + Mastermind. The Fixer sets the stakes, rolling a 10. Nate rolls his d8 plus d10 and gets a 13. He spots the man and, using the earbud radio, directs Eliot to intercept him.

Face Actions

THE JOB THE FIXER

just use your senses, you’re rolling a Notice Action.

Like other Basic Actions, the Face Action is a single

Generally, these are based on Alertness, but you could

roll of the dice. In this case, though, the Crewmember

make a case for Intelligence or Willpower if the

using a Face Action is setting the stakes, as opposed

situation is more about putting two and two together

to trying to beat the stakes the Fixer sets. With a Face

(Intelligence) or ignoring a lot of distractions and

Action, the opposition’s a ing Character—an

remaining focused (Willpower). The situation also

Agent of the Mark, the Crew’s Foil, or perhaps an Extra.

tells you which Role to roll in. For instance, if it’s sizing

Face Actions create first impressions, whether it’s to flirt

up a bad guy, it’s Hitter. If it’s computer-based, it’s

or to frighten.

THE TOOLBOX

Hacker. The Fixer usually calls for a Notice Action,

A Face Action starts with Willpower (for forcing

though it’s just as valid for a player to ask for it. The

your impression on the opposition), Alertness (for

stakes for a Notice Action are set by rolling a straight

sensing the right moment or exploiting the opposition’s

2d6—unless the Fixer decides otherwise.

tells), or Intelligence (for a display of knowledge,

THE CRIME WORLD

With a successful Notice Action (you roll higher than

facts, or logic). Then, add whatever Role seems

the Fixer), you gain some crucial information or gather

most appropriate, though it’s very often Grifter or

some useful intelligence. Most of the time you can use

Mastermind. Roll the dice, spend any Plot Points, and

this as justification for a cool Asset in a later scene. If

when you’re done, you’ve set the stakes. The Fixer has to

you spend a Plot Point after you succeed at your Notice

roll higher than this to win.

THE RECORD

Action, you can bank the Asset until you need it, rather

The opposition to a Face Action is a character, who

than using it in the scene you’re in. For instance, if you

the Fixer usually rolls for with an appropriate Trait

see that the Mark’s second security thug is a twitchy

based on resisting what the Crewmember is trying to

kind of guy, you could bring in Nervous Number Two

do, plus a die for how difficult it is for the Crewmember

d6 in the next scene, once you confront him.

to impress the ing Character. If the Fixer doesn’t raise the stakes set by the Crewmember, the Face Action

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The Job works. If the Fixer does raise the stakes, it just means

impression, actually convincing, seducing, confusing, or getting a reaction out of a ing Character usually requires a Contested Action.

Example Face Action: Sophie is at a technology conference posing as a venture capitalist looking to invest in the Mark’s business. She tries to convince a salesman that she’s worth talking to. The Fixer calls for a Willpower + Grifter Face Action. Sophie sets the stakes, rolling d10 plus d10 and getting an 11. The Fixer rolls and gets a 9; the salesman believes she is who she says she is.

and forth, each side trying to raise the stakes higher until only one side can come out on top. A Contested Action takes place over a single beat,

THE BRIEFING

Because a Face Action is only about making an

edge over the opposition. Contested Actions go back

but it’s a struggle, not a single maneuver. You can string multiple Contested Actions together to represent multiple beats in a scene; each time one side might Give In, losing ground. Of course, as soon as one side

THE CREW

cross paths.

of the Action is about seizing advantage or getting an

is taken down, the scene is probably over—unless more opposition comes out of the woodwork. The best example of a Contested Action is the Fight Action, though it’s easily expanded to cover everything from dueling with laptops to engaging in a furious

THE JOB

bad, whatever), but you get to bring it in next time you

you’re trying to achieve, to the extent that the purpose

argument. See “Contested Action Variations,” later in this section. THE FIXER

character going to have some opinion of you (good,

Sometimes another character actively opposes what

THE TOOLBOX

a later scene. This means that not only is the opposing

Contested Actions

THE CRIME WORLD

Action you can spend a Plot Point to bank an Asset for

THE RECORD

Like a Notice Action, when you succeed at a Face

THE PITCH

you didn’t make a particularly strong impression.

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Chapter Four

THE PITCH

Fight Actions Many fights are resolved quickly with a Basic Action—one side rolls the dice and sets the stakes, the other rolls to beat them, and a winner is determined.

THE BRIEFING

Not necessarily dramatic, but for criminals, this is serious business and best dealt with in a serious fashion. Still, every now and again you’ll face a situation where the conflict’s a little too intense to just cruise through it. Sometimes this is an actual fight scene, such as the one between Eliot and Mr. Quinn in The First David Job, or

THE CREW

it might be a more abstract throwdown, like Hardison and Chaos attempting to hack each other’s systems in The Two Live Crew Job. In these cases, you’ll want to jazz up the scene a little bit by making it a Fight Action. Fight Actions use whatever Attribute and Role

THE JOB

combination seems appropriate, as well as any Assets, Complications, Distinctions, and benefits from Talents that apply. Most brawls are gonna be Strength + Hitter, for instance, while a firewall-smashing duel

THE FIXER

would be Intelligence + Hacker. Complications that come up in the course of a Fight Action reflect the slip-ups, injuries, and other twists of fate in any face-off. Most last until the end of the

THE TOOLBOX

Fight Action, getting in the way, but some might stick around longer. See “Giving In,” below, for other uses of Complications. A Fight Action always starts with one side picking up dice because they think it’s time to throw down. If it’s

THE CRIME WORLD

unclear which side is initiating the Fight, or if more than two sides are involved, all sides roll their dice and the one that gets the highest result has set the stakes. The other sides can then choose to either Give In right away (“This ain’t the fight for me!”) or roll to raise the stakes.

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Example Fight Action: Eliot’s about had it with these Two Thugs d6 who have him at Gunpoint d8. He sets the stakes by rolling Strength d10 + Hitter d10, getting a 9. The Fixer rolls d8 plus 2d6 (one for outnumbering Eliot, see below) and gets a 13, successfully raising the stakes. Eliot decides to fight on and spends a Plot Point to declare he picks up a Stick d6. He rolls three dice this time (Strength d10 + Hitter d10 + Stick d6), and gets a 12 on his 2d10. He spends another Plot Point to add the 3 from the Stick d6, which pushes him up to 15, a successful raising of the stakes. The Fixer rolls again and can’t get to 16, so Eliot wins the fight, and his player describes how he does it (a little narration always seals the deal).

The Job

If you’re the one who lost, your Crewmember’s at the mercy of the Fixer and the bad guys who won. Generally, this leads to a scene where your Crewmember’s stuffed in a locker, strapped to a chair in the bad guy’s warehouse by the docks, or some other nasty situation. Either way, there aren’t any long-lasting game effects for losing a Fight Action, unless you came up with some Complications during the course of it. As far as the Job goes, however, things may have gone completely south if you’re out of the picture and your Crew has to come and rescue you. You can automatically take down somebody by raising the stakes by 5 or more (an Extraordinary Success). This only works with a single opponent, however; if there’s a mob, this translates to taking down multiple goons in one

another Fight Action in the next beat. Of course, now the hired muscle has an extra die to roll thanks to your Complication. You sure you want to keep this up?

Ganging Up ing Characters often gang up in the desperately misguided belief that more thugs are somehow more dangerous. You’d think they’d learn, but no amount of evidence seems to be able to persuade them. So, as long as they keep doing it, here’s how you handle it. Each additional opponent adds a single die to the opposition’s dice pool equal to the highest Trait they could use in the fight. This doesn’t change the number of dice added together to set or raise the stakes (it’s still two), just the number of dice rolled. The most

go. See “Ganging Up,” later in this section.

common example of this is a gang of six Thugs d6,

Giving In

additional thug adds another d6, so it’s 6d6). An Agent

After any beat in a Fight Action, if you think you’re gonna lose the next beat and you don’t want to be taken down, you can instead choose to Give In. You have to decide this before you roll dice to raise the stakes—you need to make the decision before the dice leave your hand. When you Give In, the other side wins the fight, but you get to walk (or jump, or fall) from the scene, taking only a d6 Complication as a consequence (like Bloodied d6 or Exhausted d6). That Complication lasts until the end of the next scene, unless you take care of it earlier, and the Fixer decides what the Complication is. You get a Plot Point for Giving In, though, so it’s not all bad. You can, if you like, choose not to leave the scene but

THE BRIEFING

of the scene.

and move the fight to the parking structure, starting

THE CREW

whatever—and he’s out of the action for the remainder

you chose to Give In. You take that d6 Complication

THE JOB

under a mound of furniture, deeply embarrassed,

muscle in the stairwell, but he kept the advantage and

THE FIXER

Down—knocked out, incapacitated, tied up, buried

you spent one beat going at it with the Mark’s hired

which amounts to a roll of 6d6 (first thug is d6, each or a Foil can bring in a number of thugs as well to make life interesting, in which case it’s the Agent or Foil’s own dice plus those 6 extra dice. Good times. Every time you raise the stakes against a side that’s got multiple assisting characters, you also knock one of their dice away and they don’t provide any more help. This represents whittling away the opposition, one ugly mook at a time. If you happen to raise the stakes by 5 or

THE TOOLBOX

you’ve come out on top. Your opponent’s been Taken

In was more like giving ground to the opposition. Say

THE CRIME WORLD

your opponent isn’t able to beat it with his own result,

more with an Extraordinary Success, you take out two of the extra mooks instead of taking down the whole mob. Once you get down to a single opponent, though, no more dice get knocked off.

THE RECORD

As soon as you’ve raised the stakes high enough that

THE PITCH

Winning the Fight

shift to somewhere else within it, in which case Giving

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Chapter Four a good argument for letting the professionals do their jobs. Even if you help a Crewmember out on one roll, THE PITCH

however, you can always choose to drop out before the

Example

THE BRIEFING THE CREW

Suppose Eliot’s got an Irish mob problem in the form of a Legbreaker d8 Mobster d6 named McGinnis. If McGinnis grabs three of his Irish Mobster d6 heavies to help him out, Eliot would be facing off against a roll of d8 + 4d6. Not so good. However, all Eliot has to do is raise the stakes three times in the fight and our boy’s dropped the opposing dice to d8 + d6…and more and more likely to lose. If Eliot raises the stakes by 5 or more, he can knock off two of the heavies at once. Not bad.

dice are rolled to raise the stakes next time.

Contested Action Variations Using the Fight Action rules above, you can also model other kinds of conflict. The only things you need to change are the Attributes and Roles involved, and what the Complications and consequences are for giving in. , each time you’re rolling those dice to raise the stakes you’re doing something to swing the contest in your favor. You can even switch out the Attribute and Role you’re using if you think the next move you make’s a different tack. Examples of other Contested Actions include seizing

THE JOB THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

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You and your Crew can gang up in the same fashion,

control of a computer network from a rival Hacker,

handing over a single die of the appropriate type to the

outsmarting a rival Mastermind’s tactics, successfully

player whose Crewmember is leading the charge. This

being the one to lift a wallet or security from a

is risky because if the opponent raises the stakes, that

guy that another Thief is trying to pickpocket, or even

die gets removed, and the Crewmember is Taken Down

getting another Grifter to slip up and out herself in

(as if he had lost the fight). Most Crews find this risk is

front of a room full of cops.

The Job Timed Actions

When you do a Timed Action, the Fixer determines the opposition you’re facing and how much time you have. Timed Actions use a series of Basic Actions, either several of the same kind (Intelligence + Hacker, for instance) or a series of different Basic Actions based on attempting something that has different steps (Agility + Thief, then Alertness + Thief, then Intelligence + Grifter). The number of Basic Actions (the Fixer setting the stakes and you trying to roll higher) depends

Leverage is a game about people who are really good at what they do, and the Timed Action is a pacing mechanic. Of course Parker’s going to break into that safe. Question is, can she do it before somebody comes in? How many Complications does she trigger by rolling 1s? Does she grab any Opportunities from the Fixer? Those are the places where major twists and turns happen, not in failing to roll higher than the opposition’s dice.

on the time limit the Fixer puts into place. The time’s measured in beats—the more beats, the longer you have. Each time you roll the dice, you lose one beat. Use checkboxes or tokens to keep track of beats. It’s a countdown, because you’ve only got a finite amount of time; once that’s gone, you’re done. If you raise the stakes, that means it only costs you the time you spent. An Extraordinary Success means you found a shortcut and don’t lose any time at all. Don’t lose a beat for that roll. If you fail to raise the stakes, that means that part of the action took too long, and an additional beat is lost. Move on to the next stage of the Timed Action. Running Out Of Time: If you run out of beats—zero or less—you’re out of time, and probably caught in the act. You might have a chance to escape, depending on the situation, but you aren’t able to finish your objective. The Fixer should have something in mind for when this happens, but if he doesn’t, feel free to suggest something to the group and see what happens next.

THE BRIEFING

want them to. Hey, many hands make light work, right?

succeed at completing your intended action.

THE CREW

Actions, and they can involve the whole Crew if you

Notice that I haven’t said that you didn’t

THE JOB

out he’s being played. These are all examples of Timed

Completing the Action: When the Fixer finishes with the obstacles planned for that Action and you succeed with time left, you’ve achieved your objectives (including a clean getaway, if that’s what you’re looking

THE FIXER

classic con at breakneck speed before the Mark figures

Failing Doesn’t Mean Game Over

to do). If you succeed but have zero beats left, you have to choose between a clean getaway and achieving your objective. Buying Time: If you’re running dangerously low on time, the rest of the Crew might be able to help you out. They can make a Basic Action of their own—

THE TOOLBOX

and Sophie are trapped in the elevator. Nate’s working a

causing a diversion, trying to delay the Mark with conversation, eliminating some security guards—and with a success, they give you back one of the beats you’ve lost. If they get an Extraordinary Success, it’s two beats. Failure means that Crewmember can’t help

THE CRIME WORLD

to override a building’s security functions before Eliot

any more for the rest of the Timed Action. No matter what, only one attempt at buying time can happen in between each step of the Timed Action.

THE RECORD

goons show up. Hardison’s got a narrow window of time

THE PITCH

Parker’s trying to break into a safe before the Mark’s

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Chapter Four

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB

Flashbacks Flashbacks are one of your best tools in successfully completing a Job. They’re a more advanced form of

THE FIXER

dramatic editing than using Plot Points to create Assets, because they essentially rewrite some of the story so far to make things turn in your favor. Flashbacks come in two varieties, the Establishment Flashback and the

THE TOOLBOX

Wrap-Up Flashback. Here’s how they work.

Establishment Flashbacks The Establishment Flashback was introduced in The Recruitment Job on page 48 of Chapter Three:

THE CRIME WORLD

The Crew as a way to reveal backstory for your Crew, but it’s a great technique to use on the Job as well. The key difference is that when it’s used outside of Crew creation, an Establishment Flashback creates an Asset and fills in some of the story, thereby changing what is

THE RECORD

76

true about past events. To use an Establishment Flashback, somebody has to trigger it, either one of the Fixer’s ing Characters (“How do you plan to get out of this one?”)

or another Crewmember who’s in the scene with you (“I sure hope you did that thing earlier.”) You can then describe a brief monochromatic flashback moment of your Crewmember doing something, hand a Plot Point over to the Fixer or the player who triggered the flashback, and you’ve got a d6 Asset you can roll into your next action. If you don’t have anybody around to trigger the flashback for you, you can still make use of an Establishment Flashback. You hand over a Plot Point to the Fixer, like normal. In this case, however, you also have to roll for it. Describe the scene, but now roll dice appropriate to the Action you took in the past. The Fixer rolls his own dice to set the stakes, based on the situation (usually it’s d6 +d6, but it could be more than that). If you raise the stakes, you get the Asset to use in the current scene. If you fail, you don’t, but you’ve still introduced that reveal. It’s up to the Fixer to explain why it doesn’t necessarily help you out, even though it happened.

each player describes his flashback. They each spend a Plot Point in order to take part; the Mastermind can spend the Plot Point for the player, in which case he also gives the player his Mastermind die to add to the pool of dice. In almost every case, the Crewmember is the active party and rolls dice first, setting the stakes. Then the Fixer rolls an appropriate response.

THE BRIEFING

Parker’s in a desperate standoff and the Mark’s holding the Client at gunpoint, threatening to kill him. Parker’s player spends a Plot Point to flashback to Parker’s earlier break-in to his office where she finds his gun in the drawer, removes the bullets and puts it back. The Fixer rolls d8 + d8 (hey, it was a locked drawer). She rolls her Alertness + Thief. If she rolls less than or equal to the Fixer’s result, the Fixer describes a flashback to the Mark checking his gun, frowning, and reloading it. If she rolls higher, the Mark’s gun isn’t loaded and Parker now has an Asset like You’re Firing Blanks d6.

If the Fixer raises the stakes (rolling higher than the player) the Crewmember’s efforts didn’t have any real effect on the wrap-up. The Fixer can describe why it didn’t help, but it’s better to let the player do that. Own that screw-up! It’ll make you a better person

THE CREW

Example

THE PITCH

The Job

afterward. Trust me.

Mastermind usually initiates it, because it uses the Mastermind Role and sets up a final blow against the Mark’s own plans. Before you run one of these, make sure you’ve read over Chapter Five: The Fixer for advice and suggestions. Here’s how it goes down. Each Crewmember participating in the wrap-up plays out his own individual Establishment Flashback, setting up some cool thing he did that’s gonna help the Mastermind out or tilt the odds in the Crew’s favor. The Mastermind player can suggest an idea, but it’s best if the other player uses what’s already happened on the Job to think of the scene on his own. Going around the table,

than d12. Don’t worry about Complications on any of these Flashback scenes. If you roll a 1 when you’re taking your turn in a Wrap-Up Flashback, it just gets left out of

THE FIXER

the end of a Job or at some critical point. The Crew’s

Asset by one. No Asset can ever be stepped up higher

the result. Once everybody but the Mastermind has had a shot at setting up the big reveal, it’s the Mastermind’s turn. His player rolls an appropriate Attribute (usually Intelligence or Alertness, but exceptions might present themselves) + Mastermind, also adding in

THE TOOLBOX

played around the table by all the Crew at

Mastermind a d6 Asset or may step up an existing

all of the Assets his Crew produced for him (and any THE CRIME WORLD

A Wrap-Up Flashback is a series of Basic Actions

roll remains the highest) the Crewmember gives the

THE RECORD

Wrap-Up Flashbacks

THE JOB

If the Fixer fails to raise the stakes (the player’s

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Chapter Four

THE PITCH

that were already out there). The Fixer then rolls for the Mark, throwing in as many Complications and other things that weigh in the Mark’s favor as currently are in play; this is no time to be timid. If the Fixer doesn’t raise the stakes above the

THE BRIEFING

Mastermind’s player, then that’s usually it for the Mark. His plans unravel, he flees the coop, or his Agents and Extras turn on him. The details are generally contingent on the Job itself, the story so far, and so on. Chapter Five: The Fixer has more on how this connects to the

THE CREW

Job, but if you’re looking for the big showdown, this is it. If the Fixer raises the stakes, the Mark’s gonna get away with it… almost. See, the Crew has done enough to blow the lid off the Mark’s plans, exposed the Client’s grievances, or spoiled the whole arrangement. The rub

THE JOB

is that the Mark’s not going to face his acc. Luckily, there’s always the next Job, where the Crew goes up against the Mark in a different location with a new

Wrap-Up Flashbacks in the Middle of the Job Sometimes there’s good reason to run a Wrap-Up Flashback after the second act, especially if it’s to take care of some initial plot that’s suddenly going to twist into a whole new mess. If that’s the case, maybe the Mark in question is revealed to be a proxy, and the Foil the Crew met earlier is the real Mark. Or maybe the Client is the Mark, and the Mark was just an innocent dupe. Either way, if you’re going to keep the story going after one of these wrap-ups, the Crew gets an Asset equal to the highest-rated Asset they produced in the Wrap-Up Flashback, for use later in the Job against the “real” Mark. Even if it’s just I Thought I Smelled A Rat d6, it’s still a bonus.

caper. Bottom line is, the Client should end up with some good news, even if it’s not the outcome the Crew THE FIXER

wanted. Again, manage this sort of thing with the help

THE TOOLBOX

The Next Steps

of Chapter Five: The Fixer.

So now you, the players, have all the basic information you need to play the game. We talked about Traits and when to roll which ones. We talked about Assets and Complications, and how they’re used to

THE CRIME WORLD

throw curveballs into the caper. Finally, we talked a lot about how beats and scenes compose the flow of the narrative, and how actions determine the direction the narrative takes. The Fixer, on the other hand, still needs a bit more training. That’s what’s coming next, in Chapter Five: The Fixer and Chapter Six: The Toolbox. Those chapters talk about how to create capers for the players to run through, and give advice and examples of non-player characters, locations, and situations for the players to encounter. Under no circumstances should the players read those chapters.

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And if you, as a player, don’t immediately disobey that last advice and go read those chapters, you’ve not yet adopted the correct mindset for the Leverage RPG. Go steal yourself a roleplaying game!

The Fixer Running the Game

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Chapter Five as lobbying for deregulation to bring down the walls

THE PITCH

The Fixer

between banks and investments firms to secure larger funding for developing and trading risky and unproven stock market derivatives.

THE BRIEFING

So at this point your players have recruited the Crew,

Justice doesn’t need the law, though. It just needs

they know how to do those things they do, and you’ve got

people who care enough to make it happen, to do what’s

a reasonable understanding of the nature of the Job. Let’s

necessary to ensure that those who deserve a fair shake

go steal us a… a what? They need a problem to solve.

get it. To not turn aside from those in need.

In this chapter, first we’ll talk a bit about the heist and

That’s where the Crew comes in. It’s the Crew’s job to

caper story genre. Then we’ll get into specifics: creating

ignore the law—even to flaunt it—to help fill that ever-

Jobs and what you need to take care of, planning-wise.

increasing gap between what’s legal and what’s right.

We’ll also talk about Assets and Complications from the THE CREW

Fixer’s point of view, and discuss some tips and tricks of the trade of being a Fixer.

THE JOB

Crooks and Capers: The Heist Genre Leverage is all about crooks and the crimes they

THE FIXER

commit, whether they’re doing it for justice or profit. Criminals commit crimes, by definition, but any thug with a gun can manage such low feats. of the Crew are better than that. They aspire to get away with

THE TOOLBOX

the greatest crimes in the world, to make an art of their craft. They want to pull off the highest—and most fun— form of crime: a caper. The real difference between the Crew and even the most talented criminals, though, is that a Crew commits

THE CRIME WORLD

those crimes for a purpose much higher than anything as petty as money or power or prestige. The Crew pulls capers for justice. Justice has precious little to do with the law. They’re regular bedmates, but just because they’re nominally

THE RECORD

shacking up with each other doesn’t mean they’re the same thing or even kissing cousins. We’ve all seen crooks use the law to their advantage, whether it’s as simple as getting off on a technicality or as complex

Discussion of Genre A caper is a crime or series of crimes that require skill, daring, and most off all ambition to pull off. Without that, a Crew is just a gang, a group of people who rely on each other for brute force or intimidation and little else. That’s no way for a talented tribe of thieves to live. Stealing things is easy. Getting away with it is hard. Smart thieves want to make the big score, but they don’t want to suffer any unwanted repercussions from the crime. It’s no good stealing the Hope Diamond and fencing it for enough cash to while away the rest of your years on a beach in Monaco if Interpol shows up a week later to ruin your party. Making sure that a Crew can manage to enjoy the ill-gotten fruits of a theft often requires a caper. Most capers involve nonviolent crimes perpetrated for profit, revenge, or both. They usually include theft, robbery, swindles, and the occasional kidnapping.

The Three-Act Structure Most capers use the classic three-act structure. Leverage is a bit of an exception for a couple reasons, but let’s cover the standard caper first. In the first act, the Crew learns of an opportunity for a caper. Often this involves a clear-set goal like, “Knock over the Federal Reserve” or “Make sure that the target can never hurt someone in this way again.” The best capers involve not just a tempting target but

80

also a personal reason for the Crew to want to take it

until the end of the show, mixing the second and

down. Stealing Michelangelo’s prototypes for the David

third acts.

The Crew then evaluates the situation and comes up

often involves internal complications as of the

with a plan for how to pull off the caper. With some

Crew turn on each other now that they no longer have

capers, this can also involve assembling a team capable

an immediate need for each other. That’s far more rare

of handling the plan. While most Crews have a core team

with a Crew with hearts of gold.

composed of with essential tasks, sometimes they need to bring in someone with specialized skills— or just to have an extra set of trusted hands available. In the second act, once the plan is set, the Crew executes the crime. This is a tense part of any caper and usually includes encountering and resolving unanticipated wrinkles in the plan. Few schemes survive with reality intact, and it’s up to the Crew to amend the plan on the fly. In traditional capers, the second act ends when the Crew successfully pulls off the crime. In Leverage and

THE TOOLBOX

its ill-gotten gains. In traditional caper stories, this

Structure the Leverage Way Leverage uses a five-act structure. For those scholars out there, this has nothing at all to do with the traditional five-act dramatic structure cribbed from Shakespeare and ancient Greek dramas. It’s based

THE CRIME WORLD

evil insurance company executive is far better.

In the final act, the Crew must then get away with

around commercials. Leverage is shown on TV. That means that the show needs an act break—or at least a decent don’t-go-away break of some sort—before every set of commercials.

THE RECORD

is fantastic, but doing it as part of a plan to take down an

THE FIXER

THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Fixer

other modern capers, the actual success is often delayed

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Chapter Five They laugh at their own expense. At the end of the day, they’re friends, maybe even a surrogate family. THE PITCH

Like most hour-long TV dramas, Leverage works with

Keeping a sense of humor running through a caper is

five acts of roughly eight minutes each because of this.

what separates it from a standard heist story. We need to

Some have even moved up to six acts.

root for the thieves, and if they’re a bunch of murderous,

THE BRIEFING

A roleplaying game doesn’t have to deal with these

cold-hearted baby-stompers, that’s impossible to do.

sorts of concerns, of course. In theory, you have all the

This is especially true in a roleplaying game in which

time in the world for your games and no commercial

the players are those thieves. Keeping it fun and light

concerns to bother with. However to keep things

gives the players the distance they need to enjoy the

moving along, it’s helpful to think of your game as an

caper rather than endure it.

ongoing series of acts with solid breaks between them. At the very least, these breaks offer good places for THE CREW

players to take a minute to stretch their legs or even to end the game for the night. Leverage actually works with the three-act structure, but it adds in the extra two acts by complicating things. It breaks down something like this:

THE JOB

1. Something horrible happens and the innocents affected approach the Crew for help. 2. The Crew researches the caper, and the Mastermind pitches a solution to the Crew. 3. The Crew sets the caper into motion but stumbles

THE FIXER

into a complication that they can’t ignore. 4. The Crew overcomes the first complication but encounters a much bigger complication. By this time, they’re in too deep to consider

THE TOOLBOX

walking away. 5. The Crew overcomes the largest complication and gets away with the caper. This is often capped with restitution given to the innocents who were introduced in the first act.

THE CRIME WORLD

To keep your game feeling as close to a Leverage story as possible, you’ll want to stick to this rough

Creating a Job Now, we’re getting to the real planning stages, the part of this operation that requires the Fixer to make those big decisions and lay the whole thing out. To create a good Job, you have to know where to start, how to answer the big questions, settle the endgame, and present the briefing. Once you’ve done this a time or two, you can do it all on the fly. But when you’re stuck, you’re short of ideas, or you’re a stickler for procedure, just come on back here and do it by the numbers.

Instant Caper Creation— Just Add Dice Sitting down at the table having done no preparation, having no idea what to run, and having no time to plan it out in detail? Relax, we’ve got you covered. Skip this section and go straight to the Situation Generator in Chapter Six: The Toolbox (page 138). Make sure you come back and read this when you get a chance, of course—you don’t want to miss out on this

structure.

chapter’s information.

A Sense of Humor

Knowing Where to Start

THE RECORD

Leverage sometimes deals with serious issues— horrific things, even—but the atmosphere of the show helps keep things light. The heroes tease each other.

When you first sit down to think up a compelling Job for your Crew, it can seem like there are so many options that you get paralyzed. Thankfully, every Job boils down to three things, and if you can answer a few questions about those, the pieces tend to just fall into place.

82

THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Fixer

and build out from there.

Starting with the Client The Client’s both the most and least important member of the trio—he’s essential to drawing in the Crew and getting things started, but he rarely has any direct impact on the Job. There’re exceptions, such as Jobs where the Crew needs to work with the Client, but even then the Client is a means to an end, and in this case, the end is getting the Crew into position to take the Job. It’s hard to plan a Job from the Client first because a Client without a problem isn’t a Client at all.

Starting with the Problem It’s much easier to start with a problem. For that you’ll

stories that revolve around bad things done by one

THE FIXER

to the Mark—but it’s easier to start with one of them

doesn’t involve pet tricks. Keep an eye out for those person to another. If you’re lucky, they also involve court cases or the threat of going to court. Once you find a juicy topic, you can start turning it into a Job.

Starting with the Mark If you want to start with the Mark, then pay attention to your own gut. You see someone speak on TV, maybe a pundit, a politician, or pseudo-celebrity. They can get under your skin, huh? Consider what it would mean if they’re really as bad as you think they are. Once you’ve found an inspiration, the first thing to

THE TOOLBOX

intertwined—the Client has a problem which leads back

people—that’s the basis for almost any news story that

THE CRIME WORLD

and a problem. These things are all, well, they’re all

do is to look at them through a dramatic eye. Most of these real world situations are complex and nuanced, often with no clear good or bad guy. You need to twist the situation. Make it more black and white. Thankfully,

THE RECORD

Those three essential parts are a Client, a Mark

need some inspiration, and the best possible option for that is the evening news. Bad things happening to

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Chapter Five provide guidelines, but they’re far from gospel. No, no,

THE PITCH

the media itself often helps with that—news networks like to zero in on “the human angle” every now and again. When a hedge fund goes bad, they don’t focus

sometimes the answer‘s some combo of sample answers and sometimes it’s another idea entirely. Look to the answers as inspiration, but don’t feel shackled by them.

on the guy whose net worth just dropped from $700 million to $500 million. No, they focus on a pension THE BRIEFING

plan for some teachers in a small town somewhere.

The Big Questions Once you’ve got an initial idea, the trick is filling in the rest of the Job. Now, if you’re lucky, your initial

THE CREW

inspiration has already given you all the ideas you need. If so, great. You’re ready to start planning the Job itself.

What Is the Problem?

But if you’re not so lucky as that, then there are a lot of

Most problems come back to the same basic

patterns among the problems, Marks, and Clients that

injustice—the Client‘s got a right to something; the

you can use to your advantage.

Mark’s taken it. The something might be their home,

THE JOB

We’ve broken these down into a few questions and

their health, their money, nearly anything else they

provided a number of answers for each one. Starting

value. Whatever the problem, there’s a direct line

from your seed idea, ask yourself these questions and

between it and the Mark.

build a Job out of the answers. The sample answers should THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

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Sharp eyes will notice that each of these questions has a list of sample answers that are fairly general. If you’re in a hurry looking for inspiration for your Job, just run through the questions and pick one answer for each question and see what that suggests to you.

The Fixer Contested

Ownership—The

Mark’s

claiming

and sometimes the Client has neither. Often, even if

him) has been hurt or killed by the Mark. It might be as

they win the case, the Clients end up losing everything

direct as a violent act or as abstract as a disease brought

important because it takes too long or they have to sell

on by the Mark’s illegal dumping practices.

everything they own to pay the lawyers.

Loss—The Client’s lost something valuable to the

No Legal Recourse—Sometimes the problem’s wrong, but not illegal. It may be that the Mark’s

Mark and wants it back. Crushed Underfoot—The Client was harmed by

exploiting a loophole in the law, or it might be that the

the side effects of the Mark’s action. When the Mark

Client signed an agreement without understanding

bribed the city inspector to condemn a city block, he

what it entailed.

wasn’t even thinking about the people he was forcing

Miscarriage of Justice—The courts don’t always

out—his priority was the mixed-use residential center

work, especially if someone has his thumb on the scales

his company was gonna put up.

of justice. The Client has already turned to legal options and failed. Their case may not have been strong enough,

Why Come to the Crew?

channels. While the courts may not be perfect, they do exist to protect people from the worst sort of exploitation. If the courts aren’t an option, then it’s usually for one of the following reasons:

Vulnerability—The Client may simply be afraid. The Mark may be a dangerous man, or the Client might be unwilling to put his loved ones through the problems that come of attracting the ire of the Mark. Notice that all the reasons why someone might come to the Crew involve the possibility that the Mark did

THE FIXER

the problem is why it can’t be resolved through legal

witnesses or falsified evidence.

THE JOB

but more likely, the Mark bribed or intimidated key

One important thing you need to decide about

something underhanded, like threaten witnesses or

The Mark and the Problem

this isn’t mandatory, unless you have some specific reason not to, the Mark should absolutely be up to those sorts of shenanigans, either directly or indirectly.

What’s the Mark’s Angle?



Very few people actually spend their time twirling



their mustaches and rubbing their hands in glee at the evil they’ve accomplished. Everyone’s the hero of his own story, and the Mark’s no different. To his eyes, everything

THE CRIME WORLD



THE TOOLBOX

intentionally use lawyers to bleed the Clients dry. While

he does is necessary, if not outright beneficial. It’s Just Business—This rationalization’s probably more common than any other. Maybe the Mark was a decent sort once, but he’s cut enough corners and made

THE RECORD

There’s usually a direct connection between the Mark and the problem (though not necessarily to the Client). If a company has done something bad, that doesn’t automatically make the CEO the Mark—in a large company, it’s quite possible that bad action can be legitimately hidden. In this sort of case, the Mark’s the person who made the actual decisions. The rest of the company might come down with him, but if the Mark’s unaware of the reason justice has come for him, then its impact is blunted.

THE BRIEFING

Harm Inflicted—The Client (or someone close to

THE CREW

Time and Resources—Trials take time and money,

lacks the resources to fight him off.

THE PITCH

ownership of something of the Client’s and the Client

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Chapter Five Connected—The Mark has friends in high places. While he himself may have some wealth or power, the THE PITCH

enough dark compromises along the way to think that

people he knows have much, much more. He plays

it’s the only way to do things, and anyone who thinks

golf with the judge who rules in his favor, or he’s got

otherwise is hopelessly naïve He may regret what

blackmail material on the scientist who’s proven his

he does—or more likely pretend to regret it—but he

product’s killing people. His problems tend to go away

wouldn’t change it.

with a single phone call.

THE BRIEFING THE CREW

I Deserve It—Entitlement’s a powerful motivation,

Powerful—The Mark’s a person of authority. This

and an especially poignant one in the context of the Job,

doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a national figure—the

since it’s only a little bit different than the Client, who

big fish in a small pond can be as hard to touch as any

also feels he deserves something. A Mark like this can

US Senator or judge because everything he cares about

seem especially reprehensible, but he also can cast a

(and the problems he causes) are within the domain

twisted reflection of the Crew and what they do.

where he exercises maximum control.

THE JOB

It’s For Their Own Good—Sometimes the Mark’s

Smart—Sometimes the Mark’s just a slippery weasel

burning the village to save the village. As is usually the

who stays one step ahead of his own problems. Maybe

case with such things, what’s really going on is that the

he’s a con man running a scam, maybe he’s just very,

Mark has a particular vision of how things should be,

very thorough about covering his tracks. Whatever the

and he has convinced himself that that vision’s so much

case, these are the ones to look out for.

better than all alternatives that the cost of pursuing it doesn’t matter. To Hell With Them—So, every now and again the Mark’s a genuinely bad guy, the kind who doesn’t flinch

THE FIXER

at hurting or even killing people. He might be a violent criminal or a shameless exploiter of the misfortunate. Such a Mark thinks that’s just the way the world works, and usually thinks he gets away with it because most

THE TOOLBOX

people aren’t “strong” or “clear-sighted” enough to do the same.

Why’s the Mark Untouchable?

THE CRIME WORLD

Every Mark has one thing in common: there’s some

Scary—It’s hard to pursue justice against someone who will respond with a handgun or a severe beating. If the Mark’s a dangerous person, that alone is enough to keep him safe from most retribution.

What’s the Mark’s Weakness? Everyone has flaws, and the Mark’s no different than the rest of us. In fact, by virtue of the kind of person he is, he’s probably a bit worse. In and of themselves, these character flaws aren’t a problem for the Mark—in fact, they probably help him do whatever it is that he does— but they provide useful points where one might be able to get a little, ah, leverage.

reason why his actions haven’t come back to bite him on

Arrogant—The Mark’s certain that he’s just that

his ass. If there is any justice in the world, the Mark has

much better than anyone he deals with. He appreciates

managed to avoid it…until now, that is.

the company of people who fit his criteria of what

Rich—The Mark’s most often protected from the consequences of his actions by a thick layer of wealth.

constitutes worthwhile, especially if they recognize his obvious genius or talent.

THE RECORD

Money can buy many things—some legal and some

Obsessed—Something’s important enough to the

not—and most often he can simply spend problems

Mark that he’s willing to make bad decisions to pursue

into submission.

it. He might be a collector, or be seeking revenge, but whatever the subject of his obsession, it clouds his

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The Fixer judgment. He’s not gonna be outright stupid in this Tyrannical—The Mark needs to be in charge.

profound enough that the Mark’s willing to go to great

Whether this means he’s an obsessive micromanager or

lengths in its service, and he might even be a true believer,

a bellowing drill sergeant, he must be in control. This

especially in cases where the Mark thinks his actions are

means he’s constantly suspicious of the loyalty of his

helping the person or group who has his loyalty.

Fearful—The Mark’s terrified of something, and

his identity’s forged, maybe he’s on the run, maybe his

what he does is in an effort to stave that off. Maybe he

whole business exists solely on paper. Something about

has a secret that can’t see the light of day, maybe he has

him is fake.

to character flaws: almost every Mark’s arrogant, misanthropic, or otherwise possessed of profound

what he’s done. This may mean the acclaim of his peers,

character flaws that result in him being the kind of

elevation into a different social group, or simply the

person that needs to be taken down. No, this is deeper

recognition of his family.

than that. Every Mark has a path to failure that he works

Loyal—The Mark’s loyal to someone or something who is probably unaware of what he’s up to. That loyalty’s

THE CREW

Needy—The Mark needs acknowledgement for

Every Mark has a weakness. This isn’t limited

to avoid. It’s the team’s job to put the Mark squarely on

THE JOB

of the matter.

that path.

THE FIXER

often the fear merely provides a route to the real heart

Where’s the Mark Vulnerable?

THE TOOLBOX

is the thing that could take down the Mark, but more

THE CRIME WORLD

old enemies, maybe he’s a fraud. It’s possible the fear

THE BRIEFING

Facade—The Mark’s not what he appears. Maybe

THE RECORD

people and the accuracy of his information.

THE PITCH

pursuit, but he’s likely to be a bit more sloppy than usual.

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Chapter Five

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB

Reputation—Public officials and celebrities need to be very careful of their reputations because a breakdown

big enough push. The Crew’s just the right tool to give that push.

THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX

of their public façade can destroy them utterly.

Criminal Activity—On paper, this is pretty clear-

Unfortunately, this can be hard to make stick—people

cut. The Mark’s doing something illegal, and bringing it

have a bad habit of bouncing back from scandal and

to light in the right way is enough to bring him down.

reinventing themselves. The good news is that people

Unfortunately, this tends to be much more complicated in

who depend on reputation to a bad end also tend to be

practice because, much to everyone’s surprise, criminals

ambitious, and there’s usually some next thing they are

are a sneaky and troublesome bunch. Even if the Mark’s

striving for (a nomination, a bigger audience, the chance

not a danger alone, his associates might well be.

THE CRIME WORLD

to direct) which they are sure to lose if unpleasant truths

House of Cards—If the Mark’s running a scam of

are revealed. This reveals the trick: reputation seems like

his own, odds are good he’s overextended (or can be

the biggest vulnerability because it’s so easy to just find

persuaded to become overextended). So long as he can

(or create) something bad and let it out into the wild,

keep all the balls in the air then everything’s good, but if

but that simply doesn’t work. Unless the reveal is clear,

someone were to knock that out of whack…

timely, and more than a little bit poetic, then it’s gonna vanish by the end of the next news cycle.

Timeline—The Mark’s sometimes on a timeline of his own. Maybe an investigation’s about to begin. He

THE RECORD

Superiors—Whether it’s a boss in a bigger office,

might be due to make a payout he can’t afford. There

shareholders, or a board of directors, most people are

could be a big vote coming. Whatever it is, the Mark

able to somebody, and that somebody has the

needs to have his ducks in a row for something coming

power to bring down the hammer if they’re given a

in the very near future. Enemies—The Mark has enemies who are waiting for an opportunity to strike.

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The Fixer

skilled

advisors,

or

even

determined enemies all can play an important part in the Job, for better or for worse. Those who the Mark might potentially change sides (flip), while those who don’t can complicate the situation. The Enforcer—If the Mark’s no great shakes with the violence and crime (or even if he is), the Enforcer’s a specialist in this domain. He might be a leg breaker or a bodyguard, but he represents a physical threat to anyone who crosses the Mark. The Guilty Conscience—An advisor or employee of the Mark, he’s uncomfortable with the things he’s seen. He’s not yet ready to turn against his boss, but with a bit of persuading or the appropriate opportunity, he might change sides. The Loose End—Someone knows more than he should. This person represents a threat to the Mark, though the loose end may be unaware of the importance of what he knows. Depending on how much of a threat he is, the Mark may be very interested in his fate. The Vizier—The flipside of the enforcer, this is the brains behind the operation. Serving as the Marks majordomo, he’s one smart cookie whose self-interest is strongly tied to the Mark’s. He’s unlikely to flip out of any moral consideration, but practical concerns (like protecting his own skin) may be persuasive enough. If he does flip, he can be a treasure trove of useful information. The Innocent—This is the person the Mark hides his nature from, usually a family member or a loved one. To the innocent, the Mark’s a loving, generous patron, and they’d be appalled if the truth ever came out. The innocent might have important information

entirely that just happens to intersect with the Mark and the Job. An old enemy looking for revenge, a thief looking to make a quick buck, or the guy sleeping with the Mark’s wife might all be good wildcards. Whatever

THE BRIEFING

bodyguards,

his goals, the wildcard has a bad habit of messing things up at just the wrong time. The Inspector—The Mark needs to impress or otherwise gain the approval of this guy. Maybe it’s the SEC investigator he’s hiding his paper trail from or

THE CREW

Trained

The Wildcard—This is someone with another agenda

the Hollywood agent reviewing his proposal for a new reality show. He’s got the Mark’s fate in his hands and, as a result, he makes an excellent center point for a Job. The classic con is to take the inspector out of play and

THE JOB

background color, but there are often a few exceptions.

practical benefit is highly situational.

take his place, but even if the inspector’s in play, he makes a great Foil. The Dupe—The Mark has completely pulled the wool over this guy’s eyes. He’s not a bad guy, but he may seem that way due to his of the Mark—it’s

THE FIXER

aren’t really worth noticing as anything other than

revealed. While this almost certainly hurts the Mark, its

even possible that this guy may be the original Mark, but in reality the Crew should be after someone else. The dupe’s sure to flip at some point, but there’s a good chance that event will do nothing more than add to the confusion. The Holdout—This is the last honest man in a

THE TOOLBOX

subordinates, ers, or sycophants. Most of those

the innocent might be hurt or appalled if the truth is

small town, or the lawyer fighting a desperate holding action against a legal team whose Italian suits are worth more than he sees in a month. He’s positioned himself firmly against the Mark, but he doesn’t have the means to take him down. If he’s enough of a gadfly, the Mark

THE CRIME WORLD

more true. Most Marks surround themselves with

might take some action against him, but mostly he’s just pounding his head against the wall. He might be an ally for the Crew if approached correctly, but this can be tricky because the same principles that allow him

THE RECORD

No man is an island, and for Marks that’s even

THE PITCH

Who Else Is In Play?

on the Mark without realizing it (and thus might share it without understanding its importance). Alternately,

89

Chapter Five probably known) but it makes it all the sweeter when the Mark goes down. But what if the Mark is (or was) a THE PITCH

to stand against the Mark may mean he’s unwilling to

friend? That can muddle things a great deal. Examples:

countenance the Crew’s methods. Alternately, he may

The Two Horse Job, The Two Live Crew Job.

be the means of taking down the Mark, if the right information can make it into his hands.

Playing Defense—One of the defining elements of the Job is that the Crew’s on offense. They make the plans, take action, and keep the Mark off balance and

THE BRIEFING

ing Cast and the Client

THE CREW

Sometimes one of these characters turns out to be the Client, or more aptly, the Client may turn out to be one of these characters. As an example, in The Homecoming Job, the Client turns out to be the loose end.

on the defensive. But every now and again the situation demands that the Crew act now, without the benefit of planning or preparation. Often this sort of complication occurs in the middle of a Job, but sometimes it’s the whole of the Job, either as a result of the Crew stepping into a bad situation or because they’re operating under a time constraint. Example: The Bottle Job. Press a Button—Even if the Crew’s not personally involved in a situation, it’s possible that it speaks to them

Changing It Up THE JOB

In most situations, the framework of the Job is roughly the same: the Client lays out his problem to the Crew, the Crew looks into the Mark, plans a Job, and resolves the problem. The Job itself will be sufficiently

THE FIXER

full of twists and challenges to keep the Crew plenty busy, so it’s a good formula, but every now and again, something messes up that comfortable familiarity and puts a spin on things. As the Fixer, you’re not obliged to mix things up like this, but once you feel like you’ve

THE TOOLBOX

really gotten the hang of coming up with Jobs, you may find that these curveballs make the planning process go more smoothly. A few solid tricks you can bring to bear:

THE CRIME WORLD

It’s Personal—A member of the Crew may know the Client or the Mark. If he knows the Client, he might push the Crew to make riskier decisions than normal because it’s important to him. Alternately, if the Crewmember dislikes the Client, he may find

THE RECORD

himself in the position of doing the Job for someone he despises. If the Crewmember knows the Mark it can be good or bad. If they’re old enemies, it makes things more complicated (because the Crewmember’s face is

in a personal way. When a Job pushes their buttons, it can raise the stakes, but it can also lead to bad decisions. Example: The Stork Job. Missing Piece—One of the pieces of the Job is missing or wrong. Usually the Crew has a pretty complete picture of the situation when they make their plan, but that’s not guaranteed. Sometimes, the Client’s not who he appears to be. Sometimes the apparent Mark’s not the real source of the problem. Example: The Inside Job. Interested Party—A third party, like the FBI or a criminal organization, has an interest in the Mark or the Client, and makes that interest known. Examples: The Wedding Job, The Maltese Falcon Job.

Settling on the Endgame Once you have a firm idea of the Client, Mark, and problem, then you’ve laid a foundation to build the Job around. Perhaps counter-intuitively, the next step to consider is the endgame. The expectation is that you can fill in the intervening space once you know where it’s going. As an architectural metaphor, building the foundation, then the roof, and then the house may seem a little unsound. As a means of creating a caper, it’s rock-solid.

90

complicated to arrange, but it’s better to plan for this now than scramble to figure it out at the end of the Job.

THE PITCH

The Fixer

Next, figure out how people figure into the plan. This is an important but sometimes non-obvious step to the process. The Crew (or at least some of them) are gonna have to insert themselves into the Mark’s world, and

THE BRIEFING

Create Openings

they’ll need some sort of opening to do this. It’s easiest in to fill (as in The Wedding Job) but it’s possible that the Crew might be able to create a need (as in The Miracle

THE CREW

if the Mark has a concrete need that the Crew can step

Job). Whatever the case, you need to think about this now because the caper’s not likely to work without some

Mark’s weakness to get an in, and then exposes his Achilles’ Heel. If he’s arrogant but has superiors, they convince him that he can usurp his bosses, then leave him out to dry. If he’s obsessed but sitting on a house of cards, they tempt him with the thing he wants, get him to overextend himself, then let it all fall down. The exact details are gonna be fuzzy, but the general shape of the Mark’s downfall should be pretty clear in your mind. Once you can see that, you can start filling in those details to make it a possibility.

The Fix First, look at the problem and make sure that the Mark’s fall actually fixes it. If the Mark’s taken a direct

want to hand that to them on a silver platter. Instead, you want to make sure the opportunity’s there for them to pursue. One good trick for this is to think about what the Mark does to establish the trustworthiness of the people he deals with, usually in the form of some manner

THE FIXER

and vulnerability—the Crew takes advantage of the

trust with him is the Crew’s responsibility, and you don’t

of test, either of identity or commitment. He might ask a leading question or make a factual misstatement to test the Crewmember, or he might do something as drastic as handing him a gun and demanding that he use it. This test’s an intricate dance, because the Mark feels like he’s establishing dominance here, but in reality the Crewmember’s pulling the wool over his eyes. This exchange is less important for the specifics of the test than it is for establishing the rapport between the Crewmember and the Mark.

THE TOOLBOX

endgame that’s been suggested by the Mark’s weakness

Obviously, getting close to the Mark and establishing

THE CRIME WORLD

Odds are good that you already have a sense of the

THE JOB

access to the Mark.

much automatically, but sometimes the Mark’s far enough removed that his fall won’t directly impact the Client. In that case, plan ahead a bit—think of insurance

THE RECORD

hand in the problem then this should happen pretty

payouts or funds in escrow that might come loose when the Mark falls. It probably won’t require anything very

91

Chapter Five be surprised what happens if you give them the benefit of the doubt. If you’re not entirely sure, then prepare THE PITCH

The Point of Leverage To this point, we’ve got a general idea of the Mark’s weakness and problems, but you now need to figure out the exact form they take. This is typically a thing or an

THE BRIEFING

opportunity. A thing (sometimes called a MacGuffin) is easier to plan for and makes a good crutch for a new Fixer, but it’s easy to depend on too much, so be careful not to overuse this approach. The thing may be something concrete (like a flash drive, a file, or a pile of dirty money) or

THE CREW

abstract but discrete (like a or the location of a toxic waste dump), but whatever form it takes, it represents the endgame of the Job. If the MacGuffin’s acquired and put in the right hands, then that’s enough to bring down the Mark.

THE JOB

An opportunity’s a little bit trickier to pull off and depends a lot more heavily on the creativity of the Crew. While the Crew just needs to identify a thing and come up with a plan to acquire it, opportunities require a little

THE FIXER

reading of the tealeaves. This is the classic con—the Crew needs to convince the Mark that something’s true that requires him to take action, and that action leads to his downfall. The Nigerian Job is a great example of

the Crew seems like they’ll come up with a working plan, then just leave it in your back pocket. If they find themselves frustrated, pull it out as something they can discover as part of their work.

Build the Stage The biggest and most open-ended question you need to ask is where’s this Job taking place. The good news? There are usually only a handful of important locations for any Job. If there’s enough time for events to wander all over the map then something has gone very wrong. The Crew should be working hard to control the tempo of events—giving the Mark less time to stop and think about things—and that tends to mean that things are fairly limited in of time and space. Figure out a few important locations like the Mark’s base of operations and perhaps a location tied to the problem, then sketch them up. You don’t need more than a few notes about each location, just enough to be able to use them when they come up in play. For more ideas about what you can do with locations, check out “Places” in Chapter Six: The Toolbox on page 127.

THE TOOLBOX

this—by convincing Dubenich that he’s been conned by the “fake” Nigerians, the Leverage Crew gets Dubenich to do exactly what they need him to do—call the FBI in to investigate the situation. Because they know that’s the endgame, they know what sort of preparations to

THE CRIME WORLD

make, like turning the Nigerian’s bribe into cash, hiding it, and using the cover of the raid to get the hard drive they need. While it’s more complicated to pull off, an opportunity tends to be a great deal more rewarding for everyone involved.

THE RECORD

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a possible thing, but don’t introduce it immediately. If

So which way should you go? The real metric for this is the Crew. If they’re hesitant and not yet comfortable making the kind of audacious plans that an opportunity requires, then you fall back to a thing, but you might

One thing that may make your life a little bit easier is to build a library of “stock” locations for when you need, say, a bank or post office in a pinch. The trick for doing this is simple: keep your eyes open when you’re running errands, and when you find yourself in a place, take a moment to think about how you’d use it in a game. Look around your bank, take a picture of it in your mind, and the next time you need a bank for your game, use that one. Having that clear image in your mind makes running the scene much easier.

how he can be taken down. You know how players are gonna be able to work themselves into the situation and where they’re gonna be able to apply leverage to change the situation. You have a roap for the success of the Job, and that’s fantastic. Now comes time to think about where things can go off the rails. What unexpected twists could come up over the course of the Job to throw things into disarray and force the players to improvise madly? To answer this, first consider that the plan should always be a good one. If the plan’s profoundly flawed, that should be sorted out during the briefing. Once things start rolling, the plan should work. But that doesn’t mean it will work. This might seem a bit counterintuitive, so step back for a second and consider it from this perspective. The plan’s good enough and the Crew are skilled enough that everything should unfold by the numbers. When

being useful. If this happens while the plan’s in action, that can get pretty messy. That’s good and bad—on one hand it means the players are gonna have to think fast and play hard to adapt, but on the other hand it

THE FIXER

know the Mark’s strengths and weaknesses, you know

When the situation changes, the plan may stop

can upset players who will either beat themselves up for not seeing it coming or beat you up for cheating them with a bait and switch. Both of these are bad outcomes, so make sure that the reveal or twist’s one that the players find satisfying,

THE TOOLBOX

your players can construct the basics of a plan. You

the situation has changed.

even if the Crew might hate it. That means you either need to drop hints in advance (little inconsistencies go a long way towards this) or the twist needs to be so big and so blatant that the players can’t possibly kick themselves for not seeing it coming. Consider

THE CRIME WORLD

At this point you should have enough in place that

plan is bad or because the Crew’s inept, but because

The Bank Job—the bank robbery complicates the Job a great deal but it’s not like the Crew made a mistake in not planning for the possibility that someone would try to rob the bank while they were there. It was unreasonably unlikely to occur—no one thinks Nate’s

THE RECORD

What Can Go Wrong?

THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Fixer

something goes wrong, it should not be because the

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Chapter Five The Briefing less smart for having failed to consider it. Your players THE PITCH

will feel the same way.

it’s gonna be time to communicate this to your players.

THE BRIEFING

However, that kind of event depends on coincidence

In many games, you would be sharing only a fraction

to pull off well. If you plan it well, it ties into events so

of the information you’ve put together with the players,

that it makes sense in retrospect that it happened just

expecting them to investigate and gather the rest on

then, but you can only have so many coincidences

their own, but we’re gonna abbreviate that process in

before they start to stretch credulity. Thankfully, there

the interest of getting to the good parts.

are other tricks to pull. One’s to pull the twist on the Mark. If things go wrong and the situation changes, but it doesn’t directly impact the Crew, players will be much more forgiving,

THE CREW

especially since that kind of twist might require a response, but it doesn’t put them on the defensive the way a problem with the plan might. Even better? Twist that success. Plan goes off exactly as it should, everyone gets to rock out in their particular

THE JOB

role, but the outcome of the success isn’t what was expected. The safe with the old lady’s deed also contains a human head in ice. The Mark crumples like tissue paper but reveals someone’s been pulling his strings. Whatever

THE FIXER

it is, it demands some new course of action. But after you’ve put all that thought into this, take a moment, step back, and think of how you want to use these twists. Sometimes you’ll want to base a Job on a twist—give the Crew a Job that they can pull off easily,

THE TOOLBOX

but then reveal a big twist to throw them into a new mess. More often you just want to keep these options on hand in case you need them. A lot of unexpected events are gonna happen over the course of any given game,

THE CRIME WORLD

and if you go in expecting to be able to use all the twists you’ve planned then you’re likely to be disappointed (or you’re gonna be jamming a square peg in a round hole). Hang onto the ideas and wait for the opportunity to use them. Your players (or their bad dice luck) will give you

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Once you’ve got all this settled into your own mind,

opportunities and they’ll feel much more natural than if you’d tried to shoehorn them in.

Structurally, the briefing phase of a game’s composed of three parts: the pitch, the presentation, and the plan.

The Pitch The pitch is the hook into the Job for the team and often takes the form of an interview with the Client who tells his story and asks for help. This should be a short scene, and it may not involve the whole group. The novelty can wear off these interviews very quickly—you can only play so many people with sad stories before they start running together—and they stay fresh only as long as your players enjoy them. These are excellent opportunities for characters to play around, but don’t force it.

The Fixer If the Client’s going to take an active role in the Job,

line of “This is our Client, and this is what happened

lot more fun. It requires that you write up your notes

to him” but only do that when the Mark’s enough of a

for the presentation beforehand and give them to

jerk to make his fall satisfying in its own right, since

the Mastermind (or whichever Crewmember will be

removing the Client from the picture also removes their

giving the presentation). Let them review it and then

gratitude at the end, or at least renders it kind of hollow.

communicate it to the rest of the Crew. This can be a

The pitch isn’t always an interview. Sometimes events

fun scene to play out, especially because it introduces

draw the Crew in more directly, like the car crash at the

the opportunity for some hidden information. Since

outset of The Beantown Job or an old friend walking into

you’ve done up the presentation in advance, you can

the bar in The Zanzibar Marketplace Job. These scenes

include some information the Mastermind might

are a lot of fun to play, but you do need to make sure

know that he might not choose to share in the briefing.

that they hook in the Crew. When the old friend makes

You can even provide packets for other Crew

a proposition, it needs to be a compelling one, otherwise

if it’s appropriate for the Job.

habit, it’s not always gonna happen. Still, can’t hurt to try.

This is the point at which you give the players the

A direct briefing’s from you to the players. Before you begin, you’ll want to consider if there’s any information you don’t want to give them. Obviously, you won’t reveal the potential twists (though you may hint at them) but beyond that you’ll want to have a good reason to withhold any information. Most often, you may be inclined to withhold the Mark’s flaw or the potential points of leverage, and that’s fine, but only if you give the players a clear course of action for finding those things. Consider, for example, The Homecoming Job; at the outset, the Crew doesn’t know what the situation is,

Dialing Up the Presentation to Eleven If you (or the Mastermind) are feeling very ambitious, there’s no reason you can’t turn the presentation into a full multimedia presentation using slideshow software like PowerPoint and (properly licensed) photographs from the Internet. Hook a computer up to a TV, maybe get one of those clicker things. As long as you’re putting the work into making this an interesting Job, consider going a step further and jazzing up the presentation, too.

but a round of party-crashing and breaking and entering later and they have most of what they need to know. The direct briefing can be a little bit on the dry side since it’s a pure infodump, and you can’t even really jazz it up with roleplaying because the Fixer isn’t really in the game delivering this information to the characters.

The contested presentation’s mostly useful for

THE FIXER

ways you can do this—direct, handoff, or contested.

THE TOOLBOX

information they need for the Job. There are three main

THE JOB

in advance of the game, and as much as that’s a good

THE CRIME WORLD

The Presentation

The downside is that this requires some preparation

nights when you intend to improvise wildly. It’s an excellent stunt, but it can turn a rough idea into a caper in very short order. Run through the list of Big Questions from page 84 in this chapter and write each

THE RECORD

there’s no need to say yes.

THE BRIEFING

The handoff takes a little more work, but it also is a

THE CREW

always fold the pitch into the presentation with a single

THE PITCH

this interview’s a good idea, but otherwise you can

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Chapter Five When you get a question, don’t be stingy with the one on the back of an index card, with the answer on THE PITCH

the opposite side. Separate out the questions about the Client and reveal them to the players. Mix the rest of them together into a pile, and then ask them what the Crew’s doing to look into this. For each description of

THE BRIEFING

an action, let that player roll appropriate dice against your 2d8. If they succeed, reveal the top card to the players. If they generate a Complication, remove a card at random from the stack. If they fail, remove any card you choose from the pile. At the end there should be a pile of cards revealed

THE CREW

to the players and a smaller number of cards in your hand that the players haven’t seen. Look them over and think about why they’re obscure—these are the potential twists in your game, and the fact that the Crew’s uncertain about them is an open door to trouble.

THE JOB

You may then complete the briefing by telling the Crew the answers on your cards, or rather, telling them some of the answers. For at least half the cards, you should make something up (this is why you tell your players,

THE FIXER

but don’t show them the cards). Over the course of the Job, you can flip your cards over at dramatic moments to reveal that the Crew’s on track, or to reveal a twist. This isn’t a trivial exercise. It demands that you be

THE TOOLBOX

willing to improvise hard and really take advantage of player-generated Complications to generate the plot, but if you’re comfortable enough to try it (and have a group of players you trust) it can be pretty thrilling.

THE CRIME WORLD

Planning Once the players have all the information they need, they’ll need some time to come up with a plan. Every group handles this differently—sometimes a single creative player takes up the leadership role in

THE RECORD

the discussion, sometimes the group’s comfortably collaborative, sometimes it’s outright contentious. At this point, your job’s to stand back and let them hash it out, and be on hand to answer questions.

answer, even if it’s something open-ended like “If we do this, how will they respond?” that this Crew’s full of exceptionally skilled folks who are damned good at what they do—don’t wait for the player to think to ask just the right question to give them useful information. Be helpful and factual—, the plan should be successful (if nothing else goes wrong) so you really want the Crew to come up with a good plan. Plus, every question you answer now makes your life easier later; when the topic comes up later, you’ll already know how to handle it. You may be tempted to offer advice or direction, but stifle that instinct. Your players are going to have a lot of ideas, data, and course corrections, and they don’t need to feel like someone has to hold their hands. Stick to facts in your responses and everyone will be happier. That said, you absolutely want to look for red flags that the plan’s gonna go down a bad path. If the players are making a bad assumption or have built their action on faulty logic, you should question the underlying point as best you can—but before you do, consider this: what if they’re right? Before you squash a plan, consider that it’s making enough sense to engage the players, so maybe it has more merit than might be immediately apparent. Check your assumptions, and see if maybe they can be stretched to treat the player’s plan as a reasonable one. If it’s utterly impossible, then fine, ask them a pointed question or two. But more likely, you’ll find that your player’s creativity and assumptions are making the Job more interesting than you originally conceived it. Tap that resource! Half the point of having the players plan in front of you is so you can steal their good ideas. There’s no hard and fast rule for how long’s “too long” for a planning session, but if you see signs that boredom’s setting in (watch everyone, not just the players who are excitedly talking about the plan) then give a warning that in a few minutes you’re gonna start with whatever plan exists at that time, done or not. Stick to your guns and, if necessary, remind your players that a good plan now’s better than a great plan sometime after you’ve all gone to bed.

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THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Fixer

Everything’s in place. You’ve got the Job and the twists

of action isn’t immediately clear, the first plan’s usually

firmly in mind and the Crew has a plan in mind—it’s

to get enough information to proceed with the rest of

time to get on the clock. This may be the most important

the Job. At various points in the Job, the Crew may

moment in the Job, and what you do at this point makes

find themselves back at the drawing board, needing a

all the difference between a Job that starts out full of

new plan.

energy and one that sort of lumbers into action. To really

the initial plan, and should be addressable in a very short scene. To do that, you have a responsibility to make sure that whatever information the players acquire points them in a clear direction. The trick behind this is pretty simple: it doesn’t matter much how obscure the answer to something is so long as the question’s clear. As long as the Crew knows what question they should be asking, it’s easy to take action in pursuit of an answer. If the question’s muddled, the answer will be as well.

do this right, this one trick:

Skip Right to the First Cool Thing The plan may call for some elaborate preparation, and there may be some temptation to go into the details of that, or to call for some dice rolls for the fiddly bits of it. Resist that temptation. Nobody cares where Eliot got

THE CRIME WORLD

These secondary plans should not be as involved as

THE TOOLBOX

When you’re running a Job where the players’ course

THE FIXER

Getting On to the Action

his cooking ingredients for The Wedding Job, or how the Crew manages to blend in with the wait staff at secure events. Unless there’s some mitigating circumstances, playing out any kind of scene for that sort of activity’s

THE RECORD

The Presentation/Planning Cycle

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Chapter Five

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB

gonna be dull. Just assume the Crew succeeds at the dull

careful, it could certainly turn out that way. Thankfully,

stuff, and start the next scene where the first interesting

you have a few tricks to keep up your sleeve.

thing in the plan happens. Just like we’ll do now. THE FIXER

The Job In Action When you run a Job, the most important thing you

THE TOOLBOX

need to is that the plan should work. Not that it will work, just that it should work. This may seem incredibly generous, but like many things, there’s a trick to it. If the plan is unreliable, then you need to prepare for everything that might go wrong, but if the plan is

THE CRIME WORLD

reliable, then you know where the break points are, and you can plan for them. Rather than letting things bog down at random and uninteresting points, you make sure that when things go wrong, they go wrong very well indeed.

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With that in mind, the real balancing act is to keep things from being too easy for the Crew. If at first glance it seems like the plan should be as good as all that, then the characters are due for a cakewalk, and if you’re not

First, the advice for starting the Job continues to hold true for the rest of the game as well—always be willing to skip the boring stuff. The Crew are competent and skilled, and there’s no need to make every step of the Job into something that needs the dice to come out. Give the players the leeway to describe what their Crew are doing, and wait for opportunities to step in. You’ll know when to step in because it’s the moment that your mind flashes to interesting things that could happen if this goes wrong. This is trickier than it sounds, because you’re not waiting for reasons it could go wrong, or how it could go wrong, you’re looking for ideas of what happens when it goes wrong. The simple truth is this—it’s very easy to come up with explanations for failure or potential problems, but those just aren’t useful if they’re dead ends in play. In short, the best time to roll the dice is when you have a really good idea of what you would do if the player rolls a fistful of ones.

The Fixer

being tried didn’t work and that the Crew needs to try something else. Think about the show, and it’s easy to see what I mean. When something doesn’t work, it’s time to go to plan B (or C, or D, or H if necessary), not the end of everything. If your players enjoy the challenge of thinking on their feet, a failure is a great opportunity to really turn things up a notch, especially if the failure might raise the stakes or just generally make things harder for the Crew. Failure is not a punishment for bad luck; it’s just a different direction for the game to go. that you want failure to be just as interesting and fun to your players as any other direction you would take the game. Failure might frustrate the Crew, but it should never frustrate your players.

Spread the Focus Depending on the plan, you can end up in a situation where one Crewmember (often the Grifter or Thief) is carrying the lion’s share of the burden of the Job. That might be okay from time to time, if you’ve decided to give that Crewmember a bit of time in the spotlight, but otherwise it’s a problem. It’s fun to be doing stuff, so it’s important to make sure everyone in the Crew has something to do. If you think in of the TV show, the camera doesn’t stay on any one Crewmember too long—they do their thing, and it moves onto someone else. As you run the Job, you should be doing the same thing. Every time a Crewmember finishes something, think to

they are in a better position to spot and deal with new problems as they emerge.

Timed Actions and Spreading the Focus Timed Actions (see page 75 of Chapter Four: The Job) are particularly tricky because they can either make a situation more difficult (you get three chances

THE BRIEFING

screwed the proverbial pooch; it means that whatever’s

of a backup role (like the Hitter or the Hacker) because

THE CREW

the whole Job is ruined, or that the Crewmember has

for bringing in of the Crew who are in more

to fail!) or easier (you get three chances to succeed!) but both of those are actually really bad reasons to use a Timed Action. If you want to make something easier or harder, just adjust the dice you use. What the Timed

THE JOB

tight rein on what failure means. It does not mean that

for the next Crewmember. This works especially well

Action should really be used for is to tie in the actions of the rest of the Crew. This is the archetypal scene where part of the team is breaking and entering and part are at a party. The B&E team encounters a problem (like a voice lock or missing key) that directs the party team

THE FIXER

that it can disrupt the whole plan, so you need to keep a

from the scene you just finished to introduce a problem

to take action. ing this ball back and forth (and engaging the whole Crew) is exactly what you’ll want to accomplish with a Timed Action.

The Working Plan So what does a working plan actually look like? It’s pretty simple: start from the thing the Crew needs to do to resolve the problem, like “reveal the Mark’s insider trading” or “find the missing will” and ask “Why can’t they just do that?” The answer is something like “Because they have no proof ” or “Because it’s in the

THE TOOLBOX

happens. When the Crew fails at something, there’s a risk

One great trick for this is to use any complications

THE CRIME WORLD

Complications are, but that doesn’t mean it never

locked room.” That’s fine. Now ask why they can’t just overcome that. Repeat this a few times and you’ll see that there are really only a few problems to overcome to reach the desired outcome.

THE RECORD

Failure is a lot less common in Leverage than

THE PITCH

Handling Failure

yourself “Who haven’t we heard from in a while?” and turn to that player.

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Chapter Five they run an excellent Job and get the information they need from the Mark. But in a twist, it’s revealed the Client THE PITCH

With that roap in mind, think of a few scenes to let the Crew accomplish these tasks, spread out

is also the loose end, and the Crew needs to go deal with that before getting back onto the Job.

THE BRIEFING

among the whole Crew. If everything goes well, it might

The twist need not always be a reveal—sometimes

all be resolved in a dozen scenes or less, and if you’re

the situation actually changes. It’s unlikely it’ll change as

looking for a speedy evening of play, then that might

drastically as, say, The Bank Job (unless you planned that

be all that’s necessary. The Crew identifies the problem,

from the get go, you sneaky bastard), but new elements

comes up with a plan, executes the plan, deals with any

may appear or existing ones may change.

complications that come up along the way, and resolves the matter. Nice. Tidy. Efficient. It’s a shame it never goes that way.

THE CREW

The Twist: The Plot Thickens The twist is the moment the whole situation changes. Assumptions are undercut, the goalposts are moved, and it’s time for a whole new plan. You probably gave some

THE JOB

thought to potential twists when you were planning this Job, but sometimes the Job itself can surprise you. An odd run of luck, a surprising player choice or even a sudden inspiration can all provide fodder for a twist.

THE FIXER

Twists may occur in the middle of a Job, or they may occur at the end when the plan seems to have succeeded. Whenever the twist happens, it throws the plan into disarray. Bits and pieces might be salvageable,

Dangerous Twists Okay, so there are a few classic twists you might be tempted to take advantage of in your game that tend to create big problems later. Some of them are so problematic you never want to use them—they might be great in a movie or TV show but don’t translate well to the tabletop for one reason or another. Others might be usable once, but you don’t want to keep using them. Most successful twists hinge on two important principles: don’t make the players feel stupid, and don’t demand they do boring things to be able to play. Here we discuss some twists that can be problematic and mention some variants that might work better. Betrayed by the Client—this classic, from the very first episode of Leverage, is the perfect example of

THE TOOLBOX

but a new plan is needed, and it’s gotta be fast.

something that works exactly once. After it’s happened,

What Makes a Twist?

again, and if you introduce the possibility, then you can

To see where you can introduce a twist, look over the elements of the caper. Were there any pieces that

THE CRIME WORLD

you kept hidden from the players? If so, then you’re already prepared to unleash a twist by revealing that key piece of information at just the right moment. If you introduce it in the middle of the Job, it might disrupt the Job entirely, but more likely it introduces a speed

THE RECORD

bump, some new set of problems that the Crew needs to overcome to move forward on the larger Job. The Homecoming Job is a great example of this. The Crew starts out simply looking for evidence of malfeasance;

of course the Crew is careful to keep it from happening expect every game to begin with twenty minutes wasted on the numerous thorough ways the Crew investigates the Client’s background and the preparations they make in anticipation of this betrayal. This runs counter to the slick, fast-paced action we expect. Don’t let it happen to you; and if you do, you might need to resort to some sort of out-of-game assurance that you won’t pull it again. Instead: The Client is Not What He Appears To Be. The Client may have secrets or a hidden agenda, and if so, part of the caper (probably a twist) will be the group finding this out before they get played for suckers. It Was a Trap—The Client may not have been in on it, but the whole situation was contrived to draw the

100

if you think betrayal by a Client is going to result in

he needs to do. It can be painful, but doesn’t jerk the

meticulously boring preparation, you ain’t seen nothing

player around.

yet. Instead: Consider either The Hunter Hunted, where

It Was SO OBVIOUS—This one gets rolled out in

the Crew spots the trap and needs to turn the tables on

conjunction with some other twist. You drop hints and

it, or The Opportunistic Bad Guy, where the bad guy is

foreshadow everything in expectation that your players

taking advantage of the situation, but didn’t arrange it all.

will catch on and make preparations, but they don’t, and

Old Friend Gone Bad—Bringing in characters that

they’re utterly blindsided by something that, to them,

are tied to Crew is fun. It fleshes them out, gives

comes out of left field. There’s a temptation to blame

them interesting things to do and talk about. There’s just

your players for missing it and let them hang, but the

something richer and more interesting when the person

fault here is yours. There’s never a guarantee that what

asking for help or being approached for a favor is

you think is obvious will be obvious to the players. If

something other than a complete stranger. Players open

there’s that big a blindside coming, you need to give

up to that, and there’s a temptation to take advantage of

better warning. Instead: Actually make it obvious. By,

that trust to betray the Crewmember because it has such

y’know, telling people.

impact. And you’re right, it will have a lot of impact, but

En ant—This is related to some of the other

it can also poison the well and make characters gun shy

dangerous twists, and it serves as something of a catch

about playing with any other old friends. That doesn’t

all for bad situations, specifically any situations where it

mean this is something you should never do, but you

turns out that the Crew are merely unwitting

need to exercise extreme caution when you pull it out.

pawns in a bigger game. This is the quintessential “Make

(A similar limitation is in place on killing old friends for

the players feel stupid and the Crew feel inept”

THE FIXER

the Crewmember without malice, but because it’s what

THE TOOLBOX

works a lot better on TV than it does at the game table;

THE CRIME WORLD

a friend ends up choosing to distance himself from

THE RECORD

Crew into an enemy’s clever trap (mwahaha!). This one

THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Fixer

dramatic effect). Instead: Try The Right Choice, where

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Chapter Five What does that mean? All right, so your game has a certain window you need to play in. Maybe you’re THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW

situation, and it can have poisonous repercussions for

squeezed for time and have only an hour or two.

subsequent play. Like betrayal, you might be able to get

Maybe you have all day and are ready for an eight-hour

away with it once, early on, but never twice. Instead:

marathon session. Maybe it’s something in between.

There are a couple options. First, you can make them

Whatever the case, that timeline has a profound impact

knowing pawns. While they might not be tricked into

on your game. Combined with how quickly or well your

doing something, they might be coerced or blackmailed.

players handle the challenges you throw at them, it’s a

Alternately, while it’s inadvisable to have someone

real challenge to try to make sure your plan for the game

manipulate the Crew from the shadows without giving

fits neatly in the time available. Sure, there are tricks you

them a shot at getting at the manipulator, it’s not

can pull—hurrying your players up or stretching things

unreasonable for someone to merely take advantage

out with unnecessary die rolls—but they tend to detract

of the situation. Sterling is a great example of this: he’s

from the fun of play.

opportunistic, and many Jobs end up working out in

Twists let you look at how the game is going, how

his favor because of that, but there’s no sense that he

much time you have left, and decide if things need to go

planned that all along. Or at least no evidence of it.

a little bit further. They let you be as aggressive as you

THE JOB

Why Twist?

need to be with the pacing of the game to keep players engaged without fear of wrapping up an hour early.

Whatever form the twist takes, it’s important

It’s important that you this, because one

to what the twist really is: it’s a pacing

critical but non-intuitive point rests on this: not every

mechanism.

twist you plan needs to happen. It’s very easy to build

THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

102

The Fixer a story in your mind of how things should go and get

it. If that happens, then you’ll know what questions you need to answer. Second, well, you can just go ahead and shoehorn it in. But if you do, just make it quick, okay?

Clear Direction When you introduce the twist, you’re putting the players at a disadvantage. For the initial situation, they had fairly complete information and the time to put together a plan. With the twist, everything’s up in the air. The Crew and players are in the dark, and they need to think fast. Because of this, when you introduce the twist, you need to take steps to make sure your players know what to do next. By the time you introduce the twist, the game should be rocking along at a good clip, and the last thing you want is for it all to grind to a halt as your players look at each other and ask, “Well, what do we do now?”

Tangential Twists The first and easiest way to do this is to introduce a twist that doesn’t actually change the end goal. Consider the arrival of the Russians in The Wedding Job—that’s an unpleasant twist that introduces numerous new problems, but it doesn’t change the objective of the mission. It does raise the question of whether or not to walk away, but that’s just indicative of how high the stakes are, not a point of confusion.

The Homecoming Job, one twist includes the reveal that there are guys en route to kill the Client. It’s safe to say that offers some pretty clear direction: save the Client!

THE BRIEFING

plot hole, they’ll notice, and they’ll poke at the edges of

usually includes the new problem as part of the twist. In

If possible, the twist should be the problem and demand a solution. THE CREW

two options. First, listen to your players—if there’s a

but still manageable. The good news is that the twist

The Knowledge Twist When the barrier to solving the problem is information, this whole pattern changes subtly. If the Crew doesn’t know how to solve the problem, then they need to find a solution first. This guarantees that the Job’s going to have at least one twist, but it won’t come

THE JOB

plot if you don’t use a particular twist, then you have

Job, then that makes things a little more complicated,

as a surprise.

Informational Twists Still, you can’t always make the twist the problem— it’s necessary to mix it up a little to keep things

THE FIXER

If, despite all this, you’re worried about a hole in the

If the twist genuinely changes the direction of the

interesting and surprising. A guy coming through the door with a gun is a great way to jumpstart things, but if a guy comes through the door with a gun every time things slow down, it becomes something of a joke. With that in mind, the twist should sometimes complicate

THE TOOLBOX

ideas you have that don’t see the light of day.

Problematic Twists

the situation in a way that requires reconsideration. Thankfully, as with a problematic twist, the solution here is baked right in. A twist that complicates things should usually take the form of new information. That is to say, the Crew should come out of the twist better

THE CRIME WORLD

can’t see into your head, and they won’t miss whatever

informed than they went in. If the Crew didn’t have all the information they needed, an informational twist is actually the desired outcome; they should now have the information

THE RECORD

things to “make sense.” that your players

THE PITCH

attached to that, or to feel it’s somehow necessary for

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Chapter Five good. You can work with that. The trick here is that you don’t want investigation to become the focus of play, but THE PITCH

they need to get onto the next step. But if this new

you also don’t want to just hand the information over

information is disruptive, that’s a whole other matter.

to the Crew. To strike a balance with this, you need to

THE BRIEFING

The new information usually reflects on the elements

jump right to the point where the investigation becomes

that went into constructing the Job. The Mark may have

fruitful. If they need to check a dozen addresses, they’re

an unexpected asset. The nebbish clerk may actually be

knocking on the right door. If they need to talk to twenty

a skilled assassin. Whatever it is, it calls into question

people, jump to the one who’s telling them something

the plan that was based on the previous information.

useful. There’s a great example of this in The Wedding

This may be enough to disrupt the plan entirely, or it

Job when the group begins surveillance—the FBI van is

may be something the Crew thinks it can muscle past.

one of the first things they see, not something they have

Those are the kinds of decisions a Crew should be

to spend time searching for.

THE CREW

making under pressure, so that’s a good thing. It’s possible this information won’t actually change what the Crew needs to do, but instead changes the why or the how. If the twist reveals the Client has been lying because what he really needs to do is save his daughter’s

THE JOB

life, the stakes have just changed. If the twist reveals the MacGuffin has been moved, that doesn’t change the goal; but it definitely changes how to go about getting it. Note that in both cases the direction is still pretty clear—keep doing the Job—but the surrounding details

THE FIXER

have changed.

Back to Square One Whatever your intentions, the twist will occasionally THE TOOLBOX

force the Crew to regroup and reconsider their plan. This is especially likely if you have an early twist or a big informational twist (or both), so be ready for it. You don’t want this to take the same kind of time and effort

THE CRIME WORLD

that the original briefing did, and hopefully that won’t be a problem. After all, the next step’s crystal clear, right? Or maybe not. Sometimes what seems incredibly clear to you is going to be complicated to your players because of a difference in perspective. Try not to get frustrated or hold it against them; it’s perfectly normal,

THE RECORD

and it’s not hard to get them out of the brambles. When your players don’t know what to do next, odds are good they’ll want to investigate something. That’s

New Twists So after you’ve introduced your first twist, should you introduce another? There’s no hard and fast answer for that, and you’re going to have to look at your group and the clock to make that decision.

The Solution: When The Mark Goes Down If all has gone well so far, the inertia of play has been pushing the Crew towards concluding the Job successfully and it’s only been your deft use of Complications and twists that has kept them from their goal. If that’s the case, all you need to do is ease up on the throttle a little bit and everything will fall into place like you planned it all along. Unfortunately, you’re not always going to get that lucky. Sometimes things are close to successful, but are not quite there. Most of the time, the Crew has the means to bridge this gap through the use of Wrap-Up Flashbacks or the clever application of Talents, and your job is to stand back and let them do that. You don’t have to just roll over and let them get away with everything, but if the solution is in sight, then that’s your cue to stop introducing new problems. If the dice introduce any Complications, save them for the resolution or dénouement; don’t use them to muddy the waters. If things still don’t look like they’re coming together, then you may need to do something. Yes, as the Fixer

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The Fixer

about timing all the time. It’s a point of responsibility,

in your arsenal: timing.

not authority, and it works with the pieces that are

It’s All In The Timing

form of incredible coincidences) but short of that, you

something challenging each week, but in some ways it’s more important than anything else. When you create something new or make a decision about a large matter in the game, you are exercising your power as the Fixer. That’s a necessary thing, but your players will be wary of it because, when you’re acting in that capacity, you are free to cheat by changing things on them without warning. Even if your intentions are entirely reasonable, some players will simply be wary of this sort of thing and uncomfortable when you use that authority to direct things.

coming to a conclusion because a good ending tends to depend on things happening at the right time. The press (or police) shows up at just the right moment, or the board vote happens at just the right time. You control when people show up, when they leave, and what they do in between. In short, that means you control the potential scenes presented to the Crew. The trick is that you don’t want to use this to solve the problem for your players, but if the Crew creates a chance for a resolution, you can use this to seize it. Ideally, you’ll only need to do this to cement the conclusion. Consider the resolution to The Homecoming Job—the THE FIXER

playing nefarious Marks, and generally coming up with

This becomes really important when things are

THE TOOLBOX

a big deal compared to creating ing Characters,

going to call foul.

THE CRIME WORLD

how long things take. That may not seem like much of

have a lot of leeway with timing before your players are

THE RECORD

As the Fixer, one of your most important decisions is

already in play, so to speak. It’s easily abused (in the THE BRIEFING

Instead, you should turn to one of the more subtle tools

In contrast, you are obliged to make judgment calls

THE CREW

a conclusion, but that’s going to be satisfying to no one.

THE JOB

things up, and generally muck around to force things to

THE PITCH

you can introduce a lot of crazy things to the Job, change

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Chapter Five

THE PITCH

clincher was the press arriving just in time to be able to seize on the situation. A more realistic sense of timing might have had them arriving too soon or too late, but they arrive just in time and the story is more satisfying

Dénouement: Wrapping It Up After the Job’s been resolved, there’s time for one more scene. Usually, this will involve the Client (who will, of course, be amazed and grateful) but it’s also an

THE BRIEFING

as a result.

opportunity for the Crew to talk among themselves

Resolution

tone of this scene depends on the Crew in question—it

The actual resolution may or may not involve the Crew. In many cases (especially when the police are involved) they will set things in motion and fade out of

THE CREW

sight before things finish. Even if no one is actually in the scene, you’ll still want to play that scene out rather than simply resolve it off screen. This may introduce

without the Job hanging over their heads. The exact might be a sober debriefing or a raucous celebration, but it’s a chance for the players to celebrate their victory. Give them a few minutes to enjoy it.

Leftover Complications If you have any leftover Complications, specifically

THE JOB

some issues, most notably in handling conversations.

ones that the Crew rolled as things were

Puppet Shows

use here. Each unused Complication allows you to ask

There is almost nothing more frustrating for the players and Fixer alike than when the Fixer talks to himself. This can end up happening in any scene where

THE FIXER

two ing Characters are interacting, but it’s most likely to happen during a resolution when the Crew has withdrawn but the situation still needs to play out. If the Fixer is playing both the Mark and the arresting officer, it ends up looking like a puppet show without

THE TOOLBOX

any puppets—it’s unclear and often unfun. In this situation, one of the characters is usually just there for color and is no deeper than his role in the scene (arresting officer, investigating reporter, etc.)

THE CRIME WORLD

and rather than do a puppet show, you should offer your players the chance to play the character for the scene. Given that your players are (hopefully) invested in taking down the Mark at this point, they should take to it with a vengeance. The opportunity to ask

THE RECORD

the questions to make the Mark squirm or to slap the

coming to a conclusion, you can put them to a specific each player one question about their Crewmember (limit one per Crewmember). This question should always be about something specific they did during the Job, and it’s useful for two things. First, you can use it to reveal a little bit more about the character to everyone, and that’s sort of the above-board reason for asking this question. But the real purpose is to be able to tweak things a little. If the character ended up in a potentially embarrassing situation or was presented with a choice, and it wasn’t resolved publicly, then the question should give them a chance to resolve it. This doesn’t need to be anything big or important. One of the best possible examples comes from The Two Live Crew Job: “Hey Eliot, what happened to the handcuffs?” You are never obliged to ask these questions, but the opportunity is always there in case you need it.

Getting Your Hands Dirty

cuffs on him can be intensely satisfying, and it lets the

Okay, all of this is great on a high level—it gives you

players continue to feel invested in the resolution, even

everything you need to build the Job and introduce

if the Crew aren’t there.

twists—but something’s still missing. There’s still the question of actually running the Crew through specific scenes and activities that make up the Job, and while

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The Fixer that might be easier than it sounds, there’s still some Once you have the basic beats, you can expand and refine them. First, look at the beats and who is well

Plan the Scene in Beats The players’ plan dictates the general shape of the scene—they’ll be in a place looking to accomplish something. The place is mostly your responsibility, but you may need to talk to your players to get a clear sense of what they’re trying to accomplish. Usually they’ll

will almost certainly do numbers two and three and the four. Good for the Thief, but not so good for the rest of the Crew. So the first thing to think about is how to spread the beats around a little bit. In this case, let’s

THE BRIEFING

danger is that you could easily see the Thief doing all

start with numbers two and three, the ones that seem by another Crewmember? Well, you definitely want the Thief to be the one at the safe, so number two seems required, but what about three? What if the safe can’t

THE CREW

most Thief oriented. Could either of them be resolved

be cracked in the time available, and instead a or keycode or the like is needed? Suddenly, that’s something the rest of the Crew might be able to work on. Similarly, it might require some footwork to reveal where the safe is hidden without searching (see “Death

THE FIXER

by Reconnaissance,” below).

THE TOOLBOX

Yeah, you. We both know this is the Fixer chapter, but we also know you’re reading it anyway to get a leg up. That’s smart—you’re already thinking the right way. So here’s a tip: you want to pay special attention to this stuff about beats if you want to run a con on your Fixer. See, the truth is this—he’s going to be running things fast and hard, and when that happens, he’s going to tend toward the path of least resistance. That means if you can provide him with a plan that already does everything he needs (like hitting a beat for each Crewmember) then he’s going to be happy to roll with that, and it’s that much more likely to work. If you’re feeling really tricky, start suggesting problems you might encounter before the Fixer starts coming up with them. Why? If the Fixer creates a problem, you’ll need to figure out a way around it, but if you create the problem, you can build it with a loophole. Just phrase problems as, “We’ll need (Crewmember) to (do something) to avoid (problem).” Again, you tap the Fixer’s laziness to guarantee that you’re on the right track.

suited to address them. Looking at those beats, the Thief

THE CRIME WORLD

Hey, Player.

THE JOB

can make your life much easier.

THE PITCH

tricks to it, and thinking in of scenes and beats

acquire a certain item. Consider what that thing is and what needs to happen to get it, and the beats will start suggesting themselves. If the information they need is

THE RECORD

be trying to get some specific piece of information or

in a safe, then the Crew needs to 1) find the safe, 2) get to the safe, 3) break into the safe, and 4) get away with the contents.

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Chapter Five

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB

You might notice that identifying beats is not an objective science; it depends a little bit on perspective. THE FIXER

Parker climbing a wall, picking a lock, and evading a tripwire might be three beats, but it might also just be one beat described as “Parker breaks in.” This may seem like an oversight, but it’s actually a powerful tool for you

THE TOOLBOX

to shift focus around. If you need to give one player a little more focus, you can often split his beats into smaller beats. Alternately, if another Crewmember is getting to do everything, reduce his actions to fewer beats so you can spread the attention around. (Incidentally, this

THE CRIME WORLD

same logic applies when deciding if something’s going to be a Basic Action or Contested Action.) A beat’s resolution is quick (a single roll i.e. a Basic Action), but that the beat itself may take some time. If you have a scene with one beat per

THE RECORD

Crewmember, you can allow each Crewmember to play out the scene appropriately without needing to move from beat to beat with machine-gun rapidity.

Beats and Complications Over and above whatever beats are necessary to deal with the main plot, you can also expect the Crew to take a beat or two to deal with the unexpected Complications that come up, especially if you have been particularly nasty in coming up with interesting ones. Depending on how many Complications have come up, it’s entirely possible that a scene may be dominated with attempts to put out fires, so to speak.

Death by Reconnaissance Every now and again the players won’t have a plan and won’t feel like they know what to do. When this happens, their most likely course of action is to try to gather some intel, resulting in them going places to see what they can find out. This is not a good outcome—if this is happening, your players are right on the cusp of bored and are possibly fingering their d8s thoughtfully as you speak. At this point, you need to do one of two things. First, you can drop a twist in right here and now. Resolve their recon quickly and successfully, and send them home with the information they need (or

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The Fixer alternately, have things go terribly wrong). Doing this

isn’t that the Crew doesn’t have the information they

and shape the game in directions they want and call

need, it’s that they don’t know what questions they

attention to things they think should be awesome. For

should be asking. That is, they don’t know what they

the Fixer, Complications turn even the most boring

don’t know. If you can reveal the question to them you

situation into something interesting and challenging.

help them know what they don’t know, and suddenly

Yes, you can have a good game without really taking

they have a problem they need to solve.

advantage of Assets and Complications, but doing so

A similar problem, on a macro level, involves

is going to take a lot more work for everyone involved.

searching. The Crew may have a general idea of where

For less work, you could take advantage of Assets and

something is, and there’s a temptation to just say,

Complications and turn that good game into something

“We search for it.” This is dull, and more importantly

really great.

it messes up the role of the Thief. Since the Thief is

But there’s a catch. Assets and Complications mean

usually the one who needs to get whatever is being

you simply can’t plan everything. You’ll need to plan,

looked for, that means the Thief is usually the one who

certainly, but you’ll also need to be able to think on your

ends up searching. That’s boring for the Thief and for

feet, and this applies just as much to the Fixer as it does

everyone else as they get to watch. When this comes

to the Crew. Assets and Complications, by their nature,

up, it’s reasonable to say it would take too long to find,

guarantee that unexpected things are going to come up,

and require that someone else figure out a way to flush

possibly taking the Job in entirely unplanned directions.

out the location. This shouldn’t be difficult: Hackers

If you embrace this, you can ride it like a wave to a fluid,

usually find ing information; Grifters can often

exciting game, but if you fight it, you risk things feeling

get a mention of it; Hitters can sometimes spot where

stiff and forced.

searching for an item or information, that’s a cue to the Fixer to switch to another Crewmember to get the first one that information.

Assets and Complications Here’s the dirty secret of the game. We’ve hidden it deep in this section in hopes of keeping your players from finding out, but they’re a wily bunch, so don’t be too shocked if they figure it out on their own. You ready? You really don’t need much more than Assets and Complications. Not to say that all the other stuff is useless—there’s

Using Complications As Fixer, the ebb and flow of Complications is going to be one of the most challenging parts of running a Job, but it can also be the most rewarding. As you become more comfortable with the idea, you’ll find you need to plan less stringently for future trouble—the characters’ Complications give you all the juice you need for the next bit of trouble and the next and the next. Statistically,

THE TOOLBOX

the details, when one Crewmember declares they’ll be

suggestions for how to do it.

THE CRIME WORLD

convince the Mark to show him personally. Whatever

Easy to say, I know. Thankfully, we’ve got some

any scene with a few beats is going to generate at least one Complication, and if that Complication is used to fuel the next scene, you can potentially keep the ball in the air as long as things stay interesting.

THE RECORD

security’s heaviest; and the Mastermind can often

THE BRIEFING

Complications. For players, Assets are ways to step in

THE CREW

the answer, the question. The problem in this situation

THE JOB

heart is going to be the ebb and flow of Assets and

THE FIXER

Second, you can drop the question in their lap. Not

THE PITCH

cuts the problem off at the .

a ton of fun in Talents and Distinctions and every other Trait under the sun, but your game’s beating

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Chapter Five Interesting Complications The best Complications always make sense. They’re THE PITCH

a natural evolution from the scene and the details surrounding the Job, but at the same time they can be quite surprising. When a Complication comes up, think about who’s in play and what’s going on, then think

THE BRIEFING

about what the Job needs. While a Complication could be almost anything, there are a few broad categories that they usually fall into. The first, and probably most interesting, are reveals. Someone or something that has already been introduced is revealed to have some new Trait—the

THE CREW

mom and pop store turns out to have a Fancy Pants Security System d8, or the overweight security guard turns out to be Tougher Than He Looks d8. These reveals shouldn’t contradict anything that’s already happened within the Job—if the security guard has

THE JOB

already been trounced once, he shouldn’t suddenly become more badass (unless it would be especially funny—then it’s probably okay). You can continue

Complications vs. Twists THE FIXER

The truth is, the line between Complications and twists is very thin indeed, thin enough that a string of Complications can pretty easily culminate in a twist. If the Job you’re on is generating enough Complications,

THE TOOLBOX

you may never need to introduce a twist—the individual problems introduced can keep the Crew busy for the duration of a Job. Certainly, some Jobs may still depend on a twist, but Complications are one of the reasons the

THE CRIME WORLD

Crew can never be entirely sure whether or not there will be a twist. Keeping them guessing is half the fun. When a twist does occur, you should take a second and review the Complications that have emerged thus far. The change in situation that the twist causes may render some or all of them moot—if so, just let them go.

THE RECORD

There’s plenty more where those came from.

adding more reveals to the same character, and this can actually be an interesting way to transform an Extra from simple color into an important part of a Job, simply by making him more interesting. The next option is an addition, when something new is added to the Job. Most often, these take the form of new people or new problems. New people are easy enough to integrate, but problems are pretty specific. The introduction of a problem serves a specific purpose in play—it takes something that the players would not normally have to roll the dice for and turns it into something that needs to be resolved. For example, if Parker is breaking into a house, most of the steps get boiled down into a single beat, but the complication can bring that to a halt as she discovers A Surprisingly Good Lock d8, or that The Door Has Been Nailed Shut d8. She’ll need to take a new action to deal with this new problem. It’s worth noting that a single Complication of this sort may not be a huge challenge for a Crewmember within his specialty, but it can be a real problem if it applies to his weakness. Take the

110

The Fixer door that’s been nailed shut—for Eliot that would be no

Design Vs. Discovery Ambitious Fixers may have noticed something about the nature of Complications. If you can use them to introduce characters and problems, and then flesh those out, couldn’t you just make everything a Complication? Yes, yes you could. But it’s a little trickier than it sounds. Doing this requires you to really scramble to fill in details on the fly, but for some Fixers, that’s exactly what they’d like to do. Rather than plan a Job in any detail, you might just sketch a rough outline and then fill in the details and problems based on the Complications that come up. In this approach, the Fixer is just as likely to be surprised about where things go as the players. Consider, for a moment, how Sterling is introduced

A Complication doesn’t need to change the situation; sometimes it’s just a matter of shifting emphasis. Let’s say, for example, you use a Complication to decide that the Mark’s underlings are Well-Armed d8. This does not suggest that guns magically appear in their pockets—instead it’s a declaration that the guns they’re carrying matter. Notice that thugs have guns all the

THE BRIEFING

identification system, the tables are turned.

Shifting the Emphasis

time, but it’s very rare that they really matter much.

Working Without Complications Sometimes you need to define the Traits of things

THE CREW

Of course, if the door has a sophisticated biometric

when you don’t have a Complication to use. Sometimes these will be things you planned for; other times you’ll be adapting to surprises your players have thrown your way, and you need to pull something out of thin air. That thing will almost always be a d6.

THE JOB

move on; but for Hardison it might be a real difficulty.

THE PITCH

problem at all. He can pretty much just kick it down and

much about him, but over the course of the episode and subsequent episodes, we get a fuller picture. Now, imagine this in a game from the Fixers perspective; this

THE FIXER

in the TV show. When we first meet him, we don’t know

might be because he had already written up Sterling

Fixer didn’t know any more about Sterling than the players did? He’s just Insurance Investigator d8 at the outset, but the Crew decides to mess with him, gains a Complication, and suddenly he picks up Evil Nate d8 as a Trait. Over the course of play, he picks up other Traits, like Bastard d8 and Opportunist d8 (and maybe gets Bastard bumped up to d10, just to be thorough) and after a few sessions, Sterling is a well

THE CRIME WORLD

normal assumption. But what if, when he started, the

THE TOOLBOX

and he reveals him over time—that’s certainly the

is just one example, but a Fixer who enjoys flying by the seat of his pants can build almost anything this way.

THE RECORD

fleshed out character, created entirely through play. This

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Chapter Five in it. If you can’t think of anything bad happening, that’s a sign that you’re not really invested in things. That’s a THE PITCH THE BRIEFING

One tricky benefit of being the Fixer is a virtually

good reason to step back and maybe make a few tweaks.

limitless reserve of d6s to draw on. Since d6 really means

It’s also worth developing a stable of Complications

“normal,” saying something is Pool Hall d6 or Rent-a-

you can draw on when you’re looking for an idea. You’ll

Cop d6 is really comparable to just calling it a pool hall

want to think of these while you’re away from the game

or a rent-a-cop. There’s nothing interesting or exceptional

table. When you’re reading books, watching TV, or

about it, but the direction play has taken has given it

at the movies, look at how things get worse and what

enough spotlight to matter for this scene or beat. Just

happens to stymie the characters. Go ahead and steal

realize that, in a pinch, you can always reach in and pull

those ideas, and if anyone asks, it’s an “homage.”

out a d6 or three to get you past any rough decisions.

Similarly, keep an eye out as you travel. When you see interesting places or things, consider how they

THE CREW

Take a Breath It’s important to that you don’t need to use the Complication instantly. If you want to complicate the roll that just happened, then you can do so, but you can also sit on that Complication to use somewhere else

THE JOB

in the scene. That buys you a few moments as you wrap up this beat, so you can decide what to do next and think about where something should go wrong. It’s not a lot of breathing room, but usually you’ll find that just

THE FIXER

a little bit of time is all you really need. In fact, you’ll find that a spare Complication is one of the best tools in your arsenal to keep everyone participating in a scene. When one player seems like he’s not doing anything, use the Complication to throw

THE TOOLBOX

some trouble his way. A Complication is always a good excuse to bring a bit of attention down on a player.

Pack a Few Extra Aces

THE CRIME WORLD

While you can’t precisely plan for Complications, you can prepare. First and foremost, when you create the original situation it’s worth looking over it and thinking what might go wrong. What can break? Who can show up at the wrong time? What can go from bad

THE RECORD

to worse? What can you imagine happening to the Crew that puts a wicked little smile on your face? Odds are good you can think of a few, and if you can’t, give the Job another once over and see if you’re really interested

112

might complicate a Job. When you encounter problems that frustrate you or mess up your day, make a note of them as something you can bring to the game. And if you’re naturally inclined to worry, this is your time to shine. All those random things you imagine going horribly wrong? Hang onto them, and lay them down on the Crew when the opportunity arises. If you’re looking for examples of some generalpurpose Complications, we’ve got a handful at the end of this section.

When in Doubt, Just Make Things Worse. If you’re absolutely desperate for ideas, you can always just take an existing Complication and make it more intense. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it lets you get on to the next step soon.

Complications and Player Cleverness Every now and again your players are going to surprise you with some judo. They’re going to take a Complication you introduced as a problem for them and use it to their own advantage. This can be very surprising the first time it happens, but there’s a good chance it’s going to keep happening, depending on the style of your players.

THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Fixer

poison. Your players are interested in capers and heists, at least in part, because they want the chance to be cool and clever. The ability to turn an obstacle into an Asset is exactly that, and you need to be able to celebrate that. Acknowledge their cleverness, and come back swinging. The only time you need to worry about this is if you have a player who’s clearly trying to game this system for extra dice. You can usually spot this because he’ll already have most of his dice in hand, and he thinks of exploiting the Complication as an “Oh, by the way” instead of as an inspiration. At that point the appropriate

Get Your Tinfoil Hat On If you like a little conspiratorial element to your game, Complications are a great way to handle that—pick a few thematic elements, like rings denoting secret society hip, old or ancient artifacts, coded messages, and so on—and introduce them as Complications. They don’t even need to do much in a particular Job; they just need to show up a few times, enough for your players to start wondering what it means. And by the time that happens, you might even have an idea of what that might be.

THE TOOLBOX

have to tamp that instinct down, because it’s absolute

THE CRIME WORLD

them do this—that somehow this is cheating. If so, you

THE FIXER

You might feel an instinctive desire to refuse to let

THE RECORD

response is “Just roll the dice.”

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Chapter Five The Actual Guy—If a Crewmember is ing as someone else, either a specific identity or just a role THE PITCH

Sample Complications The Parade—This is a great Complication for any chase or shadowing scene that should be familiar to anyone who’s ever watched a detective movie. Judging

THE BRIEFING

by cinema alone, you’d think that a day couldn’t go by without a parade dragon in Chinatown and a jazz funeral in New Orleans, and this taps into that fine tradition. The Camera Crew—Maybe they’re a local camera crew. Maybe they’re a reality show or an extreme sports program. Whoever they are, they’re in exactly the right

THE CREW

place to throw the Crew off.

(like the delivery guy), having the actual guy show up can be a real problem. If this is central enough to the Job, this might be more appropriate as a twist than a Complication. The Concerned Citizen—He’s seen something happen and wants to help! Should he call the police? Do you need an ambulance? He’s a good guy trying to do the right thing, but that may be the last thing the Crew needs.

Managing Assets The rule of Assets is this: you should very rarely have

THE JOB THE FIXER

The Hot Chick/Dude—They’re crazy hot, and

any reason to say no to an Asset. Even if it seems like a

they’re flirting with a Crewmember. This can be a little

stretch, it’s still just a d6—the Asset itself is unlikely to

distracting when it happens, but most Crew

be tipping the scales on things anytime soon. And that’s

can keep it together long enough to keep their

the trick: players might pick up Assets for the bonus if

hormones in check. That’s fine, because that’s not when

they’re hard up, but more likely they’re going to pick

this Complication shines. Instead, it shines when he or

them up for the cool things the Asset allows. Picking up

she shows up later at an inopportune time, possibly after

a full wine glass d6 and an empty wine bottle d6

having also picked up the Complication Undercover

for two Plot Points is not something you do for the extra

Agent or the like.

d6 alone—you do it so you can say you just beat the crap

Child in Danger—A ball bounces into the road,

out of those guys with an empty bottle and a full glass.

a kid chases after it, brakes squeal, you know the

To some extent, Assets provide the player the chance to

drill. Good. Now never ever do it. There are ways to

control his own special effects budget.

THE TOOLBOX

bring children and problems into a Job with style and restraint, but there are less ham-fisted ways to do it than randomly endangering a kid. Take Eliot and the abused boy, Randy, in The Order-23 Job.

The Role of Assets So, Assets give the players a lot of leeway to add elements to a scene. Assets come in the same general

THE CRIME WORLD

Blackout—The lights go out. Maybe the Mark or

categories as Complications, but they have an additional

someone else killed them. Maybe it was just the weather.

layer that’s tied in to how the player introduces them.

One way or another, it’s dark, and that’s never good.

These layers say a lot about the player’s comfort level

Weather—A storm’s rolled in, or maybe the fog’s

with creating Assets, and they might also be useful

thick enough to shut down the roads. Whatever the

to consider as Fixer. Thing is, even if you’re totally

specifics, the weather is now part of the scene.

comfortable with giving your players free rein, talk

THE RECORD

The Repairman—It may have been months ago that someone actually put in the request for a repair, but he’s here now and he’s gonna do his job!

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to them a little bit about Asset origins to avoid any confusion. The first Asset origin is opportunity (not to be confused with the Opportunity you get from the Fixer

The Fixer rolling a 1). This is when the player takes an element

Next we have likelihood. Likely Assets are things that have not been explicitly outlined in play, but would make sense in the context of play. If the Fixer describes a richly appointed library but doesn’t provide much in the way of details, a player might reasonably expect to find a particular book or perhaps a snifter of brandy. These are things that are likely enough to exist that the player buying them as Assets just spares everyone the “Mother, may I” conversation of “Is there a bar? Does it have brandy?” and says “I get the snifter of brandy at the bar.” Last and most challengingly, we have inspired Assets. When a player introduces one of these Assets, it’s very like he’s playing the Fixer for a moment. This opens up a world of Assets that aren’t necessarily physical. Players can use these kinds of Assets to have a taxi show up right on time, to have the informant they’re talking to be Hard Up for Cash d6 or Devout Catholic d6. Because it’s still ultimately limited to d6, it is rare that a player can solve a problem directly in this fashion, but he can make it easier, and not just with the extra d6. An Asset might change the problem—a thug with a gun is best dealt with by your Hitter dice, but if the thug with the gun is Having Second Thoughts d6, that may mean the Grifter can talk him down instead.

There’s a good chance that any single Job you run might produce a dozen or so Assets and Complications, some of which are gonna hang around a long time. You don’t want to lose track of them all, obviously, and while the players might keep ‘em in mind the trick is to have the table aware of what Assets and Complications are in play. The best method we’ve found for this is index cards or those sticky memo squares. Just write the name of the Asset or Complication on the card or memo, along with the current die rating. If you’ve got a lot of dice, you could even put the die itself on the card. Either way, set these reminder notes out in front of you. If the Asset or Complication gets stepped up, just change the die rating on the note (or switch out the die). Once the Trait goes away, remove the note. Easy! This also works well for tracking Extras and Agents, who are just lists of Traits anyway. Scribble down the ing Character’s name, Traits, and dice on the card, and put it out in front of you. Makes a great reference and helps you what’s going on even in the most complicated and convoluted Jobs.

THE BRIEFING

Pissed Off d6.

THE CREW

wrong with a Crewmember spending a Plot Point on a

THE JOB

with things they control—like themselves. Nothing

THE FIXER

advantage of things that are already in play, or sticking

Keeping Track of Assets and Complications

THE TOOLBOX

of opportunity represent the Crewmember taking

THE CRIME WORLD

or buy (like a cell phone or pocketknife). Assets

THE RECORD

on the wall) or something they could easily be carrying

THE PITCH

that’s already been introduced in the scene (like a sword

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Chapter Five

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB THE FIXER

Beyond that, it’s probably worth mentioning

now so he can use them later at just the right moment.

impossible Assets. If your players are trying to

Either it’ll come up or it won’t. And if it does come up

introduce elephants, unicorns, or world peace, then

in a really awesome fashion, you might want to consider

there’s a good chance you’re not all on the same page.

the “Really Awesome Assets” optional rule, below.

THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD

If this actually happens, there’s a good chance your

If you do figure out what he’s up to (and a hint, he’s

player is uncomfortable with inspired Assets and is

probably securing his exit strategy) then don’t squash it

expressing this in a ive-aggressive fashion. The

just because you can. You don’t have to go out of your

instinct is going to be to smack him down or criticize

way to make sure his plan comes to fruition (though

him for his behavior, but you will go much farther by

it might be nice to tilt things that way) but don’t steer

being sympathetic and talking to him about why he’s

things around it just because you—as Fixer—have seen

uncomfortable. There’s no sure fire solution to this sort

it. If you must mess with it, then use a Complication

of problem, but any solution you find is going to start

to do so, and if your player surprises you by using the

with talking.

Asset in an unexpected way, then take it like a grown up.

Your Players Are Up to Something

The Really Awesome Assets Option

THE RECORD

Most of the time, a player immediately uses the Asset

Every now and again, a player does something

he’s just introduced. But sometimes they’ll surprise

unbelievably awesome with an Asset. He’ll do something

you. Every now and again a player may shell out for a

so improbable, cool looking, or clever that it just knocks

game-length Asset and then do nothing with it, or do

your socks off. When that happens, let him step up the

something that makes no sense to you. Don’t sweat it.

Asset die (so a d6 becomes a d8), just for that first roll.

Odds are good he has a plan, and he’s setting things up

It’s not a big thing, but it’s a good way to acknowledge when your players have just plain rocked the house.

116

The Fixer

players are excited about an Asset or doing something clever with it, then keep your hands off. But if the Asset is clearly more valuable for the d6 than anything else, then it’s fair game.

Mixing Complications and Assets While picking up the player’s Assets is something you might want to be careful about, there’s another way to engage the Assets that players bring to bear, and that’s with Complications. Putting a Complication on an Asset is a great way to put a little spin on things. There’s also an interesting trick to this: if the Fixer puts a Complication on an Asset, then it’s going to remain in play as a Complication. It’s a great way to

Distraction—This can take any number of forms, from a loud noise across the room or a momentary bump from a erby. This is the classic Asset for deceptions. The Latest Hardware—Whether it’s a computer, a phone, or any other gadget, the most cutting edge gadgets make worthwhile gadgets. The Right Clothes—To look the part. A Clipboard—It is something of an old chestnut in crime fiction that you can get into any building with a uniform, a clipboard, and the right attitude. It may be a cliché, but it’s a cliché well worth ing.

The Players’ Bag of Tricks For all the tools the Fixer can bring to bear, the

show something taking a bad turn.

players usually have an ace or two up their sleeves as

Cheating with Assets

some of the more common tricks when they come up.

Seriously, it’s really hard to cheat with Assets. Assets look really valuable and easy to exploit. After all, it’s not hard to pick up a whole lot of extra d6s for a Crewmember, nearly guaranteeing a pretty good roll. That’s true, to a point, but the thing about d6s is that, no matter how many you have, you’re never going to do better than just pretty good. And more, while they’re not as likely to kick up a Complication as a d4, rolling a lot of d6s is still inviting trouble. That is to say, it may look like a problem, but it’s much less of an issue than

well. The Fixer needs to take steps to be able to deal with

Plot Points and Assets Much of the time, players use their Plot Points for strictly mechanical things, like adding an extra die to their total; but they actually have more leeway than that. The ability to create Assets is not limited to merely creating improvised weapons and clever gadgets. Assets can have a profound impact on the game, and when a player creates an Asset he’s saying something about the game is true, and you need to either be able to roll with

you might think.

that or be able to discuss it with the player.

Sample Assets

creates an Asset, he can do almost anything the Fixer

Rappelling Gear—Sure, it’s worth an extra d6

THE BRIEFING

attention to which Assets you attempt to pick up. If your

is definitely on the table.

THE CREW

throwing his weight around. To address this, pay careful

Caffeine Buzz—Pound enough coffee and the Asset

THE JOB

impressively clever. It tends to just feel like the Fixer

Duct Tape—Is there anything it can’t do?

THE FIXER

players, when the Fixer poaches an Asset, it’s very rarely

stunt in The Second David Job? Now you’re seeing it.

THE TOOLBOX

but this is a power to exercise with some caution. Unlike

the center of a really long stairwell). Sophie and Parker’s

THE CRIME WORLD

Assets, and you can do the same thing with their Assets,

What’s important to realize is that when a player can do with a Complication. This means that the player

THE RECORD

The players will be looking for ways to pick up your

THE PITCH

Picking Up Assets

when climbing, but the real advantage is that without it you just can’t jump off the side of a building (or down

117

Chapter Five this flashback neatly resolves things on a success but introduces headaches for everyone if it fails, then maybe THE PITCH

can introduce new elements or characters or alter things

it’s not worth rolling.

that are already in play. Unchecked, that gives players a

Also, if your players fail a flashback, there’s a chance

huge amount of power—they could decide the Mark has

that another player may then decide to spend a Plot Point

a Peanut Allergy d6 or is Out of Gas d6 simply by

to flashback and fix the situation. That is entirely kosher.

spending a Plot Point. At first glance, that seems pretty THE BRIEFING

overwhelming, but there are two big things to keep in mind. First, the presence of a d6 on the Mark is not that big a deal—it indicates something that might be a problem (or an advantage), but not a huge one. It’s not likely to

THE CREW

kill him or cause him to fail dramatically—at best it might make his life a little bit harder. Second, the players do not have the same scope to apply Assets that the Fixer has with Complications. Specifically, the player needs to limit his Assets to things

THE JOB

that are local to the Crewmember, usually within the same room. Local is a little bit flexible—if the Hacker is logged into a remote system or the Grifter is talking to someone on the phone, that’s a reasonable definition of local.

THE FIXER

Flashbacks Deciding what dice to roll in opposition to a flashback can be tricky, especially since the Flashback Action

THE TOOLBOX

is very rarely in direct opposition to something—by their nature, flashback events usually don’t have any

Example The Crew and the Mark are each racing to get to the same destination. A Crewmember spends a Plot Point to say the Mark gets a flat tire. It might seem like that should decide the matter, but it’s no guarantee—after all, perhaps he has a spare, or just hails a cab, or has a service that answers promptly, or the tire goes flat a block away from the destination? Hell, maybe he calls a police escort. That d6 doesn’t stop him; it just provides an extra d6 for the Crew to roll. It improves their odds, sure, but that’s very different from a guarantee. Similarly, if the players need to get some information from the local police, they might decide they have a Friend on the Force d6, but that doesn’t automatically mean they’ll get the information they need. The friend might help them out (adding that d6 to a roll), but there’s no guarantee he knows what they need.

witnesses. To decide on the Traits to use, consider that what you’re rolling for is either the likelihood that the

THE CRIME WORLD

Mark (or one of his minions) prepared for this, or the likelihood that they discovered it and did something about it. It’s also worth taking some care when you do and don’t call for a roll. Sometimes a player may call for an Establishment Flashback solely as a colorful way to

THE RECORD

introduce an Asset. If they don’t need to use a flashback to do so, then there’s no need to make a contest of it. Similarly, trust your own dramatic sensibility. If

118

Pulling It All Together With all these tools in hand, you should have everything you need to make a Job. The process is simple enough: find an end point, identify the barriers to achieving it, turn those obstacles into scenes and beats, prepare any twists, and repeat the cycle as necessary. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

piece of evidence that needs to be found and publicized, it might be a hostage who needs to be found and rescued. Whatever it is, it’s the end point of the Job, and it should be part of the Crew’s plan. If you find yourself in a position where you have one idea of the endpoint and your players have a different one, stop and reconsider the end point they see. If their plan seems totally untenable, you should discuss that with them, but otherwise you

Why can’t they research the information? Those may in turn suggest new barriers, and you can repeat this process one or two more times, at which point you should have several specific obstacles that need to be overcome.

Discussing the Process You can do this entirely privately and present it as a challenge for your players, but if you do this process

should consider using their end point.

with your players, then you can integrate the needs

Identify the Barriers

You don’t necessarily need to reveal every detail to

This is one of those parts that seems like it should be complicated, but it’s actually quite simple. Just ask yourself why they just can’t do whatever they need to do to make it happen. If there’s a MacGuffin, why can’t they just walk in and walk out with it? If it’s a piece of information, why can’t they just find it? The answers

THE FIXER

the Mark’s weakness down on his head. It might be a

problems? Why can’t they just sneak past the guards?

THE TOOLBOX

the Mark. Some decisive action should be able to bring

the question again. Why can’t they just get past those

of creating a Job with the Crew’s need for planning. the players as you discuss these obstacles, but unless

THE CRIME WORLD

The end point should be built into the problem and

where it is.” Once you’ve identified those barriers, ask

something is explicitly secret (such as something you hope to hang a twist off of) then there’s no reason not to be open about it with your players. After all, the Crew are professionals; they know this kind of thing.

THE RECORD

Find the End Point

THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Fixer

should be pretty obvious and go something like “because there are armed guards” or “because we don’t know

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Chapter Five

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB

Turn the Obstacles into Scenes and Beats

Twist and Cycle?

THE FIXER

A single through the cycle outlined in the

THE TOOLBOX

Now that you’ve got a set of challenges, start thinking

“Putting It All Together” section on page 118 might or

about how they can be overcome and what sort of effort

might not be enough material for a single Job. If it is,

that’s going to entail. Odds are the Crew is already

fantastic, you’re good to go. But if it’s not, then a twist

thinking about how they’re going to do this, and they

allows you to build a whole new structure with a new

may well do the work for you; so the main thing you need

end point based on the twist. You can repeat this cycle

to do is look at all these problems and figure out how to

as many times as you need.

best tie them together. Sometimes a complex problem requires several steps to solve, with each step equating

THE CRIME WORLD

to a beat; sometimes a problem requires only a single beat to resolve. What you need to keep an eye on is that the challenges are not all oriented on one Crewmember. It may seem like the way to do this is to spread around the kinds of tasks that need to be done, but it’s actually

THE RECORD

even easier than that—just make sure the tasks can’t be done one at a time. Forcing the Crew to spread out and work in tandem keeps everyone busy and also forces Crew out of their comfort zones.

120

The Toolbox People, Places, and Plans

121

Chapter Six been orchestrating these accidents. We immediately

THE PITCH

The Toolbox

start jumping to questions: Who is it? How’s he doing it? What’s he hoping to accomplish? We’ve given the problem a face, and we don’t have to stop there. What

THE BRIEFING

This one’s for the Fixers, too, so we’re going to talk

about the people hurt by the accident? How about the

directly to the person in that position for the rest of

folks who should be getting to the bottom of this? As we

the chapter. Not that the rest of you can’t read this of

think about each one, the situation gets that much richer,

course, but know that “you” in this chapter won’t so

until it’s transformed from some sort of abstract problem

much mean you. You’re going to find all kinds of aids

into something recognizable.

and advice in here: detailed discussions of people, places, and situations, as well as how to apply them to your own capers.

THE CREW

We finish off the whole package with a series of tables and charts. You can use these to randomly generate different aspects of a caper or as prompts for when you’re stumped. Taken as a whole, this section of the chapter also serves as a fast caper creation aid, for when

THE JOB

you sit down to play with zero prep time. Given that the Leverage RPG plays well as an evening’s pick-up game, this is a good thing.

THE FIXER

People Nothing matters more to your game than the people in it. The Crew, obviously, are the most important people, but unless your Crime World is populated with people

THE TOOLBOX

who your players are going to react to, it’s all for naught. Rooms full of lasers? Man-hunting military drones? Rogue armored vehicles? They’re only so interesting until there’s a human face to attach to them. Players

THE CRIME WORLD

might fear a thing, or be interested in it, but they’re only going to get really invested in other people. People make us sympathetic or hateful—they elicit strong reactions, and they turn random events into things with interest or purpose. People turn things into a game.

THE RECORD

Consider a factory that’s had a series of industrial accidents. Unless your players are very interested in workplace safety, that doesn’t hold much promise as an interesting night’s play. Now imagine that someone has

The Power of Names Look at the name of the Trait and not its die rating to understand it. The name says what it is, while the rating says how important it is to the story. Strong d4 doesn’t mean the character is weak! Rather it means he’s strong, but it’s more of a hindrance than a help. In this case, he’s probably big, bulky, clumsy, and tends to break things. Imaginative d4 means that the character’s often off in his own world, not that he’s unimaginative. Other Traits follow this same pattern.

Marks Outside of the Crew, the Mark is the most important character in a Job. Whatever the details of the problem may be, it’s the Mark that personifies that problem. Even if the specific details of the situation are dealt with, if the Mark gets off the hook, you can be confident that only means new problems down the line. But even beyond the specifics of the problem and the Job, there’s an even more important thing you need to : the Mark needs to really bug your players. They may not necessarily hate every Mark they have to deal with, but they should still react with one of the four D’s of the Internet—disdain, disgust, disbelief, or derision. There should be something about the Mark that just gets under their skin. The more he annoys your players, the more they will delight in his fall (and the more creative they’ll be in making sure it hurts).

122

The Toolbox

Creating the Mark

his angle, like Self-Righteous d12 or Entitled d12. These Traits are high enough to be challenging to the Crew, even in their areas of strength. What this really means is that these define the angle the Crew shouldn’t want to approach the Mark from.

Sample Marks Karl Harris, CEO of Harris Pharmaceuticals d4, Cooking the Books d4, Faux-Cowboy d8 Harris’ face to the world is of a man dedicated to helping mankind, a renegade maverick of the health

weakness, and they will be d4s. One will reflect the

care industry fighting against government restrictions

Mark’s point of weakness (Cowardly d4, Germophobe

that keep him from bringing good medicines to the

d4) and his point of vulnerability (Up for Re-election

public. In reality he’s an obsessive-compulsive one-

d4, Hiding from the Law d4). If the Crew can find

man crusade against a dirty, dirty world. He’s rushed

these and engage them, it greatly increases their odds of

dozens of medicines to market without proper testing

success and of getting Opportunities.

thanks to his also owning (through shell companies)

some personal quirk or character element of the Mark.

THE PITCH

Rich as Hell d12, Health Nut d12, Germophobe

The next two Traits should reflect the Mark’s

The last Trait should be a d8 and should reflect

THE BRIEFING

the extent of his resources. The second should represent

Traits you’re probably fine.

THE CREW

doesn’t necessarily represent the Mark’s skill so much as

to assign them; as long as there are less than 8-10 total

THE JOB

or Mob Boss d12. Unlike the Crew, this die

If you have some ideas for other Traits at d8, feel free

Cloverleaf Labs, which have been responsible for the “independent” testing of his products.

THE FIXER

the reason he’s untouchable, so it might be CEO d12

British D8 or Obsessively Tidy d8.

THE TOOLBOX

The first two will be very big: d12s. The first represents

ways you want the Mark to come off—Annoyingly

THE CRIME WORLD

you’ll always want to start with five.

Have a little fun with this—think of mannerisms or

THE RECORD

While a Mark might have any number of Traits,

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Chapter Six

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB

Peter Brumsfield, One Man Army

most of the money collected. She swoops in with

Rancher d12, Vigilante d12, Craves attention

buzzwords and PowerPoint slides and an impressive

d4, Federal Watchlist d4, Aspiring Novelist d8 THE FIXER

Brumsfield is a tough sonofabitch with a thousand acres near the Mexican border. He and his Crew pretty much run the town—the last sheriff who tried to stand up to them ended up in the hospital, and things have

THE TOOLBOX

been quiet since then. Brumsfield likes to style himself as a Texas Ranger, unaware of the irony of what that group would think of him. From his perspective, he and his boys are “keeping the peace,” but that usually just means they have a badly thought out rationale for

THE CRIME WORLD

whoever they’re beating up this week. Lyla Fisk, Charity Lamprey Identity Thief d12, Social Chameleon d12, Vain d4, Enemies d4, Paper Pusher d8

THE RECORD

Lyla has run a dozen charities under a dozen different names, and on each occasion she’s walked away with

124

array of bogus references, and she’s just started with the Children’s Gift Fund.

Clients In most Jobs, the Client doesn’t get the same amount of attention that the Mark gets—in many cases, the Client is only in play long enough to lay out the problem to the Crew and get out of sight. In these cases, two Traits at d8 or d10 and one Trait at d4 are probably sufficient. If there are exceptions, it’s usually because the Client is looking to take some action on his own, usually creating more than a few problems for the Crew. In that case, give the Client stats similar to an Agent (see page 125).

The Toolbox Sample Clients

Farmer d8, Tough As Old Tree Roots d8, Suspicious d4 Jim Hardy signed a contract with an energy company to allow “minimal” natural gas exploration on his farm. The next autumn, his harvest consisted of a grand total of nine ears of corn and one cow that burps fire. Maria Aguilar Driving d10, Hot-Tempered d8, Trusting d4 Maria Aguilar is a talented race car driver whose team owner is threatening to have her father arrested for a crime he didn’t commit if she doesn’t throw her next big race.

ing Characters

istrative

Assistant

d10—He’s

good

looking, well dressed, intensely professional and he simply is not going to let you through that door without an appointment. Security Guard d6—Yes, most Extras will probably be d8s to indicate that they’re at least good at what they do, but these guys? They answered an ad in the paper and their training consisted of half an hour of PowerPoint followed by filling a specimen cup. They’re just not that scary, though the fact that they get to carry guns might be. Doctor d8—He’s not here to provide riveting conversation; he’s here to patch someone up.

Agents More important or interesting characters are Agents who work for the Mark or the Client, though they are

Aside from the Crew, the Mark, and the Client, we

sometimes tied to an external group, like the FBI. These

have, well, everyone else. From the Mark’s right hand

guys have at least two Traits that reflect who they are and

man to the security guard the Crew needs to bluff past,

what they do, though they may have as many as 3 or 4 if

these people all have their own part to play in the game

necessary. It will be rare for an Agent to have any Traits

and their own Traits to reflect that role. The ing

at d10; if they do, then it‘s extremely noteworthy. The

Characters can be roughly divided into Extras, Agents,

Butcher of Kiev, for example, probably had Butcher

and Foils.

of Kiev d10 because he was that scary. Whether an

Extras Most of the people the Crew encounters are Extras. On the TV show, they’re the type who show up on screen,

THE BRIEFING

Jim Hardy

Sample Extras

THE CREW

doesn’t trust that anyone else will handle the job, either.

of that you can just fill them in on the fly.

THE JOB

she’s not going to let the Mark get away with it. And she

you need for a Job. They’re simple enough to keep track

Agent has any Traits at d4 is a matter of taste, but it can definitely round out a character. Flaws (as represented by d4 Traits) can make a character a lot more likeable, even if the dice are never rolled.

THE FIXER

Cindy’s little brother is the one who got hurt, and

You should never really have to plan for the Extras

THE TOOLBOX

Payback d4

THE CRIME WORLD

Budding Hacker d8, Skate Rat d8, Looking for

THE PITCH

Cindy Calypso

the game, these are people who are important only for the role they play in the game. If you have a few waiters in a scene, there’s no need to delve into their names or the details of their lives. Just assign them the Trait Waiter d8 if absolutely necessary and move along.

One of the rules of the Crime World is that most law enforcement is well intentioned, but ineffectual. If you want to that idea, one trick is to give any law enforcement agents who fit the bill a positive Trait, like Honest or Well-intentioned, at d4.

THE RECORD

maybe say a line or two tops, then leave. For purposes of

125

Chapter Six Whatever temporary arrangement he makes, the Foil

THE PITCH

While it’s easy to create Agents on the fly, it’s worth putting a little planning into them if only so they seem a little more interesting than an Extra. Specifically, you’ll want to think about whether the Mark has any Agents worth mentioning. Not every Mark does, but if you feel

THE BRIEFING

like the Mark is lacking in some area, an Agent can make up for that. For example, the super-rich CEO is unlikely to know much about breaking legs or firing guns. He has people for that. People like Mister Wolf over there, who’d like to talk with you for just a moment.

THE CREW

Agents are also the faces of any group you want to introduce to a caper. If the mob is interested, there should be an Agent who speaks for the mob. If the FBI is watching, then there should be an FBI Agent or two. People don’t interact with abstract entities—they need

THE JOB

to have a face, and the thirty seconds it takes to come up with a convincing Agent is much easier to come by before the Job starts. Mister Wolf—Former Marine d8, Intimidating d8, Unimaginative d4—He’s a tall guy with a buzz cut

THE FIXER

and a perpetual frown, and he’s here to make sure the Mark’s business continues uninterrupted. Doc—Doctor

d8,

Smart

Guy

d8,

Well-

Intentioned d4—Doc is the guy who found the Client’s THE TOOLBOX

problem, and he’s intent on helping. Unfortunately, he’s not really clear on how to help, but he figures as long as he keeps trying, he’ll get lucky eventually. Sheriff Beckett—Cop d8, Smarter than He Looks d8, Doesn’t Want any Trouble d4. Beckett knows

THE CRIME WORLD

there’s something wrong in his town, but he’s pretty sure he doesn’t want to know any more than he does.

Foils The last and most interesting characters are Foils.

THE RECORD

These are characters who, while they may have a role in the current Job, might well show up again to make trouble in another Job. The Foil doesn’t work for the Mark, though their interests may temporarily align.

126

always has his own agenda he’s taking steps to pursue. The best example of a Foil is none other than Interpol’s James Sterling. Foils have character sheets, similar to the Crew. The have Attributes, Distinctions, and Talents like Crew, and differ only in that they have Traits instead of Roles, reflecting the important things about the Foil (though depending on the nature of the Foil, some of the Traits may be the same as the Crew’s Roles). A Foil can have a Rap Sheet as potent as any Crewmember. Often, the Foil will have the strongest tie to one Crewmember; in that case, he may have the same dominant Role.

Sample Foil Sheryl Davis A freelance reporter with a drawer full of awards, she’s caught wind of the Crew and what they do; now she’s poking around in the corners trying to get more details about this mysterious group of criminals. Attributes: Agility d4, Alertness d10, Intelligence d8, Strength d6, Vitality d8, Willpower d8 Traits: Reporter d10, Intrepid d8, Investigator d8, Hitter d6, Hacker d6 Distinctions: Brave, Stubborn, Friends in Low Places Talents: Perfect Timing, Takes One to Know One Changing the Cast It is entirely possible that an Extra may become an Agent or an Agent a Foil. Sometimes your players will take a shine to a particular character, or you’ll have a lot of fun playing as a particular character and, in the process, he becomes more interesting. More interesting translates into more Traits, and suddenly that guy working the slushie machine is revealed to be Poet D8 Kung Fu Badass D8—if so, that’s great. If a character seems interesting enough to flesh him out more, then absolutely do so.

THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Toolbox

and starts getting pretty fleshed out without becoming a full fledged Foil. All these things are fine—the distinctions between character types are guidelines, not hard rules that must be obeyed at all costs. If you end up with an Agent with several Traits and want to use him as a Foil without writing up a full sheet, then do it! This is a great way to handle borderline cases like the other Crew from The Two Live Crew Job. And yes, if you want to give an Agent a Talent or Distinction without giving

details that make them come alive. They need to feel like they’ve been planned out with a purpose, lived or worked in, and then repurposed again. They should feel real, not like a lineup of the empty facades of a barren set on a Hollywood back lot.

Roles of Places The places where the Crew winds up are more than just backdrops where the action happens. They often play a vital role in determining exactly what the Crew

him a full set of stats, go for it!

can get away with. That means you need to know them

Places

knowledge on the fly.

It’s not enough, of course, to just have a bunch of characters standing around and chatting with each other or even beating each other up. They need to have

THE FIXER

Sometimes an Agent picks up more than 4 or 5 Traits

The places in your game should feature the kinds of

THE TOOLBOX

usually because they’re still fairly simple characters.

and four blank walls.

inside out—or at least be able to fake such intimate Because you’re going to regularly put your Crew into situations where they need to improvise a solution to a problem, they are naturally going to turn to their surroundings for help. If they’re in a bar, they might

THE CRIME WORLD

Sometimes Agents recur without becoming Foils,

character than a windowless room with a single door

THE RECORD

Foils versus Agents

a place in which to act, something with a bit more

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Chapter Six Most homes have some minimal form of security. Their biggest protection is the fact that people spend a THE PITCH

look for a bottle to smash over a goon’s head. If they’re

lot of time in them, which means they have a built-in

in an office building, they might hunt for an unsecured

security team. Many people will fight tooth and nail to

Wi-Fi connection into the CEO’s laptop.

protect their homes and are suspicious of any strangers

Places generally fall into one of five different types: homes, offices, businesses, public places, and isolated THE BRIEFING

places. Sometimes they can serve more than one purpose at once or switch purposes depending on the time of day.

Homes

who approach the place.

Offices An office is a particular place of business where people shuffle papers, meet clients or patients, and do whatever es for their sort of quiet, climate-controlled work. Offices can range from a third-story walkup that once

THE CREW THE JOB

A home is any place where someone lives. This can

served as a maintenance closet to several floors in a

range from a two-bedroom one-bath in the exurbs, to an

skyscraper. During the day, most offices are unlocked

apartment in a skyscraper, to a palatial estate on twenty

but are filled with people. At night, after those people

wooded, fenced, and well-patrolled acres, to a cardboard

go home, those same offices are kept securely locked.

box that once housed the massive refrigerator installed

If there are real valuables in the place, a security team

on that estate. The key thing about a home is that it’s

would protect the offices as well.

someone’s castle, the place where he rests his head.

THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

128

The Toolbox

Public Places A public place is one that is open and accessible to the general public. This includes parks, streets, beaches, airports, museums, waterways, and so on. These make for great places to meet if you want to get lost in a crowd. A group of people who happen to gather in a public place isn’t likely to draw any attention. That’s one reason why Crews often like to make them their backup locations to meet up should everything go wrong.

Isolated Places An isolated place is one that’s remote or otherwise cut off from the public. People can meet here with little chance of being disturbed; however, if someone does notice them there, it’s bound to stick out. Isolated places includes warehouses, docks, empty lots, cabins in the woods, desert gullies, storm sewers, secret military installations, basements, empty parking structures, construction sites, and so on. Many public places become isolated places when they’re closed down for the night. The security for such places can range from tight to nonexistent.

Making Places Interesting If you like, you can get by with just using the same generic places over and over again. It’s easy to having meetings in “a bar” or to have the Crew try to rob “a bank.” While such descriptions don’t require much work, they rob the adventure of a lot of its flavor.

Names The first thing a place needs is a good name. Your

THE BRIEFING

don’t much talk to outsiders on the premises.

usually do fine by simply adding the right details.

Crew doesn’t walk into a bank. They stroll into the First National Farmers Bank and Trust of Springfield. Instead of heading into a bar, they duck into the Skinned Cat. If it serves your purpose, you can use the names of any national chains you like in your private games.

THE CREW

where the workers handle the details of the business but

location or map them down to the last micron. You can

You don’t need to come up with your own fast-food franchise when McDonald’s will do. In a pinch, this can save you a lot of time. In most cases, though, try to come up with

THE JOB

businesses have an office section inside of them, a place

mean you have to draw up a set of blueprints for every

something unique to your Crew’s adventures. If you use a known name, the players will come to it with all sorts of preconceived notions. If you come up with your own flavorful place, you can trick it out exactly how you want to and never have to worry about a player saying,

THE FIXER

shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, and more. Many

as distinct and intriguing as you can make it. That doesn’t

“But it doesn’t really work like that.”

People Think about the people who live or work in the place. Give them each a name or at least a role, even if that’s Security Guard #3, Drooling Old Man, or Snot-Faced

THE TOOLBOX

This includes restaurants, auto shops, copy centers, coffee

It’s more fun if each important place the Crew goes is

Kid. The people in the place tell you and your Crew a great deal about what the place is for and how it’s used. Those names can become Traits without much work. Think also about the general attitude of the people inside the place. Are they hostile? Welcoming? Are they

THE CRIME WORLD

interact with the public and sell them goods or services.

tired but earnest or do they wear fake smiles? How do their dispositions color the place?

THE RECORD

A business is any place where the workers regularly

THE PITCH

Businesses

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Chapter Six from bricks, wood, glass? Is the paint peeling and the roof caving in, or is the place in good repair? THE PITCH

History Places don’t just spring up from nowhere. Every place has its own history. The library may once have been a post office. The park may have started out as a

THE BRIEFING

graveyard. A beloved ice-cream store may have been torn down to make way for the monstrous supermarket. The bar may have served generations of people in the same neighborhood, changing with the times—or stubbornly trying to stay the same. Think about how long the place has been there and

THE CREW

what’s happened to it since it was built. What was in this location before? Has the place been well kept? How many owners has it had? These help you build a story for the place that’s as interesting as you might have for any character.

THE JOB

Location Context means a lot. Consider the places that neighbor the location in question. Are they all of a sort

THE FIXER

or do some of them stick out? A single-family home in the center of a business district has a story attached to it, as does a strip club next to a church. Even if the differences are that large, it’s good to

THE TOOLBOX

know what’s around. The Crew may need a spot where they can spy on the place, or they might need to duck into a nearby place to hide if they have to flee. You don’t need to go overboard here. Having a rough idea of what kind of neighborhood the place sits in should be enough

Again, don’t go overboard here. It’s a short description, not a real estate listing.

The Hook If you can, toss something into the place that makes it remarkable and gives it the potential to develop into a hook for a future adventure. The simple way to do this is to give one of the people in the place a notorious past, but you can just as easily make the place itself interesting, too. Perhaps it houses something worth stealing. Maybe someone was killed there once. Let your imagination roam freely. It’s just a hook. Let the Crew nibble at it. You don’t have to set the hook until you want to.

Traits Add a Trait or three to the Location (see page 63 of Chapter Four: The Job for more on Location Traits).

Examples Here are a few examples of key places you can use in your game. If you like, you can come up with all-new places on the fly by just altering a few salient details.

Crew Headquarters H.Q. d10, Cover Story d8, Portrait of “Our Founder” d6 A well-set Crew should have a headquarters, a place

THE CRIME WORLD

most of the time.

where they can all meet and set up their plans for their

Senses

place, but it’s not uncommon for the Crew to chip in

When describing a place, don’t just tell the players its name. Describe it in a sentence or two. If you can, toss

THE RECORD

in details that use a sense or two other than sight. How does it smell? Can you hear the neighbors shouting? Is the air climate controlled or clammy? Is the place built

130

next Job. Often one member of the Crew owns the together to rent a headquarters. A Crew’s headquarters says a lot about them, so it’s best to simply provide a location and then get out of the way. The Crew will outfit the place to fit their tastes, so let them loose on the place. They’ll do all the work, and you can just lean back and watch.

decades. The wait staff has little patience with strangers, but once they warm up to you, you’re family. They serve standard pub grub and have any kind of beer you like on tap, as long as it’s Guinness or Harp. The bar has been in the hands of the Murray family for generations. Martin Murray, a ruddy-faced, balding man in his sixties currently helms the place. He has two sons and a daughter, but the only relative who works there with him is his granddaughter Colleen. (This bar bears more than a ing resemblance to John McRory’s, of course, but then it’s also a living, breathing, wood-ed archetype seen coast to coast.)

Police Station Cops On Duty d8, Holding Cell d8, The Usual Suspects d6

just about everything in her thirty years working here, and the experience has left her jaded and grouchy. Beyond the foyer, the building houses the police

THE FIXER

Murray’s Bar is an Irish pub that’s served the locals for

bulletproof glass that looks out over the foyer. She’s seen

locker room and offices, the evidence room, and a row of holding cells that almost always has at least a few disheveled people in it waiting for a ride to the jail next to the courthouse downtown.

William J. Culvert Park Fountain d6, Oak Trees d6, Kids At Play d6 This stretch of green space in the heart of the city is named after one of the city’s first mayors. Several office buildings and a few bars and restaurants surround it, plus

THE TOOLBOX

From Around Here d6

Lusinski greets any outsiders from behind a partition of

THE CRIME WORLD

Neighborhood Bar d10, Slainte! d8, You’re Not

local precinct. A dour-faced receptionist named Grace

a small organic market that caters to the busy professional hoping to grab some food on the way to or from work. The place used to be a hangout for a local gang, but the city cleaned it up about ten years ago, redoing the landscaping

THE RECORD

Murray’s Bar

THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Toolbox

The police station is a standalone building that squats in the center of town. It serves as the headquarters for the

131

Chapter Six

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB

from one end to the other and installing a handsome circular fountain in the park’s center. Benches and conversation areas appear randomly along the winding and well-groomed sidewalks. Many of these are sheltered from the street, making them

THE FIXER

perfect meeting spots for folks needing a little privacy.

King Storage Stolen Goods d8, Unreliable Security Cameras

THE TOOLBOX

d4, He Paid In Cash d6 This large, steel-sided building is supposedly a warehouse for legitimate goods being shipped in and out of the city. The front part of the place serves that function, but George King—a handsome young man

THE CRIME WORLD

who’s not as smart as he thinks he is—runs a fencing operation for stolen goods out of the back end. His father Bruce owns the place and has been running the honest operation for nearly twenty years. Bruce doesn’t know anything about George’s shady

THE RECORD

dealings. He has his suspicions, but he’s chosen to ignore them rather than risk driving off his son. He has decided to trust his son, as misplaced as that trust may be.

132

The Lafitte Wharf Darkness and Shadows d8, Armed Thugs d8 John Lafitte runs this private dock on the edge of the city’s waterfront. He is technically beyond the city’s jurisdiction, and the managers of the township where the wharf is located are sitting in his pocket. Lafitte, who moved here from New Orleans many years back, is not a bad man, just desperate. If not for the smugglers who use his port, he would have little traffic at all. The wharf is stained with oil and possibly blood, and it consistently stinks of diesel. It sees less traffic than the other docks, and the boats all seem to be guarded by large men with poorly concealed guns.

Freedom Parking Structure Far From Prying Eyes d8, Long Way Down d6 The Freedom Parking Structure was once an open park in the middle of a downtrodden part of the city. As businesses moved into the revitalized neighborhood, their owners decided they needed more parking, so the city built this structure. Unfortunately, the businesses

The Toolbox never did well enough to need the whole structure,

This makes the Freedom Parking Structure the perfect

Their sons Rico and Alberto are secretly running a

place for clandestine meetings of all kinds. The basement

business smuggling illegal aliens into the area. They use

level and the top of the structure are far from prying eyes.

some of the abandoned homes as free housing for their

The only trouble comes when two separate gatherings are

clients, as squatters.

Giuseppe and Chiara DiFeranti long ago left behind

Chinese knockoffs, tech gadgets, and toys into the US.

the organized crime syndicate and moved to this six

Their CEO and founder Lau Liu started out selling

thousand-square-foot mansion in a gated community

copied DVDs on the streets and built the company on

to escape their pasts. Their children attend boarding

the pillars of cheap, illegal labor and utter disregard for

schools back east, and they live luxuriously off of the

intellectual property laws. He bought this shiny high-

profits from Giuseppe’s past investments. The DiFerantis

rise at foreclosure prices a year back and has since

likely should have tried to enter a witness protection

strived to establish himself as a legitimate businessman

program, but they couldn’t bear the thought of ratting

and philanthropist.

out their old friends.

The place still has that new-building smell and

The home features four floors, ten bedrooms, a dozen

features state-of-the-art automated security systems.

bathrooms, a private screening room, an indoor pool, a

Most of the people who work here have no idea of Liu’s

gym, a gigantic kitchen, a ballroom, a library, a den, and a

shady past and are good folks dedicated to increasing

fully stocked bar. A small army of hired help maintains the

Ho-Ko’s share of sales into dollar and thrift stores around

place. None of them know for sure about the DiFerantis’

the US. They are uniformly friendly and eager to help,

past, although rumors circulate among them. They are

almost religious in their dedication to the company.

courteous to friends and business associates, but they are

Casa Lopez La Comida Caliente d8, Welcoming d6, Tight Finances d6 Emilio and Pilar Lopez own this McMansion located

fiercely protective of their meal tickets.

Lamar’s Crib Luxury d8, Dance All Night d8, The Creditors Are Knocking d6

in a new subdivision on the edge of town. The house

Lamar Pulliam—a.k.a. MC Pull—lives in this luxury

seems just like every other house on the street, except

bachelor’s penthouse that sits high above the pulsating

for the smell of spicy cooking that always wafts out of the

heart of the city. Lamar is the hottest DJ and record

home. Many of the other houses in the neighborhood

producer in the state, and he likes to show off the wealth

stand empty—they’ve either not been sold or their

that this has bought him. In truth, he lives well beyond

owners have been evicted due to foreclosure.

his means, but he is sanguine about it. He knows that

The warm and friendly Lopezes run a Costa Rican

THE JOB

Ho-Ko Imports specializes in bringing cheap

THE CREW

Past d6

THE FIXER

Company Men d8, Excellent Security d8

Household Staff d6, Luxury d8, Echoes of the

THE TOOLBOX

Ho-Ko Imports Headquarters

The DiFeranti Estate

THE CRIME WORLD

accidentally scheduled for the same time.

THE BRIEFING

financially but determined not to fall into the abyss.

THE RECORD

stand empty.

THE PITCH

so the uppermost and lowermost levels of it often

restaurant in the city center, and they have worked hard for everything they own. They are on the edge

133

Chapter Six while away a morning. Instead, most customers get their coffee and pastry to go. Some settle for sitting at THE PITCH

the end is near, but he’s lived poor before and he doesn’t

the café tables outside the place, as the baristas rarely

fear going back to that again.

venture out that far to berate the customers.

THE BRIEFING THE CREW

The place is appointed with the finest materials,

The only people who make it a habit to hang out

exotic wood, luxurious leather, shining metal, and

inside are snarky hipsters who can dish out verbal abuse

gleaming marble. The centerpiece of the vast living

even better than the staff. Anyone who tries to them

room is one of the greatest entertainment systems ever

invites a withering firestorm of scorn, but if you manage

assembled, and the place even has its own dance floor

to withstand this—or, better yet, put one of the baristas

that extends out onto the rooftop patio so that Lamar

or regulars in his place—you may find some measure

can host private parties.

of acceptance.

Central Avenue

The Last National Bank

Trendy d6, Image Consciousness d6, Shaky Jake’s Turf d8

Locked Down Tight d10, The Customer Is Always Wrong d8, Fresh, Clean Money d8

THE JOB THE FIXER

Central Avenue runs right through the city’s

This locally run bank sits in an old building that once

entertainment district. The north end features run-

served as a National Guard armory. The brick edifice

down theaters, dive bars, and strip clubs, but as you

been retrofitted with all of a bank’s modern amenities,

move south it becomes progressively pricier until it

including a drive-through window, an ATM, a vault,

terminates in the Opera House. The seedier elements

and a surprisingly sophisticated security system. The

of the street once dominated it, but a city beautification

bank manager is Jack Gibson, a handsome man of about

project launched six years ago widened and rebuilt the

40, with a viselike grip and a shark’s grin. He founded

street, and most of it now features open-air coffee shops

this bank himself with profits from a shady Internet

and trendy boutiques.

business, and he uses it to launder money and process

The best-known person on the street is Shaky Jake, a sometimes-homeless street performer who often has

payments for virtual currencies used in massively multiplayer online games.

THE TOOLBOX

a bad case of the DTs. After serenading people here for

The bank gives only lip service to customer

nearly a decade, he’s become something of a hometown

satisfaction. It opens at 11am and closes at 4:30pm. Its

celebrity, even selling postcards and bumper stickers

guards are uniformly burly, well-armed men who would

with his image on them.

seem more at home on a bouncer’s stool. The place is

THE CRIME WORLD

The Best Damn Coffee Shop Dripping Sarcasm d8, Coffee Snobbery d8, Almost Worth It d6 The Best Damn Coffee Shop lives up to its name. It easily produces the best coffee in town, and you can

locked down hard after hours, and there are always at least two guards on duty.

Faith Memorial Hospital Blood From A Stone d10, Emergency Room d10, Lax Security d8

THE RECORD

smell it from a block away. If it wasn’t for the fact that

Faith Memorial was once a Catholic hospital, but

the baristas here are uniformly arrogant and insufferable

an HMO conglomerate purchased it back in the 1990s.

about their abilities, it would be a wonderful place to

It is currently in the middle of a seemingly endless series of remodeling projects that leave huge holes in its security. The place regularly overcharges its patients

134

The Toolbox with complicated billing procedures that a A would

down a multinational conglomerate specializing in

Southwestern colors and themes. The staff is competent

black-market body parts. Some are simple, others

and caring, and the ER is the best in the city. The

are complicated, but they all require the Crew’s

place caters to wealthy suburbanites with rock-solid

intervention.

features

insurance coverage, but it does not refuse treatment to

Chapter Five: The Fixer describes how to build

anyone. Despite this, the HMO is considering shutting

a Job out of a problem. It covers how to hone in on

the place down so that it can increase the demand at its

what’s going on and what kind of good the Crew can

other facilities in the area.

do by stepping in to help. However, it doesn’t give you

Yes, they’re remodeling a place they might shut

any suggestions for problems that you can build your

down. No, it doesn’t make any sense on the surface.

Job around. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ve

There’s always a reason for these things, but figuring it

come to the right place.

out might require some serious digging.

Problems Going out into the world and trying to help people means that the Crew is going to run into all sorts of problems brought to them by Clients. These can range from helping an old lady cross the street (while

Common Problems Here’s a good sampling of common problems you could build a Job around. These are just the seeds of any Job. You’re going to have to put a bit of time and

THE JOB

décor

effort into tending them to grow any one of them into a full-on Job. THE FIXER

the

THE TOOLBOX

and

THE CRIME WORLD

way,

THE BRIEFING

spare

antiseptic

THE CREW

she’s being chased by guys with guns) to bringing

THE RECORD

The hospital is clean and inviting in a modern,

THE PITCH

find hard to follow.

135

Chapter Six few times, it’s unlikely to happen so many times to so many different people, some of whom were ripped off THE PITCH

Feel free to riff on these as you like and tailor the

multiple times. They each signed a form waiving their

ideas to your own interests and those of the Crew. If

rights to sue, so they have no recourse. The Client wants

you’re a sports fan, go ahead and put a sports spin on a

the Crew to prove that the company stole all of its ideas

situation. If you’re a hardcore gamer, don’t be afraid to

and get him the money he needs to pay for his wife’s

spice things up with gaming details. Make each problem

cancer treatments.

THE BRIEFING

your own.

Scammed

Framed The Client worked for a powerful man with a shady

THE CREW THE JOB

The Client sunk his life savings into what turned

past. At one point, his boss committed a crime and

out to be a scam real-estate investment. Pushed to the

pinned the blame on the Client. In jail, unemployed,

brink financially, he’s desperate to get his money back

and unable to afford a decent attorney, the Client stands

but has run into brick walls every time. The scammer

to be convicted of the crime and sent to jail long enough

bankrupted the scam business and got away with every

that his kids will be full grown before he sees them again.

dollar through some tricky ing. Legally, he’s

Upon investigating, the Crew learns that this is not

untouchable, and most of the victims have managed to

the first person the boss has done this to. If they can

move on with their lives.

uncover evidence of his crimes, they may be able to

The Client has discovered, though, that the scammer has launched a new scam similar to the original one, but with a brand-new corporate identity. More than he wants his money back, he wants the Crew

overturn a number of other convictions and set several wrongly convicted people free.

Kidnapped

THE FIXER

to take the scammer down before he leaves another

The Client’s child has been kidnapped. The

swathe of emptied bank s in his wake. If

kidnappers don’t want money, though. They want the

the Crew can make sure the scammer never gets to

Client to commit a crime for them, and they threaten to

start over with a new scheme again, that would be

kill the child if the Client doesn’t play along.

THE TOOLBOX

even better.

Industrial Espionage

The Client can’t go to the police because he knows that his kidnappers have an informant inside the police station. He’s not willing to risk his child’s life over this,

THE CRIME WORLD

The Client came up with an invention and

but he doesn’t want to go to jail or get himself killed

submitted it to a company that claimed to help match

while committing a crime. He needs the Crew to help

investors up with inventors. It claimed that they

him out.

already had a product like his in the pipeline, and a year later he saw his invention on store shelves.

Cheated

THE RECORD

Suspicious, the Client checked around with other

The Client is an athlete with an up-and-coming

hopeful inventors who had submitted their ideas to

career. He’s drawn the attention of the local organized

the company.

crime syndicate, and they want him to throw a game.

The company had told each of the other inventors the same thing: that their ideas were already in the works. While it’s possible that this might happen a

While he would hate to do this, he believes it’s probably worth it to save his kneecaps. However, a rival gang has also approached the Client and ordered him to win the game. This way, they’ll not

136

The Toolbox only make a bundle but hurt their rivals too. The Client

about the kinds of stories you plan to use. That should Be sure to keep track of your research. Inevitably,

criminals learned of this and have decided to remove

something will happen in the game that the players

this obstacle to their continued success. Their attack

will think is impossible but you know isn’t. Ask them

drives the Client into hiding, but he now fears for his

to trust you until the adventure’s over. Then show

family and friends. He has no way to strike back against

them your research notes and watch their jaws drop.

the criminals, and he no longer trusts the police to protect him and those he loves.

Make the Story Yours

The criminals have managed to tap into the local

Take some time to file the serial numbers off the

police communications channels. To stop the crooks,

story you’re using as the basis of your adventure, and

the Crew will not only have to protect the Client’s family

twist a few of the elements around to make it your

and friends but shut down the crooks’ intelligence

own. For one, it’s a game. You don’t need to tie yourself

gathering. While they’re at it, they should come up with

too tightly to what you read in the news. Take a little

incontrovertible proof for the original crime so that the

license with it.

witness won’t have to testify any longer.

Ripped from the Headlines If you have a hard time coming up with a problem that you think is wild enough to engage your Crew’s full attention, you have a world of inspiration at your fingertips. Just pick up a copy of any decent newspaper and scan the headlines for scandals and crimes. Or get online and check out the top stories from your favorite

For two, the players may already have heard of the story, too. If you take pains to disguise it, you stand a better chance of them not realizing the truth behind the tale until it’s too late for them to do anything about it.

Think Leverage When noodling your story around, don’t forget that this is a Leverage game. You need to have a Client to the Crew, and that Client needs a sympathetic

newsfeeds. You should have a wealth of ideas in no time.

angle to convince the Crew to help him. Also, the story

Do Your Research

Something like trying to clear the drug trade out of a

A little reading can take you a long way in your search for inspiration. If you get stumped, punch search like; “scandal,” “crime,” “con,” “caper,” or “thieves”

THE CREW

ready to testify to the police about it. Unfortunately, the

THE BRIEFING

make the adventure that much more surprising.

THE JOB

The Client witnessed or discovered a crime and is

want to make sure that the Crew hasn’t already heard

THE FIXER

Witnessed

ones that haven’t been in the news for a while. You

THE TOOLBOX

comes in.

Try to stick to recent stories if you can—or to older

needs to have a potential end with a satisfying result. large city is a never-ending, thankless task, and it’s best left as the subject for a story in a different game.

THE CRIME WORLD

good way out of the dilemma. That’s where the Crew

THE PITCH

is caught between two vicious gangs and can’t figure a

results until you find something that intrigues you. If you can relate it to some interests that you or some of your Crew already have, all the better.

THE RECORD

into your favorite search engine. Then skim through the

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Chapter Six

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB

Situation Generator If you’re still stumped for ideas—or if you find yourself THE FIXER

needing to generate a situation on the fly—flip to this section of the book and give the Situation Generator a try. For this, all you need is d10 and something to write on. You should have yourself a situation you can work with in no time.

THE TOOLBOX

Since there are eight different tables to help you generate your situation, that comes out to 100,000,000 different possible combinations. Actually, since the last entry in each table is “roll twice on this table,” there are even more combos than that. In any case, they should

THE CRIME WORLD

keep you busy for a while. However, that the Situation Generator is only a guide. Use it as you like and feel free to consider the results more inspiration than declaration. Change them as you will, and make the adventure your own.

THE RECORD

If you want, you can modify the tables or come up with entirely new ones on your own. It’s your game. Play it how you like it.

Using the Generator Roll a d10 on each chart and record the results. When you’re done, you should have a skeleton of a possible Job to play with. Dress it up a bit, and you’re ready to go.

Client D10 RESULT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This table describes the kind of Client that approaches the Crew about the situation. 

138

Full-time parent Scientist/engineer Clergy Professional Teacher/professor Child Athlete/entertainer Politician/public servant Businessperson Roll twice on this table, ignoring any 10s.

FULL-TIME PARENT: A stay-at-home mom or dad dedicated to raising the kids.

The Toolbox





ATHLETE/ENTERTAINER: Someone whose job it is to help people forget about the troubles of their daily lives, if only for a while. POLITICIAN/PUBLIC SERVANT: An elected official or bureaucrat in some level of government. BUSINESSPERSON: Someone who runs a business, anything from a corner store to a conglomerate.

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING

This table describes the general nature of the Client’s

THE CREW



CHILD: A minor, anywhere from an infant to a teenager.

Lost home Lost money Lost reputation Mistaken identity Extorted Injured Killed Threatened Framed Roll twice on this table, ignoring any 10s.

problem. The problem may be about to happen or may have already taken place, but either way it’s still a huge deal.  















LOST HOME: The Client’s domicile is in danger.

THE JOB



TEACHER/PROFESSOR: An educator, from a preschool teacher on up to a college professor.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOST MONEY: The Client has lost (or had stolen) a substantial amount of money. LOST REPUTATION: The Client’s image has been tarnished, perhaps irreparably. MISTAKEN IDENTITY: The Client has been mistaken for someone else, someone who has serious troubles. EXTORTED: Someone is blackmailing the Client into doing something horrible. INJURED: The Client has been injured, maimed, or traumatized. KILLED: The Client has been killed—in which case the actual Client is someone who cared about the dead person. THREATENED: The Client has been threatened by someone and fears for his life and limbs. FRAMED: The Client has been framed for a crime he didn’t commit.

THE FIXER



PROFESSIONAL: A doctor, lawyer, agent, consultant, and so on. Someone who works in an office and rarely gets his hands dirty.

D10 RESULT

THE TOOLBOX



CLERGY: A priest, nun, reverend, rabbi, deacon, imam, minister, or anyone else in a leadership position in a religious organization.

Problem

THE CRIME WORLD



SCIENTIST/ENGINEER: Someone with a scientific background. Could also be a technician, mechanic, or computer programmer.

THE RECORD



139

Chapter Six



THE PITCH

Pressure D10 RESULT

THE BRIEFING

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

THE CREW

Running out of time Running out of money The courts can’t help The police refuse to help No one else believes Fear of reprisals Knows one of the Crew No solid proof It’s personal Roll twice on this table, ignoring any 10s.

This table tells why the Client needs the Crew to help











him now. THE JOB





THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

140

RUNNING OUT OF TIME: The Client has little time before the situation will be too far gone to correct. UNNING OUT OF MONEY: The Client doesn’t R have enough cash to defend himself.



HE COURTS CAN’T HELP: Either there’s not T enough evidence or the courts have already heard the case and decided against the Client. THE POLICE REFUSE TO HELP: Maybe the police are corrupt. Maybe they can’t find enough evidence to press charges. Maybe they think the Client is the guilty one. NO ONE ELSE BELIEVES: Everyone else thinks the Client is the cause of the problem. EAR OF REPRISALS: The Client is afraid that if F he tries to solve the problem, he or the people close to him might be hurt or killed. KNOWS ONE OF THE CREW: The Client goes way back with one of the Crew and turns to him for help. NO SOLID PROOF: The Client can’t find any solid evidence of what really happened, perhaps because it was destroyed or witnesses were made unavailable to testify. IT’S PERSONAL: The situation raises issues that are personally important to a member of the Crew.

The Toolbox

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

THE PITCH

D10 RESULT

Amoral Self-righteous Just business Visionary Hard-nosed Best for all involved Entitled Evil Greedy Roll twice on this table, ignoring any 10s.

THE BRIEFING

Gang lord Law enforcer Clergy Businessperson Politician Criminal Financier Attorney Grifter Roll twice on this table, ignoring any 10s.

This table tells you a bit about the Mark, the person who















L AW ENFORCER: The Mark is a police officer or federal officer, perhaps even a judge. CLERGY: The Mark is a prominent leader in a religious organization. BUSINESSPERSON: The Mark runs a business of some sort, likely a successful one with lots of pull in the community. POLITICIAN: The Mark is an elected official, likely corrupt. CRIMINAL: The Mark is a thug or a white-collar crook, an independent criminal.













FINANCIER: The Mark works in finance, either inside a corporation or on Wall Street or some other stock exchange. ATTORNEY: The Mark chases ambulances for a living. GRIFTER: The Mark is a con artist who is very good at what he does.







AMORAL: The Mark doesn’t care about right and wrong, only what’s good or bad for him. THE JOB



GANG LORD: The Mark is a prominent and wellconnected organized crime or gangland figure.

SELF-RIGHTEOUS: The Mark is sure he knows what’s best for everyone. He doesn’t always include himself in that, but he’s happy to inform others. JUST BUSINESS: The Mark doesn’t mean to hurt anyone. He just cares about his business more than he does about them. VISIONARY: The Mark has a vision for the future, and he is willing to sacrifice others upon its altar. HARD-NOSED: The Mark believes all’s fair in love and war and everything else. BEST FOR ALL INVOLVED: The Mark thinks that his actions are honestly for the best. It may be sad if someone gets hurt by them, but he’s thinking of the greater good. ENTITLED: The Mark is a special person, and he deserves the things he’s taken from others.

THE CRIME WORLD



This table tells you what makes the Mark such a bastard.

EVIL: The Mark enjoys inflicting pain on others just to watch them squirm. GREEDY: The Mark wants more of something (money, sex, fame, etc.), and he’s willing to kick aside anyone who gets in his way.

THE RECORD

is causing the Client’s problems.

THE CREW

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Mark’s Angle

THE FIXER

D10 RESULT

THE TOOLBOX

Mark

141

Chapter Six Mark’s Weakness THE PITCH

Mark’s Power D10 RESULT

THE BRIEFING

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

THE CREW

Connected Wealthy Powerful Smart Sociopath Attractive Scary Tough Immunity Roll twice on this table, ignoring any 10s.

This table describes why the Mark is dangerous. 

THE JOB





THE FIXER





THE TOOLBOX





THE CRIME WORLD



THE RECORD



142

D10 RESULT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This table suggests flaws in the Mark’s personality, the things that drive him to be the kind of person he is.

CONNECTED: The Mark is connected to powerful people who care about him and protect him.



WEALTHY: The Mark is rich enough to buy whatever he wants, including other people.



OWERFUL: The Mark is influential within a group P of people who listen to what he tells them to do.



SMART: The Mark is a genius capable of outsmarting just about anyone.



SOCIOPATH: The Mark is a master manipulator of other people’s emotions and has few genuine ones of his own.





ATTRACTIVE: The Mark is beautiful or handsome enough to get others to do things with just a smile. SCARY: The Mark is dangerous and creepy. He may burst into a violent rage at any instant, or he may be a cold-blooded killer. TOUGH: Nothing gets to the Mark, and he is often willing to do things that would terrify others. He knows this and uses it to get what he wants. IMMUNITY: The Mark is immune to the consequences of his crimes. Perhaps he has diplomatic immunity, or maybe he has the police in his pocket.

Arrogant Obsessed Tyrannical Fearful Needy Loyal Phony Guilty conscience Addiction Roll twice on this table, ignoring any 10s.







ARROGANT: The Mark is incredible and knows it a bit too well. OBSESSED: The Mark is obsessed with something, anything from a collection to revenge. TYRANNICAL: The Mark has a deep-rooted need to be the boss in any situation. FEARFUL: Anxieties of one sort or another drive the Mark. NEEDY: The Mark craves the acceptance of his peers and the adulation of his public. LOYAL: The Mark is determined to help someone important to him and will do anything to make that happen. PHONY: The Mark is a fraud, and he refuses to let anyone expose the truth. GUILTY CONSCIENCE: The Mark did something horrible and is determined to either cover it up or make up for it, no matter what it takes. ADDICTION: The Mark is addicted to something—drugs, sex, gambling—and will do anything to feed his addiction.

THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Toolbox

Secret dream Reputation Superiors Criminal Debt Time Enemies Family Love Roll twice on this table, ignoring any 10s.

This table describes the Mark’s fatal flaw, an angle the











Crew might exploit to bring him down. 



SECRET DREAM: The Mark dreams of ditching it all and starting over again as something else: a cook, a fashion designer, an athlete, and so on. REPUTATION: The Mark’s reputation is important to his position. Without it, he is done.



CRIMINAL: The Mark has broken many laws, and evidence that he has done so would ruin him.

THE FIXER

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

EBT: The Mark owes a great deal to a powerful D person. If that debt gets called, he’s doomed. THE TOOLBOX

D10 RESULT

SUPERIORS: The Mark has a boss who would not be happy to learn what he’s been doing, no matter his motives.

TIME: The Mark is racing against the clock. If the Crew can disrupt his plans, the Mark may selfdestruct. ENEMIES: The Mark has enemies of his own, and they would all be happy to help him fail. FAMILY: The Mark has family who need his , but if they found out what he was doing, it would destroy his relationship with them forever. LOVE: The Mark is desperate for affection and will risk much to satisfy his needs.

THE CRIME WORLD



THE RECORD

Mark’s Vulnerability

143

Chapter Six

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB

Who Else is in Play?



D10 RESULT

THE FIXER

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

THE TOOLBOX

Enforcer Guilty conscience The loose end The vizier The innocent The wildcard The inspector The dupe The hostage Roll twice on this table, ignoring any 10s.

THE CRIME WORLD

This table describes someone else who’s going to play an









important role in the Job. 

THE RECORD





144

ENFORCER: The Mark has a skilled Hitter in his employ. The Crew needs to watch their backs. GUILTY CONSCIENCE: The Mark knows he’s done wrong, and part of him wants to come clean. THE LOOSE END: There’s a witness. The Crew better find him before the Mark does.



THE VIZIER: The Mark has a loyal and highly competent assistant who can spot a con a mile away. THE INNOCENT: The Mark’s spouse, son, or daughter is closely tied to his business dealings, a person who had nothing to do with what happened to the Client. THE WILDCARD: There’s another business interest, political power, or even another victim looking at the situation, one who’s not especially friendly with the Mark. THE INSPECTOR: A banking regulator, federal agent, or insurance investigator has the Mark in his sights. THE DUPE: The Mark has a defender absolutely convinced of his innocence, an innocent that the Client insists not be harmed when the Mark goes down. THE HOSTAGE: The Mark holds power over someone important to the Client, and has threatened to do him harm (physical or otherwise) if the Client comes after the Mark.

The Toolbox













SECRET VULNERABILITY: Roll again on “Mark’s Vulnerability”—that’s his real vulnerability. IT’S PERSONAL: The Mark has directly hurt one of the Crew, or the Client is a loved one of one of the Crew TURNABOUT: The Mark discovers that he’s being scammed and turns the tables, forcing the Crew to play defense HE MARK’S NOT REALLY THE BAD GUY: T There’s a power behind the throne, so to speak. This matches well with the presence of a vizier, above. HE POLICE HAVE THEIR EYE ON THIS T ONE: The Mark is under investigation by a law enforcement agency, and the Crew must tread carefully lest they get swept up in the net. THE MOB HAS THEIR EYE ON THIS ONE: As above, but it’s an organized crime syndicate rather than law enforcement, and the price of failure is “dead” rather than “arrested.”

I T’S MUCH WORSE THAN YOU THINK: The Mark is the tip of an iceberg. He’s still the bad guy, but it’s revealed that there’s somebody else (or lots of somebodys) backing him up. Maybe the Mark is a member of a syndicate of other crooks all doing the same thing, and the Crew has to take them all out.

THE BRIEFING THE CREW



THE CLIENT IS THE MARK: Similar to “the Mark’s not really the bad guy,” but in this case it turns out the Client is the real bad guy and the Mark is totally innocent. Played out well in The Nigeran Job, though the Client might even be in on it.

THE JOB

the plot.



EATH/DISAPPEARANCE OF THE MARK: D The Mark dies, goes missing, or is taken out of the picture… before the Crew can get what they want. Who steps up? Likely one of the Mark’s Agents or even a Foil.

THE FIXER

This table gives the Fixer ideas for something to thicken



THE TOOLBOX

Secret vulnerability It’s personal Turnabout The Mark’s not really the bad guy The police have their eye on this one The Mob has their eye on this one Death/disappearance of the Mark The Client is the Mark It’s much worse than you think Roll twice on this table, ignoring any 10s.

THE CRIME WORLD

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

THE RECORD

D10 RESULT

THE PITCH

The Twist

145

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146

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147

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148

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The Crime World Where It All Happens

149

Chapter Seven pull open one of those online map tools or a street

THE PITCH

Crime World Now we get to the part where you might expect us to tell you that everything you think you know about the world is a lie, that it’s all just a cover story for something

THE BRIEFING

deeper. Well, that’s not exactly true. I mean, sure, there are probably more bad things going on than you realize, and the stories you see on the evening news or your favorite cable network are likely to be biased. But for all intents and purposes, yes, the world of Leverage is the

THE CREW

same one you’re used to. Only, there’s another world, a world of conspiracy and high-stakes theft and intrigue and people pulling strings, and it’s above all of this day-to-day nickel and dime criminal behavior. It’s larger than life. After a

THE JOB

while, when you’ve pulled off your fair share of Jobs and brought some relief to the innocent people who’ve been wronged, you’re gonna start getting a sense that you’re only scratching the surface. That’s what we’re talking about. That’s Crime World.

THE FIXER

See, you can play Job after Job with this game and not touch on any of that, and that’s great. I think that’s a sensible way to do it, especially if you’ve got a busy kind of life and the players can only meet up once or twice

THE TOOLBOX

a month. But if you’re really keen to immerse yourself, this chapter takes you there. It goes over the world of the confidence game, how to think like a criminal, how this stuff really works. Obviously, you’re gonna use all of this information for the right reasons. If not…well,

THE CRIME WORLD

that’s why Leverage Consulting & Associates does what it does.

directory for your favorite metropolitan center, and go to town. But all that aside, there are some places that have become strongly associated with Leverage. Here’s a couple to get you thinking.

Chicago The Windy City has a wonderful history of crime and confidence games, and thus it makes perfect sense that this is the first city where Nathan Ford’s Crew sees action. Chicago, Illinois, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, is a political and industrial hub for the Midwest; it spreads out into both affluent and asset-deprived neighborhoods and is home to global corporations and crime syndicates. Along Lakeshore Drive, the gleaming towers and bustling crowds of Chicago hide some of Crime World’s most deceptive and duplicitous Marks. It’s a white-collar paradise, corruption and casual amorality apparently just out there to be found. But it’s also a hardworking city, flanked by blue-collar cities Gary, Indiana, and (around the lake to the northwest) Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Finance, technology, and civic government share the limelight with manufacturing, extortion, and shipping when it comes to criminal playgrounds. You could carry out Jobs in Chicagoland for months without stepping out of the city and into the suburbs, but you’d be missing an opportunity for an even more vicious jungle. The gangs in Chicago have formed strong roots in bedroom communities, preying on college students and professional families. Petty feuds and cheating spouses can act as red herrings for political corruption and Italian mobsters. The lists, like the greater metropolitan area, go on and on.

The Lay Of The Land

THE RECORD

You don’t need a special map or a gazetteer or a chapter full of locations to get yourself into the mindset of Crime World. No, you just need to grab an atlas or

Historically, Chicago’s crime story makes it all the more appropriate for a Crew to be attached to this city. Al Capone, Bugsy Malone, the hapless G-Men; if you were at all interested in playing out a Leverage game set in the past, just as a fun variation, this would be where you’d set it. All the big stores, con men, and ropers of note traveled through and set up shop in Chicago in the 1920s

150

The Crime World and 1930s, catching a train out when things got too hot.

of operations, sharing a time zone with IYS Insurance, Nate’s former employer. The sunny—albeit smog-prone—climate in L.A. translates to a constant veneer of broad daylight, overexposure, and primary colors. If you’re well off, you have big rings, nice suits, and security guards with sunglasses. If you’re on the other end of the scale, your neighborhood is decorated in graffiti and kids are always playing basketball in a vacant lot nearby. At night, it’s

dumping some poor innocent victim or stashing a

THE BRIEFING

Leverage Consulting & Associates’ first long-term base

hand, it’s not very far to sun-baked desert, perfect for hefty score from a bank job. The authorities are their own special kind of challenge, too, from the LAPD to the California Highway Patrol. If you want to get caught, you’ve got plenty of options. The Leverage Crew left L.A. somewhat explosively,

THE CREW

rich and famous are thick as thieves in L.A. This was

or taking another turn on a cloverleaf. On the other

but if you’re interested in making your home in the great metro area, it’s worth watching a lot of movies and TV set in the City of Angels. And speaking of movies and TV, you probably can’t take two steps without

THE JOB

painted with. Crime and gang warfare is rife, but the

you can drive for hours and still be stuck in traffic

THE FIXER

give you an indicator of the broad strokes this city is

Because Los Angeles covers such a large area,

THE TOOLBOX

Angeles, California, but in Crime World that does

crime you care to name, and more that you can’t.

THE CRIME WORLD

It’s not all Hollywood and South Central in Los

Crime World Los Angeles is a classic location for any

THE RECORD

Los Angeles

crisp and dangerous and high rises are towers of light.

THE PITCH

Something to consider, but hide your hip flask.

151

Chapter Seven attentions of the authorities with the Russians, Italians, and Caribbean gangs. THE PITCH

tripping over some struggling actor or screenwriter.

The city has a reputation for being a center of higher

They make great Clients, but don’t discount them as

education, medical research, and industry. Harvard’s

potential Crew, either.

nearby in Cambridge, after all. There’s no shortage of big

Boston THE BRIEFING

The Leverage Crew relocated to Boston, Mass after the First & Second David Jobs left them scattered to the

companies involved in questionable practices, many of which hire some of Crime World’s choicest ex-military thugs and security personnel to keep these practices hidden away.

THE CREW

four winds. With IYS CEO Blackpoole taken down

Because Boston’s on the coastline and is a major

and their headquarters in L.A. blown up, Nate decided

shipping port, smuggling and illicit imports are rife.

to move back to his old stomping grounds. Renting a

Customs officials are often paid off by the Irish mob or by

condo apartment right upstairs from the bar where his

wealthy industrialists hoping to keep their international

father, Jimmy Ford, used to hold court, Nate resisted his

trade under the radar. It’s a hop step and a jump across

Crew moving into the place for a while until even he

the Atlantic to Europe and parts east, either by ship or a

realized it just made good sense.

flight out of Logan International.

Boston’s a city of old neighborhoods and strong THE JOB

family ties. It’s multicultural, but it has a reputation for being run by the Irish. True, the Irish mob has a firm foothold on crime in Boston (especially the Donnelly, McTeague, and O’Hare families), but they share the

THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

152

The Crime World

beginning, so even if you’ve already had your heart set on a Hacker who grew up in South Carolina or a Grifter from Lebanon, leave some space to find your place. The following ideas should give you some ideas of how to give some background and weight to your Crew, tying them together and giving them the basics for a sense of purpose and teamwork.

Five Thieves Walk Into A Bar So there’s the random, just showed up and now you’re breaking into high-security buildings background, where nobody has any real connection other than the money. And once that’s taken care of, the thrill of the scam. This is a common niche that many Leverage Crews are gonna fill, because it’s so damn easy to set up. The Mastermind put out an ad, say, or the Hitter called all of his former employers together and suggested they have a drink. Drop a Client on them, and they’re off and running. The upside? Not much preparation, easiest thing to settle on. Lots of room to fill in those blanks. The downside? It’s been done, not just in the caper genre but in almost any pulp story or fantasy plot every written. It’s not so much that it’s boring or tired, but it doesn’t give you much to go on.

Band of Brothers One day, something bad happened and a group of mercenaries or freedom fighters were blamed for a crime they didn’t commit, forcing them underground and… you know the score. This isn’t a bad setup for a Crew

problem only you and your buddies can solve. It’s tailormade for this game. So why wouldn’t you just do this? Well, it throws out a

THE BRIEFING

during play. It’s no fun to have it all worked out from the

from that guy you served in that unit with, and he has a

lot of options that you might otherwise have available if you didn’t know everybody well. For instance, if you’ve all served in “the War” together, there’s less opportunity for one or two of you to be mysterious and shady and difficult to trace. Your history’s been spelled out, so

THE CREW

your backstory is one that should constantly be revealed

trope—it’s because, at any time, you could get a call

the game is gonna spend more time in the present day unless there’s some kind of military flashback. And let’s face it, not everybody wants to be in some kind of crack special forces unit. Some people just want to be civilian

THE JOB

given this some thought during The Recruitment Job, but

There’s a reason movies and television like to use this

criminals-turned-heroes.

Keeping It In The Family Finally, there’s this gem of an idea: you’re all related. You can develop a background or previous life as a

THE FIXER

Crime World’s larger-than-life setting. You’ve already

a solid foundation of trust and experience to work with.

criminal independently of the others, but you will always share those memories of Christmas at Grandma’s (with Grandpa still in the slammer) or your youthful indiscretions with the same girl and resulting weeks of feud. A Crew that consists entirely of family is also a concept that embraces a background of organized crime: you’re all in the Valentino family, for instance, or you’re the sons and daughters of Arturo Mendoza, just north of the border. Family-based Crews make the idea of the Crew being a dysfunctional family unit that much more literal. It’s

THE TOOLBOX

moment as a player and a group to ground yourself in

world of badness, but also gives all of the Crew

THE CRIME WORLD

on and start learning how the bad guys think, take a

probably a little much to have one or two be parents or from an older generation, but brothers and sisters? Cousins? Much less likely to get weird, but there’s nothing like the bond of a family united against a Crime

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So where do you fit into all of this? Before you move

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Your Place In Crime World

because it not only emphasizes Crime World’s wide

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Chapter Seven wrong. They can come up with dozens of rationalizations for why it’s okay, why it’s the lesser evil, or even why it is THE PITCH

World that once clothed and fed them. The downside, if you can call it that, is that unless you bring in the oddball adopted sibling, you’re going to have to line up

unequivocally the right thing to do. In the Jobs your Crew will be taking on, it is the right thing to do.

everybody’s cultural or ethnic background more tightly. THE BRIEFING

Thinking Like a Criminal

Problem Solving of a Crew tend to approach problems in a direct way. A criminal might ignore the law, but he respects the trouble the police can cause. If you’re

THE CREW

Criminals, whether part of a Crew or not, think

smart, you’ll look for a legal solution first. Saves you

differently from honest citizens. It’s more than a lack of

a lot of trouble. Of course, if things were that simple,

regard for the law. They see barriers as something to be

people wouldn’t come to you.

overcome rather than respected.

By the time someone approaches a Crew for help, he’s

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For a criminal, a law against something doesn’t

tried all of the legal options, or at least discounted them

provide a good enough reason to not do it. It just means

for some reason. If that victim could have achieved

that there are penalties if they get caught—so they’d

justice without turning to a Crew, he would have done

better not get caught. Or at least not convicted.

just that. Because of this, Crews almost never find easy

Most people have a bit of criminal inside them. It’s

problems to solve. The sorts of situations in which they

the rare person who’s never broken a law when he was

find themselves require a bit more intelligence and

sure that no one was watching. We go just a bit over the

finesse.

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speed limit. We jaywalk. We copy music. The defining line for most people, though, is

Think Big

THE TOOLBOX

whether the transgression in question causes direct

of a Crew deal with big problems, and big

and substantial harm to another person—or is reckless

problems require big solutions. If they need a nuclear

enough to be likely to do so. Victimless crimes don’t

submarine to pull off their insane scheme, they go steal

seem all that bad, nor do crimes against large, faceless

one. If they need to run a major city, they take over—or

corporations. Breaking someone’s kneecaps, though, is

at least make their Mark think they did. It is—in theory,

something that most people can agree is wrong. You

at least—just that simple.

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have to cross a pretty strong psychological barrier to

So sometimes you’re going to need to think big. No

directly victimize someone who’s right there in front of

idea is too crazy to consider. Prefer simple solutions over

you. Most people just won’t do it.

complex ones, but when the easy answers have been

Career criminals draw the line between what’s acceptable and what’s not in a different spot than other people. Sometimes crime is just poor impulse control,

THE RECORD

but we’re not talking about that kind of criminal. No, we’re talking about people who can recognize the illegality of stealing something, but they don’t see it as

exhausted, that to the bold go the spoils.

Be Unobtrusive Most people are trusting souls. They take other people at face value. If a Crewmember makes the effort to present himself as a particular kind of person, few folks will question that. The social pressure against questioning

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THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Crime World

through a busy office? Pick up a clipboard and stride with a purpose, you won’t raise questions. Need to go unnoticed on a city street? A postal carrier uniform is the ticket. Infiltrating a catered party? Put on a white button-down shirt and black slacks, and everyone assumes you’re one of the waitstaff. You’d be amazed at how far an air of “I belong here” can get you. To be unobtrusive requires little or no preparation. You simply try to fade into the background—be one of the people everyone expects to see. You’re just another face in the crowd. The trick is not to try too hard— no need to sneak if you’re allowed to be there, right? Nothing makes someone stick out more than to be seen tiptoeing around.

belonging there. So, some criminals get good at being sneaky. They can slip around through heating ducts or rappel down the sides of buildings to get to

THE FIXER

the best way to do it is just waltz right in. Need to get

Then again, sometimes you just can’t fake

their targets. This can be pretty effective, as long as no one spots him. Seeing someone dressed in black clothing with a rope rigging is enough to make a lot of people call for help. If you do things this way, your big advantage is

THE TOOLBOX

If you need to get into a low-security area, sometimes

that no one ever sees your face. When the Mark realizes that he’s been taken, there’s no way for him to track you down. Trying to be sneaky is pretty much an all or nothing thing, though. If it works, you slip away like

THE CRIME WORLD

Crewmember does everything he can to reinforce that.

Be Sneaky

a ghost; if you’re spotted, the operation is blown— unless that’s what you wanted, of course, but then we’re talking a whole different sort of plan. There you go, thinking big again. I approve.

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a person’s identity can be tremendous, and the smart

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Chapter Seven

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB

Be Brazen

Be Fast

THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX

A successful con man knows when to throw caution

The longer a caper goes on, the larger the chance that

to the wind and go straight at the target. Sometimes

someone will make a mistake, or that some random

being loud, flashy, or obnoxious—or all of the above—

incident will tear through the carefully constructed

is just what the con needs. Now, you have to

tissue of lies the Crew has taken so many pains to build.

that once you pull a stunt like that the Mark isn’t

Smart con men don’t stick around to build a long-term

likely to ever forget your face, which has its own set of

relationship with the Mark. Stay exactly as long as you

problems. But sometimes the payoff is worth it.

need to reel him in, and not one second longer.

The perfect time for something like this is when you need a to cause a distraction. Maybe you flirt with the Mark. Maybe you sucker punch him. Maybe you set

THE CRIME WORLD

off all the car alarms up one side of the street. In any event, while you play out the big role of “diversion” in the spotlight, the other of the Crew can take care of everything else backstage. (Once again, go big or go home. Sensing a pattern here?)

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Honor Among Thieves The real trick for a decent Crew is to learn to trust each other. Yes, I’m suggesting that some criminals trust each other. No, it doesn’t come naturally. Yes, it conflicts with the large egos that most of us tend to develop. But at some point in most Jobs, something will go horribly and irreparably wrong. If you and your Crew hang together, you still have a chance of pulling it off. If you turn on each other at the first sign of trouble, though, it’s all going to be over before it really gets started.

The Crime World Trust is one of the toughest things for new Second, serious injuries and death create enemies.

other. I could pull out a cliché about the letters used

Sprains, bruises, the odd mild concussion, those things

to spell “team,” but the fact is that trust is essential. It’s

heal with an icepack, some painkillers, and a few days off

the difference between a professional con and amateur

(of course, I’m not a doctor, and this is not medical advice).

hour. As you work together on more and more Jobs,

Bruised egos take a little longer, but a professional probably

these fears should fade, and you should become a well-

isn’t going to take a restrained beatdown personally. Part of

oiled machine.

the Job. But you kill a guy, you put a guy in a wheelchair, his buddies are going to be looking for you. You think an FBI

Look, I like a good donnybrook as much as the next guy, but in our line of work fights are a sign that something’s gone bad. So, as a criminal of a particular sort, how do you deal with violence?

Be Decisive Okay, so it’s come to a fight. No way around it. Someone is threatening to pull the Job off the rails, and you can’t tolerate that. Time to take out the trash. Once you decide that someone has to go down, don’t fool around, and don’t hesitate; put him down hard and fast. Don’t toy with him. Don’t show off. You’re not in a mixed martial arts tournament—remove the threat as quickly and efficiently as possible, and move on with the rest of the Job.

Show Restraint

THE CREW

Finally, what you’re doing this for. You’re not a common criminal, you’re not a thug. You’re doing this Job to right wrongs and get the innocent a measure of justice. Dealing out death is pretty much the opposite of what you’re trying to accomplish here. Bruises heal. Humiliation fades. Death? Maiming? Permanent injury? That’s what the bad guys do. You might have been a bad guy once, but you’re on the side of the angels now. Never forget that. Bloodthirsty thugs have no place on your Crew.

Guns—The Elephant In The Room We talked about this before, in the Roles section about Hitters (page 24), but it’s worth bringing up again here, as we’re talking about violence. Plain and simple, it’s not a good idea to do this Job armed. There’s a lot of reasons for this.

Now, that said, do exactly as much as you need to do

One is that guns introduce unpredictability. It’s been

to remove the threat, and not one bit more. Why is that?

said that God made man but Samuel Colt made them

Well, for one, serious injury and death brings the

equal. Which is nice, but equality is the last thing you

heat. Curious police detectives are bad, bad news for a

want in a fight. You don’t get on a Crew without being

Job. If you slap a couple of guys around and tie them up

one of the best in the world at what you do; getting into

in the closet, there’s only an investigation if they report

THE JOB

you need to is that you should try to avoid it.

Who You Are

THE FIXER

will fight to keep what they’ve stolen, after all. The thing

and bruises.

THE TOOLBOX

their thing, fights and violence will come up. People

cocaine traffickers gunning for you. So keep it to sprains

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It isn’t pretty, but when you have criminals doing

agent on your trail is a problem, try having grudge-nursing

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Violence

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either. You’re all going to have your doubts about each

THE PITCH

Crew to learn; it won’t be easy for your Crew,

it. And chances are they won’t. A corpse guarantees an investigation, and a serious one. Don’t create corpses.

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Chapter Seven simple traffic stop suddenly becomes a very big problem if you’re armed. THE PITCH

I could go on, but you get the idea.

Keep it Simple It’s easy to make things more complicated than

THE BRIEFING

they need to be. A smart Crew knows that unforeseen circumstances often complicate a Job once it’s started, so it’s always better to start simpler if you can. Things will complicate themselves soon enough; no sense in helping them along.

THE CREW

Now, you might be saying “But you just told me to be bold, think big!” That’s right. The trick is to do both. You just have to keep those big, bold plans simple. Let’s talk about a few ways you can keep your Jobs simple.

THE JOB

Keep A Low Profile Don’t draw attention to yourselves. Whatever plan you’re hatching likely won’t come off if you do it on

THE FIXER

a gunfight removes that advantage. Who knows what’s

national television. Smart people don’t fall for plans they

going to happen then? No, you want certainty.

see coming, and if the Mark wasn’t smart, he wouldn’t

Second, shooting someone is pretty much the

have shafted your Client in the first place.

THE TOOLBOX

opposite of restraint. Few things bring the cops running

So make sure you play everything close to the vest.

faster than a report of “shots fired.” You do not need

Take common sense measures to hide your identities;

that kind of trouble. And if you’re carrying a tool, you’ll

use fake IDs, don’t use personal vehicles, don’t let the

always be tempted to use it.

Mark recognize your face until you’re ready for him to.

Third, once you’re carrying, you need to start worrying about things like metal detectors, pat-down

Don’t draw the attention of security or the cops. Don’t be conspicuous or ostentatious in your personal life.

THE CRIME WORLD

searches, and observant guards. Access to courthouses,

Now, sometimes the plan calls for someone to make

airports, and secure offices is extremely limited. And if

a spectacle of himself, cause a distraction, or otherwise

you’re trying to avoid attention, this is the wrong way

draw attention. That’s fine—it’s part of the plan. The real

to do it. Don’t let the movies fool you; a handgun is a

work is happening quietly, behind the scenes.

lot harder to conceal than most people think—and anything bigger than a handgun, forget it.

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Fourth, they’re plain illegal in a lot of places. The US has pretty lenient laws, depending on the state you’re in, but in Canada? Europe? Some cities in the US? A

Give Back Yup, here’s where I appeal to your conscience. When you or your Crew steals something you don’t need, or that rightly belongs to someone else, return it. If possible, give it back so that no one knows it was ever gone in the

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The Crime World first place. This reduces the chances of uncomfortable

unless they happen to be with someone else in the Crew, and that can be…tricky. Folks in our line of work need to be able to pick up and move at a moment’s notice. You never know when the law or an angry Mark might come knocking on your door. It’s best not to get too attached to things. But if you just can’t part with your beloved grandmother’s stamp collection, make sure you have someplace to keep it that’s far away from you. Careful with that, though. At a certain point, you don’t own things. They own you. There’s a certain responsibility that comes with owning something, and clever thieves keep their responsibilities as flexible as

They value the friendships they do forge with people who understand us and who we can really trust. That’s one reason why a good Crew works well together and keeps coming back for more. Together they’re better than the sum of the Crew’s parts, and they just don’t

THE BRIEFING

doesn’t lend itself well to long-term relationships—

Most people in this line of work have few true friends.

experience that outside the Crew. This is tough advice, but outside of the Crew, try not to form too many attachments. If you do have any, play it close to the vest so it can’t be used against you. Maybe you have someone you send money to back home, but

THE CREW

The life of a con man (or, you know, con woman)

anyone down if they have to leave in a hurry.

you should keep that to yourself. You certainly don’t tell anyone about your ex-wife who’s a world renowned art expert and insurance investigator. Ahem.

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Don’t Get Attached

next, so they need to make sure they’re not letting

THE PITCH

questions being asked and the police being called in.

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possible. They rarely know where life might take them

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Chapter Seven although sharp Crews do try to limit the number of

THE PITCH

Cons

required cons if only for simplicity’s sake. Still, for a Crew, a con is a necessary and important part of the Job. This is the Crew’s weapon of choice

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The core of any Job (sometimes we’ll call it a caper,

in its pursuit of justice. As professional thieves, it’s

but that’s kind of Hollywood, so I prefer “Job”) is the con,

the tool that they know best, and because of that they

which is short for confidence, as in confidence game or

sometimes resort to a con when simpler methods might

confidence Job. A person who runs a con is called a con

do. Because this is often what they do best, the choice

artist, and the victim of the con is called a Mark.

usually makes sense.

THE CREW

There are dozens of different types of cons, but they

Cons make for great capers because most of them

all involve using guile to gain the confidence of the

use the Mark’s own greed against him. They often can

Mark. Once that happens, the Mark often willingly gives

highlight what it is about the Mark that’s so evil that it

the con artist what he wants—or at least leaves access

brought him to the Crew’s attention in the first place.

to the object of the con open in a way that it wouldn’t

When that happens, the Crew can feel doubly good

normally be. This happens when, for instance, the Mark

about taking the Mark for everything he has.

THE JOB

gives his trusted new friend (the con artist) the keys to

The downside of any con, of course, is that it’s based

his house and then comes home later to find he’s been

on fraud. To some folks, that makes it immoral at its

robbed blind.

core, and usually illegal as well (though “illegal” and

A con itself is not a caper. It’s simply a component

“immoral” have less to do with one another than you

of a caper. A full Job may include many different cons,

might expect). If the con artist is caught perpetrating

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The Crime World this fraud and exposed as a scammer, he can suffer all

though, a con is nothing more than a tool, a means to an end. A tool itself cannot be wrong, only the ways in which it is used. A gun, for instance, is a tool. It can be used for murder, but it can also be used to save someone else’s life, or in self-defense. Con artists in our sort of Crew view cons the same way. We use them to deliver justice when playing by the rules has failed. Is that immoral? I’ll leave that up to the philosophers.

…Except when it doesn’t. (You knew that was coming, right? Nothing’s that simple.) Not everyone can be bought with cash. Some people have too much of it to care about the kind of chump change you see in play in most short cons. Others don’t care much for money or have no direct need for it. A few see money as the root of all evil, and they prefer to have as little to do with it as possible. So if they don’t want money, what do they want? You might have to dig a little to figure that out. That billionaire might want to get rid of her daughter’s fiancé. That crime lord might have a burning desire for his hometown to recognize him as a hero. That crooked

There are nearly as many different kinds of con games as there are con artists. Every con artist puts his own spin on the game. This helps keep them fresh and also lessens the chances that a savvy Mark might spot the con for what it is. While every con is as unique as a snowflake, that doesn’t mean that they’re immune to being analyzed and separated into their component parts. Most cons can be broken down into a series of steps the con artist takes. (Take out your notepads, kids, there’ll be a quiz later.) 1. Find out what the Mark wants. 2. Figure out a way to give it to him. 3. Gain the Mark’s confidence. 4. Set up the deal. 5. Make the exchange. 6. Get away. Most of these apply to every con, although some of them wind up going by so fast that if you blink you

politician might want to finally get his revenge on the woman who rejected him when they were in school. Now, regardless of what form it ends up taking, what the Mark wants is called the bait. That’s what you use to lure him into the con. The more the Mark wants—even needs—the bait, the better. People are prone to errors in judgment when they get close to getting what they want, and the smart con artist can exploit that.

2. F igure Out a Way to Give It to Him If all the Mark wants is cash, it’s easy enough to come up with that. Lots of us in the business can get our hands on a small—or even a large—fortune in a short amount of time if we need to. Often, the con artist doesn’t even need to come up with a great deal of actual money for bait; he just needs to make the Mark believe he has it.

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The Steps of a Con

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money. It’s the one gift that always works… THE BRIEFING

by most people’s standards. To a con artist in a Crew,

Mark wants money. Even rich people like to have more

THE CREW

A con is based on deceit, which makes it immoral

like three-card monte, the con artist assumes that the

THE JOB

The Morality of the Con

The default answer here is money. In a short con

THE FIXER

a different sort of con—a convict.

1. Find Out What the Mark Wants

THE TOOLBOX

it. Maybe you get shot. Or the con artist might become

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sorts of consequences—maybe you just have to run for

might miss them.

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Chapter Seven the shill crows about what a wonderful arrangement he’s made, the Mark’s confidence in the con artist THE PITCH

If the bait is something other than money, the con artist has to figure out a way to line it up. Again, the con artist doesn’t need to actually have the bait in question. He just needs to figure out a way to make the Mark believe that he does.

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If possible, a smart con artist works hard to line up real bait rather than just the promise of it. A savvy Mark may require proof of the bait’s authenticity at some point, and that’s a lot easier to provide if the bait is actually authentic.

THE CREW

3. Gain the Mark’s Confidence This is the tricky part; unfortunately the entire con turns on it, so you’d better pull it off. If the con artist

should grow.

4. Set Up the Deal Once the con artist has the Mark’s confidence, it’s time to set the deal into motion. This is the arrangement the con artist makes for the Mark to take the bait. The bait never comes free. The Mark can only have it (supposedly) if he is willing to trade it for what the con artist is really after. It’s the most dangerous part of the con, too. If the Mark wises up in the middle of the deal, the best the con artist can hope for is to be able to just walk away. If the Mark decides that the con artist needs to be taught a lesson, though, the results can be fatal.

can get the Mark to trust him, everything else should THE JOB

fall into place. Now, this can be complicated, or it can be really complicated, depending on how suspicious the Mark is. There are two easy (relatively—this stage is almost

THE FIXER

never what you’d call “easy”) ways to win that elusive confidence. In the first, the con artist provides a small sample of the promised bait or does a smaller version of the proposed big deal at the heart of the con. This may have to be repeated several times to build the

THE TOOLBOX

Mark’s confidence in the con artist. With persistence, though, the Mark should develop that necessary trust. In the second, the con artist provides references for his trustworthiness. To manage this, he might try

THE CRIME WORLD

to con a third party into believing in him, but this can be fraught with trouble. If the third party is honest and doesn’t have confidence in the con, the entire Job can fall apart. Better for the con artist to bring in a trusted friend to pose as a stranger who can vouch for the con artist’s

THE RECORD

honesty—this person is called a shill. Often the shill pretends to be someone who makes the same deal with the con artist that the Mark is considering. When

5. Make the Exchange Once the deal is set up, the con artist must then exchange the bait for what he wants from the Mark. If the rest of the con has been handled properly, this should be easy. This is, unfortunately, where unforeseen complications often crop up. At this stage of the game, it’s usually too late to back out. If the con starts to go perpendicular, the con artist will have to improvise a solution to any problems that arise. Otherwise, all the hard work that’s gone into the con will be for naught. Of course, the con artist doesn’t actually give the Mark what he wants. If he did, that would be just a normal deal, not a con.

6. Get Away Once the con artist has what he wants, it’s time to make a clean getaway. Ideally, the Mark should never know that he’s been defrauded in the exchange. At the very least, the Mark shouldn’t figure it all out until the con artist is safely away. If the Mark realizes what’s happened, the first thing he’s going to do is try to track down the con artist and get back what’s been taken from him. He may be willing to

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kill to nullify the fraudulent deal. A smart con artist takes

list of any law-enforcement officials that might become

great pains to make sure that can’t happen.

involved. The degree of violence makes a difference here, too. A

these, but the more essential bits the con artist ignores, the more dangerous the con becomes. Eventually, the con is no longer a con but just a simple crime.

Nonviolence A good con artist avoids violence in the course of a con. Any idiot could just rob the Mark in a back alley— you’re better than that. Violence is usually artless and transforms a con into an act of thuggery. Obvious violence—or even the threat of it— inevitably brings more attention to the con artist than it’s worth. It tends to scare the Mark, and a nervous Mark isn’t likely to give his confidence to anyone. It

dead body is always a crime. Of course, sometimes things go pear-shaped and you need to use force to protect the con. It happens. The key is to resolve the situation quickly and efficiently, but with no more violence than is absolutely necessary to stabilize things.

Disguise The con is over for far longer than it goes on. Once it’s over, the Mark may come looking for the people who

THE TOOLBOX

elements. It’s possible to ignore some or even all of

A few bruises is only an assault charge if it’s reported; a

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Every good con requires a certain number of

killing causes far more problems than a simple beating.

ripped him off. If the Mark knows who did him wrong, it’s easy enough for him to track down the con artist and take his revenge. Or he can simply call the police and have them handle the heavy lifting for him.

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Requirements of a Con

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also moves the con artist’s crimes higher on the priority

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Chapter Seven Time Pressure THE PITCH

To avoid that, the con artist should—if possible— hide his true identity from the Mark. This could be as simple as providing a fake name. The con artist could also come up with an entirely different persona, including dressing differently, talking differently, and

THE BRIEFING

behaving differently. These days, coming up with a decent disguise requires a good deal of preparation. It’s too easy for a suspicious Mark to hit the web on his smartphone and do some checking. If the fake persona has no history

THE CREW

to speak of, this should raise all sorts of red flags. With a little advanced preparation, though, the con artist can fake that kind of electronic trail and even come up with official IDs in the fake persona’s name. With some more time, he can even construct the sort of ephemera

THE JOB

that makes a person seem mundanely real: coffeehouse discount cards, parking tickets, social media s, college transcripts, and so on.

Even the longest con has to pay off sometime, and it’s often the sooner the better. A con works best if there’s some kind of time pressure involved. It helps to keep the Mark focused on the deal, and it also gives him less time to investigate the con artist’s claims. The easiest way to pressure a Mark is to tell him that the offer is only good for a limited time. The ostensible reasons for this can vary. Perhaps the police are closing in. Maybe there are other offers for the con artist to entertain. Or possibly the con artist needs cash quickly, which is why he’s even willing to part with the bait in the first place. Or so he says.

Can’t Con an Honest Man The old saw states “You can’t con an honest man.” In truth, it’s as easy to fool an honest man as anyone— maybe even easier than it is to fool a crook—but it’s not much of a con. But an honest person steps away from a deal that has the barest scent of illegality about it, while someone with larceny in his heart will find himself drawn

THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

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The Crime World toward it. (There’s also the matter that you shouldn’t need

sounds too good to be true, it usually is. A dishonest person, though, is always hunting for an angle. He gets eager for the bait when he thinks he’s worked out some sort of illicit advantage for himself. As a bonus, a Mark who voluntarily engages in illegal activity to take the bait should be reluctant to the police once he figures out he’s been taken. Turning in the con artist would mean incriminating himself, and

to get familiar. A lot are classic street-level petty cons, but they can all be applied to more, ah, “sophisticated” targets as well. You’ll probably use them as components of your big Jobs. And don’t let me catch you relieving little old grandmothers of their rent money doing this.

Three-Card Monte A man stands on a busy street corner in a big city, a

few Marks are that dumb.

small folding table in front of him. He has three cards on

The Long and the Short of It

and the Queen of Hearts. He challenges any takers to

Con artists often speak of the short con and the long con. The length that these refer to is the amount of time the con game takes from start to finish. A classic short con like three-card monte takes only a few minutes, while more elaborate cons can take days, weeks, months, or even years. In general, the more elaborate the con, the more generous the payoff for the con artist. A con artist could set up a con as complex as a Rube Goldberg machine set to pay off only after the Cubs win the World Series (that’s sometime between “hell freezes over” and “never,” in case you don’t follow baseball. Not that I’m bitter.), but if the proceeds aren’t enough to make it worthwhile, then what’s the point? Most con artists are only in it for the money. Of course, that’s not true for the of a Crew. They have a higher goal than mere cash in mind, and that means they might even be willing to lose money if it gets them what they want. If they can make their

THE BRIEFING

A smart, honest person knows that if something

If you’re not familiar with these, it’d be a good idea

THE CREW

which makes it easier to trick him into taking the bait.

experts at several of these cons, if not all of them.

the table, traditionally the Jack of Clubs, Jack of Spades,

THE JOB

sense that he is in control of the situation at all times,

that have stood the test of time. Most con artists are

find the Queen of Hearts after he shuffles the cards. Other players take the dealer for a good amount of money. They are, of course, shills who are in on the con to encourage innocent onlookers to the game. Once the Mark puts down some money, the dealer may lose a

THE FIXER

due to outside circumstances. That gives the Mark the

By way of example, here are a number of short cons

hand or two of low bets, while the shills encourage the Mark to put up some big money. Once that happens, the Mark loses every hand. When the Mark starts to become frustrated, the dealer closes up the game, claiming to have seen an undercover cop watching them.

THE TOOLBOX

as a fool, someone that the Mark can take advantage of

Classic Short Cons

Using sleight of hand, the dealer moves the cards around so that the Mark never has a chance to win. For this reason, three-card monte has been called “polite mugging.”

THE CRIME WORLD

Some of the most effective cons portray the con artist

Hustling In a bar or other public place, the con artist (often called a shark in this con) plays some kind of game— often billiards or pool, but it can be as innocuous as

THE RECORD

have shafted your Client in the first place, right?)

THE PITCH

to con an honest man, because if he’s honest he wouldn’t

point and gather a nice profit for themselves at the same time, so much the better, but the money is not the point.

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chess—and loses to a shill. After blowing a game or

the con artist displays a number of sealed boxes and

two, he challenges the Mark to a game and loses again.

claims that they each contain valuable merchandise,

Once the Mark has beat him soundly, he asks if the

like a gaming console or a TV, that he is willing to sell

Mark would like to make the game more interesting by

at a steep discount.

placing a friendly wager on the game.

The shill steps up to buy the first box, but he demands

THE TOOLBOX

The con artist may lose the first game or two if the

the con artist open the box to prove what’s inside. The

money is small. When the bet rises to the level of real

con artist acts nervous about exposing the merchandise,

money, the con artist starts to win, although usually by

but he is willing to open a single box to prove his claims.

a margin narrow enough to encourage the Mark to keep

He does so for the shill, who pays the money and walks

playing. The games often end only when the Mark runs

away, raving about what a great bargain he just made.

out of money. THE CRIME WORLD

The Murphy Game Sometimes called the pig-in-a-poke con, the Murphy game starts when the con artist approaches a group of people, often in a bar, and offers to sell them some

THE RECORD

merchandise that has “fallen off a truck.” One of the people in the group is a shill, and he encourages the others to accompany him to the sales point, claiming there is safety in numbers. At the secluded sales point,

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The Marks line up to buy the boxes and, with some help from the shill, the con artist hustles them out before they can try to open the well-sealed boxes themselves. Outside of the sales point, the shill suggests they all split up so as to not draw attention. When the Marks get the chance to open the box, they find it’s full of worthless junk—usually a cement block, or maybe broken, nonfunctional merchandise. Most Marks don’t report this scam to the police. To do so would be to it that they were attempting to purchase stolen merchandise.

The Crime World

con. In the 1800s, a popular variant of it was known as the Spanish Prisoner con, in which the Mark is recruited to help secure the release of an important prisoner in a Spanish jail—someone whose gratitude was sure to be both generous and endless—but it boils down to the same thing. The con artist approaches the Mark for assistance in liberating a large amount of valuables or cash that’s been hidden away. The con artist needs a small amount of money to make bribes to transfer the valuables to the Mark’s possession before the corrupt officials who have

especially if it’s made in front of other patrons. When the con artist returns the next day, the business owner offers to purchase the collateral from the con artist at what might seem like a generous price. The Mark, of course, plans to then resell the item at a large profit. The con artist reluctantly agrees to the sale. Later, when the Mark tries to sell the item, he

THE BRIEFING

prince—and who hasn’t—you’ve been probed for this

money. Typically, the business owner refuses the offer,

discovers it is worthless. Should the con artist be spotted later, he can claim he had no idea of its worth, one way or the other. The blame should be place on the shill, who—if somehow spotted—can also claim he sadly misidentified the item.

THE CREW

If you’ve ever received an e-mail from a Nigerian

THE PITCH

Advance-Fee Fraud

start to plan to keep the entire fortune rather than just the finder’s fee. After they make the initial payment— the so-called “advance fee”—though, the con artist reveals that complications have arisen and the Mark needs to supply a bit more money. This continues until the Mark finally refuses to pay any more cash, no matter how much he may have already put into the deal. At this point, the con artist cuts off all with the Mark. Most Marks are too embarrassed to go to the police about this and, worse yet, they fear they will be

from the amateurs. These can take days if not weeks or even longer to pull off, and they often require several con artists and shills working in concert. They are reserved for the most ambitious con artists—those who are heartless enough to work with their Marks for long periods of time and those rare few who can manage to find enough people they can trust to help them pull it off.

The Wire The con artists set up a false storefront in which they simulate a legitimate business that focuses on risking

confessing to attempted bribery if they do.

large amounts of money. This can be an off-track betting

The Fiddle Game

place. The important thing is that it seems perfectly legal.

The con artist goes into a business and incurs a small debt. Either having forgotten his wallet or simply being too poor, he cannot pay. He offers up his only item of value as collateral—traditionally a violin—claiming he will come back soon to settle the debt. Once the con artist leaves, a shill asks to see the collateral and

THE FIXER

Most Marks become greedy, and they immediately

The long con separates the professional con artists

establishment, a stock exchange, or some other similar One of the con artists approaches the Mark and claims to have inside knowledge that makes his bets

THE TOOLBOX

his assistance.

Classic Long Cons

THE CRIME WORLD

a large finder’s fee of several times his investment for

in the storefront a sure thing. Unfortunately, he and his friends have been banned from the place or simply don’t have enough money to make decent-sized bets on their own. To prove his claims, the con artist gives

THE RECORD

they have. Once the Mark has the money, he can take

THE JOB

control over the valuables at the moment realize what

identifies it as an exceptionally rare and valuable piece, for which he is prepared to pay an exorbitant amount of

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Chapter Seven has rigged. The Mark makes the bets at the storefront and racks up bigger winnings with a line of credit the THE PITCH

the Mark the information for the first bet for free and encourages the Mark to bet a small amount of money to see if he’s right.

con artist helps him establish. Once the Mark makes his final, huge bet, he wins. Before he can collect his winnings, the manager of the

THE BRIEFING

The Mark enters the storefront, and whether he

storefront tells him there are some questions about the

places the bet or not doesn’t matter. He waits around to

legitimacy of his line of credit. He will have to prove that

get the results for the bet and sees that the information

he has access to this line of credit before he can collect

the con artist gave him was right. It’s important that

the winnings.

the results are real, just in case the Mark checks up on them later.

The Mark arranges to provide the money, and he and the con artist go to collect on the bet. As they

THE CREW

To give themselves the proper edge, the con

collect their winnings, the con artist decides to make

artists introduce a sufficient delay between the actual

one last bet with his inside information. This time, the

reporting of the results and when they announce them

information proves to be wrong, and the Mark loses

in the storefront. Most people won’t notice the short

everything. Alternatively, the con artist can persuade

time difference. This was originally done via telegraph,

the Mark to make the bet but miscommunicate

which is where the name “the Wire” comes from.

the fix to him because they’re standing before the

THE JOB

After building the Mark up with a few smaller bets, the con artist encourages the Mark to gather together as much cash as he can to make one huge bet. Once the Mark is ready, the con artist gives the Mark the inside information in a way that he’s certain to misunderstand,

THE FIXER

but that the con artist can later claim was a stupid miscommunication. The Mark loses his money to the storefront. If the Mark wants to try again, the con artist can

THE TOOLBOX

either claim that his inside source has dried up, or he can risk another attempt. This time, the bet goes bad for another reason. Perhaps the police—actually more con artists dressed as police—close the storefront down. Maybe complicit con artists rob the place at the

THE CRIME WORLD

exact worst moment. In any case, the Mark is made to feel that he has been the victim of fate rather than an elaborate con.

The Pay-Off THE RECORD

The Pay-Off is a riff on the Wire. In it, the con artist is supposedly part of a crime syndicate and has inside information about sporting events that the syndicate

storefront’s manager.

The Rag The Rag is another variation on the Wire, but it generally focuses on stock market manipulation rather than betting. In this case, the vital information comes from a Wall Street insider partnered up with the con artist, who portrays himself as a well-meaning bumbler who just cannot fully grasp the mysteries of the stock market. They start off playing with a line of credit the insider set them up with, and it pays off huge. As with the Pay-Off, the credit line gets called into question, and the Mark must help the insider and the con artist come up with the cash to back it. Once the Mark conjures up the money, the con artist manages to misinterpret the insider’s instructions badly enough to lose all of their money.

The Rainmaker This is a simple scheme, but it requires a bit of dedication and an extended amount of time on the con artist’s part. The con artist comes to town and spends some time figuring out exactly what it is that most of

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THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Crime World

are hoping for. He may base his claims on pseudoscientific theories he hopes to implement, or he might suggest that he has magical powers that can help. In any case, he needs a good deal of money to give it a try. Once the people come up with the money, the con artist hopes that fate takes a hand and produces the rain the people want. If that doesn’t work, he produces evidence of complications that prevented his scientific theories or magic spells from succeeding. He then asks for additional funds for his research, experiments, or spell ingredients. This continues on until the rain comes or the people come for the con artist with torches and pitchforks.

engineered the first big success of such a con back in

THE FIXER

the people of the community with exactly what they

The Ponzi scheme—named for Charles Ponzi, who 1920—is an investment fraud con. In it, the con artist offers the Marks the chance to become investors in an unregulated securities deal that offers an astounding and consistent return on their investment. Once the con artist has the money in hand, he pays the investors a portion of it to cover their supposed rate of return and

THE TOOLBOX

The con artist then claims to be able to provide

keeps the rest for himself. Over time, he uses the money given to him by new investors to pay off the dividends for the old. Some long-term investors require nothing more than a statement showing the superb results. Instead

THE CRIME WORLD

could be rain, which is how the con gets its name.

Ponzi Scheme

of cashing out the dividends, they reinvest them in the fraudulent fund. This works even better.

THE RECORD

the town people want. In a farming community, this

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The con artist often suggests that his current investors tell their friends and neighbors about this exciting opportunity. After getting their first few statements, most investors are happy to do just that, and in this

THE TOOLBOX

way a Ponzi scheme can spread through a tight-knit community like the latest and worst variety of the flu. As the fund grows, the con artist is better able to handle any payout requests, and his reputation as a financial wizard grows unabated.

THE CRIME WORLD

A Ponzi scheme falls apart when the rate of investment slows enough that the con artist can no longer cover the promised payouts. This can also happen if there’s a stock market crash that panics many investors into asking for their money all at once. Some con artists stick around

THE RECORD

to face justice, but many others simply take whatever money they have left and run.

The Anatomy of a Bad Guy Some of the following material is touched on in Chapter Five: The Fixer, but mainly in of game rules and preparing a Job. Here, it’s useful reference. Keep it in mind when you’re thinking of the types of bad guys who populate the lower—and upper—levels of Crime World.

Every Caper Needs a Villain Great capers have great targets. Often that target is not actually any money or object in particular but the person or institution that has possession of whatever the Crew is nominally after. For the Crew to get behind the caper, the target has to be vile enough to bother with. No one wants to ruin

170

The Crime World the career of a group of social workers who have been

the kids as mules for smuggling drugs in and out of the

into a situation where they might have to kill someone. Villains, on the other hand, see their own success as

It’s also helps if taking down the target is worthy of the

more important than anything else. They are determined

Crew’s attention. If it’s something the police can handle,

to claw their way to the top—and stay there—and they

then they should be allowed to do so. Otherwise, it’s a

don’t much care who gets hurt along the way, as long as

waste of the Crew’s time and abilities.

it’s not them.

The Right Side of the Law

Why Now?

The ideal Leverage villain cannot be touched by the

Most villains have been at their crimes for a long

law. He has set himself up in a seemingly unassailable

time. They’ve hurt a lot of people along the way. The

position of authority, and the average person has no

heroes need to have a good reason for going after the

prayer of toppling him. Honest cops—well meaning and

villain now, something that encourages them to take

talented as they may be—can’t find the evidence they

action fast.

This is why the innocents involved need a Leverage

Each of those competes with the others for the Crew’s

Crew to help put things right. When the law can’t

attention. Most Crews prioritize their targets with the

provide justice, these victims need someone able to

following criteria in mind: 1) Can someone else take care of this? (Let the police do their job.)

there are criminals who have that necessary sense of justice in your Crew.

2) Who’s been hurt here? (Innocent families have more pull than wronged multinational

Villains and Heroes The villains of a Leverage Job aren’t the kind to wring their hands together as they tie helpless damsels to the railroad tracks or the sort who cackle as they toss a bag of kittens into the river. They’re usually serious people involved in serious businesses, and they often

corporations.) 3) Is this something we can handle? (Even the best Crew couldn’t fix the US Congress.) 4) Can it wait? (More pressing issues take precedence over old wounds.) 5) Do we have a personal stake in this? (Villains who attack the Crew get pushed to the top of

see themselves as the heroes of the story. The fact that they’re corrupt and willing to do wrong to others to their own level of success doesn’t bother them at all. That’s what separates the heroes from the villains in Leverage. The heroes often have the same kinds of skills as the villains and may even run in the same circles. But the heroes know where to draw the line.

the list.) Keep all these things in mind when coming up with a villain.

THE RECORD

work outside the law to get things done. Fortunately,

THE JOB

to find a handful of potential targets on any given day.

THE FIXER

kind of cops are nestled deep in the villain’s pockets.

Any Crew that keeps up with the news should be able

THE TOOLBOX

need to put a stop to the villain’s activities, and the other

THE CRIME WORLD

country, then they’re fair game.

THE BRIEFING

afford it, and they go out of their way to not get pushed

THE CREW

If they’re not helping those teens but instead are using

THE PITCH

stealing money to help fund a home for runaway teens.

They don’t make profit at the expense of those who can’t

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Villains Have Plans Too Leverage villains don’t just sit in their homes, invest their dirty money in Treasury bonds, and live off the

THE CRIME WORLD

interest. They have ambitions of their own, and they’re prepared to do whatever it takes to realize them. This means that villains don’t sit still. They are moving targets. No matter how much research the Crew does about a villain beforehand, he can still surprise

THE RECORD

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them. An incautious Crew can get caught up in one of the villain’s ongoing plots before they even realize it. Also, once a villain learns about the Crew, he can take the battle to them. Instead of wondering what’s going on and why things are going wrong for him, he can focus his energies on stopping the Crew from messing with him. Often, villains reach for a permanent solution.

The Record Guide to Season One and Two

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Chapter Eight medical treatment for his son, who died soon after.

THE PITCH

The Record As of this writing, Leverage is in its third hit season; it’s possible you might have come late to the party or just want a reminder of what’s already taken place. Your best

THE BRIEFING

bet, of course, is to grab the DVDs of Seasons One and Two, but this chapter includes a summary of every Job in the first two Seasons with all the pertinent details.

THE CREW

Season One In the first season we get to know Nathan Ford and his Crew. Nate struggles with drink and the emptiness of his life after the death of his son and his split with his wife Maggie, while the others learn to work together

THE JOB

and become something of a family. And, of course, there’s IYS and Nate’s ultimate revenge against his former employer.

The Nigerian Job THE FIXER

Written by John Rogers & Chris Downey; Directed by Dean Devlin The Client: Victor Dubenich, CEO of Bering Aerospace. Desperate, facing the destruction of his

THE TOOLBOX

company after the plans he worked on for five years are stolen by Pearson Aeronautics The Mark: First, Pearson Aeronautics, but quickly the tables are turned and the Mark is their original

THE CRIME WORLD

client, Dubenich, who is revealed to be an arrogant, manipulative sleaze. The Problem: Plans for a new enger plane have been stolen, threatening a company with bankruptcy. To reclaim them, former insurance investigator Nate Ford has to turn four independent thieves into a team.

THE RECORD

The Plan: Dubenich offers Nate the carrot he can’t resist—the opportunity to get back at his former employer, IYS; the company had refused to pay for

Pearson Aeronatics is insured by IYS. All Nate has to do is be “the honest man” overseeing a team of thieves: Alec Hardison, the Hacker; Eliot Spencer, the Hitter; and Parker, the Thief. They are the best at what they do—and all used to working alone. “Parker? You have Parker?” “Is there anyone better?” “No, but Parker’s insane.” The plan is simple enough; go in, steal the plans back, get out. Only it doesn’t work that way… How It Goes Down: Complications, including a change in the guard’s schedule so they can watch the NBA playoffs, mean the three inside end up going to an alternative exit—walking directly out in front of the guards with Parker masquerading as a facially-scarred employee. They transfer the files to Dubenich, and they go their separate ways, one show only. The problem is that they were scammed: Dubenich used them to steal the plans from the rightful owner. Worse, he has no plans to pay the team, instead intending to kill them. The warehouse they are called to blows up; the four of them escape the warehouse, only to get arrested so they must work together to escape the hospital. Parker, Hardison, and Eliot are ready to scatter—but Nate has a better plan: revenge. That triggers payback: Nate calls in Sophie Devereaux (the Grifter) to help run a scam on their erstwhile client; they use his own greed to make him believe that he’s being offered an inside track on an airplane development deal in Africa. He, of course, suspects a con, and it looks like everything’s blown—until it’s revealed that they’ve used his own paranoia as much as his greed to switch it around; the FBI comes in to arrest him under the PATRIOT Act for solicitation of bribes from foreign nationals through a company with defense department contracts. Dubenich goes down during his own party, the FBI seizes his files, Bering stock goes into the toilet, and the team gets their revenge—plus a very nice paycheck for each of them, since Hardison sold short on Bering stock just before it crashed. And they’re out, with “retire and buy an island” money. Except, of course, they’re not.

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THE JOB

THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

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The Record

serving in Iraq, injured during an off-duty shooting. He just wants those responsible for his injuries to cover the cost of his rehabilitation. The Mark: Charles DuFort, a lobbyist for Castleman. His main interest is buying politicians, and making sure that they stay bought. The Problem: While making a video to send to his fiancée back home, military contractors in the background started shooting, leaving Perry in a wheelchair and in need of intensive rehab. The problem is that as a reservist he was sent home to a hospital that can’t afford to give him the needed treatment, and the nearest VA hospital is too far away. The Plan: Originally, the plan had been to use the video to prove that Castleman—the contractors

up something that was caught on the video. Perry’s not a victim: he’s a witness. They race in to retrieve Perry,

THE FIXER

The Client: Corporal Robert Perry is a reservist

covering up the shooting—the shooting was to cover

just in time to keep him from being “forced” to commit suicide by Castleman’s toughs. “I’m a professional criminal and I found that [discussion of buying a Congressman] disturbing.” Although three of the five are ready to walk—the

THE TOOLBOX

Dean Devlin

is in motion, they discover that Castleman isn’t just

game has gotten too rough for thieves used to dealing with objects, not peoples’ lives—they can’t turn a blind eye to what’s happening. The team decides to take down Charles DuFort and Congressman Robert Jenkins, the men responsible, by playing on their paranoia, making

THE CRIME WORLD

Written by Dean Devlin and John Rogers; Directed by

How It Goes Down: Once the blackmail plan

each believe that the other is about to bolt the relationship. Parker steals a Congressional bill sponsored by Jenkins and replaces it with one without any earmarks for Castleman; this leads to Hardison’s shock and dismay

THE RECORD

The Homecoming Job

responsible for Perry’s injuries—were at fault, and blackmail them into paying for Perry’s expenses.

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THE PITCH

that Congressional bills are hardcopy, deposited in a wooden box, and are therefore unhackable. Meanwhile, the team tracks the next shipment to a container at the docks, which is filled to the brim with cash. Taxpayer money being laundered through Iraq,

THE BRIEFING

then brought home to use for bribes and payoffs. The team goes in again on the day the container of money is to be moved; they perform a bit of explosive sleight-of-hand to make the guards think the money’s been stolen. The team arranges for Jenkins and DuFort

THE CREW

to be caught in front of the container by reporters for the local news stations. When the two claim to have “discovered” the money laundering, the recording of them arguing over who illegally covered whose ass is sent to the reporters’ cell phones.

THE JOB

Both men are hung out to dry, while some of that missing cash finds its way to the hospital where Perry and other wounded soldiers are being treated—enough money to buy them the help they need. This episode is notable for the first appearance of

THE FIXER

Leverage Consulting & Associates offices.

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176

The Two-Horse Job Written by Melissa Glenn and Jessica Rieder; Directed by Craig Baxley The Client: Willie, an old friend of Eliot’s (and father of his ex-girlfriend, Aimee), a racehorse trainer whose career is destroyed when the stable burns to the ground, and he’s implicated. The Mark: Alan Foss, a Wall Street investor who everyone suspects set the stable fire to collect the $2 million insurance payout on underperforming horses. A high stakes player, he thinks in of money, not the lives he’s ruined or the horses he’s killed. The Problem: Willie wants the team to get Foss out of the racing business, and he wants to take the one surviving horse, Baltimore, away from Foss. The Plan: Sophie plays a high-rent bloodstock agent, connecting buyers with horses. She hooks Foss with talk of the strong performers she’s brokered deals on, and then lures him into a high stakes poker game—rigged, of course—where he loses an IOU for the horse to Nate. Nate, in turn, will then hand the IOU over to Willie.

The Record How It Goes Down: Unfortunately, Nate’s former co-worker and nemesis James Sterling shows up and,

game roles—Nate as an owner, Eliot as the trainer who works for him—and when Foss tries to buy Baltimore back, Nate ups the price to two million. Foss won’t pay that—but he has to get the horse back while the fire is still under investigation. Meanwhile, rather than leaving racing, Foss is planning to bring in more Wall Street money to build up a new stable. Nate plays the Lost Heir con—selling Foss “the greatest horse that never lived.” Baltimore, damaged in the fire, runs too slowly to be convincing, so the team steals another horse for the con. Sophie convinces Foss that Nate is interested in buying it—so of course Foss wants it more. Twelve million dollars more. A game of “who’s got the horse” plays out, as— despite Parker’s fear of horses—they shift horses and stable details around, using a rigged scanner and a faked bloodline to convince Foss that he is indeed buying a potential winner. When Foss, with Sterling in tow, brings his fellow investors and their own scanner to check out his new purchase, they are instead confronted with Baltimore. A horse that Foss had previously insured for two hundred thousand dollars not twelve million. His investors want their money back, and Sterling rather gleefully informs Foss that, based on this obvious attempt at fraud, his insurance claim is denied. Foss is ruined, the team can hand Baltimore over to Willie, and Eliot makes peace with Aimee. This is the first appearance of James Sterling, setting up future episodes.

THE PITCH

The Mark: Nicky Mosconi promised to take care of the family and reneged. Now he’s preparing a huge wedding for his daughter, while the client’s family is

THE BRIEFING

With Aimee’s reluctant help, they resume their poker

protection for his family

falling apart financially. The Problem: “Take the mob out of it.” They need to make Nicky honor his obligation. But his offshore s are locked up tight, and even Hardison can’t

THE CREW

scapegoat for the fire.

mob boss’ murder rap in exchange for the promise of

get at them. They’re going to have to hit the mob boss… at home. The Plan: The team “borrows” the FBI organized crime task force’s surveillance, since they can’t get in on their own. They can’t get at his money offsite, so they

THE JOB

to Willie, the trainer will become Sterling’s obvious

The Client: A restaurateur who takes the fall for a

go in as wedding planners. While inside, they discover that he’s planning to do a “business deal” that day, and decide to take the cash themselves. How It Goes Down: Much to Nate’s chagrin, the team seems to get caught up in their roles, particularly

THE FIXER

and expose the con, but if Nate hands Baltimore over

Written by Chris Downey; Directed by Jonathan Frakes

Eliot, who is handling the catering. They’re not making much headway, and then half the known mob world shows up for the wedding—including the Butcher of Kiev, who has a particular distaste for Eliot. Nate pulls the plug on the con, but Sophie’s gotten emotionally

THE TOOLBOX

Baltimore, Sterling will focus on what Nate is up to

The Wedding Job

involved with seeing the wedding through, and she insists on staying. There’s a problem with finishing the con, though: someone’s gotten to the money before them, setting up Mosconi to take the fall when his “business associate”

THE CRIME WORLD

IYS, smells a con. Rock and a hard place: if they keep

Sergei demands payment. It turns out Sergei’s brother was the one Mosconi killed that night in the restaurant— an almost unbelievable coincidence that means Sergei’s more than happy to kill him, given half an excuse.

THE RECORD

after recognizing Sophie who he had also chased for

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The team figures out that Mosconi’s wife Heather set him up, expecting the Russians to make her a wealthy widow since Mosconi’s offshore s are in her THE FIXER

name. While Sergei is threatening to kill everyone until he gets his money, the team tries to get their hands on Heather, and make sure the wedding goes off without a hitch, despite Nate getting a little carried away during

THE TOOLBOX

the service. The reveal shows that Eliot put the bag with the money into the trunk of the newlywed’s car, and then Nate let Mosconi know that his wife betrayed him. When Mosconi rushes off to change the s on the

THE CRIME WORLD

offshore s, Hardison is listening in, and cleans the s out before either Mosconi or Heather can get their hands on the cash. The cash restores the client’s restaurant—and the taped conversation they got during the con gets the client’s husband out of jail.

THE RECORD

Classic moment: the pots-and-pans fight between Eliot and the Butcher of Kiev.

The Snow Job Written by Albert Kim; Directed by Tony Bill The Client: Wayne Scott, whose home is in foreclosure because he trusted his contractor, who intentionally screwed him over. The Mark: Henry Retzing, a home renovation contractor who talks owners into taking out home loans to pay for everything, intentionally does a bad job, puts a lien on the house when the owners refuse to pay, and then takes possession when the house goes into foreclosure. The Problem: The Mark has already beat a State fraud investigation, so they’re cocky—and ripe for the team to take down. But what should be a simple con gets complicated when they realize there’s more going on than one family losing their home. The Plan: The contractor’s two sons are Grasshopper and Ant—one’s a hard working MBA-type, the other is a playboy. Sophie is set to hook the latter with a story about a sexy, hip ski resort, to lure him into buying in for the amount the client needs. While dealing with the other brother, who has to write the check, Sophie

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The Record discovers that there are over four hundred people who have been similarly displaced. Nate changes the plan;

to die, offering Dennis a buy-in—and playing the brothers against each other. At the same time, the State police are investigating the family on a RICO charge, making things a little more complicated, especially when Nate is pulled over by Lt. Stone, part of the team investigating the Retzings. The Crew is officially on the cops’ radar now. The con goes on, with Nate and Sophie convincing Dennis that the list of dying people is legit by “mocking up” a brain tumor in Parker who is masquerading as one of the people on the list, but then Nate pushes too hard and almost loses the Crew, who won’t trust him when he’s drunk. “Somebody find me a brain.” “Oh yeah, he’s definitely getting creepier.” Meanwhile, Dennis comes back with a five million dollar buy-in; but in order to manage that, he has to move family s around. His father and brother discover it, and go in to take him off the . At the same time, the reveal shows that Parker switched out the paperwork so instead of transferring money, Randy gave them 51% of the voting share of the company. They move the money to offshore s, which alerts the SEC and triggers the RICO investigation, as the reveal shows that Nate had made an agreement with the state police. With ownership of the company, the team reclaims all the homes—including the Mark’s own home, which was listed as a corporate asset for tax reasons. Nate, gleefully, hands that house over to the client.

THE PITCH

The company brought out expert witnesses, and the Jamesons lost their case. The Mark: Allen Haldeman, CEO of Genogrow, the

THE BRIEFING

adjuster who buys out policies of people who are about

agricultural fertilizer contaminating the drinking water.

company that produced the fertilizer. The Problem: The Crew breaks in—despite Hardison oversleeping after a night playing World of Warcraft and leaving them hanging—looking for a

THE CREW

with “Glengarry Glen Death”—Nate plays an insurance

of their daughter Ashley, who died as a result of unsafe

“smoking gun.” They overhear plans to move assets via commercial airline to the Cayman Islands, to prevent the EPA subpoenas from damaging the company. The team assumes that Haldeman is liquidating, looking to bankrupt that arm of the company, and ensuring the

THE JOB

How It Goes Down: They hook the other brother

The Client: The Jamesons want revenge for the death

clients will never win their civil case. “Go for the tan, stay for the tax shelter.” The Plan: Hardison gets them on the plane, while he continues looking for the smoking gun by impersonating a new employee at the company to get

THE FIXER

Retzings.

Written by Amy Berg; Directed by Rob Minkoff

access to their computer systems. The plan is to use the five and a half hour flight to find the assets, steal them, and get away when the plane lands without anyone the wiser. What Hardison soon discovers, however, is that the “assets” are actually a person—an ant who

THE TOOLBOX

too. The team is on record as making a deal with the

The Mile High Job

had stumbled onto irregularities in the payments made to a safety-testing lab. Also on the plane is the head of security—tasked with making sure she never comes home. For “liquidation” read “murder.” How It Goes Down: Eliot, carrying an air marshal’s

THE CRIME WORLD

Unfortunately, the cops have the house bugged,

badge, takes the would-be victim aside and breaks the news to her (with a little help from Parker). All they have to do is walk her safely off the plane, right? Then Hardison discovers that the plan is to take out both employees, ensuring that no record is left to tie

THE RECORD

they’re going to take down the entire company.

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Haldeman to the murder. The best way to do that is

The Miracle Job

to take down the plane they’re both on—the plane the

Written by Christine Boylan; Directed by Arvin Brown

THE FIXER

team is on. Parker and Hardison discover that someone has hacked the black box, just as the hack kicks in—the autopilot is engaged, taking the plane down. The only

THE TOOLBOX

one who can stop it is Hardison—who has to hack a system he knows nothing about before the plane hits the ground. A quick pep talk from Nate, and Hardison is able to talk Parker through the steps to disengage the autopilot.

THE CRIME WORLD

They land safely, their ant in-hand, and she agrees to testify—but all the evidence is back in her office. And we cut to Hardison making his exit— carrying the records they need to convict Haldeman of fraud and conspiracy to murder, stolen off the CEO’s

THE RECORD

personal computer. This episode fills in more details of Sophie and Nate’s history, including where and when they first met.

The Client: None, technically—Nate comes in on behalf of Father Paul, after he is attacked by thugs trying to keep him from making one last attempt to save his church from closure. Father Paul, however, doesn’t want them to get involved. The Mark: Andrew Grant, a crooked real estate developer and media whore, with a moderate anxiety disorder. The Problem: The land Father Paul’s church stands on has been sold to a shell company owned, indirectly, by Grant, who wants to build a mall—sorry, “lifestyle center”—on the spot. The Plan: They have three days to stop the sale from going through. They fake a “miracle” involving the statue of Saint Nicholas, thinking that it will stall the redevelopment. “Somebody’s got to fight the injured. That’s my niche!” How It Goes Down: The statue of Saint Nicholas begins to weep, thanks to Hardison’s technical refiguring,

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The Record

The Plan: The original con was to set themselves

seminary, is furious; he tells them to stop whatever

up as money-launderers, bankrupt the Judge, and

they’re doing, that this isn’t the answer. Meanwhile,

the cash along to the victim’s family. They are in

the Mark, rather than being scared off, is making plans

the final stages when the robbery occurs. Nate quickly

for a “Bible World” theme park to integrate into his

determines that these two are not professionals, and the

earlier plans. Everything’s spiraling out of control, until

rest of the team scrambles to find out the back story and

Nate comes up with the idea to steal the statue while

to find a way to get Nate and Sophie out.

everyone is focusing on Father Paul’s sermon, leaving a

How It Goes Down: It’s quickly obvious to Nate that

sense of wonder around the church, but no evidence to

these two are not professional—or even competent—

harm anyone.

criminals. Hardison and Parker play FBI agents Elmore

The statue disappears, and, as Nate expected, Father

and Leonard, taking control of the situation from the

Paul can’t help but tell the truth about it being a hoax:

local cops; meanwhile, Sophie and Nate try to work the

but when he does, the team’s left evidence that leads

scene from within. Once they win the robbers’ trust,

directly to the Mark being responsible. He tries to deny

Parker “steals” the briefcase of the Judge’s money and

it, but his assistant, who has been growing uneasy with

hands it over to Eliot to deal with the kidnappers/meth

the scam, blurts out the truth—that the developer had

dealers. Meanwhile, the Judge, trying to gain control of

acquired the land through underhanded measures, and

the situation, ends up shooting Nate. Sophie blows their

then hired the thugs who roughed up Father Paul to

cover by calling Nate’s name; the Judge finds their ear buds

keep him from ruining the deal.

and puts it together, assuming all four were in it together.

This is the first episode in which we hear about Maggie, Nate’s ex-wife, and Hardison’s grandmother “Nana.”

The Bank Shot Job Written by Amy Berg; Directed by Dean Devlin The Client: A former military man and his teenaged son, who are robbing a bank in order to get the money to pay off meth dealers who suspect the boy of hijacking their shipment and are holding his mother as hostage against the payoff. The Mark: Judge Roy, who has been taking payoffs from everyone in sight; in the process, he released a man from prison who went on to kill a young girl.

Without , the rest of the team improvises a plan, sending Hardison-as-FBI in with paramedics to get Nate out and bring the Judge’s money hidden in pizza boxes meant to feed the hostages. A little role playing, a little manipulation of the old-fashioned security cameras, and it looks to the cops as though the Judge has been behind the robbery the whole time. They load Nate into the ambulance, and the reveal shows that the “EMTs” were actually Parker and Eliot, who switched clothing with the would-be robbers, getting them off the scene and reuniting the family.

THE TOOLBOX

adding an extra poignancy to the entire episode.

They’re trapped, until the Judge gets his money back.

THE CRIME WORLD

saint of the church is also the patron saint of thieves,

“This is all very heart-warming, but can it wait until the morphine drip?” The alias choices throughout the episodes are injokes based on Hardison’s geek-cred, and nods to

THE RECORD

As the team leaves, Sophie reveals that the patron

THE BRIEFING

hostage—including Nate, Sophie, and their Mark.

knows Nate too well from their days together in the

THE CREW

stages, two would-be bank robbers take everyone

to assess the legitimacy of the event. Father Paul, who

THE JOB

The Problem: While the original con is in its final

sensation, to the point that the Vatican sends in a team

THE FIXER

buzz, the church and its statue become an overnight

THE PITCH

but they do too good a job. Rather than causing a slight

mystery/caper writers of the past.

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Chapter Eight The Plan: Irina is on the guest list for a party at the American embassy in Belgrade. The team crashes THE PITCH

The Stork Job Written by Albert Kim; Directed by Marc Roskin The Client: Joe and Dana Morton, who were caught

THE BRIEFING

up in an oversea adoption scam and roughed up by thugs when they tried to bring home Luka, the child promised to them. The Mark: Irina Larenko, a former Russian modelturned-soft core porn actress-turned criminal who sells orphans to would-be adoptive parents.

THE CREW

The Problem: Stealing a kid? More, finding a kid in a country as chaotic as Belgrade? The team isn’t sure they’re up to this. But they can’t say no, either, not when a child is involved.

the party, fishing for Irina. Hardison discovers that Irina and her partner, Nicholas Obrovic, are using his position with a government relocation program to “acquire” orphans. An attempt to use Parker to get info from Obrovic fails rather spectacularly, but Eliot sets the hook with Irina, promising the former actress a role in an indie film he’s financing nearby. Which of course means the team now has to steal a movie, with Hardison hacking the real producer’s funds and calling the director away with the lure of a better job. Nate steps in as director with a role for Irina—and for a young boy who fits the description of the missing Luka. How It Goes Down: Parker follows Irina when she goes to retrieve Luka, to ensure her role in the film. The

THE JOB

trail leads to an orphanage in an old warehouse. Parker also discovers heavily armed men, guarding crates. The orphanage is being used as a cover for a gun running operation, and a major deal is about to go down. None of this changes the plan, Nate informs them.

THE FIXER

They need to get Luka out, first… and then, after, they can come back with a plan and get the rest of the kids out. Hardison’s not happy, but Parker agrees with Nate. Her experience with the child welfare system in the States

THE TOOLBOX

was a bad one, and she doesn’t see how putting these children into that system will be any better for them. But when they pull off the con and reunite Luka with the Mortons, they discover that Parker has gone

THE CRIME WORLD

back to the warehouse, intent on stealing the orphans. The team follows, getting the children away, and then using fake weapons from the movie’s prop truck to ruin Obrovic’s deal, leaving him having to answer to some seriously pissed-off locals. The orphans are handed over to a reputable agency, which will find them new

THE RECORD

homes. Meanwhile, the money Hardison had siphoned away from the film’s budget mysteriously reappears—in Irina’s , just seconds before she is hauled away, under arrest for stealing that money.

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THE CREW

THE BRIEFING

THE PITCH

The Record

husband due to one of their supplements. The Mark: Tobey Earnshaw, the daughter of the founder of Earnshaw Pharmaceuticals. A hard-nosed, coldly pragmatic woman, she is manipulating the trial to make it go her way, because she’s invested huge sums of money in Live Herbally, planning to buy it out, and she can’t afford to let her father—or the rest of the board—see the deal sour. The Problem: They’re too late to the game to win the case—they have to try to force a settlement. The Plan: Earnshaw is trying to buy herself a jury— so the team has to steal it first. Parker, stuck with jury duty via one of her aliases, is already on-site, so their plan is built around her. Interacting with people. Uhoh. Sophie does her best, coaching Parker on how to work her Alice White persona, while the others try to

businesswoman representing Mumbai International, an Indian company interested in acquiring Live Herbally

THE FIXER

called Live Herbally for the wrongful death of her

for info on the other jurors, while Sophie plays a

from owner William Quint—at better than Earnshaw is offering. But first, Sophie insists, Quint has to settle the court case, quietly. Meanwhile, Parker sets up the foreman—who has been bought—to be accused of stealing from his fellow

THE TOOLBOX

The Client: Gloria Vargas, who is suing a company

How It Goes Down: Eliot and Hardison scout

jurors. Much to Parker’s surprise, she’s voted the new foreman. Maybe she’s not as bad at working with people as she thought. It looks as though they’re home free— until Ms. Vargas’ lawyer doesn’t show up. Earnshaw bought him, too. The client can’t afford another

THE CRIME WORLD

Written by Rebecca Kirsch; Directed by Jonathan Frakes

lawyer; the case is heading for a mistrial. Quint—and Earnshaw—will have won, since the client can’t afford to start another suit. Nate sends in Hardison as Vargas’ new lawyer with instructions to stall. Then news comes that Earnshaw

THE RECORD

The Juror #6 Job

get as much information on Earnshaw as possible.

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Chapter Eight him—three men get there first and beat the crap out of him before the boys step in. Hurley runs and slams THE PITCH

has bought Mumbai International, taking them out of

his car into a lamppost; when the team catches up with

the running as competition. Now the team only has one

him, he’s ed out stone drunk, with the cops on their

option: win the trial.

way. Short on time, there’s only one way to get sense out

While Sophie, Nate, and Eliot are setting things up outside the courthouse, “lawyer” Hardison establishes

of him—sober him up, and then hope he trusts them enough to spill the beans.

THE BRIEFING

that the “expert witness” for the defense is a notorious

How It Goes Down: Hurley wakes up in rehab with

drunk who has been banned from flying commercially

the roommate from hell—Nate Ford. Sophie (therapist)

because of bad behavior, and he winds up his case by

and Parker (patient) are also on the inside. Eliot and

addressing the jurors directly. Parker takes it from there.

Hardison, meanwhile, are looking for where he stashed

Watching from her warehouse, Earnshaw thinks THE CREW

she’s won and, after revealing that the Mumbai offer is no longer viable, forces Quint to accept a reduced, but still significant, price for his company. But when the jury returns their verdict, it’s for Vargas—for five million. Hardison manipulated the feed so that the jury

THE JOB

voting on pizza for lunch showed as them voting for the defense. Live Herbally, as a company, is now worthless

the money. They discover a bomb in Hurley’s car, and then not one but two groups show up, looking for Hurley and/or the money. Complicating matters is the fact that the “inmates” are getting an actual taste of rehab—Parker’s being fed happy pills and Nate is going through withdrawal symptoms, including hallucinations—while Sophie, instead of focusing on the Mark, is trying to use the con

THE FIXER

to Earnshaw.

as a way to get Nate to it that he has a problem.

The 12-Step Job

mean to hurt Michelle—he wanted to use the tricks he’d

Written by Amy Berg & Chris Downey; Directed by Rod Hardy The Client: Michelle, who handles finances for a

THE TOOLBOX

local food bank. She wrote a check, and discovered that not only were the funds they had invested gone, but the management company claimed to have no record of the at all. The Mark: Jack Hurley, an overweight, addiction-

THE CRIME WORLD

prone money manager who was in charge of the funds—and appears to have done a runner with the money, leaving the management company denying responsibility. The Problem: The team needs to get the money

THE RECORD

back before the food bank’s board of directors discovers it and holds Michelle legally responsible. The Plan: They track the Mark down easily enough. But they’re not the only ones who want to lay hands on

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Eventually, Nate gets the truth from Hurley: he didn’t learned to double her money for the food bank. Right reasons, wrong actions. But in doing that, he took money from dirty s, and now the owners want it back. But before Nate can find out where the money is, Parker shows up in their room: the real bad guys have arrived. Parker covers Nate and Hurley’s escape. Turns out the money is in the car, after all. But if they just take it, Hurley’s dead. They need to deal with the criminals he swindled, first. They summon both groups to meet with Hurley, then stage another car bomb; this one actually blowing up the car, and Hurley inside it. Except, of course, it’s another con. Thankful to still be alive, Hurley shows them where he hid the money— in the tires, which, thankfully, survived the explosion. Michelle gets the money back, Hurley gets a new identity and a second chance, they retrieve Parker from the rehab center where she’s still flying on happy pills, and Nate? He’s ready for a drink.

The Record

Sophie convinces the team that what they need to do is take Blackpoole down. Then Nate can let go. The Plan: Nate crashes a party to celebrate the opening of the Ian Blackpoole wing of an art museum. After some mutual unpleasantness, he tells Blackpoole that he has something to sell him—one of the Two Davids, miniature models of Michaelangelo’s famous sculpture. Blackpoole has the First David. The second one was stolen from the Vatican a decade ago. Now, Nate claims to have it. The idea is that Blackpoole will buy their fake, insure it with IYS, and then, when they reveal it as a fake, his reputation will be ruined. How It Goes Down: With Sophie and Eliot both in place at the party as art experts, it should be a piece of cake to reel Blackpoole in…except for the arrival of Maggie, Nate’s ex-wife—and an actual art expert. One of the best, according to Nate, who is having trouble staying in character faced with Maggie’s obvious pity. He wants to call the con off, because they’ll never fool

who stole the First David ten years ago—this was all a ploy for her to get her hands on the Second David as well. Now they have to play by Sterling’s rules. He wants the David back, and Nathan to turn himself in. Then, and only then, will he let Parker and Hardison go. Sterling knows how they think. So they have to think like someone else. Sophie, sent to deliver the statue in exchange for Parker, doesn’t try to talk her way out— she and Parker jump off the rooftop, using one of Parker’s harnesses. Nate, walking into their office to give himself up, brings along Eliot—not to fight, but to use Hardison’s technology to incapacitate Sterling’s goons and blow the office up, destroying any paper trail. Scatter, Nate tells them, and then they’ll meet up again.

The Second David Job Written by Chris Downey & John Rogers; Directed by Dean Devlin The Client: This one, they’re doing for themselves. The Mark: Ian Blackpoole and James Sterling.

her. Sophie disagrees—they can still do it—they just

The Problem: Sterling made a fool of the team. They

have to steal the First David, put their fake in its place,

want revenge. And they still haven’t forgotten about

and use the original instead of their fake.

taking Blackpoole down, for Nate.

Break into a fortified vault, during a party, with no

The Plan: Despite Nate’s orders to scatter, his thieves

time to prep? Parker’s up for the challenge—and pulls it

come back, individually scouting out the museum. They

off. “On our day off!”

each plan on robbing it, just to embarrass Blackpoole

They’re going to go with the original plan and sell

THE BRIEFING

The Problem: Nate’s drinking is getting worse.

reveals that Nate was played—by Sophie. She’s the thief

THE CREW

the treatment that might have saved Nate’s son’s life.

he arranges to meet Nate to discuss . Sterling

THE JOB

former employer—and the man who refused to pay for

their every move. Now Sterling has Parker and Hardison;

THE FIXER

The Mark: Ian Blackpoole, the head of IYS, Nate’s

discover that Sterling, Nate’s nemesis, has anticipated

and his new head of security, Sterling.

the statue back to Blackpoole. But Sophie has a better

How It Goes Down: All four of them are spotted by

idea—sell him two fakes, and let him display them

security, and they run—only to be picked up by Nate,

together. Once it’s revealed, he’ll be ruined for sure. The

who “happened” to be driving by. He knew they’d all

team thinks it’s brilliant—except Nate, who recognizes

be there. And he’s already told Blackpoole and Sterling

the tone of her voice. “You don’t con your own team,” he

that he intends to rob the museum on opening day.

THE TOOLBOX

according to his team, in need of revenge.

The exchange goes exactly as planned. And then they

THE CRIME WORLD

The Client: Nathan Ford. Driven by hatred and,

THE RECORD

Written by John Rogers; Directed by Dean Devlin

THE PITCH

The First David Job

warns her. She denies it, and he reluctantly agrees to go with the plan.

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He’s given Blackpoole an ultimatum: resign now, and

better to catch him in the act rather than merely under

Nate will leave him alone. Blackpoole, naturally, refuses;

suspicion. But they wait too long; the team’s plan goes

nor does he call the police, not taking Nate’s threat

into effect and the museum is evacuated—leaving Nate

seriously.

alone in the Two Davids Gallery.

THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD

Back together they’re able to pool their talents—but

Blackpoole and his men rush back in as soon as the

they need someone on the inside. Someone who can

security system is reset and discover Nathan Ford—

help them run the heist. Someone like Nate’s ex-wife

and the two Davids, still in their case. What they don’t

Maggie. They think they’re conning her, but she sees

realize, until the lights go on, is that every other piece

through the ruse and demands to know what’s going on.

of artwork—$150 million worth of loaners from IYS

And, finally, Nate has to tell her, not only what he’s

clients—is gone. Nate told Blackpoole that he would rob

doing, but why. The reason why he hates Blackpoole so

the gallery, not that he would steal the statues. More,

much. Maggie never knew that Ian refused the payment.

he has Blackpoole on tape saying that he won’t call the

Nate, feeling responsible, kept it from her all this time.

police, despite Nate’s warning.

Maggie’s heartbroken, but also angry. She’s in.

The offer Nate made Blackpoole earlier is on the table

As all this is going on, Sterling is aware that the team

again, but this time it’s made to Sterling: if Blackpoole

is back. He’s making his plans to put them away for

resigns immediately, if the policy of refusing all claims

good this time.

is dismantled, if he is stripped of all his assets, then the

THE RECORD

On opening day, the team is in place, and Nate walks in the front door, ticket in hand. Blackpoole makes Sterling leave him alone, reminding the other man it’s

paintings will all be returned. Sterling will be a hero. Nate knows his former co-worker well. Sterling takes the deal. The team’s achieved their goal—but Leverage Consulting’s been blown as a cover; their offices are gone. It’s time to scatter for real, now.

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of absence, the team trying out each other’s roles

How It Goes Down: Parker and Hardison play FBI

with limited success, and a final reckoning with their

agents once again, leaning on the bank manager. Nate

nemesis, James Sterling.

is front man for Sophie coming in as a member of a

The Client: Matt Kerrigan and his daughter Zoe. Matt is a banker who discovered irregularities in the bank where he works, but can’t get anyone to listen to him. The Mark: Brandon O’Hare, a Boston Mafioso, and Glen Leary, the bank manager The Problem: O’Hare’s people have been laundering money through the bank for years, but now that it’s going under, they have the chance to walk away clean with Federal bailout money. Leary is their inside man, covering up details so the Feds don’t discover what’s been going on. The Plan: Nate, newly sober, is up for a Job with another insurance company in Boston, but he’s unable to go back to the straight life. Unfortunately for him, he walks into the path of the Kerrigan’s out of control car, rescuing both father and daughter. He visits them in the hospital, meeting a Lt. Bonanno of the Massachusetts State police. Bonanno says Kerrigan had arranged a meeting with him, but he doesn’t know why or about what. His good deed done, Nate heads out for an evening

discover that the mob boys aren’t running the scam— Leary, Kerrigan’s boss, is. The entire con goes awry, with Nate at gunpoint. They go on the improv; Eliot is the undercover cop whom Sophie shoots, casting O’Hare as the turncoat informant. He runs, right into Parker and Hardison, who convince him to confess before tasering him and leaving him for Bonanno to find. Meanwhile Sophie and Nate convince Leary that he needs to go kill Kerrigan, their only remaining dead end—and Leary walks into the waiting arms of the law, carrying Kerrigan’s stolen briefcase filled with evidence against Leary. Kerrigan, who has recovered, is not only vindicated, but gets handed a check from the IRS for reporting of tax fraud. His daughter Zoe has her faith in people restored. This is the episode that introduces Lt. Patrick Bonanno, who plays important roles in both The Three Strikes Job and the third season opener.

The Tap-Out Job Written by; Directed by Marc Roskin

at the theater—Sophie Devereaux, in a one-woman

The Client: Jack Howorth and his son Mark, an

performance of The Sound of Music. The rest of the

MMA fighter with a bright future, who is forced to take

team is there as well, and they are reunited. The team—

a fall and ends up permanently injured.

frustrated and bored—tries to convince Nate to come

The Mark: Jeff Rucker, a crooked fight promoter

back as their leader, but he resists—until someone

who demanded Mark take a fall and used dirty tricks to

tries to kill him. Then the team takes over despite his

ensure it happened.

objections, tracking down the briefcase stolen from

THE PITCH

scared, everything looks to be going well, until they THE CREW

Written by John Rogers; Directed by Dean Devlin

They have O‘Hare on the hook, Leary about to run

THE JOB

The Beantown Bailout Job

London crime family looking to buy into the buyout.

THE BRIEFING

get creepier.”

THE FIXER

The season features Nate’s slow descent, Sophie’s leave

“You know, when you’re sober, your metaphors

THE TOOLBOX

having gone their separate ways and Nate off the bottle.

drawn in. One Job, he says. Just one—the Turnabout.

THE CRIME WORLD

Season Two starts with the of the crew

bank security camera, until Nate is, despite himself,

THE RECORD

Season Two

Kerrigan’s car, observing videotape of the guy from the

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Chapter Eight confirms that nobody’s ever heard of Nate’s character. That blows the con; then Rucker demands that Eliot stay THE PITCH

The Problem: Mark, now unable to fight, is facing a bleak future once he gets out of the hospital. The Plan: Humiliate Rucker by beating him at golf,

and fight—and throw the fight, so Rucker can make a fortune betting against him. “I can’t hack a hick.”

THE BRIEFING

then set themselves up as rival promoters, luring Rucker

They refuse, and Rucker comments that the team can

with the promise of a pay-per-view television deal for

leave, but the people they came here to help will still be

his fights. Once Rucker bites, they’ll take him for his

in town and unprotected. Things happen to unprotected

half of the production costs—half a million dollars.

people. Bad things. Eliot tells Nate he’ll fight. He’ll take

Nate will be the fight promoter, Eliot one of his fighters,

the fall.

Sophie the producer. How It Goes Down: The con starts well, with Eliot’s THE CREW

“clueless but talented farm boy” act impressing Rucker.

Hardison is trying desperately to find some weakness in Rucker’s position, but the usual entry—money—is so tangled Hardison’s having trouble making sense of it.

THE JOB

Once inside, Eliot lets details about Nate’s character slip,

Rucker drugs Eliot to make sure he goes down, but

including the deal with Sophie’s producer character.

Eliot—a trained killer, not a ring fighter—loses control

They expect Rucker’s greed and his desire to one-up the

and appears to kill his opponent. Rucker takes the door

guy who’d humiliated him on the golf course to make

receipts and runs, not willing to take the fall as accessory

it easy.

for murder, especially after he bet his entire life savings

Unfortunately, Rucker smells a rat, and does the one thing they have no control over—he talks to people and

THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

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on his fighter winning the fight.

The Record Of course, the team found the drugged water

line the reveal shows that he has a trunk filled with cash

Meanwhile, the dummy has been discovered, and

and guns. The irregularities Hardison found gave them

Eddie’s minders are ready to call in a runner—but

an in: Rucker had been misrepresenting his income

Hardison and Eliot, as cops, convince them that Eddie

from the gym and his bets. Tipped off, the IRS looks

has to be in the hospital somewhere; better they find

into Rucker’s finances, and the team hands the deed to

him themselves, and nobody looks bad. Unfortunately,

the gym over to Mark, giving both him, and the other

Eliot is distracted by a young boy, who is clearly

fighters, a real second chance.

the victim of parental abuse, and misses Hardison’s

the Mark and died destitute. The Mark: Eddie, an unrepentant hedge fund swindler who preyed on of the Armenian community—his own people—then co-operated with the government for a reduced sentence. The Problem: Eddie will be taken to jail in an hour. They need to convince him to spill where he hid the still-missing four hundred thousand dollars before they lose all access to him. The Plan: Nate notices a bottle of hand sanitizer Eddie left behind and makes the leap: Eddie’s a hypochondriac. While Eddie is declaring to his guards about why he’s not the bad guy, Parker, in the air vents, drips a liquid into his water bottle. In minutes, Eddie has ed out, and the nearest doctor—who happens to be Nate—is insisting that he go for an immediate MRI. No prison, not until he has a clean bill of health. How It Goes Down: Parker, as a nurse, manages to “infect” Eddie with a rash. Nate sends him to the “infectious diseases” ward, while a dummy gets shoved into the MRI machine. Eddie is roomed with Sophie, doing a turn as a fellow rash-sufferer. Her job is to terrify him into thinking he’s going to die, aided by a frizting television that shows the

Nate, showing a disturbingly sadistic side, ratchets up

THE CREW

state’s evidence. the anxiety level for Eddie, until Sophie “dies” horribly and Nate himself staggers in, infected by what he says is a weaponized virus. Parker handcuffs him to a bed, saying it’s “Order 23” and she’s got no choice. Eddie, terrified,

THE JOB

The Client: Ronald, whose sister was swindled by

the Armenian mob, sent to take down Eddie for turning

offers her the money if she’ll get him out of there. Parker sneaks him out of the hospital, but the real Federal Marshal calls in the missing prisoner, and Nate warns Parker that their cover is blown. Eddie uses Parker’s distraction to escape and goes

THE FIXER

Written by Chris Downey; Directed by Rod Hardy

discovery that one of the handlers is an assassin from

back to the courthouse, where he reclaims a bag from a closet—and turns to find the team there, waiting for him. Eddie laughs, saying he’s going to put them away for kidnapping, and runs out into, literally, the arms of waiting cops. Who, of course, don’t believe a word he blathers about hospitals and viruses, but haul him off to jail. Back at the hospital, the real Marshal thanks “fellow cops” Eliot and Hardison for their help, and says he can never thank them enough. Eliot, however, thinks he can. The final scene shows the Marshal knocking on the front door of a house, which is opened by the abused boy Eliot saw earlier.

THE RECORD

The Order-23 Job

THE BRIEFING

of your mind?”

THE TOOLBOX

doctor in on the scam. When Rucker crosses the state

“Did you just give a guy a nose bleed with the power

THE CRIME WORLD

Mark. Eliot didn’t really kill his opponent. They had the

THE PITCH

beforehand—since it was the same trick he pulled on

start of a CDC press conference.

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Chapter Eight already in the works, to music. The parents at the school aren’t happy about the kid whose parent bankrupted THE PITCH

The Fairy Godparents Job Written by Amy Berg; Directed by Jonathan Frakes The Client: A doctor at a local, bankrupted clinic. The Mark: Daniel Fowler, former CEO of an

THE BRIEFING

investment company who is under federal house arrest after it’s revealed that his company was a Ponzi scheme, bilking everyone (including the clinic) out of their investments. The Problem: All of Fowler’s assets have been

THE CREW

frozen—except the $20 million stashed somewhere in his penthouse. All they have to do is find it—except, since he’s under house arrest, Fowler can’t leave for them to search. The Plan: There are three reasons a federal house

THE JOB

arrest can be lifted: family death, personal safety, or a family event. The easiest to fake is a family event, and the arrival on surveillance cameras of Fowler’s ten year old stepson Widmark gives Nate an idea: Fowler will leave the apartment to go to a school event.

THE FIXER

How It Goes Down: Conning the heaster into a sudden vacation, Nate moves in as “Dr. Melcher,” bringing Sophie and Eliot in with him as teachers. Parker and Hardison set up shop in the empty apartment above

THE TOOLBOX

Fowler’s, masquerading as potential buyers. While the three try to find something that Widmark is good at that they can showcase (sadly, he doesn’t seem

them having a star turn, and the kids take their cue from that, leaving Widmark crying in the bathroom when he should be getting ready to go onstage. Sophie starts to con him into performing, but then just talks to him, opening up about her own fears. It works—on both Widmark, and Sophie. Halfway through the performance, the team spots an assassin in the audience. Fowler’s set up a hit on his handlers; he’s going to run. But who helped him? A quick reveal with missing cell phones connects Fowler with another parent in the audience—who, while videotaping the performance, “accidentally” picks up Fowler’s camera bag and leaves his own. Meanwhile, Eliot’s taking on the assassin backstage, in one of the longest running, and quietest, fights in Leverage history. Nate swipes the replacement bag during the applause: it contains new I.D. and a ticket to Bogota. So what was in the other bag? Audiotapes, incriminating the other man. Sophie plays them over the auditorium’s loudspeaker, and everyone in the school knows that there were two villains, not just one. The heat’s off Widmark, at least a little. And the clinic gets the money to keep their doors open.

THE CRIME WORLD

penthouse. Hardison chases, while Parker picks up the

The Three Days of the Hunter Job

abandoned gun just in time for the FBI agents guarding

Written by Melissa Glenn & Jessica Rieder; Directed by

the apartment to appear—the same agents from The

Marc Roskin

to be good anything), someone tries to break in to the

THE RECORD

Wedding Job, who recognize Parker as fellow agent

The Client: Sarah Pennington, whose father was

Hannigan. The duo makes this work in their favor,

outed on the Hunter show, using falsified facts, as being

integrating themselves into the actual surveillance of

responsible for a school bus crash, which caused him to

the apartment.

try to commit suicide.

The discovery that Widmark has a lovely singing voice sets the team into motion, with two days to set something up. Sophie decides to put their science fair,

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The Mark: Monica Hunter, a sleazy exposé TV show host.

The Record The Problem: The client wants Hunter humiliated

break a real news story, something that will get her the

Pennington is shown in a television interview, talking

offer from a reputable show she’s been chasing for years.

about having his life given back to him. Nate and Sophie

How It Goes Down: Sophie wants to run this con.

talk about how she liked running the con—she didn’t:

Nate, reluctantly, hands over the dossier. Parker, being

she’s a Grifter, not a Mastermind. But something’s

an intentionally bad thief, tries to steal a media

missing. Nate tells her to take her time and find out

from Hunter’s desk and is caught. Bullied into sharing

what it is.

nut, spins a story of Guantanamo-like secret prisons within the United States. Hunter buys into it, especially when she sees Eliot, dressed as a Secret Service agent, loitering nearby, clearly keeping an eye on Hardison. Nate, impersonating a General, gives her just enough denial to put her solidly on the scent—until she decides that fear sells more sizzle than real stories and declines the bait. Undaunted, Sophie ups the ante. Parker gets hit by a car driven by “secret agent” Eliot who takes documents off the body and leaves. Then Hardison shows up and takes Hunter to see Nate, still playing the General, who tells her the “truth”: there’s been a chemical weapons breach in the water supply. The prisons are actually safe houses for the elite, while everyone else gets sick and dies. And then things get crazy, with Monica insisting on getting onto the base and investigating. She and Hardison are caught, and Nate has to con his way onto the base to get them out. Nate gives her pills he says are anti-virals. They go back to the apartment where she met Hardison, only it’s been stripped clean, and he’s gone. Eliot appears, looking menacing, saying to Nate that he just finished “cleaning up.” Monica panics and runs back to the studio, insisting that she has to get onair immediately. But her proof, the missing folder, says only page after page of “All Work and No Play Makes

Written by M. Scott Veach & Christine Boylan; Directed by Peter O’Fallon

THE CREW

Hardison, doing his best wild-eyed conspiracy

The Top Hat Job The Client: Dr. Leigh Jameson, a former employee of Lillian Foods International. She is concerned because reports of salmonella in their frozen food are being ignored, and she’s afraid someone’s going to die. The Mark: Erik Casten, the VP of Lillian Foods, who

THE JOB

President.

decided it would be cheaper to pay the lawsuits to go away than to pull the food from the market. “Oh, Eric with a “C”—nice and friendly. Erik with a “K”—evil.” “I didn’t know that.” “Everybody knows that.” The Problem: They need proof of the cover-up. The

THE FIXER

Parker claims, has the story that could bring down the

team goes in without Nate’s approval or planning, and are made—they underestimated the secrecy around food companies, which can rival military installations to protect their patents. The team needs to actually be on the inside to get their hands on that report.

THE TOOLBOX

her story, the two women go to see the snitch that,

THE BRIEFING

anti-psychotics. And that’s the end of Monica Hunter.

The Plan: Part of Hardison’s report says Lillian Foods is having a State of the Company meeting. Nate’s the only one who knows what that means: an all-day, on-site meeting tying up everyone in the company. That’s their chance. The catering’s done in-house, but

THE CRIME WORLD

respect. They’re going to con her with the chance to

tackled. Her producer finds the pills, which are actually

the entertainment for the day is a magician. That’s it. That’s their way in. Parker and Hardison attend the actual magician’s act and set him up so he’s unavailable (after he punches Hardison, and is arrested), then Nate and Parker go in

THE RECORD

The Plan: Hunter has fame and money—but no

THE PITCH

and her father’s reputation restored.

Monica a Dull Girl.” The cops arrive, she freaks, and is

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Chapter Eight

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB

as the replacement with Sophie as their manager to chat

Hardison hacking it, so that the company’s food patents

up the CEO and get information, while Hardison hacks

were copied onto the phone’s memory card.

THE FIXER

the system, with Eliot providing cover.

To get the patents back, Casten is going to have to

THE TOOLBOX

How It Goes Down: The con goes wrong from the

pull the contaminated foods. But the team goes one

start: first, the hour they expected for the VP’s speech is

better: the CEO walks up as they’re talking with the

truncated to a few words, giving them no time to search

Client, and tells Casten that he’ll also be reg,

for the files; then a series of locks and delays keeps them

effective immediately.

from getting to the material. When Hardison finally

Back at the bar, it seems like, despite the near-disaster,

does get access to the right database, he discovers that

everyone is pleased with the result. But Sophie tells Eliot

Casten is already deleting the files. Too many people

she’s worried; Nate is starting to think he can control

in the wrong places, Hardison gets caught, and they’re

everything, and when he fails, it will destroy him.

THE CRIME WORLD

blown, with security running up to Nate and Parker onstage, only to be left with a bewildered-looking rabbit. But when Hardison is marched outside by Casten and his men, Hardison’s phone rings. It’s Nate, calling— on Casten’s phone. Like all good magic tricks, it wasn’t

THE RECORD

the act that was important, but the misdirection. The reveal shows not only Parker lifting the VP’s phone, but

The Two Live Crew Job Written by Amy Berg & John Rogers; Directed by Dean Devlin The Client: The Mercers, an older couple, claiming that a CEO has possession of a painting stolen from their family during WWII and won’t return it to them. The Mark: Marcus Stark, mastermind, thief, and egomaniac.

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The Record The Problem: Another crew has already stolen the

The Plan: A man comes up to Nate during the funeral

drunkenly banging on the door and drawing the guards’

for Katherine Clive, saying how mistakes can get you

attention so Parker and Eliot can sneak into the building.

killed. They have their (attempted) killer—and the thief

And the match-up continues, including another epic

who one-upped them: Marcus Stark. Sophie’s worked

battle—and fan-service—between Eliot and the other

with him before. He always does a small Job before the

Crew’s Hitter, that ends with them both soaking wet.

big one. The painting was just a warm-up. If the team

Meanwhile, Hardison and the other Hacker, known

can figure out his real score and steal it first, they have a

as Chaos, trade control of the alarm systems back and

chance to get the painting back.

forth, until—just as Parker and the other Thief make it to the painting—Chaos turns off the power in Hardison’s

target: Van Gogh. There’s one coming up for auction,

van. Parker is trapped by lasers, and Hardison is helpless.

so the team goes in during the opening night cocktail

Stark and Nate confront each other outside, just as

party, but the other team is already there. It’s an evenly

a police car pulls up. Stark thinks Nate’s down for the

matched battle: every move one team makes, the other

count until Sophie gets out of the car and tells Stark that

counters. Both teams determine they have to make their

they’re there to save him—that Stark’s been betrayed.

THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

move that night.

THE JOB

How It Goes Down: Stark is going after his favorite

THE BRIEFING

Nate approaches the auction house late at night,

THE CREW

to Sophie. Are the two related?

THE PITCH

painting—and someone sent a bomb in a vase of flowers

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Chapter Eight

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB THE FIXER

On Nate’s order, Parker back flips through the lasers,

his own fakes. Meanwhile, Chaos is stopped by airport

takes down the other thief, rips off her coveralls, pulls

security on his way to freedom and asked to explain his

a gun, and calls for the guards. At the same time,

checked luggage—the remaining Van Goghs, including

Hardison whips out a generator, restores power to the

the real one, marked with a post-it. Game and match to

van, and takes control of the alarm system.

the Leverage Crew.

THE TOOLBOX

Parker, Hardison, and Eliot, now all wearing police uniforms, cart their respective opponents—and the painting in question—out past the shocked guards. Flashbacks show Stark telling his team to be wary of

THE CRIME WORLD

Sophie—who he had wanted to hire for this Job—and Hardison running facial recognition software on the people entering Sophie’s building—the floral delivery guy matches Chaos. Chaos planned a double-cross, but didn’t want to risk going up against Sophie. Stark doesn’t believe them, until his car explodes at exactly

THE RECORD

the time he would have gotten into it. Stark agrees to an exchange. But the con isn’t quite done yet—the Van Gogh Stark walks away with is one of

The Ice Man Job Written by Christine Boylan; Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik The Client: Joey, the driver of the armored truck that was robbed. A cop working a second job, he’s been suspended without pay until this is settled, which means his medical bills are piling up. The Mark: Jim Carrity III, the owner of the diamond company that was robbed. A lousy businessman who is maxed out and in debt, he had insured the diamonds for nine million dollars. The Problem: Nate points out that insurance money takes a while to pay out—Carrity is going to have to fence the diamonds, to cover his debts for now.

194

The Record The Plan: There are only a few people with the ability Back in the bar, Nate presents Joey—newly reinstated

equipment to do so. Sophie’s gone walkabout to find

and healing up—with a case of cash. The diamond

herself after the events of The Two Live Crew Job, so the

Carrity had given them to de-etch fetched just enough

team is without a Grifter. Nate puts Hardison in that

to cover his medical expenses.

bodyguards, who actually robbed the truck, takes Hardison’s number down as they leave. To push Carrity, Nate pays him a visit—using Sterling’s name—as a rep from the insurance company, and tells him the payout will take seven to nine months. Carrity calls the “Ice Man” and sets up a meeting, where they fake the deetching with a cubic zirconia replacement. As Nate predicted, Carrity is so busy checking the serial number, he doesn’t notice he’s been given a fake. “Mr. Carrity, I’m in insurance. If you think I’ve never been threatened by a gun before, you’re mistaken.” Disgusted with Hardison’s overselling of his Role, Parker and Eliot go off alone—and Hardison is snatched from the lab parking lot by the bodyguards. They are planning to double cross Carrity and want Hardison to help them steal the diamonds. He manages to get a message to Nate, who scrambles the team to find a solution. If Hardison steals the diamonds, their entire con against Carrity collapses. Parker goes in to set up the theft for Hardison, but she can’t get the safe open in time. In his office, Carrity sees something happening on the security camera, and races down in time for Parker and Hardison to disappear and the alarms to go off, locking both the bodyguards and Carrity in the vault until Bonanno arrives to find the “stolen” gems safe in Carrity’s own vault. Carrity is arrested for theft and

foundation. The Mark: Peter Blanchard, the Kimball estate lawyer, who claims to be the sole legal executor and beneficiary.

THE CREW

terrible Grifter and Carrity balks. But one of Carrity’s

The Client: Ruth Walton, the founder of a children’s

The Problem: Millionaire Bennett Kimball promised to leave his estate to Walton’s foundation, but his lawyer is now contesting. The team is still without Sophie. The Plan: Ruth comes to the meeting with her lawyer, Tara Carlisle, who insists on being part of

THE JOB

Unfortunately, Hardison’s an excellent Hacker, but a

Written by Chris Downey; Directed by Peter Winther

whatever the team does. Nate resists, but finally gives in. Kimball was not exactly an angel, keeping his good reputation mainly by the maneuverings of Blanchard, his long-time lawyer. The team starts with Kimball’s former partner, who is in jail for embezzlement. Nate

THE FIXER

How It Goes Down: They meet with Carrity.

The Lost Heir Job

thinks Orson might have dirt about a fifty thousand dollar payment made in 1980 to a George Gilbert he’d be willing to share, to bring Blanchard to heel. However, Tara insists on going in with honesty, which fails utterly. Nate then goes to Plan B.

THE TOOLBOX

they’ll call in Lt. Bonanno, thereby clearing their client.

How It Goes Down: Eliot and Hardison work the prison as newly-transferred guards, getting in with Orson. Nate, meanwhile, is working the system as Jimmy Papadakoulos, the world’s worst lawyer. They discover that George Gilbert was actually Georgia

THE CRIME WORLD

stole as the bait. Once they have Carrity on the hook,

Gilbert, a stripper whom Blanchard arranged to have go away. Nate makes the leap that it was because she was pregnant by Kimball, and calls in Parker—next door trying to crack Blanchard’s safe—to play the “lost heir.”

THE RECORD

role, while Parker reels the Mark in using a diamond she

THE BRIEFING

they’re going to make the Mark believe they have the

THE PITCH

to remove the etched serial number from diamonds—

attempted fraud.

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THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB THE FIXER

Tara earns her keep with the team by going to

It wasn’t a coincidence that Ruth, who had been

Blanchard and warning him that “Jimmy” is planning

adopted in 1982, found favor with Kimball: he had been

extortion and she thinks they should demand a DNA

looking for her. Ruth is the actual lost heir.

THE TOOLBOX

test—although if the test comes back positive, that will

Job done, they go back to the bar, only to discover

go into the record. Blanchard, worried, thinks they

that Tara is actually a Grifter, sent by Sophie to help

should settle. However, he also meets with a cop, and

them out while she’s gone. The team is pissed at being

they discuss how bad things can happen to people in a

played, but Nate welcomes her aboard.

new city—and then we cut to Parker and Nate, under the shadow of a sniper’s gun. Eliot takes out the sniper, but the clock is ticking. Eliot takes Parker off in one direction, and Nate heads in the other.

THE CRIME WORLD

Now chased by cops, Parker and Eliot aren’t going to make it to the courtroom in time. Nate tells Parker to forget about it, and sends her off to do something else. He shows up at the courthouse in time to ask a single question of Ruth Walton: what color is his tie?

THE RECORD

Ruth is colorblind, rare in a woman. It takes both parents being colorblind for that to happen. Nate checked the medical records: Kimball had been colorblind. So had Georgia Gilbert.

The Runway Job Written by Albert Kim; Directed by Marc Roskin The Client: A young woman working for an immigrant advocacy group, on behalf of the women being abused by the Pans, who run a sweatshop where the workers are getting sick. None of them are willing to make a formal complaint, but something has to be done. The Mark: Gloria and Russell Pan, self-made millionaires who make knock-offs of high fashion and sell it cheap. Gloria, however, has dreams of becoming a fashion designer. The Problem: The team needs to get the Pans on the hook for something incriminating enough to shut the factory down.

196

The Record The Plan They’ll use Gloria’s desire to be a reputable

their partners in China will say. Nate goes with Parker the next day to get the rest of the money, only to see a car speeding off as the mansion explodes. At the same time, Eliot and Tara are going through the factory looking for bank statements when they’re threatened by men bearing cleavers. Too late, the team realizes that they didn’t just take the Pan’s money—they took money from the Triad, the Chinese mob, too.

season’s designs, so they can start the knockoffs early and beat everyone else. It takes Parker and Eliot infiltrating the fashion show to get the designs, but they

THE BRIEFING

her designs included, while her husband worries what

hostage while Nate promises to get them the next

do so. While Nate’s gone, Tara spills the beans and offers to make a deal. Nate returns with the designs, but Russell tells him he’s going to take the fall for all of it, including the

THE CREW

show, Gloria gives them fifty thousand dollars to have

into it. Russell wants his money back; he holds Tara

bomb—he’s already called the cops about a man trying to sell him stolen designs. But when the cops come and look at the thumb drive, they find both footage of Russell planting the bombs, and his Rap Sheet identifying him

THE JOB

one of their designers has dropped out of an

The entire sweatshop is a front, and the team’s stumbled

THE FIXER

in. After some ego-stroking and Nate’s discovery that

wanted list as Nicholas Chow, a member of the Triad.

THE TOOLBOX

hot new fashion designer, to flatter Gloria and lure her

Worse, Russell Pan is actually on the FBI’s most

THE CRIME WORLD

How It Goes Down: Tara is set up as “Caprina,” a

THE RECORD

into a show.

THE PITCH

designer as their entry point, and con her into buying

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Chapter Eight that Nate’s not drinking. He won’t bet with a man who won’t drink with him. THE PITCH

as Nicholas Chow. He’s carted off, while Nate and Tara

Everything stops, until Nate kicks back a drink, and

walk free. The reveal shows both Tara setting Russell up

then another. Meanwhile, Tara has cracked the code:

to call the cops, and Nate making the sleight-of-hand

Doyle has his claws into half the neighborhood.

switch while they argued.

Nate wins back enough that Doyle offers the marker

THE BRIEFING

With the Pans out of the picture, the factory goes into

as a final bet, but he refuses to end the con. If they let

receivership, and the fifty thousand dollars is enough to

Doyle go, he’ll just come back and do more damage.

set the former employees up as new owners.

They have to stop him once and for all.

“And for what it’s worth, Sophie was right. You guys are the best I’ve ever seen.”

THE CREW

The Bottle Job Written by Christine Boylan; Directed by Jonathan Frakes The Client: Cora McCrory, the daughter of John McCrory who owned the eponymous bar the team uses as their base. She is threatened by loan sharks during

THE JOB

her father’s wake, and told to pay her father’s debts or lose the bar. The Mark: Mark Doyle, a loan shark on a short timeline. The Problem: Cora has two hours to come up with

THE FIXER

fifteen thousand, or Doyle takes the bar. She doesn’t have that much money and, on a snowy Friday night, no way to get a loan. The Plan: They’re going to run an abbreviated

THE TOOLBOX

version of the Wire—time-delay betting a la The Sting— conning Doyle out of the IOU for the bar. How It Goes Down: Tara insinuates herself into Doyle’s confidences, giving Parker time to lift his port, which Hardison scans for information. Parker

THE CRIME WORLD

and Eliot distract the man’s companions and lift their wallets as well as a ledger, written in code. They’re

Tara comes back to stall Doyle, using the snowstorm as an excuse. While Parker and Eliot hunt down Doyle’s office to steal the money he has in his safe, Tara winds Doyle up by telling him that Nate cheated. Furious, Doyle pushes his way into the high stakes poker game Tara tells him is going on in the back room and demands the chance to buy in. The regulars, a grizzled looking bunch, reluctantly agree. Doyle—with Tara there to tell him what Nate’s got in his hand—starts to play, winning steadily. Doyle brags about the things he’s had a hand in while he was in Boston, trying to impress the locals. But when Nate buys back in with Doyle’s own cash, he identifies the markings and figures out that he’s being conned, pulling a gun on Nate. At which point the “regulars” introduce themselves— they’re not criminals, they’re cops, and Doyle just served himself up on a platter. Cora gets the IOU back, the money gets handed back to the people it was taken from, and Doyle is run out of town with a warning from Nate to never come back. “You’re exactly like your father.”

the States. Tara works on the ledger, while Nate heads

The Zanzibar Marketplace Job

down to get chummy with Doyle, channeling his father,

Written by Melissa Glenn & Jessica Rieder; Directed by

Irish, looking to expand Doyle’s family’s business into

THE RECORD

a small-time hood, to win the other man over. Upstairs, Hardison tears up Nate’s apartment to rewire the cable into the bar for a twenty second delay. Nate loses just enough to make Doyle feel confident—until he notices

198

Jeremiah S. Chechik The Client: Jim Sterling needs their help to get Nate’s ex-wife Maggie out of jail after she’s accused of stealing a Faberge Egg from a museum exhibit. He’s more

The Record concerned with the fact that IYS insured the egg than he

who happens to be closing in on bankruptcy. Sterling

The reveal shows how Eliot had Parker switch the

likes him for the thief, but he’s protected by his job with

two, while Hardison manipulated the elevator displays

the American Embassy.

so that there was no missing time. The team knew

The Problem: Get Maggie out of jail and find out

Phillips was the thief because, while he had the sound

who actually stole the egg, without Maggie knowing

off when showing the egg to prospective buyers, he kept

that the team is involved.

it on when the team saw Nate on-camera, to sell his

egg, clearing her name.

protests, claiming that he’s driving an Embassy car—but Parker’s stolen the diplomatic plates. The team’s done the work—but it’s Sterling who benefits, with a job offer

an affair with a highly placed official gets her out of the

from Interpol. “I hate that guy,” Tara says, and is finally

prison. Tara and Eliot intimidate a local fence who gives

inducted as a full member of the team, united in their

them an invitation to the Marketplace, a floating auction.

hatred of Sterling.

Interested parties write down their bid, then leave town. Lundy is selling the egg, via a remote link-up. Eliot goes in and confirms that it’s the real deal—and that it’s being stored in the building. Parker follows the coordinates to the room where it’s being held, and—with Sterling’s help distracting the guard—steals the egg back. While all this is going on, Maggie confronts Nate about the team being involved. He tries to explain, but someone tasers him before he can lie. They wake up locked in a basement room, while the rest of the team is ed about a trade: the hostages for the egg. Sterling doesn’t want to make the trade but in Nate’s absence, Eliot, the Retrieval Specialist, takes control. Maggie and Nate are ed by Phillips, Lundy’s assistant, who claims that Lundy’s gone crazy. The team is shown all this via camera, to prove that Nate and Maggie are still alive. But they’re all being played: after the camera shuts off and Lundy walks into the room, accompanied by goons, it’s revealed that Phillips is the mastermind. He’ll take the egg, fake his death, and leave Lundy to take the blame. The hostages are put in one elevator, with a bomb.

THE JOB

How It Goes Down: A rumor that Maggie is having

THE CREW

The Plan: To get Maggie out, and then steal back the

Cut to Phillips being stopped by the police. He

The Future Job Written by Amy Berg & Chris Downey; Directed by Marc Roskin The Client: Ryan, whose pregnant sister Jodie is being taken in by a fake psychic.

THE FIXER

that, she’s okay.”

performance.

The Mark: Dalton Rand, a phony psychic conning people out of their life savings by claiming to be able to channel their departed loved ones. The Problem: Jodie has sunk so much into Rand, trying to get in touch with her dead husband, she’s

THE TOOLBOX

“Maggie’s the most honest person we know. But besides

THE BRIEFING

not the egg. He runs, just as it explodes.

about to lose her house. They have to prove he’s bogus and get her money back. The Plan: The team goes see one of his performances, intending to gather intel on how to bring him down, but when Nate heckles, trying to get a rise out of him, Rand

THE CRIME WORLD

estate mogul—and Maggie’s current significant other—

his elevator to arrive—and discovers he has the bomb,

turns on Parker and mentions her dead brother. Shaken, she bolts. The team finds her back at the apartment, where she tells them she’s never mentioned her brother. She thinks Dalton’s the real thing. When they explain to her how he did a cold read, manipulating her, she’s

THE RECORD

The Mark: Alexander Lundy, international real-

THE PITCH

is with the fact that Maggie’s been accused.

The egg is placed in the other elevator. Phillips waits for

199

Chapter Eight

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW THE JOB THE FIXER

furious and wants him dead. Nate offers, instead, to take

gets spooked and has Rand grabbed in the parking

him down. All the way down. Parker approves.

lot. Now, before they can take him down, they have to

How It Goes Down: Tara sets up as a woo-woo

rescue him.

THE TOOLBOX THE CRIME WORLD

psychic named Bethany, working at a table outside a

The kidnapper is a criminal who went to jail for

coffee bar and siphoning away his clientele. When Rand

bank robbery, but whose partner died before he could

goes to see her, intending to scare her away, she instead

find out where the money was hidden. He wants Rand

impresses him, both by knowing that his father isn’t dead

and “Bethany” to tell him where it is. So the team has

and by the mild electrical charge he gets when talking to

to lay a fake trail, leading them to storage facility. But

her, because Nate, showing more of that sadistic—and

as they dig through and find nothing, Rand its, at

vindictive—streak, rigged the table. Tara gives Rand a

gunpoint, that he’s a fraud, and that he can’t actually

reading, and when enough of it comes true, he returns

talk to the dead. Tara slams the door behind them, and

the next day, to talk her into working with him. Her

they’re in darkness, until the far wall falls away to reveal

profile is that of someone who needs money, which

that they’re actually next to Rand’s studio, in front of a

Rand shamelessly uses to get “Bethany” to agree.

live audience, with his confession playing over and over.

THE RECORD

The next show, the team is stationed out front,

The client’s sister gets her money back, saving her

picking pockets and eavesdropping, feeding Tara info

house, and they’ve put another predator out of business.

that she in turn feeds to Rand. The only problem is that they do such a good job that someone in the audience

200

“And now I see why you do it.”

The Record

the-record, something that got him shot. Nate wants to know who was so intent on taking an honest cop down. The Plan: Doing a preliminary on the town, Nate and Tara attend a fundraiser for the mayor, posing as a real estate developer (Nate) and a PR rep (Tara) willing to donate a lot of money to the right candidate. Learning that the mayor was a pro ballplayer very briefly, Nate feeds the rumor that he’s there to build a baseball stadium if he can find the right property, something on the waterfront. The plan is to catch the mayor taking a bribe, and get him to roll on whoever ordered the hit on Bonnano.

legacy. Nate plays him, getting Culpepper to agree to an “incentive payment” of two hundred fifty thousand dollars. But there’s a catch—according to Culpepper’s

THE BRIEFING

The Problem: Bonanno was working on a case off-

if he convinces Nate to build in his city, it will be his

partners, it has to be in cash—which means there won’t be a check to trace it back to Culpepper. Problem. Also, they have to meet him down by the waterfront to get the cash. Larger problem. Everyone balks, except Nate, who convinces the team to continue with the con. But when the team gets there, they immediately know something’s wrong. Hardison says the security system isn’t anywhere what it should be, based on the post 9/11 funds Culpepper received to increase port security, and Parker finds boxes labeled “beans” that are actually holding guns and grenades. Nate and Tara are about

THE CREW

mayor of Belbridge.

Culpepper is drawn into Nate’s con, thinking that

THE JOB

The Mark: Bradford Culpepper III, the corrupt

about a move, getting everyone riled up. Meanwhile,

THE FIXER

they need official notice of a crime.

for the local minor league team, spreading rumors

THE TOOLBOX

Bonanno, who has quietly helped the team out when

How It Goes Down: Eliot is set up as a hot new player

THE CRIME WORLD

The Client: Wendy Bonanno, the wife of Lt.

THE RECORD

Written by John Rogers; Directed by Dean Devlin

THE PITCH

The Three Strikes Job

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Chapter Eight

THE PITCH THE BRIEFING THE CREW

to walk out of the meeting when fills their ear buds, and they realize Culpepper’s wearing a wire. He’s an FBI snitch, which is why he’s been getting away with being corrupt. Culpepper recognizes the name Bonanno, but Nate doesn’t have time to do anything about it—they have to get out before the FBI breaks in. Hardison sacrifices his van, using the grenades to blow her up, and under the cover of releasing hostages, Tara and Nate walk out of the warehouse and are whisked away by the team wearing FBI jackets. The special agent in charge is furious, threatening to break their deal with Culpepper for letting the two get away, without any idea who they are or how to find them. The camera pulls away, and we see Jim Sterling standing there. He, clearly, has a very good idea who the two were.

THE JOB

The Maltese Falcon Job

THE FIXER THE TOOLBOX

Written by John Rogers; Directed by Dean Devlin The Client: Wendy Bonanno, the wife of Lt. Bonanno, who has quietly helped the team out when they need official notice of a crime. The Mark: Bradford Culpepper III, the corrupt mayor of Belbridge The Problem: Culpepper is a protected FBI snitch, tied into a gun runner working off the docks of Bellbridge who ordered the hit on Lt. Bonanno. The Plan: Coming off the disaster of the Three Strikes Job, the plan is to find Tony Kadjic, Culpepper’s partner.

THE CRIME WORLD THE RECORD

To do that, they have to steal a mayor. How It Goes Down: Culpepper is being kept in a luxury hotel, under FBI guard. The team goes in and removes him, stashing him in a perfect replica of his hotel room, conning him—with Eliot and Hardison both playing Hitters—into believing that betraying Nate to the Feds was the last thing he’s ever going to do. Meanwhile, Sterling, who is investigating Kadjic for Interpol, discovers that Culpepper’s gone. And he knows damn well who took him.

202

Culpepper gives up his partner, telling Nate that it was Kadjic who told him to give Nate up to the Feds to protect their arms deals. Nate tells the others to get to the dock. He disappears—heading for his apartment. There’s something he needs. But Sterling’s already there, with Special Agent Nevins. Sterling hands Nate his son’s drawing, clearly what he came back for, and a flask, and lays it out for the Mastermind. Sterling has everything on them, but he wants Kadjic. If Nate helps Sterling, he’ll go free. Just this once, everything wiped clean. And just him. Not the team. Nate calls the team back, tells them it’s all-clear, and sets the new plan in motion: they need to catch Kadjic in the act, on the ship with the weapons. Tara and Parker go in to destroy the evidence, while Nate and Eliot go in to trap Kadjic. But Hardison discovers Tara has sold them out, while Culpepper escapes and warns Kadjic. Eliot and Nate are separated, and Hardison is limited in what he can do because of the ship’s interference with his electronics. Only the sudden surprise appearance of Sophie, posing as a weapons buyer, saves the day. Tara had— rather than betraying them—called her in when Nate went off the rails. They escape, locking Culpepper and Kadjic on the ship with the evidence. But just as they’re about to get away, the team is surrounded by FBI agents and Sterling, who reveals that Nate made a deal. But it’s not the deal Sterling expects: without the evidence they destroyed, Sterling has no case. Except if Nate turns State’s evidence. He will—Nate wants Kadjic to go down, too—in exchange for the team’s freedom. “You guys are the most honorable people I have ever met in my life. You’ve become my family, my only family. I won’t forget that.”

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INTELLIGENCE

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______________________________________________ HACKER

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______________________________________________ HITTER

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______________________________________________ MASTERMIND

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______________________________________________ THIEF

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______________________________________________

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Get Ready to Get Even.

The rich and powerful, They Take whaT They wanT. you sTeal iT back. You and your Crew used to be the bad guys, but there are worse people out there. The weak and the helpless need you. You provide... leverage. Based on TNT’s hit show, The LEVERAGE Roleplaying Game puts you in the middle of a dysfunctional but highly specialized group of con artists, criminals, and crooks who are trying to turn over a new leaf. You protect the victims of corporations, mobsters, and corrupt politicians by using your expert skills to outwit and overcome the real bad guys. Using the award-winning Cortex System as its foundation, the LEVERAGE RPG includes all the rules you need to create a high-voltage team of rogues, plan the perfect job, and get it done... even if it means going to Plan B. This game requires a set of gaming dice available from any hobby or game store. Earbuds and really big HDTVs are cool, but not required.

Created by Cam Banks, Rob Donoghue, and Clark Valentine With Tiara Lynn Agresta, Matt Forbeck, Stephanie Ford, Laura Anne Gilman, Fred Hicks, and Ryan Macklin

Margaret Weis Productions and the Cortex System © 2010 Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. © Leverage Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. M A R G A R E T

WEIS PRODUCTIONS, ltd.

TNT logo, photography, and key art TM & © 2008-2009 TNT Originals, Inc. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.