Very Nice addition to the Leverage RPG and I highly receommend it.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: Available in the same formats as above, Companion 6 takes your Leverage game from the Populist Revenge business and into the realm of Espionage (and Counter-Espionage). This includes advice on changing up the roles (Hitter to Wetworks, Thief to Acquisitions, Mastermind to Handler, etc). This is even a recommended mode of play for Single Player games (James Bond or Jason Bourne, anyone?) While these Companions commonly offer new Talents, this one also offers new rules, such as resisting Interrogations, handling "Gadgets", and even an "Enhanced Flashback" mechanic that allows the Agents to throw the trust of each other into question.There's even a few campaign set-ups, including an amusing one set in a retirement home for secret agents. An Instant Mission Generator replaces the Job Generator from the Leverage core rules, so you can generate spy-appropriate missions on the fly.

WHAT WORKS: Well, I love random generators, so that's a win right there. There's lots of good information in a small package to tweak Leverage from its default mode of play and into spy games.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: A few spy-related Talents would have been great. Mentioning the Trust mechanic before the section that actually introduced it was a little counterintuitive, but not a huge problem given the size of the product.

CONCLUSION: If you're going to write a niche product like this, present the information as usefully and as compelling as you can. This book totally hit the mark in that regard, giving you the necessary tools to turn Leverage into a spy game with a small package. I always like extra options for Talents, so the book lacking those is disappointing. That said, it's a well-written, micro supplement that was released with a very clear goal that it accomplishes admirably. A great pick-up if you want to diversify your Leverage campaign options.

Would you rather run a spy-based game than one full of criminals (reformed or otherwise)? Or do you think that even a standard Leverage crew could do with learning a little tradecraft to supplement their criminal talents? Then cast your eyes over this product...

It starts off with some terminology, specifically how to rename Leverage roles to suit espionage teams. This moves on to a discussion of what those roles might do if you're all hardcore spies working the shadows at the behest of an agency rather than doing jobs for specific clients Leverage-style.

Next comes a look at changes in the way you play to suit a spy game. Spies never, ever build up the sort of trust you see in a Leverage crew, they cannot afford to be that confident about someone else not even if (as far as they know) they work for the same agency or even the same nation. Peppered with examples, this section gives ideas for creative uses of Flashbacks to build suspicion and fuel what has the potential to be some exciting role-play, interplay between characters.

Next comes In The Field, where we learn about gadgets & gear appropriate to spies, along with notes on interrogations, languages and martial arts - all things that feature in spy thrillers. If captured, make creative use of a Flashback to describe how you engineer your escape!

Then, after a recitation of the Moscow Rules (all spies should know these!), there's a look at how to structure a Leverage game to fit the spy genre, something that works well with the game's mechanics anyway. This moves naturally into the sort of campaigns you might want to run in this genre.

Next, there's a wonderful Instant Mission Generator. Armed with this, a D10 and a good working knowledge of spy thrillers, you can literally come up with spy games on the fly - or, if you get the time to do some proper prep, you can use it to inspire awesome adventures. I'll certainly be making use of this, although people who've played in my games know I'm no slouch at generating spy adventures!

Finally, Three Random Letters is a quick flip through some of the alphabet soup that passes for intelligence agency names around the world. Your agents may ply their trade for No Such Agency or Caught in the Act, but it helps to know what the opposition call themselves.

Definitely worth a look if you fancy an excursion into the spy genre... after all, do you want to send a clean-cut college boy into a snake pit, or are you going to send a snake of your own to slither in?