I won't go into detail about the contents of the book as that has been covered. I will say that the actual rules are well done and well thought out. There are two things about this book that grate me (and thus the lower rating)

Content: Really Good Presentation: Really lacking

‘Hitters, Hackers & Thieves’, like ‘Grifters & Masterminds’ is a splat book to round off the main roles in the Leverage RPG. It follows the same format for each of the roles, namely:

• an overview of the role and the history which has shaped it
• at least 20 new talents (all of which offer versatility for your character. The Talents offered in all three sections were excellent, with strong attention to the thematic elements of the role)
• a completely unnecessary grab bag of potential NPCs (36 pages of them)
• and a few elements unique to each role.

With the clear exception of the NPCs, this book wasted no opportunities to add something valuable to the play experience in Leverage. The writers were ‘spot on’ in their ability to channel the style to emulate the mannerisms of the TV characters (I could hear Hardison in the back of my head all the way through the Hackers chapter). This level of skill should be acknowledged and congratulated.

The additional elements I found most interesting included:

• [Hackers] new rules called ‘Exploits’ which provide an extended narrative for many of the hacker-related electronic activities. Having played games with this component before (Cyberpunk 2020 and Shadowrun in particular), I was glad to see that the writers acknowledged that sometimes playing a Hacker-style character can be dull and dice-heavy and have taken some steps to make it more interesting.
• [Hitters] the opening section to this chapter is excellent and should be required reading for all gamers. It explains very simply why gun-enabled violence is never a good idea, why murder should be off the table in almost every circumstance and why people who use guns are cowards. It fits perfectly with the mood of Leverage and backs up the section with rules to support a player being ‘one of the good guys’. The Talents in this section are a good mix of the Fighting Styles and RP elements.
• [Thief] this presents some new rules for designing neat locations and the security elements, backed up by two lists; ‘Cool places to break into’ and ‘Cool things to steal’. Both lists are well-developed and any GM should be able to grab the examples given and run a full Job with them. The variety here is pleasing (from faked DNA to expensive art to a special recipe for fried chicken) so there is something to please everyone.

The book is then rounded out with three differently-themed Tech Jobs and a section on Troubleshooting in Tech Jobs. The Toubleshooting section, whilst only one page, covers all the common-sense elements concisely and is good value.

Overall, this is a good book and well worth the investment to own. The writers for this supplement have shown a solid grasp of the concepts and have endeavoured to offer something unexpected for all roles. The layout and art (with the exception of the NPCs) is extremely pleasing, clear and easy to read. What is great to see is that at the moment, you only really need the core book to play – but these extra books have transcended ‘splat’ and offered something meaningful to make the game deeper rather than simply broader.

I kind of gave the Leverage RPG a pass when it came out because -- I didn't watch the show.

But after I finally encountered first the Smallville RPG, then the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying RPG, I decided to pick up Leverage to give it another try. Then I decided to take a look at the sourcebooks for it.

This book, Leverage: Hitters, Hackers, and Thieves, is an indispensable tool for both players and GMs (Fixers in this RPG) interested in rounding out and deepening the capabilities, backgrounds, rivals, and approaches for these types of roles in the game. While it does not (and cannot) give an encyclopedic account of all things Hitter/Hacker/Thief, it does bolster the treatment given in the rulebook with key points in the history and rationale of the role, very flavorful talents to broaden the cinematic treatment in the game, and some Master Class options to make the PCs and NPCs even more awesome than they already are.

There are also additional rules for Locations in this sourcebook to make things more interesting for the Thief (and everyone else) in your Crew. As a bonus, you get several technology-centric Jobs to take your Crew through.

In addition, the book is written clearly, while successfully providing both information and flavor to further reinforce the genre of the game.

If you're into Leverage, pick it up!

WHAT WORKS: The Hitter section may be my favorite section written for the Leverage RPG, possibly my favorite section ever appearing in an MWP book and just a great read. Your mileage may vary, but I loved it. I also love the addition of the ready made compounds and the security system mechanics, a very useful set of additions to the game mechanics.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: I wasn't feeling the whole "psychology of a thief" thing, which is weird, because Parker's not my least favorite Leverage Crew member (that would be Sophie...and I still like her). In fact, from a Role standpoint Hacker and Thief would probably be most least favorite of the five.

CONCLUSION: I was reaching for complaints. I applaud the work the MWP crew has done with Leverage, starting with a strong core book and then two supplemental books that are not essential but dramatically expand the five roles in the game. As with Grifters & Masterminds, if you like the Leverage RPG, there is no real reason not to buy the supplemental books, at least in PDF. A great RPG treatment for one of my favorite shows.

For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2012/03/tommys-take-on-leverage-hitters-hackers.html

If you're looking for more ways to work with your Hitters, Hackers or Thieves, this is definitely a book you'll want to pick up. Each section is clearly organized with new information, new rules and new ideas.

Each section has a different flavor that gels with the type of character it's discussing. That hint of personality really adds to the way this book reads, making the experience more than slogging through yet another sourcebook. This book was fun to read, with lots of cool information about what it means to be a Hacker, Hitter or Thief, as well as some notable things from the past that have to do with each Role.

There is really nothing negative to say about this book. It's full of great ideas that pump me up to play Leverage more than the corebook did. The additional rules are very much bolt-on and aren't going to change the way the game plays, but definitely will give your group more options to enjoy the game.

If you're a Leverage player, get this book. You will be glad you did.