Character Creation Challenge 2022(OOP due to its licence ending, but a new form of the system is available through
Cortex Prime)
Finally, a Crew of the five character types for
Leverage, the Cortex Plus con and heist game based on the recently revived TV series of the same name, whose creator
John Rogers later wrote a largely systemless con and heist advice chapter for
FATE Worlds.
(Bias note: I created the original
Les Fantômes, the Worlds’ Greatest Thieves con and heist genre Allegiance for
Trinity Continuum.)
Each character Role - Grifter, Hacker, Hitter, Mastermind, Thief - is a “statistic” in the game, rated D4 to D12, combined with general Attributes, specific “neat trick” Talents, Role Specialties and personality-based Distinctions which can be good or bad in different circumstances.
The players’ arsenal includes the ability to reveal the plan through flashbacks rather than having to come up with it in advance, emulating the genre and the series in particular.
The rulebook gives the option to create a complete character but the default is to stop until a Session Zero “Recruitment Job” where the group as a whole can pitch Distinctions and other details. To make ready-to-run characters for one-shots and the like I’ll fill them in completely.
The original series Crew has the five Roles called out in the intro, but other Crews don’t have to. The gang from BBC series
Hustle is heavy on Grifters and light on Hitters.
Steve Dee created the Wheelman (
PDF) as an alternative Role, while the original
Leverage series has hardly any car chases.
So without further ado, a Crew based in London...
Lark
Grifter
“This is a beautiful piece. I’d say it’s better crafted than the original. But some buyers insist antiques should be ‘real’ for some reason.”
The Grifter is the social con artist, so a key Role in con episodes.
Background
Lark is the son of a family of antique dealers, occasional thieves and forgers, who joined the Crew to take down the security company who ruined their plans to get out of the business, and stuck around because actually helping people seems quite nice. Years of charming his way into various social strata have made him an expert in what people want to hear.
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| Sam Claflin |
A bit Lovejoy, not by accident.
