Assassination n00b.

[sector24]

I'm ressurecting this thread because I started a game as MA C'tis and I'm having trouble using the assassins for anything other than very expensive scouts.

My first question is, what set of circumstances would you employ an assassin rather than a mind hunt/thug/SC/etc.? There are so many options in the game, and I'm just not seeing where the assassin comes in.

Second question, is it worth giving them any equipment to speak of? I think flying boots are pretty much required, but even then the empoisoner's from C'tis are not very successful. I got the national hero assassin, and gave him a longbow of accuracy and 2 +attack rings. He had 36 attack, and against an indy mounted commander, he fired two shots that either missed or failed their attack roll, then got killed in one hit.

If you don't equip your assassins I can't imagine what a viable target might be. For instance, anyone that can summon usually kills you, which is basically death mages, air mages, elemental mages with gems, etc. Against priests, I get smitten about 50% of the time but I guess those aren't terrible odds. I can kill most of the indy commanders (with the notable exception above), but if that's all the assassin is good for then they're not worth recruiting.

Then of course there's the problem of not being able to pick your target, so any nation that "could" have any of the above in the province is asking your assassin to take on a suicide mission.

Is there anyone with fairly extensive knowledge of assassination that would be willing to share?