Assasins

[Pocus]

Some other points on top of my head, on assassins (in multiplayer, against AI you can do much more damages):

- forget about sending assassins into the heart of your enemy territory (unless he has sneak 30). You are better to set assassins ambushes by preplacing several unequipped assassins in a province which will soon be captured by the enemy, or an enemy occupied province near your lands, and where your enemy move troops. In the group, you can add 1-2 equipped assassins too (with the items mentioned by my fellows comrades).

- At the time you can afford to have 10+ assassins sneaking, you should tell you that even if 1 out of 3 manage to kill somebody important, then they are worth the cost. Generally you can kill mages which are scripted toward pitch battle, like a mage with a thunder ward / wrathful skies combo. Know though that with the improved tactical AI, perhaps dom2 will override better and will let the mage cast a lightning bold instead. Anyway, a mage killed, with items and/or gems is worth several lost assassins, so dont be dispirited by their lack of results. You win rarely, but when you win its like a jackpot. Another jackpot instance is when you kill a commander which lead important troops. It can lead to victory instead of defeat in the battlefied. Thats why assassins are nearly always worth their cost.

- decked assassins : you will equip an assassin only if it is of particular good value (good HP eg), otherwise forget about it. Exception, in the begining game against indeps, it can be worthy to add an item to your assassins so that they have no problems killing knight commanders or barbarians chief.

- Even if your assassins dont manage to kill anybody but scouts, they can be worth the cost, because it can forces the enemy to bodyguards with good units his important leaders. It is not uncommon to see a player react by adding 3-4 trolls, or knights, or lamias to protect a commander. Thats anyway units which wont be commited against you, so you have won something, even if you loose assassins regularly.
Assassins have an even higher value in games with high indep settings. They dont care if there is 6 commanders instead of 2. The province will ask for more time before falling, but is not harder. On the contrary your regular army will have to wait more turns to get the proper power to defeat high indeps settings.