The Imperial Assassin - how do you use him?

Hello all,

The Undead have only a few different hired swords available to them, and the only ones I've really used yet are the ogre and the warlock. They're both straight-forward and their advantages are easy to see. The imperial assassin, on the other hand, seems more intricate and difficult to use. He has good stats for fighting in close combat but lacks any kind of save, so he's definitely a glass cannon. He's also a good shooter with high BS and permanently poisoned weapons (going for +1S mostly, I assume).

How do you equip your assassins when you use them? And what skills do you choose for them when given the chance?

Edit: Even if you're not running an Undead warband I still welcome your input here.

Giving the assassin a crossbow is a good option. S5 ranged attack!

Well, if you're running an Undead warband and get your hands on Bow of Seeking, that might be a fine weapon to coat in poison!

Also, I would recommend a Dark Elf Assasin with Master of Poisons for your Vampire.

There's a player in our league who has twice taken the Imperial Assassin with a crossbow (ALWAYS +1 Str poison on the crossbow) and he is truly terrifying once he gets a skill (aka rapid shot). The combat stats are just an added bonus to discourage stray henchmen from trying to tangle with him in combat

Sunstaff if i can get one,
eagle eyes and knife fighter (black lotus)
basically whatever odd weapons i find, capture or trade.
definitely a great hired sword able to fill most roles,
If you are using him as a close combat unit made sure you declare him as hidden until you charge.

Thanks for the tips. It seems like the most popular way to use him is as a ranged fighter. If I'm going to use him I think I want to find a balance somewhere. A bow or longbow could probably work well, together with any combat weapon(s).

Aipha, I didn't even know that hired sword existed. It's not mentioned on the Mordheimer site but after looking in the TC12 I saw it. I wonder how many other things have gone unnoticed from me inside those town cryers... either way, the dark elf looks like a great choice, especially with the poisons. Overall, though, I think I prefer the imperial assassin for his gameplay mechanics, so he'll probably be my first choice.