Q. I have been running a campaign for
just over 2 years and the players have
attained around 20th level each.  They
have no turned their attention to political
matters and have designed a plan to
sieze power in at least one large country
(the campaign is set in the Judges Guild
world). Unfortunately this plan will cause
widespread war on a massive scale.
    This is where the problem lies -- with
such large forces involved it is obviously
unrealistic to fight it on a 1-to-1
scale. After searching for suitable rules I
remembered the Swords and Spells
book advertised in the Players Handbook.
    The plan devised by my players is to
assassinate the 2 most powerful rulers
-- the World Emperor and the Invincible
Overlord.  This will obviously cause civil
war in the 2 countries and widespread
revolt in any occupied territories.
    I have worked out basic systems for
supply and levying troops, but I would like
hints and tips about any of the developments
and problems that are common to
this type of campaign.
A. Several interesting points are raised
by this question,  which apply to many
campaigns, not just the one above.
    Firstly, we would question the wisdom of
allowing a campaign to develop to the
point where 20th level characters are the
norm.  If only to make a DM's existence
easier, we would suggest that players are
encouraged to retire their characters at
an earlier stage.
    Essentially what is proposed is a political
struggle carried on by military means --
the overthrow of a centralised Imperial
authority by a group of powerful citizens.
This need not involve 'war on a massive
scale'. By limiting the cast of characters
to those in the palace -- and the action to
a social/intriguing level -- a Game will
emerge that is just as much Fun, and
certainly much more manageable.
    If the PCs have amassed
sufficient XP to reach 20th
level then some NPCs
should have done the same thing
-- after all, it is clearly possible for
talented people to do so, and NPCs should
be as talented as PCs.  These
NPCs might be anxious to see the current
order maintained, and take appropriate
action.  The player conspirators could thus
be faced with a small group, as powerful
as themselves, thwarting their every
effort.  Any ruler who failed to take
adequate precautions with such characters
in his land would be a fool.  It is
likely that the World Emperor and the
Invincible Overlord would keep a close
eye on their more powerful subjects, and
be forewarned of their general intentions.
Forewarned may well be forearmed, even
to the point of pre-emptive action --
assassinating potential assassins.  In any
case, rulers with dangerous subjects take
precautions -- heavy personal body guard
detachments, protective spell use, spying,
assassination, taking hostages as guarantees
of good behavior, retaliation for
acts of rebellion, etc.
    Bassically, we are trying to suggest alternatives
to full scale war.  A palace coup
d'etat has 1 advantage for the DM -- its
small scale.  By the time blood has been
spilled and knowledge of the coup attempt
has become widespread, the new regime
is either firmly established or it has been
beaten off and destroyed. The outlying
parts of the Empire and most citizens
closer to home only discover that the coup
has happened when it is all over.  The only
military powers which can be involved
are those limited forces the plotters sneak
in and the equivalent of the Praetorian
Guard -- the ruler's household troops.
The DM only has to worry about a
company or 2 of troops with this option.
    If you still wnat to run a large scale war
unfortunately 'Swords and Spells' is no
longer available.  However, any good
reference work on the Imperial Roman
army or similar will illustrate the problems
of keeping large numbers of men in the
field.  Wargames Research Group produce
Ancient Wargames rules which can be
interfaced with the AD&D game to
produce a hybrid rules system -- and if all
else fails there are always the Warhammer
rules from Citadel Miniatures.
<Update: BATTLESYSTEM>
    Once the coup attempt has happened we
suggest that the PCs are
retired.  If they failed they will probably be
dead, executed by vengeful authorities.  If
they won they will Now be occupied with
running their new domains, and fighting
off counter couops by any other groups.
The DM should Take Control of the
characters, who will Now become the
targets for the next generation of power-hungry
adventurers.
    Power politics is not the easiest type of
struggle to DM, but it can be 1 of the most
interesting.
(Imagine #10)